Lesson Info
8. Prepare for Shoot
Lessons
Class Introduction
06:15 2Introduction to The Environmental Portrait
06:51 3Environmental Portrait Purpose
13:06 4Personal Work
18:36 5Find Your Process
20:20 6Tethering
18:35 7Purpose For Action Editorial
05:19 8Prepare for Shoot
06:10Action Editorial Process
11:27 10Set Up Action Editorial Shoot
12:43 11Shoot: Action Editorial With Athlete
29:32 12Studio Portrait Shoot Overview
05:58 13Shoot: Athletic Studio Portrait
15:39 14Shoot: Manipulate Light to Mimic The Sun
12:11 15Shoot: Change Background Color With Light
18:09 16Shoot: Create Soft Light with Umbrella
07:31 17Shoot: Create Intentional Shadows
04:28 18Shoot: Action Shots In Studio
04:00 19Review Images in Capture One
14:54 20Raw Processing
05:24 21File Handling
05:19 22Retouching & Color Overview
05:45 23Retouch Images in Capture One
11:37 24Retouch Images in Photoshop
07:00 25Retouch Images With Presets
27:40 26Advertising Vs. Editorial
04:49 27Indoor Location Shoot
13:12 28Indoor Location Shoot Process
11:19 29Get to Know Your Subject
13:12 30Test & Frame Your Shot
10:44 31Create Natural Light
24:33 32Natural Light & Alternate Light
11:05 33How to Shoot Indoor Location Portrait
11:53 34Indoor Shoot Results
19:00 35Outdoor Location Shoot Goals
16:51 36Indoor/Outdoor Light Setup
17:27 37Studio Light On Location
09:56 38Create Location Portrait
11:41 39Outdoor Shoot Results
13:26 40Post Processing Overview
08:42 41Choose Selects & Sort Images From Indoor Shoot
14:11 42Edit Raw Images from Indoor Shoot
10:47 43Finish Images in Photoshop & Alien Skin
17:06 44Portfolio Management
28:13 45Importance of Website
17:55 46Marketing 101
18:51 47What About Reps?
05:54 48Bring it All Together
10:52Lesson Info
Prepare for Shoot
We'll get a little bit more into that preparation that goes into any of these type of shoots. So, one of the things is to know the parameters of the shoot, whether it's a personal assignment or an assigned assignment, knowing what the client wants or what you expect out of yourself from the shoot. It's really important to list those parameters on pencil and paper, or on your phone, or any type of checklist, because like I said in the first segment, once you get on set, or once you're on a shoot, all of sudden all the things you think you know fly out the window, you get in a rush, there's that anxiety, that stress that happens when you're on a life photo set, or any type of job, really. And a lot of the things you thought you knew, or would be easy, all of sudden you just totally forget. So I'm really a big proponent of grabbing a notebook, going through everything that can happen, whether it's remembering that, "I wanted to shoot with a 50mm lens, but also the 70-200," and checking th...
ose off as we go, or at least mentally checking them off and reading through. So, even for my Creative Life B-ball shoot, I have about 15 different notes I've taken just this morning of you know, things like: "action, dribble, sit, tie shoes, "unzip jacket, carry jacket, portraits, vertical, "horizontal, use the long lens to get a cinematic look." Things like that, that as soon as I start shooting, I might be so focused on using my 24- that I forget to ever take it off. And you get back to the studio, and you're like, "Why didn't I change lenses?" And it's because you just get in the moment, you forget. So, having a little checklist that you can-- Take 30 seconds, you can tell whoever you're shooting like, "Hold on a second, lemme go through my notes to make sure we got everything." And it might be, "Oh yeah, I wanted to sit on an apple box and shoot some to get a different perspective." And those are just things that, if you're in a rush, if you don't take just a minute or 30 seconds to go over your notes, you can forget, and again, you'll go back to your studio and you'll think, "Aw crap, I forgot to do that." So that's just not a great feeling, so knowing the parameters of the shoot, knowing what's gonna go into it, and how to be prepared. Knowing the studio and the subject, and anywhere you're shooting essentially ends up being the studio, so I don't mean necessarily a photo studio, but whether it's an art studio, whether it's a restaurant, whether it's a meat shop, whether it's a football stadium. Whatever it may be, being able to scout that location, whether it's days or weeks ahead of time, or for 15 minutes before the shoot, to kinda get an idea of-- You know, I like to go around, I put a 24-70 on my camera, I walk around a location in a full 360, and I look through at different focal lengths to think, "Okay, at 70 with the compression of this lens, "at 70mm versus 24, it's gonna do this to the scene." And I'll just take snapshots knowing, you know, that these could all be potential locations, but what's gonna give me that shot that I need, that the client needs, that looks the best visually. What's gonna work for the lighting? Maybe the sun's coming in from the west, 'cause it's in the afternoon and you realize, "Oh, I can't shoot in that direction because it's causing this giant light distraction in the background." So, taking the time to scout the location again, whether it's days before, or even for ten minutes before the shoot, so that way when you're on set, it's not a surprise to you, because that's not a good feeling, either. And then, gear prep. So, whether it's making sure the batteries are charged on your Profoto B1s or your camera to, you know, making sure all the modifiers are there. One of the things I like to do with lighting, is that days before a shoot, I know generally what I'm shooting. So, for instance, today we're photographing Brock, he's gonna be playing basketball. So the first thing I always ask myself when going through lighting gear is, "Are we gonna be doing hard light, or soft light?" Because that's gonna guide you to which modifiers you're gonna be using. For me, that also-- You know, whether you're renting equipment or bringing it in the trunk of your car, or whatever you may be doing, it's always good to have a direction on which equipment to bring, so you don't need to have everything. And it's gonna give you the right peace of mind and know that all the stuff's there to create that shot. So, with Brock, and knowing that we're shooting in the studio with a basketball, we're in this warehouse, I kinda have a little bit more of this stadium lighting type feel, so we're gonna be using a beauty dish without a sock on it, so it's a nice, you know, a little harder light, but still pretty. We're gonna be using a Silver Umbrella to give a real specular fill, and then we're gonna be using some of the 7" reflectors, or a Magnum Reflector, to give that hard, almost like it's a streetlight, or a stadium light, to give him that accent lighting, or that rim lighting, that you'd expect from a basketball-type shoot. I know, maybe you were shooting a dancer, and you might want to have, with the soft window light, you might go a different direction. You might think, "Oh, I want softer, pretty light, "so I'm gonna go with a large, parabolic, "or a diffused beauty dish, as my main light." So, that's the first thought I have is, "Which way am I gonna go with the lighting? "Is it gonna be hard or is it gonna be soft?" Because that'll give me some sort of direction as to what modifiers I'm gonna use and you know, to make sure I have all the gear I need for the shoot, and back-up gear, because a lot of times, things go wrong. So, whether it's camera batteries, cards, charging your laptop, all those type of things-- I have a checklist. Usually, it's more mental. It should be probably more physical sometimes, but it's always there and I'm going through all that stuff beforehand 'cause it's never fun to get to a shoot and realize like, you forgot something. So having a good assistant helps too, if you have the budget for it, or the means. For this particular shoot, I'm gonna be using a Nikon D810. I would be using a D850, but it's on back-order still. So that was part of the plan, but everyone wants that camera, so I haven't got it yet. So, we'll be using the D810, along with a 24-70mm lens, the 70-200 to kinda create a different feel within the space, and maybe a 50, that'll be the third lens, although that's pretty much covered in that 24-70. Just a little different, as far as sharpness goes, with the 50 prime. For lights, we'll be using Profoto B1 and B2s, mostly B1s for this part of the shoot. It's gonna be a two to three light set-up, and we're gonna use a whole bunch of different modifiers from the beauty dish to the medium-deep Silver Umbrella, to the 7" reflector, to a Magnum, to some grids, and everything in between. So, we'll be using a lot of different modifiers. I'll explain those as we go, as to why we're using 'em, how I'm using 'em, and that whole process.
Ratings and Reviews
Julie V
I had the chance to sit in the audience for this class and absolutely loved it. Watching Dan create amazing images from start to finish in front of us was so inspiring. I've learned so much from this class. It actually gave me the confidence to start playing with lights in my studio. It was really useful to see how he sets his lights and how he can easily mix ambient light with artificial. I also love how he focuses on getting the image right in the camera to only do light edits after. I recommend this class to anyone wanting to learn more about lighting, shooting tethered and editing efficiently!
a Creativelive Student
I love this guy! I so appreciate his honesty while he is explaining his thought process, admitting that his “shoulda/coulda/woulda’s” - which I experience ALL the time. I am now going to dust off my light meter and start using it on location as I’m convinced that it works now that I’ve seen Dan’s class. I enjoyed the detailed way he sets up each light individually, checking to make sure it adds the amount and quality of light he wants. Definitely recommend this class - especially for those people who have experience using studio lights and want to see how they can be used to get specific results. Dan’s clear, simple explanations, his unabashed humility, and his sense of humor made this a truly enjoyable way to spend my time learning his methods.
a Creativelive Student
Dan is an excellent instructor! He's completely transparent with his thought processes, from technical to creative. He doesn't waste time horsing around or getting off topic, but is structured and sticks to his outline. Every minute watched is on topic, and is understandable. He's sincere and likable. The course is great for anyone interested in this genre!
Student Work
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