Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot: Posing Basics at Work

We are going to work with kai today. She is super fearless. Yeah, decided to get in her skivvies for us. Um, so would you mind standing up and showing us what you're wearing? So we're gonna probably do two outfits with her today, and I want to talk a little bit about why I chose the outfits we actually went shopping together. So kai is like, super gorgeous, and if you just look at her, you'd be like, oh, she's, obviously super girly, and, um, I could totally be a model she's amazing, but the funny thing is she has got a little tomboy side to her, and she was telling me about. So when we spoke during our priest, you console, she was telling me about this pair of boots that she has and how much she loved them, and so we decided to base an outfit around the boots, so we're going with something a little bit more casual right now, and I love this sweater it's from for over twenty one and it's kind of sheer, and it was maybe, like, ten dollars on the bracelets from there. Also on the bottom ...

is just from victoria's secret, so and she's wearing her own top underneath e her own bra underneath the sweater, so we threw this outfit together for maybe twenty five dollars for her so it's. Not about spending a lot of money on the laundry because don't forget, I want to make sure my client spend their money on me, not on their clothing, and I think she looks totally adorable. How do you feel in it? Ok, ok, good. Because you don't have a choice now is awesome. So my plan today is just to kind of show you in this segment between the segment and the next segment, just to kind of show you how I work with my clients, how I communicate with them, the ideas that I have in the studio. Um, I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have. So how you feeling in your outfit? Comfortable? Good. Awesome. So the reason I would start with an outfit like this also, by the way, is because she is a little bit more covered, so it makes her feel more comfortable. We want to sort of get less dressed as the session goes on to make our clients feel a little bit more comfy, plus there's a little bit cold in here, so until you know, it warms up a little bit. We want to make sure that she's cozy um, so I want to show you guys kind of how I work, how I communicate my find and where my ideas come from. This is really unscripted we're just going to shoot and have a good time so you could give the microphone back and let's kind of hop over here I'm just kind of a lot of stuff over here by the way I want to mention yes I want you going to mention what I'm shooting with yes there we go I'm not used to doing this okay? So I have a twenty four to seventy lens of my camera because like I said it's not my favorite lines in the world but it's the one I use the most often because we're shooting in such a small saw space in new york and here were also shooting in such a small space I don't know the dimensions but the three of us basically take up the whole room s oh we're shooting in a small space I was testing the light a little bit before you know people ask me what kind of white balance I shoot and I go back and forth between auto and calvin depending on my mood and what's going on with the light and the sun is going in and out are things are changing I might just shoot an auto and change it later because don't forget I don't want to spend all day changing my camera settings I want to make sure that I'm making use of my time but a day like today I'm shooting and calvin right now um, it's probably going to mean maintain this. Well, if it maintains this light, I'll just stay that way. If not, I might just shift auto. And I also tried it on the daylight setting, and it was very close to the calvin setting. So I mean, this is beautiful light here, so it's pretty standard and I guess I'll rattle off my settings as I go. I'm shooting emmanuel and it's a d three ask for anybody that wants good. I cover everything. All right? Um all right. So, let's, go start over here. I also just want to mention one other thing. I usually have a black wrap it of the rapid strap on my camera so I could just let go of my camera show my clients want to dio and then pick it up and shoot. I don't have that today because of my mic. So just so you know, it's, not always. This clumsy is this. I'm not always putting my camera down, showing where's my camera. I usually have it on my body at all times, but today might look a little bit more clumsy than that. All right? So let's, get to it so we might have to move some stuff out of it, but it's okay? This is a very similar set up to my studio where I have a window and we just kind of use the wall next to it. And if you guys could see. But basically, what I want you to do is just come start over here. Sweater might pull a little tiny bit on the break, but I just want you to put your arm up like this, and you're gonna kind of pop your hip out this way and just relax and I will tweak you as I see fit, okay or something. Thank you. I don't get super technical with my clients right away. I'm not like, okay, do this and do that with your pose. Because I want to see what she looks like first. And then I'll sort of pose everything around the foundation. All right? I have to sneak over here so I don't wantto can you come up a little tiny bit more so? See if she's back there too far the light's not gonna hit her. So we want to make sure she's up a little tiny bit further. Okay. Okay. So what I want to do is not necessarily lean on your arm, just get and now that your hip has popped out you see how this knee automatically benz I want to kind of bring it over this by perfect just make sure your feet are together otherwise think if you turn your ankle out like that it's gonna give to pay oh you want teo right there you go you're watching today what I want you to do with this arm it just pull your elbow back just a little bit not so much so we want to make sure that your hand is just sort of softly touching your hip and just watch me for one second sam pulling my l go back behind me and I'm letting yeah there you go you see how that mimics the shape of her body I often say to my clients watch what I'm doing because I'll say can you do this and I show them and they don't really watch they just do it so I will stop him and I'll say please watch what I'm doing and then they get the idea perfect the one thing I want to be careful visit your bangs over here blocking the light so just kind of yeah and then you could lean it into your arm yeah well that was some pretty turn your head a little bit away from the window let me just say it and then toward the window perfect okay and I want you this hand just kind of really relax. It looks super heavy. Just laying on you. So maybe grab some hair here and just kind of play with it. A little perfect. Yeah. Turn your face a tiny bit more to the light. Do me one favor, chin out a little tiny bit and down a little bit good. And I want you to turn your head a little toward may face a little bit more toward me. Perfect. Right there. Okay. Is it okay if I just fix your hair for you? Thanks. Hey, it's. Okay, awesome. I'm just moving the bangs out of her face because it's blocking the light and it's giving a weird shadow on her face. Good. Okay, just turned out a little tiny bit more and down a little bit more good. And I want you to just pretend like you're not shorts me like we're meeting somewhere. And you're like, is that? John, give me a tiny little squid and just really relax your mouth, because right now, you're that's where you're holding your tension, like most women do. So I just want you to breathe through your lips. Take it, ea o get just you and me here, beautiful, good, and finding it a little tiny bit dark, so we're gonna amazing! I want you to relax that hand on top of your head so I'm checking the eight points here and you see how her fingers are so tense so we want to relax that perfect don't think maybe play with your hair a little bit here like you just kind of. Yeah, exactly. And turn your face a little bit. Yeah, perfect. Right there is beautiful relaxes fingers. Oh, yet perfect. Good. So I don't love her expression here. I think everything else looks great, but I don't really love her expression. So let's change the expression a little, maybe let's have a little fun before we get all serious. All right, so what I want you to do is come off the wall little tiny bit. Yeah, and just kind of lean on your hand. It may be like, turn your risk this way a little bit yeah, that's cute. Turn your face a little more toward the window beautiful and hands up on your waist here get c u already lasting and bring your limit so important when girls laugh, they tend to bring chin back make sure that she's not doing that so make sure you keep it out when you're laughing, even though so I'm going to say something make you laugh is their word that will make you laugh okay, there you go off and can you just look down? I want you to look like just watching I'm doing before you know it if you don't mind instead of just looking down I want you to kind of keep your chin out like that and look down you're going to see more of your cheekbone than anything else down a tiny little bit more like you're looking down at your body and your soul your chin should be more in line kind of like with your breast divorce is like turning your head all the way to your shoulder good awesome right there and I want you to give me that same laugh and, uh no realign the good but don't when you do it no, I want you to move on. I want you to pull your chin back because that's what everybody does martha we're gonna keep that out, huh? Good also mean when you're laughing like that can you look up at me? Yeah, soak you love it. Okay, good. So I just took a bunch of shots and I'm just going to see what they look like and that's how I know if I want to fix something or not so this is how I would actually work with a client awesome. You can totally relax for a second now when I tell her to relax this is great, too, because I get to see how her body moves. Okay? And so I take a few minutes. I think we ended on a blankie shot is that of lanky shot, but you can get the idea that she's having a good time, she's definitely having fun, so we're going to go back into that same position, so arm this sometime when you're immoral, away up and what you really stick that hip all the way out, and instead of bringing your arm back, I want you to stick your thumb in your undies just kind of let it hang nice and natural, so don't keep it up, but don't force it down, just kind of let it go. Good. And can you just kind of looked down toward that hand for me? Excellent. John, can't we just bring that silver reflector in? You know what, let's? Move this chair out of the way. So you're not killing yourself? I don't know. I think you just I just wanted kind of right here. Um, I, um, in front of the cameras. Okay. All right. Cool. By the way, the spars reflectors are concerned. I use home depot. Insulation in my studio it's like all of sixteen dollars, and you get these huge sheets of it. I have other reflectors I used to. I use a lot of westcott reflectors, but I just find that, like these large, really small reflectors when you're shooting full body work. Really? Well, okay, sorry. So here's the thing I'm going to take the shot, but it's not the shot I want, but I want you to see what it looks like, so just kind of looked down at your hand and just relax your mouth beautiful. Now can you do me a favor and just pop your hip the other way toward the wall? Good and we're going, yes, and then kind of just and I want you to kind of flirt a little. I kind of just bring it down a little tiny, but give me a little bit of tension, but don't pull your arm to a watch me for one second don't pull your arm toward me I want you just keep it back like that. Good, but don't force it back either. Just let it relax, good even if you had to come or to the side and just kind of and I want you to just look down at it like with intention like I'm about to take these off good and so what's happening right now she's giving a little smile because she's probably a little tiny bit nervous but what I just told her was to pretend like you're taking your underwear off and then she smiled at the same time so that's what I'm talking about where it's a just a difference in the face to the post I don't want he took my direct I want like hot like kind of right so I want you to stick your tush back even more yeah there you go and breathe through your mouth for me and give me some intentional who do you want to take off under I think about that person give a little more pola perfect awesome I'm gonna just move around you a little time but good can you just do it again? You okay okay with that hand I want you to actually bring it a little bit lower now um let's see where do I want to hand turn your body a little tiny bit toward me no go back the hand looks like it's growing out of you which I don't want to do so you know what? Take the hand off the wall turn your body a little tiny bit toward me stick it in the top of the underwear too but I only want you to pull down on this side and the other side I just want you to kind of relax it and then john khun yeah good stay just like that don it's a little bit in my shot if we can good look up at me good oh yeah there you go just the great it means good and just I want you to look down one more time any time I take a detail shot I have the client look down because I don't want to keep her distracted I want her to see okay you know this is what we're doing right now relax your fingers for me just I wanted you know what I feel like you're kind of holding it like this I want to see some of your thumbs just yet there you go yes good to some of these are a little tiny bit dark but for me I'm a nikon shooter I don't mind shooting dark a little bit but I'm going to do a couple more because they were pretty dark and I want to make sure we get the lights and just kind of just looking down all the way down so I don't want to see eyeball look down towards your hand like with intention and who do you want to take off that underwear? I think about that person also you know, I think we're not getting as much as I want can you if you don't mind can I just place it and then I'll have you hold it there we go we'll be done with your eyes. Who do you want to take off those under you think about it all the way down but me give me a little squint your eyes beautiful here we go a little bit better that all right perfect. You ready to do another one with the same so I'm still working this is still opposed I'm still working on the pose we're gonna do nothing so I want you to just put your elbow up and again we're gonna kind of do this thing and now they were a little more comfortable I want you knocked down and I just want you to put your other hand on your waist hurt just like this is fine perfect I just don't want this hand to be so heavy so just kind of play too now and down a little bit up a little bit more turn a little more toward me relax your hand on there good. Give me a little more I want a little bit more um something in your eyes so I want you to relax your mouth. You must have been great, but sometimes your eyes are I want like a little tiny like yeah, yeah good just felt a little too people in here nice relaxed hand can you look at the window this way like you're waiting for the cute boy in the world to come along chin out down good and don't move anything for your eyeballs look up at me and give me a little tiny squid perfect okay what I want you to do is turn your back against the wall like this awesome what? You don't anchor yourself basically with your tush you okay? Yeah. So I want you to pop this hip out this way so the other way I'm so sorry the way I'm doing it yes, perfect and again you see how that needs bending feet together knee over so as you move on during the session she is going to know like automatically she'll just start doing that um and what I want you to just come a little bit closer to me here perfect and I want to take a full length shot of her so I'm just gonna move this okay? So we have this super cute I almost dropped my cabin right now because I'm like I get all my stress so what I want to do is have a little bit of fun with the shirt so you okay like that? Okay, this is what I want you to do. You're gonna anchor yourself against the world, your tush but I don't want your shoulders up against the wall I want you to just kind of take your shirt off and have a little fun with it I don't really want to moving your hips but your upper body just kind of play with it a little bit kind of pulling it up, pulling it down. You can pull the whole thing up in the middle or pull down on the top. Whatever you want to do, the key is here. I want your head turned toward the window because that's where my light is and if all the way, not all the way, but just like toward, like chin toward the shoulder. There you go. And this is the other thing. I want you looking down good. So when I when I want you to look down, I really want you to look down. I want your eyes to be as close to close as possible without actually closing them. There you go and just kind of play with it. And when you do what I want you to breathe through your mouth and give me that same like that person you were thinking about that you want to take off your underwear, I want to thank you. See, there's somebody I see somebody in there totally. I know. So I want you to think about that person and just have a little bit of fun and everyone sometime I have you look up at me when you d'oh, I want you to guess, do that, exactly. Do you see how she's kind of loosening up go like as we're getting going along like she's already like she has a person in her mind's eye planted that person in her head and no any time she feels the need two crab person you're ok any time she feels the need to have inspiration she's probably gonna go back to that person I've planted that seed already right get this out of you right yeah yeah I think right there should be good okay when you're holding the fabric of your shirt I don't want this that gets so tense I just want it very delicate and like not like figures out more just relax just think about relaxing okay really nice arching your back turning your head this way don't move for one second I want to just make sure I have my shot here to see what that looks like okay I'm going to scooch down a little because she is a little how tall are you? Okay she's five three five two so I want to scooch down let me just grab this I'm going this year but state on I think I lost the they're right there. Perfect okay, you're ready? I just want you to keep it moving have a little fun with their don't be bothered by my shutter it doesn't mean anything and I all the way down for me one would hang on one second okay ready go for it just kind of moving around little clinton you can have your face around a little tiny bit like if you want to if you're gonna pull up and you want to look down you have a little bit of leeway I just don't you turn your head all way the other way but I want a little bit of movement there good think about that person good relax the shoulders I want a little more movement like I don't want it to be like snap snap I wanted to just move and I'll capture what's there so just kind of really pulling up pulling down just kind of having a lot of fun with it all right let's eyes all the way down I could see the bottom of your eyeballs and that's creepy when I can only have one you okay? We just got like three really cute pictures of you see what I mean oh my god so cute okay so fifty nine guys if you want to like call up fifty nine on the screen just going second night I was a real laugh if they could go back how cute touche I love it all right awesome. All right let's do it again serious this time one two there you go good pull from the top like oh my god it's so hot in here is my take this sweater off yeah, but this is the thing I feel a little bit of a just like a disconnect between your face and what's going on in your body because you're not maybe following where your hands are and that's probably my bad I probably gave you the wrong instructions so what I want you to do is make sure that so like if you're pulling down here and you're still looking there it's like theirs there's two different things happening here so if you're pulling here I want you to kind of turn your head a little too that if you're pulling up here pretend like you know really get a look at it don't worry about not moving your head so much I just wanna make sure we have light on you but we have the reflector so you have some leeway okay don't be afraid so I'd rather you moved too much and you say you know what let's move it less than not move enough so just kind of really embrace it and go for it one two, three go good both hands at the same time I want moving yeah can you grab both hands in your veena just kind of pull it down yeah don't move and look up at me gorgeous okay, do it again maybe one hand comm pulling the indies a little good all the way down without me chin down a little bit good stay just like that what I want you to dio is put your hair just kind of hold your hair up with your hands and then we're just going to kind of o c she's so pretty right now wait, you're being so pretty without my camera I want you to just with all of you here and just kind of shake it out and have a little fun with it and then just kind of give me a little I wish we could play some music in here I'll have to sing three oh to sing for you good I just want you to kind of relax forget the light forget me don't turn your head away that way because I won't see you and of course I want to see you but just kind of have fun with it and I don't know I'll sing a song for you good chin on down good, beautiful just move that arm closest to me down a little bit because it looks like your smell your arm but perfect just kind of go down good and then I want you if you were washing this morning you saw the lotion right? Just kind of moving your hands all around I want you to do some stuff like that and you could move your hips around and stuff to a little bit, okay I know this is so hard my client have a hard time with this one is just the two of us and now you have of a few people watching but just turn them out it's just about us intimacy we're right here and it's gonna tell you something else up and down I don't know it'll come to me just have fun with it till he could give me some of the massage was just you know just looking all the way down and again with this arm here it just kind of isn't so I'd rather this army down yeah and just oh this where's min se um hands I don't want either both up for both down I want them kind of alternating so you could just kind of alternate your hands yeah and just keep it moving up and down your body good switch it the other way for me good so any time you're anytime your knees bent like that yeah I want them together what do you want to three d o beautiful relaxes shoulders just keep moving till like you're putting um sunblock on here at the beach and you're just putting some black ah a little six years and now you're at the beach with the guy you want to take off your underwear okay stay just actually go back to what you just did what you put your shoulder out and you kind of touched you like that don't you? Look over at me and you look down bring me bring it down like this and then just drop the shoulder back a little bit yeah, there you go look all the way down I don't want you to look sad I want you to look sexy and john let's just bring this around here for one second. All right? Here I know what it's in your eye that's perfect, right? Try to raise your hands up a tiny little bit where china no, girl I don't have the same problems you so again, I'm doing something that she can't d'oh because she has a movie that theo best that you can just kind of wrap your hand around here a little bit and drop the shoulder a little tiny that excellent. Relax your fingers and look up at me so you made a little tiny smirk there look down at your shoulder for me. Good let's give a little more delicate with this hand just kind of good and then just bring it up a tiny little bit for me. Awesome. The other hand, I want to do it with your fingers just kind of yeah, perfect look over at me that's the expression I want every single time now hi, beautiful, right? So she did something that I thought was cute, so I worked off of it you know, if it works awesome, if it doesn't find two, we'll just kind of move around, but this is really all still the same pose. I haven't really moved her anywhere else, she's familiar with this she's comfortable with it right now? Um, I could do a couple more, I don't know if there's any questions or you want me to stick with this pose in the in the whole picture, how much attention are you pain pain, too, the plug in's and things like that? I don't care about that. First of all, in my studio, it's sort of like what I call urban glamour, it has a lot of that stuff like it's, very unfinished, lots of brick walls and, like, dirty radiators that have been painted in thirty years, so that doesn't really bother me if I find it obtrusive in the picture, I'll edit it at in this situation, worst in such a tight space, I'm not moving the mirror, but I would normally probably I wouldn't have that mere behind her, so it would be all brick. I'm just really showing more for opposing purposes, how I would work, but if it was a final, you know, if it was in my studio and I was doing this for a client, I would probably move mirror but the drugs and stuff like that, you can't avoid that. I'm not gonna not do a great pose in a great place that has white because of a light switch. Thanks. All right. We have jin. Yes. Course. Everybody always wants to know some of the lighting tools that we're using. So can you tell us about this piece of this reflector? Yes. This is what I mentioned before that I use them. If you go to any like home depot or lows or any home goods store, whatever it might be is just insulation. And I think the sheet is actually larger than this. And it's, probably somewhere between twelve and twenty dollars, for the whole sheet. I have to actually cut it down to even get into my car. So large thiss ones really shiny. The one I have in my studio is little more matt. Um but it depends on what you need. The shining. It would give you a little bit more reflection in the mat will give you a little bit less and then on mine, I painted the back black. Okay, so it can act also, you know, just stop the light if I wanted to, although I don't use outside as much, I really used the reflection side more. Cool and are there other any other light modifiers that you kind of generally or your go twos that you have around like I said I used the ice light and I use some spider lights here and there but when I'm using natural light there's really not much I mean I will have some sheer fabric in the window just to make it a big soft box but here the windows they're pretty much like that now um and that's really it I just try to make it work with the least amount possible it's really about doing as much as you can with the least amount you know like I said I have an assistant who just had a baby so I've shot with her I've shot without her for me my studio has to be one person capable so you know I have stands that hold the reflectors and whatnot and I can't have a whole big gigantic crazy set up or else I'm gonna need three or four people there and that doesn't make me any money to pay all those people well that answers another question for people about how often you have an assistant yeah I most often have an assistant um it's changed now and it's kind of back to basics for me which is cool I get a little spoiled within a six then you get lazy with an assistant so I think that uh not having assistant is okay too and impressions from north carolina ass are you focusing on her face if not where um focus boy yes always on the eyeballs or the eye she's our eyes are not up yet we gots more focused questions yeah photo gord are you focusing manually and then do you do center point and recompose I do back button focused but yeah and did you know and what that is for people who might if I knew what it was no kidding um so I mean I don't know how it works on captain but our nikon there's a button in the back tens back button focused and that's what I used to focus versus the shutter the actual shutter where you like kind of holding down a recon we compose you focus and you could recompose its kind of locked so that's what I use I find it to be sharper and yeah I like it and it should be now that you mention it should be locked in the middle which it was not okay so you're in the middle center yeah yeah because I find that where the points cross is the most effective on focusing point um I don't know everybody has a different method it's all right you know this is just what I wanna know what yours is. Yeah this is just what I use on by the way I usually shoot because I know those questions coming I usually shoot around two eight with this lens generally speaking, I do shoot a little bit wider because it is boudoir. Um and can you explain that a little bit more? Yeah. So the lower the number of your aperture, the less depth of field you have to you, the things behind her get a little more blurry um and that's good, because I really want to focus on her. She's she's the point of the picture it's not where I'm shooting a portrait with ten family members. I want to make sure everybody's in focus she needs to be in focus. The only time I go up a little bit higher in my aperture would be obviously if it's like super close, I want to make sure her eyes were both in focus, but usually I'm shooting around do amounted to eight or so give or take a few do you mean this lens? The lowest average grade goes a to aid, so when I see with my eighty five and make a little bit lower, so did you want to have her doing outfit change now or what's like one twenty? We have about forty minutes still until break, I'm sure and actually, while she does that, I could go over a couple of little tools I use for fun like my studio, so yeah, you want money take j should we also chose a longer right outfit for her because she does have a girly side. We wanted to make sure we expressed that also. And, um, she looked awesome. Like I asked what her favorite colors were. And she said that her favorite colors thank you were pink and purple and sheet when I met her, she was actually wearing this sort of reddish pink shirt. That looks awesome on her. So when I went shopping with her immediately picked a pink color for her, which is gonna look really pretty on the outfit that she's wearing actually is a great choice. It's a victoria secret on dh. I find it flatters so many body types and, uh, I think that you'll really like it. And I have a couple things here I'll show. So I also love shooting with fabric maker out something. Thanks. So we can play with these a little bit. We're going to play with both girls. This is just standard tool. Excuse me? I think it's like a dollar ninety nine a yard. Um, just a couple different fabrics. And what I like to do is I like to put them in these what did they use these were, like embroidery, yeah, embroidery. So this is when you say, like, oh, do you have an assistant or do not have an assistant? Sometimes we need to make things a little more accessible for us to use on your own. So I used to have my assistant hold the fabric over the lens for me because I like to shoot through the fabric, but when you don't have an assistant, what do you do? You can't possibly hold the fabric tight, so I throw them in these little embroidery hoops and hold it in front of the lens. So, um, I'll just show you how it would work. Yes, and we can play with it. I'm not going to take a picture now, but I'll basically focus and then I'll put the fabric over and depending how far away or how close you hold it, it will change what it looks like, so it's pretty cool, and I like the effects that it gives to the pictures sometime it could change the color or something like this one will just give it like, a little bit of a smoky effects that will use some of these when we work tomorrow. Um, you can also shoot the release, which is really fun, so sometimes clients will show up with really ugly lace robes that they have to have in the picture. And I hate them, so I'll say, well, you know what? Instead of wearing the lace rope, why don't we just drop it over the lens? Yeah, you know, we'll do something like that, and again, the further away you hold it, the more of the pattern you see, and it can create some interest in your photo and almost make it look like artwork without having to do any editing. The amazing thing about that, too, is if you have a woman with really bad skin or she's trying to hide certain things were a lot of wrinkles or she's paranoid about something or whatnot definitely shoot their fabric with her because it just smooth skin. I don't even use any skin smoothing on those pictures when I added them because it just does it automatically, and I'll show you well, we'll play with that. Any questions on that question here in the audience? Yeah, um so when you talk about maybe a woman with bad skin or you're not using that lace and for every phone, just a few, just a few, but if you I might do a whole set in, it might do everything for my just do some poses, so I'm trying not to cough I might do some poses in a set with it, it depends, okay, yeah it's just nice to have variations of look like if you have four outfits you don't want them also look the same I'm not gonna have her change and then stand there again that's boring you know and I could have done ten more ten more poses with her in that pose I could have had her turn toward the wall put her arm up you know you can shoot her from the other direction there's so many things you can do I mean I could stand there just for a knauer shooting her in that one little spot so when people say like oh you have such a tiny studio how do you make it work? I don't really need that much space to make it work it's just a matter of how you use the space that you have so we have some more questions coming in first of all leyla wants to know if you normally shoot in high heels that way you know I'm also the clumsiest person you've ever met so not normal uh so a question from fashion tv is do you ever over expose your background to slim down your subject? Um no I don't use over exposure as a tool to slim down my subjects purposely sometimes it happens but now I know it's not my style I'm not against it I think it's awesome if she does that that's fine but it's just not my style and chantelle from california says what kind of stand you used to hold this reflector when you don't have an assistant another specific question sure um while westcott makes a stand that's used to hold reflectors and I like it because it has like a new just a ble arm like kind of like this and it goes all it's kind of goethe's three sixty so I can put it sort of that way and I can lean the reflector on it and because sometimes you needed to be back or fourth and it's really hard to just lean it up against a wall or something you need something super flexible so I use a westcott arm for that and it actually holds westcott reflectors to which I highly recommend but and I love the westcott reflectors I have I use when I travel, but when I'm in the studio all used the home depot special so marie claire says, I appreciate your emphasis, jen on small spaces as I'm trying to use my one bedroom apartment to get started so that's cool a couple of people have asked about other locations do you shoot outdoors any time? Sometimes uh my in laws have a lavender farm out on the east end of long island and so sometimes I'll shoot there, which is really beautiful but it's such a limited season it's like there's two chutes and that's it for the summer um yeah, I've shot other locations outdoors and I'm scouting out a few new ones for this summer but uh it's hard to find it out to a location where you could do everything you really want to do without people around so you have to definitely do a little bit of scouting for that. Maybe ali has more about that. Do you? Is there a microphone or do you have tell me about the outdoor space that you used to shoot? Is it like private your I mean, you guys have a lot more land than we do. I'm sure. So is it your land? No, um we've just driven up the mountain and found secluded places so we my husband actually built a very large sheet to shield any passersby but, um it kind of got in the way, so we haven't been using it a ton but I have it just in case. Yeah, but yeah, we just drove up and tried to find somewhere that's out of the way of normal traffic. I think that's southend kado once told me about like this tube that they sell it sort of right and then you could like changing the too but I have seen it, but that sounds like something that it's a good idea yeah, so another question on that topic um april doherty photography do you ever go to the client's home I don't have a studio, but I want to get into bed war, and I worry they won't, and I worry that they won't have lots of not natural light, yeah don't have light, I will tell you how to get around that I have done that, and what you do is you charge an extra fee to go to their house. Well, I charge an extra fee to go to their house, and I also include appreciate consul in their home and what that includes is me sort of scouting out the situation, seeing what the light is like, and I let them know I might need to come in and take letter or move furniture, and I asked him about the windows in their house, and if they don't have, then you know, bring lights with you and bring an assistant that can help you manipulate the light. Um, definitely you can do that. I charge extra for that because I'm going to bring my makeup people on hair people and you know, I have a studio, so I don't need to do it. But if we need to do, just make sure that your your expenses are covered enough to go and do it, and if it's not a good location and you feel like you can't shoot there and it's ugly and you know she has this pattern wallpaper I can't stand then just say you know what? This isn't gonna work and let's figure out something you have to be honest because thank you so much if you're not honest with your clients it's just gonna be a disaster in the end looks like our model in um headshot hot mama like I said water so hot today okay, can you pull this for me from let's? Move this out of the way. Can you do me a favor and just have a seat on the bed for a month ago or stand by the bed so I don't hurt you while I moved? No see john's here and I'm not used to having an assistant that does all these awesome thing, so I'm just kind of doing it myself, okay? We're gonna do some of those fun bed shots that we saw earlier because these are classic everybody loves them. So what I want you to do is lay on the bed on your stomach and I want you to, um pretend like you're cutting the bed and half diagonally so your head will be here your feet will be that way and you just kind of laid diagonally from a cool let's angle you a tiny little bit more excellent love it okay, what I want you to dio is cross your legs just like that okay, can you scooch back a little tiny but so this is the other thing if you want to make your clients look tall, you have to kind of really make sure they're like right in the middle of the bed because if they're too far up on the bed or too far back on the bed and makes it look like the bed is like eating them alive like it's so much bigger than they are. So also I use a I think a queen full size bed maybe in my studio because I don't want it to be too big I want them to look longer, not the bed look bigger and I think that that's what this is I think it looks like a full size okay, so what you're going to do is relax your hands down the hand closest to me are my want you just bring it back a tiny little bit perfect now this knee closest to me this is okay. This isn't awkward. This is one of those awkward like it's very hard to describe, so I'm going to show you what I want you to do and I'm going you're going to mirror me so I'm going to do it on this side but you're going to do it on the side closest to me so you're like this you're gonna bring your knee up on what you're gonna do is you're gonna kind of pop your hip so it's kind of up like this. Yeah, but it's not involving the upper half of your body it's just involving yeah, they perfect this good. Can you just raise it up a little tiny bit, so keep them crossed. Keep him cross this way the other way. The way there. Yeah. Good. Just make sure you point your show your shoes up for me. Perfect. Relax your feet for one second. I want to show the difference. This pose is awesome, but you see when she doesn't point her toes, she looks shorter. Point your toes again. So much better so don't like. Remember the little cherry on the cake cherry on the sundae do you mind if I just fix your strap? Perfect. How are you feeling? Do you feel uncomfortable? Are you lying to me? Okay. You feel comfortable? That's. Good that's how we know it's. Good it's working. Okay, perfect. Okay, now that I got you in the perfect pose, actually, angle you a tiny little bit differently. I want your legs to be back a little tiny bit more perfect, just like that. Good and don't push up with your arms just relax your arms excellent try to bring that foot up to closer to your ankle excellent and point to the right arm just bring it out a little tiny but just a little bring it back a little snitch somewhere between where you were and where you are perfect and relax your fingers good awesome let's see what we got here okay I'm gonna come down here with you all right? I love it you know what I want you to look over your shoulder this is what you're gonna do you're actually not you're actually gonna look like around like you're looking at your tush exactly eyes down for me breathe through your mouth relax the hand that's closest to me the one that's kind of like yeah they go point those toes up good and I want to think about that guy that's taken off your underwear beautiful look up at me from there beautiful I want you to take that arm that's laying down there and just kind of put it behind your head I don't want your like leaning on it for say but just supported a little bit underneath your hair good but like support it so go behind your hair yeah just kind of good chin down a little bit don't forget to point those toes chin up a little tiny bit and relax your forehead good point those toes beautiful I want you to push that expression just a little tiny bit so you're almost giving it to be perfect, but I really want you to kind of like you're in bed I want you to invite me into bed with you right and just make sure you tilt a little display so instead of raising just took this my perfect we'll keep your forehead relax bless you done and teo her face I want you to look down toward your elbow for me so you could bring your bring your face down just make sure your chin is out and now I want you to give me a little laugh let's talk about something funny good look up perfect just like that look down at your at your although I keep missing a mixing mixing up elbows and shoulder is my whole life I do that I don't know why good I just look up at me again raise your chin a little tiny but get that come out of there I don't want to see yeah awesome oops sorry your finger relax a little bit this way chin down for ephraim africa awesome I hope these are looking good cause she's so here so I could keep shooting her but I want to make sure that we're looking good looking good no well I'll tell you it stay like that leave your legs down but keep them crossed perfect and just kind of that foot that's on the bottom looks a bit awkward so the pillows in your way awesome and this thing this arm here that's furthest away from you can lay down and just lay on your arm now the one thing yeah you're good at that. I want you to bring some here behind you though e I think on the other side yeah, I don't know why down let's say can't see without my camera okay, perfect the other hand you could bring it sort of like just kind of yeah, just like that, huh? Maybe like a little tiny less hand like bring it, bring your elbow out yeah, there you go. Perfect. Now the one thing is when you lay in your arm you kind of smushed this lace I just want to make sure you kind of roll up on your elbow little and keep your chin down perfect. I want to take that arm can you bend it and just kind of just relax? I don't force it just like that. This is like even bigger than my studio I think I'm like so like my lens isn't reaching her I need to actually move this is awesome good and then just look up at me yeah, for jess oh my god, that expression right there, blacks forehead just look down with you are your eyes all over my beautiful stay just like that I want you to pop your tush up a tiny little bit so yeah just rest that arm back down you're gonna look up it may so unturned your head a little cause I'm losing that other eye um yeah so can you yeah, perfect yeah and stuff like that I'm not gonna like freak out over if I see you later like it would never is with the strap turn just kind of okay, well, just relax your fingers here yet and you know, you see how she just moved her arm and now it's facing the camera so we want to make sure that never happens spacing the camera's gonna look stunned did so we want to kind of bring it back out actually, can you bring it back up over here because I really like the way that that looked yeah and just to see up look up at me beautiful awesome you just did something actually that I told my clients to do a lot I'm glad that you did that because it reminded me um when a client is sometimes just not getting the right face, you can tell them sometimes close your eyes just think something sexy when you're ready, open your eyes and whenever they open their eyes there's just sort of that like something in there can you, um flip over onto your back? Same exact angle perfect. Awesome. I want you actually let me see bring your fate your head over this way a little bit more but keep your body yeah, perfect make brick get rid of these spells see what she just did totally what I told you she was going to do write e only clients lay like that can you raise your head and I'm just gonna kind of yep perfect. I love it. Thank you. I didn't even tell her todo okay, but I want you to do is lift your knees to your feet or on the bed totally cool is not my bedspread hears the case when a girl's laying on her back and you want her likes to be flattered. What you're going to do is take this me and drop it a tiny little bit good and now this need you mind if I just met you but I'm just gonna push it this way perfect even though the guy in front of me is the one that's more prevalent because I'm pushing it away from the camera it's gonna look smaller but I want you to do is give me a little arch in your back and pop this hip out toward me perfect do you mind if I move your hands for you since it's complicated? Okay this one I just want you to rest right here nice and relaxed this one right here well, more thing I want to do is just move your head where I want it is that okay? All right good and just keep that chin raise I love how you're doing that that's so perfect wait good so what's happening is it's looking it's tiny little bit to post so I want you just relax it a little tiny bit perfect eyes all the way down and when I say three oh, this is such a good tip you ready when I say three I want you like this like almost like you've been holding your breath but you're just gonna guess from she said she was older just like you're gasping for air a tiny little bit it's not a body motion it's a lip and chest motion hey, I need air to hold him so it's like that just a tiny little thing yeah there you go. So this is the other thing when people take this photo clients tend to just look like they're dead like they was gut shot and they fell this way when you take like a little tiny bit of air and there's a little like it just gets a little life to them and it shows like a little tiny bit of movement and they're not dead anymore so turn your head a little more toward me I just really want your hands kind of like just relax it that yet just like that we're here um one two three good a little bit more this time one two three good but I want you to do is we're gonna turn your head a little bit this way and down here awesome when you could pack up this a little bit you see what that looks like can you look up at me amazing but the crazy thing is I really want to get a little more light on her face because her outfits like blowing out a little tiny bit but she still looks totally awful yeah we might be able to way have to we could always move this over a little tiny but let's say yeah dada god it was like a see what that looks like you look up at me relax your forehead what if I'm just gonna fix your hair over here her hair is sort of looking like she's a mohawk and relax that hand uniforms good relax your forehead for me good close your eyes for a second just think about that guy don't know for one second can look up at me beautiful good I want you look all the way down with your eyes awesome now you give me a little laugh let's break the tension a little tiny bit awesome good make sure that that shane is out well you're laughing god this hand is making me donate this happens all the time I don't know what it is about the hands you know I think it does it's a totally so let's do this let's play with the hair a little bit here let's give it something to do so just keep it down but just like put put your alright ready and when I do it for you but I want it kind of here the way it was before yeah just turn it this way so if we put a little hair in her hand she looks like she's doing something and maybe it'll cover her hand a little bit so it won't be is obvious because it's making me crazy but now you're like kind of like this I just want your relax just like it was before totally relax the last hands okay cool just laid there and I'll put hair in it and it will be fine okay ready one two three kamil huh and look up at me when two three relax for hod twenty three little dark up here john if you need a break great look over once again enough there you got it okay give me again I want two three thank you beautiful yeah this is not like the complete ideal situation if I had to do it in my studio had moved the bed a little bit more for the window lets you look up at me we're making it work one two three awesome okay, so from here but I want you to do is just stay just like that I want you to raise your elbows up so that they kind of meat good and just put your hands in your hair really really relaxed and just look all the way down with your eyes you see if we could get really want to get it like in her face and I feel like you come stand over here you see like right there it's like just relax those fingers means your chin up a tiny bit beautiful relaxes fingers like I don't want them into each other I want them next to each other and I'm seeing way too much of them so just kind of like move it off to the side a little and just stick it in your hair a little bit perfect so here I am just trying to relax your forehead, raise your chin and raise you ten resort to henry's which in all the way all the way all wait till it hurts and relaxed forehead good and what I'm trying to do is make the most out of this pose so I'm gonna kind of go around her and see what I got you know what I want you to do now john you could relax I want you to actually switch the way your poses so they flat again oh, no, the tethering court almost came out and I want you to raise your feet up like they were before and now you're going to drop this one a little tiny bit. I'll think you're free, but you're going to have this in a little tiny bit and push this way. Same. Exactly. You're fine. Don't worry and we're going. Teo, you okay? Okay, we're gonna alternate your hands. So let me just fix your hair first and you're gonna give me this hand and relax in here and you give me this hand. Relax it here. So this might seem strange, like if it looks good one way, why would I do with the other way? But for some reason, it just looks different from either side, so I usually do both sides with women bring job that hand down a little tiny bit perfect. And yeah, but I'm going to move it for you. It happens to everybody. Everybody carries their tension somewhere. It's one definitely. And I just want all right, let's, put it down here. I'm gonna put some hair, right? It's e I don't see any hand strains. Just relax it. I told you arms and hands of the hardest to pose, yeah, exactly look down for me, will you laughing like that, okay? You're saying you think this discomfort or cover, although it's beautiful, is like skin tone, so I would probably never use it in my studio now that I'm shooting with it and I see, but I used a grey one in my studio, and I kind of love that because it becomes like an automatic great card for me. So it's, easy for me to white balance my pictures before after during whatever because I have a gray one my bed, but it looks really beautiful with you, but the camera sees it is like we'll skin kind of three cameras, not brain I get, I'm gonna shoot it looks like with the fabric over it, just look down with your eyes all the way talk to me again, you know fall coming to you can you bring that hand like a little closer? But I don't want to see the inside you, I just want to do something with it maybe like, uh, no, you just touch your strap but don't want to do it up here just kind of come over to your chest and do it perfect lex, your forehead I want you to read your chin a little bit more yet I want youto unturned your head wait but I stand my own life is awesome blacks far ahead so when can you come hold this in front of lens for me? Just because normally I could do it myself, but ok, no, I'm good I'm good good. Relax your expression, giving that nice real sexy. Yeah, there you go. Beautiful. So I just like a little bit of that smoke you looked at, it creates a little bit different um and you could do it actually fuse other colors. I've never used this one before, but let's, use it and see what happens. Changes the look also, yeah, relax that forehead, because when I like yeah, this I like to it gives like, a little bit of a different effect than the other one. Any questions as we're going through this from you guys, people first, I just want to say, dan, you're doing such a fabulous job of just kind of showing us what you're doing and teaching us what you're doing but then explaining the wise and so that's really helpful to everyone online, like, why this works and why this doesn't work. So we do have some questions, and if you guys want to think about some too, that would be great and relaxed. Teo so what was you talked aboutthe color of the bedspread that he wouldn't use that color? Are there other colors that you would have wade I might avoid white or might avoid white because it can, you know, reflect light obviously in weird ways and uh might wash out and you might have to sometimes depending on the light blow it out and I just yeah, I would probably avoid way I really like neutrals and I really love this it didn't even really occur to me that it was gonna look like skin too until I laid her on the bed and just like her skin tone but that might not be true for every client you know, so it might just not work with her so you might want to have more than one in the studio. Um this might work with somebody that has either a darker skin tone or a lighter skin tone than she has. It would be really beautiful so I just like neutrals like grey's beige is cool and a laker v s can you explain why one leg is closer towards the camera and why you chose that leg? I could show you where the picture is that better let's do that. Can you lay down and just bring your knees up like they were before? And instead of dropping the knee that's for this when he dropped any closest to me and then can you switch them for me good, bring the other knee up a little tiny bit a little bit more okay, so I just took pictures of her legs there nothing to really write home about but you can see the difference so you guys if you can call up, go back and forth between one eighty one on one eighty two um yeah, wherever you are I don't know our numbers are different a little bit but you can see the difference just by looking at it so I don't know why it does that, but I couldn't just say that it does and I learned that by looking at the pictures and observing after I shoot and going what I hate about this picture I hate that her leg looks that I hate their leg look that I want to switch them next time and see what happens and next time I switch it way I love how that looks so from now on I'm gonna do that so I don't know why but it just does great and then a question from jessica ray, do you always put pillows on the bed? Did you ever find them distracting? Yeah, this is a lot of pillows maybe I would toss some of them in my bed in my studio I have two pillows if you don't have pills in your bed, which I did for a long time too, because if you remember, I didn't even bother to put a bedspread on in the beginning so I certainly didn't have pillows, but I find it just looks like a fake bed pillows make it look like a real bed, what is really, you're never going to go into a hotel room or a bedroom and not have any pillows on the bed, so pillows make it look real, is it okay to rent a hotel for a session or do any tips around that? Yeah, um totally it's okay, some people don't tell the hotel what they're doing, some people dio I'm gonna leave that up to you and what you're comfortable with. I personally like to let them know what we're doing because I like to get sort of like a day rate all might say to them, you know, I only need it for three hours. Can I do something on a day where it's not rented or somewhere in between or, you know, can you give me a special if I come on a wednesday and nobody ever goes on a wednesday? Um, so yeah, definitely work with hotels for sure and again, what can you offer them to make them want to work with you? Hey, I have this bride, she's, amazing she's having a spectacular wedding, and she wants to come out and check out your hotel, so do you I think that maybe we could just do a quick shooting there like her wedding photographer. Do you think that we could shoot in there for about two hours? And if she loves that she's gonna book it for your for her wedding, you know, but be genuine about it or hey, listen, you know, I want to recommend you guys to my clients where I have a lot of family that comes in from out of town or I don't know my paint. My parents own a business, and they have travelers all the time to come see them. But I need to use the room. You know, when we do something, think of a way that you could benefit them so they'll want to work with you. All right? Keep the reciprocity going totally. Another question was when you pulled that fabric up on you when you use the different things to shoot through, how do you focus? You focus first, and then you put it over your, um, less cool. Thank you. I just want to say thank you for, like, exposing yourself and shooting in front of us because it's been really exciting and interesting to watch, you know, like it's very insightful, being able to see, like, a really, you know, talented photographer doing work in front of people because that's just really bloody nerve racking. So, you know, I guess I super appreciate everything that you've done it's so inspiring to watch and, like, I want to go home and she, oh, pocket things that I wish, you know, it's such a funny situation here because I it's like israel as it can get, you know, like, I would probably move a little bit faster, obviously, in my studio, but this is really how I talked to her. I mean, this is not fake, this is one hundred percent all I know how I talk to my clients, I hope that you feel comfortable, you know, in the way I'm talking to you, and I think we had a good time shopping together. Um, you know, I this is really how I deal with my clients, and you can see when you say, like, how do you make somebody laugh? Itjust happened, they're comfortable with you, they're going to laugh, they feel silly. I mean, you know, she's in front of a whole bunch of people so it's a little more nerve racking, but when it's, just the two of you, you know, you could definitely have that intimate connection also great job, yeah, you're a lot of wei have about just five more minutes before break. I don't know if you were done with shooting. Do you want me to shoot your last five? I will. If you have questions, I'll answer those two it's up to you it's up to you uh much shoot. Ok, let's, stay. We're fearless, okay? Let's dio uh, can you come up on your knee? Awesome outfit on theo. Got the guy that wants to take off your underwear is gonna love it. Okay, what I want teo e o they want you to do is take your right knee and just push it forward a tiny little bit. Awesome. The reason I do that is because you never really wanted both on the same plane. And the other thing I want you to do is angle your body tiny bit toward the window. Perfect. So now I'm not just getting legs because if I shot her this way forward she's totally gonna look amputated and I'll do it so you can see what I'm talking about. Ready no legs. Okay, she's got no legs right now in this photo and I'm sure it's gonna pop up in a second, so we want to do is make sure we shoot her from the side when you can't even see her feet in that picture you look good but I kind of prefer you like that actually that was really cute you know that I know it was gonna keep it just it's kind of very gentle with your fingertips good and then just turned and looked down at his shoulder john can you reflect her a little bit from this side see she did something that was so huge and you see the curve of her back and all that let's take advantage of it you can come back a little bit it's very strong so it doesn't need to be so like more like this okay so I'll do it and then you can just hold that should be fine good really gentle on this finger so the one hand that's facing me I don't like that so turn it no turned the other one turn it to the side a little bit worried yeah good chin down and really want you looking down because what's happening right now is I'm kind of seeing some apples and chin down even more and relax that mouth breather in the mouth good and give me that little sexiness I want you to look up at me when I tell you to one two three look up in me beautiful put down again but I want to do is kind of stay just like that but the arm for this for me I want you to come up and just kind of like and you're just going to kind of push your hair no you're going to turn the way you were before but it's kind of like you're pushing your head that way all the way down with your face good let's do it again I know it's a hard one rain it's a great beautiful you can come all the way up now so you don't have to lean on that arm on let's see the same thing with both hands just kind of thrown in your hair beautiful get that piece of hair out of your gorgeous face please beautiful look up at me well expert which is flirt with me a little bit yeah there you go good take that hand there I love the other hand playing with your hair but this hand I don't like is much can you take it and just kind of grabbed the bottom of your outfit and just kind of yeah perfect and then just kind of looking down toward your hand and just play with your hair chin on down relax those shoulders good just play with it have fun this is the grand finale we'll hear one thing with your hair let's just kind of keep it more down here versus here it's very barbizon to be here we wanted more kind of just syria yeah there you go relax those fingers that are on your thigh beautiful good I want to look up at me see every meat I need to be on a stool because that thing is coming in the back of your head and I don't like it good, very barbizon to just relax that hand there you look down at your hand good let's take with both hands, your skirt and just kind of move it around this so I just kind of have someone move your hips with it looking down, looking up at me here in the face, moving out of the way totally fine let's just have a little fun. Just relax those shoulders so washed me one second when you pull up like this to see what happens, I have no neck. Now I looked so we're going to keep it nice and long. Yeah, beautiful. You didn't bring your hands up into your hair. Can you give me one of these man christmas trap? I want you to bring your hair up and just kind of let it fall down with your arms up bring the hair and front yeah, and then you don't stay just like that. Oh my god, I love that. Just give me a little movement with your and put your hands on your dress like you we did before yeah, I'm just kind of looking down good and then I want you to put your hands in pony you put your hand you know what I'm trying to take your hair put it in a point of it with your hands and then I want you to just you're going john can you hold this hey I'm just trying to do with it so you're gonna put all of your hair up like this when I tell you to I just want you to raise your hands all the way up I'm kind of okay all right all the way up with your hands and just let your hair go so wait you know what when you do it this time don't look at me because that's weird I just want you to kind of close your eyes and just tell like you just woke up and you're like oh my hair stretching out we'll let you out down yeah good beautiful let's hear it one more time one two there you go good can you turn your body a little tiny bit more of this but I want to get you sideways yeah they go so maybe don't leave your head up so much keep it more straight and do it this way maybe keep it down and do it I don't know you know what is your elbows are kind of out I want you to bring it over yeah there you go can't see your face it also turning yet turn it like that and then do it yeah, go for it. Good were warmer time, just like that. I want you to look up at me once in a while, when you feel like that. What kind of need to just kind of right turn your head more toward me. Beautiful, one, two, three, go, awesome. Love it. Okay, so, you see, I'm definitely shooting a bunch of pictures, but, you know, these air, more like candid moments, and I want to make sure that we're just like, but we'll get, like, two or three pictures out of it. That'll be awesome, or four pictures that'll make that spread that we were talking about before so that's, sort of the action that they were, has him up before that's, the kind of thing that I'll d'oh.