Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot: Steampunk with Crosslight

I thought about doing a steampunk look and I started going online and looking at you know, options and I got really excited so I ordered a bunch of stuff and we had some other stuff laying around so we're kind of putting the uh this this together hopefully it's gonna work out you don't know until it all gets put on right so here is I would say more wardrobe driven right I don't do a lot of wardrobe driven shoots so the good news is this and I would say this as a general rule there there's I can't remember someone told me once that when you take a picture like say landscape and you got the grand canyon in front of you and you go and you go click turn around look what's behind you the old withered tree that probably be a better shot right and so I tell people that when you go and photograph a certain subject matter a lot stop and do something completely different push yourself in another direction see what happens so I've said this for a while I'm not wardrobe driven photographer I'm a p...

ortrait driven face and so we were looking at your work and it's um more of a wardrobe driven would you say because you make wardrobe options I'd love to have you hang out with me or I hang out with you right but wardrobe driven is kind of fun is more character style um you know superhero, you had a bunch of superhero cup type of costumes and whatever so so this is pushing my comfort zone a little bit so it's wardrobe driven I still love lighting still love how light strikes the face that's me so when I people say how do you describe your photography I say lighting is paramount how light strikes a face is what it's all about for joel grimes so now that I've got the lighting down pretty well I should experiment push myself a little bit so wardrobe driven would be a good a good thing teo uh you know, sort of explore a little bit and it's really not that you know you could find costumes you could you know there's people that make costumes like ugo that you could maybe hook up with and um try that push yourself a little bit in direction that you don't normally do so if you all you do is photograph babies maybe you want to go and do some sports stuff of all you do sports maybe want to do something different alright so jessica come on in and we've got a couple things like said you watch the court's already tripping on one today and that wouldn't be good for me to tripped in front of, you know, on a live setting here, right? So what do you think crazy? I think I'm gonna wear this every day yeah, this's, your look in the boots fit. Those are steampunk boots specifically so way have this little we might want to pop this off when we get ready to I don't know how we do that. Oh, here it is. Buckle. So so we actually see the because I don't know about have this stuff hanging down, but the idea was that we got this where's the yeah, the the what we call that a coat, but we call it a coat cloak cloak see, I'm learning I was photographing too pro golfers for a campaign. I was on a cherry picker, I was up way up high, I had a couple assistance, they had the client and everyone there, the two pro golfers and one of the golfers looked up. It means said, what would you like me to do? And I said, well, act like you're back on the ball and he looked up he said, I'm a pro, I don't whack the ball, so I had to learn the terminology to fit, otherwise I might get slapped upside the head, right? So we are in thiss punk? Uh, steampunk look, and what I'm thinking is that I've got a background because I probably would add a texture background on, uh, in a composite, um but I thought since we're going to start with cross light and cross light we done already ready I was actually set two of these up but we don't have enough room in here because I actually blocked that so we'll still do with one remember did that did the seven foot octo this is a seven foot umbrella same exact lighting folks at a fraction of the cost so I wanted to make sure that I did a scenario with this the only I would say differences your lights now sort of in the center here so you have to kind of a little b if this is a little you know sticking out a little bit so you kind of work around that but outside of that the light quality is the same so four hundred thirty bucks you can get this huge soft source we're going to shoot that with his background now I can add a texture to that additional texture to that to mix up that background little bit it's not the same old that I think I've had that something nineties so I don't want to look like the nineties background that you know that I've had but so I can add a texture to it but we'll do cross light first and I thought, well maybe we'll have you in this cloak or weaken whatever but you've got you've got the spyglass kind of thing and you're kind of like you know you're checking out you got your goggles um hair looks crazy so what was that you got oh you're not done are you talking about me she wants to work on my hair so we'll let her do the right thing and then we'll do cross like so have you put the cloak on yet oh so we don't know if this is gonna work okay so oh oh oh yes yes um well all right so yeah can we get some help and get this over? Um we're dressing on the set right so I was not undressing on the set I think we're fine what so again I saw this online I thought I got it by this so so she's kind of like this is the um she's in the field so this should come so where's the hood find the hood and wow okay uh we're uh philip awkward here you know dressing I model here okay, so we'll take a look at this I'll pull it down so may we see a little bit of that um what do you call that boost ta so let's pull this up so a steampunk it's kind of like they just put all crazy stuff on right? So like gears and you know like these goggles that are sort of like, you know, welding goggles with stuff on it so steve punks kind of an interesting look and this is kind of like maybe in between it's not too radical um okay, so let's get you over here and once again my source is here. Um well, you know what we want to do to get that fill the little phil car if we need it okay? And then um wow I love it this is gonna look good. I've been waiting for this. This is kind of like the grand finale of our three days right here so cross light is just absolutely gorgeous light right? It's been around for a long time so that's why I kind of abandoned it for a while and now I'm kind of bringing it back to my least my look um so make sure you come forward a little bit so I want my model at the are pretty close to the edge of where the light ends this light comes across we want it to get to where we have a little triangle on the side of her face so and I might want to lose a longer lens but right now I'm gonna put my seventy millimeter on she looks good, okay and move about two inches that way so I get your center in the background and we're going to just kind of do like about here up because I got this background that's not really um that big butt all right, someone focus we'll turn the camera on make sure the cameras on seven point one is a one hundred one sixty second and there's our little beep and we'll see what we got here get my glasses out already I could tell little overexposed but um you know we're gonna just for that so and my light I would say we could maybe bring it back a little bit less down power it so I'm probably a full stop off so let's go down here tio eighth power so what's that tell you you don't need a lot of lightning thiss a modifier eighth power it's pretty great. Okay, well, looks good. Oh, my gosh, this looks killer okay, now so I've got her cheek there I might want to at this point we talked about how high you could you put the light source? I would say let's just see what happens if I raise this a little bit because every body's faces shaped a little differently. You can't say that this is going to be exactly level with her head are your model's head or a little bubble? It'll blow you don't know that until you put the model in there, so at this point I say let's, raise it up a little bit, okay one, two, three and that brings my rim brat triangle a little bit more distinct I think a little bit better um so that's looking pretty good goggles what we might want to do on the goggles you know they look pretty centred as you say make sure they're centered and then what if we pull them down just alluded their elastic right? What if you can you do that with what would you be able to pull it? Just pull him down just a little bit okay right there all right and then this we'll just kind of like I don't know if you want centered right? I'm off to one side a little bit okay let's try another one okay one two, three ok. Wow, now I would say that it seems a little contrast that was going to show you with another putting two of these side by side really gets off course you back it up so what would be a solution if I want to soften it up a little bit what's my option closer you've been listening to me now yeah, I can't go to close because I've got a limit limit how far how close I can get this but I'm gonna move a little closer which means I gotta knock down the power so go have stop see what happens maybe not maybe I went too far but let's just take a look so now I can't go to wide right now so maybe yeah like right there ready? One, two, three so that should soften a little bit and that should give me a little bit, but never going. We're getting better and better at this that we're starting to get the look that I want now position in her head a little bit. So if I have her swing toward the light just a little bit just ahead we'll see what happens do that same post like that, what you're doing, but I can't go to wide because that's good and that's going to smooth out a little bit, good or bad, we'll see what happens. I think I actually like it see that's a little better. So now I've smoothed out a little bit and I think that's a pretty good look so let's, take a look at what if you were now just kind of like you've maybe got the the spy glass up and you're not looking through it, but you're but you're also looking off in that direction a little more toward the light source what happens there? Let's see? So that should maybe even more so you're looking, yeah, like but we want the turn actually turn and look your body that way a little bit, yeah like that, so now bring this up a little bit like you're out, so also grab this right here um so you had this hand this like this so maybe it's like on this you know, like you know, you're right about there something like that so we could still see it but not too far out of the frame we'll now bring in away from your face a little bit right there. So it's not unwanted like you she is a little bit tight, but this looks good. Look at the light. Oh, light looking great value the backgrounds about right? So I might let me let me back giving a little more a little more, uh, background around her john way are do we have a little bit of pulling over earlier? Then we can bring it down just a tad now if that we can't don't don't look at it, we can also put on different lens if I put a longer lens on, then I can get back and I could get a little narrow my view a little bit because I'm at a seventy millimeter here. Um but let's see if we can get just a little bit more in there. Yes, beautiful. Now we're talking, let me get out the way here so you guys can see so now d'oh is start to work it a little bit so the lighting looks good I think the wardrobe looks great so now what I want is like, you think of yourself, you're out wild, you're doing something out there and maybe you're looking around but maybe you're holding it up maybe, uh, you know, so just let's do a few options, so we're gonna be able to get the look that we want here good. So do this on that on that, uh, do a little more delicate saying yeah, maybe not too delicate, not like that, you know? So so and then push it away from your face a little bit so I can make sure I don't block you, and I like that yeah, that looks good. Now, do when you first started, you were kind of like, doing a little yeah, there you go. Exactly. So again, this is cross light. So the question is, is this gonna work best for this in there? I don't know we're gonna try a three edged light in a minute, but I kind of like it well, we haven't had a pill cart eye was a hole card. Let's do a phil card. Um, and then let's watch it will fill in the shadow little bit. I think we got a little too much contrast going on here, so if she could, if she, um spin it toward the light source known toward the light source there you go and then back it up a little bit more I mean toward the background okay now watch what happens so look at me look at me so this is going to smooth it out a little bit watch the side of her face there watch what happens see that that might be too much so back it out a little bit but still it helps smooth that out now what I can do here is do that same thing let's try horizontal because the horizontal will give me what is it that the internet web look I love that you know panel look so if I just keep if I just keep um a textured background and not drop her in so let me walk it in here what's that a longer lens no no I think we're good right now just push it away for your face a little bit because I don't want it touching and to the cool I like I like I like it I like it okay so it's coming here holan yeah so and do that maybe chin up a little bit like right there yeah hold on I missed your hair I trim it don't do this now try toe point the glass away if closer the wall so it's like more running that way so yes, we get this way a little bit can you see what that does? There you go. I don't know if that's better. Um but it's not too bad, joe quick question from the cali fire are you concerned with the soft box or umbrella reflections in the in the goggle lens at all? Or is that just a quick fix? Um, I am not okay a couple reasons why one is I can fix it later thie other is, if I really if I say for example, it really bugs me, I can add another source like just box and get in position and fill it up so it's all white, but would that be realistically in the desert now? So I'm not to do something to it, I'm gonna have to add a reflection if I'm outdoors, I'll add a reflection of something landscape or something in it. I just had an ad shoot where I had a guy in a ski scenario and he had his goggles and I had to put in a whole new about reflection and I took it and warped it and everything and looks just like perfect like he was standing out there wasn't so yeah, I would work on that later basket question no, beautiful I love it, I love it don't do this, I still love this look put your body going that way a little bit okay and then hold the glass like this and then look back over your shoulder like like for example like you're this way also to go what something's happening behind me right? Okay, now I got to get you this way a little bit only problem is that things sticking out so maybe it's like this maybe you're holding it down but your body's gone that way you're looking over your shoulder okay and that here let's go back to this then let's go back to this but for some reason I'm drawn to that look where your body's going one way and your head's going the other way I do that a lot of my athletes so let's just see if we can get away with it here your your face is definitely going into the light source. Okay, ready one two, three say yes now you can't see this right you're you're being blocked that's all right? As you say yes, yes, exactly. Okay, now let's, just do it straight on again like straight on. But I love that what you're holding is kind of on an angle like this right there so that looks like who I love this and then up on top of you grabbing so I want to see a little bit the top of it and just a little little less a little more gentle there you go now this is what I like right here again on the port to shooter so I end up always being drawn to kind of going now let's do this all right? We're at we're used to smooth it out a little bit smooth at her face just a little bit so that looks like that's much better beautiful now swing your chin that way just a little bit your whole your whole nose right there now look back at me right there is what I like right here. Uh okay it's like a look at this last one coming up this one is I just that to me lighting wise everything looks looks pretty good there kind of I think giving me the selling the look I want um so I'm gonna do that same thing now oh here that's good that's good but I want to move in I want to do when I moved in a little bit oh yeah say now jessica's really what's online went out of focus their homeland second so here's what I'ma do right there hold on. I have to but I'm gonna have to have you bring that arm in a little bit but I want to try a tight portrait suites okay, so let's let's see here I mean focus right there I'm trimming her arms but I love the love this in your face somehow I'm always drawn to this right? I'm always coming back to in your face and my phil cards a little too much now see, I want to darken this a little bit but again I know what to do right? Beautiful now don't don't don't change that I'm gonna let me go horizontal see what it looks like ok, so write like this ah yes I love this say now I feel like I'm getting I'm getting what I normally do the joel grimes kind of feel in your face um the goggles yeah, I got a reflection there kick anything I can't do a thing about that right now but um okay let's do a couple more like that same thing so I want to get her hand in there so just just kind of give me a little bit of fraction that way just her whole body because I'm losing you on this edge over actually, john let's get my seventy, two hundred because I'm trying to compact and that should be right up there, okay? And then we'll look, let me show you the difference here in terms of, um what I could do with that background, the background I'm struggling with right? Because it's a really teeny narrow little background and I'm just not getting, uh, the flexibility of, by the way I always put your you're seventy two hundred on the mountain of mental I see people all the time putting it back here like my arm okay, so all right, so let's go back now that backgrounds got I got plenty of room to play with now that background let's take a look and this could be a little more compact look and that could make or break the shot it could be a different complete feel look at the color shift a little bit see just in two different lenses that's just life folks I mean, you could say that in a real world if you had whatever manufacturer you have that they have all the lenses that look the same they don't um okay, so we're ready. Here we go. So that goes back to the other thing when we talked about you know, the color temperature of the strobes and all that there are so many variables but I don't worry about those rebels because that's not that's not what life is about it's not about taking and put making perfect little, you know, color, balance and all that it's the mood of the whole thing what what comes across from her into this lens and onto this digital sensor is the most important things not what you know all these little things that most people worry about, okay, that looks like yeah, so we just keep working in here now that we have though one minute with this cloak we could always use a fan to blow it too right there so there's an option there camera zoom in here we go we're a really tight here yeah, now I'm here's going to do I'm gonna trim it just above the goggles this is what I love right here and so now bring up the spyglass a little bit so I can see it okay so it's in there okay, so right here this is what I love yes in your face now bringing in just a tad way still have the triangle but I'm a small smooth it out just a little bit oh, I love it I love it eleven hun that's a good look that's a good look take a look at it yeah a little bit meaner she's like she's like she's tough I can't I'm gonna flip it so I could get a little bit more of the scope in there everything ready? One, two three I like this. Yes. Oh, in the middle yeah, I got you. Okay, so let's see, that was the last one here. So do you remember when you started? You were kind of like doing a little like yeah let's do that I'll get a little bit more of ah, your whole body in there, yeah do I like that one so now let's do a couple more and we'll move to our three let light couple more where you're kind of maybe like you're you're looking kind of that direction and the glasses like this you're kind of looking looking like you're almost like you're like you're going to be looking through it but your chin that way so you're looking out there you go so move your whole your whole face toward the wall so like this stand like this you're getting ready to look but now walk your body that way so you didn't know you were right there there you go I love it already focus yeah all right so I think you guys get what I'm doing here is just the same we'll cross light look but um pretty during easy tio what about doing a full body with this lighting I could are this background is not really designed for for us to do a full body now we do have a white sweep here so we could andi I thought maybe on the three light we do full, full sweeps ok, what? I want to make sure we get the boots, get the boots show the boots should give us a kick can you jump into a flip oh do one last thing I thought about what it what if like you're almost your backs turned to us so turn around not all the way but like that and then you say you're looking off so no no they pointed toward the wall back there right? So maybe I've got her like on the edge of a you know, a mountain cliff for something and now but do this instead of like this a little more straight yeah there you go right there I'm gonna make sure I get the whole thing in here let's try it this way just so I have an option there I'm going I'm going to be seeing a bunch of my stuff in here but it gives me an option for maybe having her like looking off into the distance we'll do this maybe do that with three light approach to so why don't we go? We're gonna ask questions we're gonna start setting up to people with this this lighting setup yes, but they'll be better to do two of these back him up a little bit so the further my life source is away from my subjects the more the less the um value change is from person to person so for example, if I have someone standing next to her she's going to be brighter than the person extra now if I backed this up the further I back it up the less that ratio is meaning that like some point they look pretty equal in terms of value but yet in a big source so two of these side by side backed up is right is the perfect source to do that or huge window, right. So, like next door, there's, huge sets the windows. When you get to people, stand next to that twenty, thirty feet away, they look great there's hardly no change in value between each of them, but you get him right up next to the window changes. You're still going to get that nice. Rembrandt, even back backed up like that. Yeah, absolutely. Two of these, the bigger the source, all it is a source of light.