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Extraordinary Engagements Part 1

We're so excited to be your awesome we are live live for having us where they are always audience today our students for being here today I was everybody good good wear the callaway's before we get started we want to say that there is a right way of doing things there's a wrong way of doing things and there's certainly the calloway way of doing things you can laugh appreciate it so brian is that he's like the ten joke guy? You have to get through the nine really bad so that was that was probably a bad one the singer so usually it's worth it I think there's gonna be a lot of laughter today we have one more bad joke. Uh if you guys ever need to get ahold of us after we're just a call away that's right as well last fight on from way but we have a lot of great content and crafting the content today we realize that a lot of it is great for anybody who takes photography of people who does photography of people for wedding photographers. If you photograph people, this is a great class for you...

will be talking about how to connect with your subject, how to really get the authentic them in the images so we're really going to be focusing on that in our program do you guys shoot engagements? Yes good we'd like to see also out there how many people do engagements if that's possible that are watching ok cool so what uh what would an engagement be to you guys? What is what is an engagement session what's the point of engagement session so it's a great way to warm up plans and that's that's right? We'll be talking a lot about that today we get a lot of calls from people they say they need to save the date photo right that's the number one thing we need to save the date photo so that's part of an engagement session as well it is getting that a picture for the mantle that picture for the save the date but beyond that we feel like this is really an op virginity to capture who the couple is right to do something really extraordinary. Well, yeah, so for us an extraordinary engagement is a chance to really establish a strong connection between the two people but also a strong connection between them and us, which is really super important it's also for us an extraordinary engagement we're gonna produce a huge variety of of amazing images on we're also going to give him an amaze balls experience, not amazing amaze balls amaze balls yes is not funny yet you're almost there getting closer getting closer I promised by the tenth joke it will be funny uh but that more that more than anything you guys it's really a chance to do something super extraordinary for clients we'll dive down into how how do we get into something like that? So I feel like we we love shooting weddings weddings are awesome but weddings aren't really just about the couple right it's about their community of people there best friend from kindergarten who's watched them grow their college friends of course their parents and grand parents all the different relationships there's a lot of stress surrounding a wedding they usually didn't sleep well the night before, right? Which is all what makes weddings really fun to photograph but the engagement it's really just about the couple it's about an opportunity to get to know who these people are at the core and celebrate that celebrate the unique qualities of who they are as a couple and I think back to brian and I we had a very short courtship yes, but it was sexy and awesome and I think about all of the feelings, the heightened emotions that we were having during that time in our courtship we didn't have engagement photos and that makes me so sad I wish that we did because we were really feeling sexy and fun and I wish that we had all of those images captured I still think that you're really sexy thank you buttering me up he's just buttering me up but it's you know it's a huge responsibility that we have as photographers shooting people you know, we really want to capture who they are authentically from the sexy the romantic I love this image it's so who they are, teo maybe where they grew up. You know, this couple grew up in l a and it's a chance to capture their city and that tells so much of a story of this couple also the silly I know you know, the emotions they're so heightened when you're that much in love that you just feel so giddy and silly and we want to capture that and we we want to ask the audience to what yolo means we have absolutely no idea, huh? What is it you only live that is so true? That is awesome. That is so except for my cat who did die and come back so that's kind of weird that the nine lives yeah way have a new cat now and its name is bon jur there's a long story why his name? Not sure if that has any. Okay, let's get the continent but okay way we also want to capture art. This is an opportunity, teo create something totally unique to this couple I love this photo it's one of my favorite photos ever because it's so totally this couple there's so quirky and fun and different and you know, this sandwich is really that a wedding often there's not time to get the personality of the couple it za party it's a family celebration you know, uh the engagement is really a place where we can really get to know what makes this couple special and create art that they can hang in their house s so that's, what? Our goal is with every shoot this image it's a chance to really dive deep into who they are and just be silly and fun uh, you know, also get back to the sexy time and, you know, as we're going through these, we will be showing a couple of engagements that air just one couple to show all the right of images that were doing, but our goal is to capture all of these emotions silly, sexy, romantic, all within the same shoot, and we're going to teach you how to do that today. Another thing is it's really not about capturing oppose were kind of anti pose for us it's about capturing an emotion and the great thing is that if you do this correctly, which we're confident that you will, we're going to teach you how to do this in our program that this will transfer over to the wedding all of these tips and tricks that you're doing all of these different emotions that you're capturing using our system today you can apply toward the wedding day your wedding's going to be that much more killer this is really exciting and this is what we really really really enjoy is that what we learn with extraordinary engagements how we shoot how we are with the client believes into the wedding's how we how we shoot the wedding how we shoot the portrait's how we take care of it during the wedding which leads to an extraordinary client experience which is really what it's all about that right there is what it's all about that's what makes people rave about your work and that's what helps grow your business at least two more success at least the more profit I would say having a great time a great career a great life on that note anybody that photographs people especially weddings you're in this because you really genuinely like people right? You want them to have a great experience you want it to be fun you want to capture as an artist you want to capture that amazing picture for them that lives through generations right if you can do that and also increase revenue in your business that's awesome too because we know everybody has we have kids you have your own family so it's important that you also value your time and charge for this we'll talk about that and the second part of our program today about the money wei will yes okay so uh, specifically reasons why that we want to do engagement like we've been talking about. We want to create something really special for our client again, that makes people rave about us. It's really fulfilling as well. There's enough so also there's up sell potential and, you know from the obvious things like engagement albums or an engagement sign in book wedding two campuses, you know, different displays to showcase at the wedding or in the home there's also the opportunity to create a whole new revenue stream and just shooting engagements. And for us, we do somewhere between ten to twenty engagements a year where the couple live out of state, they happened to be visiting california. We were actually shooting a wedding in maui last month, and we got a call from a couple they were in now at the same time as us, so we were able to do their engagement and maui, they're getting married in dubai next year. So you think ten to twenty engagements a year, somewhere between a thousand two thousand for each session. That's a nice additional revenue stream for your studio, and what often winds up happening is that they fall so in love with their images, they had such an amazing experience with you that they have to have you for their weddings we have have you uh and so that opens up a whole new, you know, connection possibility right there. So if you're not doing an engagement, if you're not doing engagements, you should be and I know that, you know, we have we know some people who say in, you know, the town that I meant people just don't do it, they don't care about it, I don't buy that I don't buy that you be the person who does it and doesn't extraordinarily well um so there's also another benefit that we love wedding day momentum, so they've gone through this whole process of having their photos taken and that bleeds into the wedding day, so now they know what to do, they're comfortable with us, they trust us, and if we've done our job right, they'll be displaying some of the artwork at the wedding it'll be all over the internet through facebook and things like that. So when we show up at the wedding were not a wedding photographer were an artist. I hate to say this word rock star, but you kind of walk in and people really respect what you do because they've seen the photos lets us get close without anybody questioning us let's us make people be silly, whatever we need to do to get a great photo uh that's one of my favorite parts, I think yeah and I would say it's really not about being a rock star although bryant is like attention we'll say he was an actor so I was used to are you have to perform come on he loved that uh he loves an audience every wedding has a new audience it's awesome but I mean it's less about being a rock star it's more about credibility right? So grandma's and moms they don't always understand boyer photography is now we're wedding photography is so I can't tell you how amazing it is for us when we walk in the room the bride's getting ready and we're just another vendor coming in and the bright says oh this is brian and allie are wedding photographers and all of a sudden from across the room the mall you made my daughter looked so beautiful I love you can I hug you and already there's that that connection with the family and I will say if we have not done an engagement hug the moms anyway make that connection with the family again it's not just about the couple it's about their whole family I hug all the grandmas all the grandpas everyone but you come in and you just have credibility the mom wants to perform for you grandpas like look at me on the dance floor you know it's it's really an awesome things like look at me I don't know how hugs became part of this I think it was pretty snuggly but it didn't seem like you guys were like hey, russ, give me a hug we hug and we had that connection and it's and it's been fun now like it's just we didn't get a chance to meet yesterday like it's craziness and so that instant connection like I feel comfortable with you guys now here I mean like it's totally true when I first met you I was I did not feel very comfortable with me yes, yes I uh that just makes sure it speaks for itself. We don't need to talk about it it's pretty extraordinary. All right, so the next benefit has is a huge benefit. We do this we'll do this every time we have a new engagement shoot even a wedding we're trying something new for pushing it. I would say that weddings are probably not the place to try a bunch of stuff although I do back can be a little scary. Brian is the king of that and it's nine times out of ten it's an epic fail. Okay, I think we're going to show you something epic fails we also have ah w t f what the file folder with what the file what I find most of those are my photos that were really epic very unsuccessful on then the rest of them are just photos of brian photo bombing which is awesome but you know this is an engagement session is really a chance to become a better photographer right? How often do you have clients in front of you that we're willing to do whatever you say right? So this is an opportunity to try something different a new piece of gear or a new concept you were thinking of or something wacky and silly I know the foot shot that we showed earlier with the feet in the air that was I don't know that I would try that on a wedding day I wouldn't be able to ask the bride to lay down on the ground sticker feet in the area the other cockroaches in the alley like thatjust wouldn't happen but the engagement session is a perfect opportunity to try something completely different and wacky um and then you can apply it to the wedding day once you master it yeah well done thank you you're welcome andi it's another chance to get some search engine optimization it's another chance the blawg it's another chance to try to get an award june bug weddings has a new award just for engagements vp has an award just for an engagement and our favorite fearless photographers also accepts engagement photos so it's just another way to get your name out there absolutely people ask brian and I all the time how did where did you come from? How did you do this so quickly and I think well let's tell them let's tell him it's been about six years almost seven years since we started and part of it's that we have kids right? So it's it's now time it's go time like we have to be good at this we have to we have to make it work and we have engagements tio work on our craft that's how we absolutely really excelled fast was by doing engagement we have so much time you can do we're thinking about you know, different kinds of concepts which we'll talk about later today something very different they can get published so yeah tools that we hope you guys will be able to walk away with today or at least start to walk away with uh and these are our goals for an engagement shoot so we try to shoot about four hundred images in ninety minutes way actually shoot closer to a thousand this is what we deliver I just did an engagement in vancouver last week by myself did thirteen hundred three hours and so we want to not gonna deliver that much but that's the kind of variety that we want to deliver the client we're going to show you how we do that with our approach to shooting portrait way have a nice framework that we use so that when you're stuck you go all these that one or I'll do that one or I'll do that one uh we'll show how we do how we connect, which we kind of have with hugs with hug and rust that was nice that's sort of how we connect and then we're going to show you workflow tools how this the nuts and bolts the business of how this all works a little bit about our background so and why don't let these photos fool you? Because I'm actually the most uncomfortable person in front of the camera I don't even know how I'm here right now to be honest or how I got myself dress because I'm also really incredibly unfashionable brian is way more of women than I am that is that is true it's true you have like under pairs of shoes and I have to I did like any makeup put yes, that was true brian likes to be pampered but I did work as a model I just happened to be tall and thin at the time and I can't tell you what value that is for me is a photographer I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable. I know what it feels like to be thrown out there in front of a camera and I know how it feels to have no connection between me and the person photographing me and for someone like me he's incredibly awkward and shy most of the time it's not a good feeling and I never want to climb to feel that way we're going to be photographing a couple today and I keep seeing them over there I like want to connect with them right now my eyes keep going over there I want our clients to feel comfortable and feel a tease and I know that you know these are real people their accountants and lawyers and doctors and librarians and students they're not models they're real people and it's our job to help them feel comfortable take the thinking out of it so that they can just be their off themselves right and this is what brian and I both learned from a very acute sense of al uncomfortable it is s so we suggest if if you don't have that get your photo taken absolutely that's a great weight payer south and these shoes it's integral the right of imagery and delivering so much quantity and quality of imagery comes from our background in fashion and as an actor we saw what we started this business that there was a niche that could be filled with amazing photography I think there is a stigma kind of still with wedding photography but there's not when we do this amazing yeah and in the moment and the fact is when we started working together I didn't know how to use a camera brian taught me everything I know brian really didn't know howto photograph people he was a commercial photographer did a lot of architecture products, shots, restaurants so what I was bringing to the table was my background from being in front of the camera doing catalog and beauty and you know, teen magazine and all of these kind of things so I was thinking in terms of how can I apply all this experience in front of camera all these different kinds of modeling techniques into shooting a wedding and we're gonna talk about that in our program and then we've worked I think I've done about fifty national commercials worked at the town of directors and we from that experience that's how we sort of look at the portraiture part we're not going to just throw somebody out there and say go we're going to direct them we're not gonna pose them but we're going to use this framework that we're going to show you to get them to be themselves but we're always going to this is a huge part of what we do we're going to get them moving and we're going to tell them what to do and there's never gonna be any downtime and I think we're also thinking about back to the variety of imagery we're thinking about using light as well and that's not something we're going to delve into much today but how can we deliver the most variety of images and an amazing experience right so onto the nets under the next the key takeaway on this though I think it is what's in your background what is your background? How can you pull from that to deliver your own unique experience to your client? I think it's pretty clear with us were very specific using our background and we would just suggested it to the audience as well and to the internet as well hello internet uh that you do that as well. That was not a funny joke. Now you're almost there. That was number five. Keep going. Ok, you want to read this? This is the most text. Surely we will put on a slide but we feel this is very important. You can read it. Okay before I read it, our approach to shooting pictures is designed to produce a huge variety of images in a very short period of time so that your client doesn't have time to think, uh and that's it they don't have time to question themselves and they don't have time to question us. Uh, one of our kids we have two girls, their foreign sex girls we love you er one of their favorite shows growing up was yo gabba gabba and they have this song get the silly is out. Anybody else have kids so that's part of this is to get the silly is out right? We want them to feel super comfortable and get those nerves out right away andi do that by jumping in and moving quickly so we're going to talk about that. One thing I do want to say before we go into the actual system is that this is less about posing again and maura about emotion okay? We're trying teo create a framework that helps us as technicians think about composition and light and what kind of emotion we want to capture within that framework okay, so let's go on to do the first one before we do that and it's not about the why the why? The reason why we wanna produce such a large amount of images is we want them to be really happy and we want them to be motivated to do something with the photos show them at the wedding put him in their house on we have found that if we produce a huge variety of images they just don't have a choice about seventy percent of our couples upsell and we don't sell them at all. We just show them the photos they sell themselves and you know they have a ton of different ways to showcase these at the wedding and unlike lenin and flowers which are all you know beautiful things have great linens and beautiful flowers but photos last forever they take those home with them and hang them in their home and those albums are passed on to their children and their grandchildren it's really important what we dio and we want our clients to have these on what she just said is a huge way to sell it as well I'm saying that at last forever everything else goes away the flowers go away but the photos last there honestly they sell themselves they do radio just before we kind of get too much into it kirsten young and actually four other people wanted to know they say right now I'm at shooting friends and family and charities for free how do you break into charging for services and getting past the fear of not being good and enough before you get in to start talking about like what you actually do? Yeah how'd you get over that fear? Yeah, I would say uh that I heard somewhere I don't remember where that you need to be shooting one hundred thousand images a year to get better so I would just I mean, I'm literally taking photos with my iphone all day long even when you're not wait when I don't have a camera, I'm composing, I'm taking pictures in my mind, but I think specifically to that because brian usually doesn't handle the money that's my department, he doesn't know how to ask for minding at all we're so we're on that so that that is a really I value my time and I value my children and I would say before you can charge you need to be good at it right? You need to be delivering a product that is decent to start we'll be talking about this more in the second part of our program today but start building a portfolio of what we're talking about engagement specifically or just charging for anything bill, the portfolio has to be a part that's first right? You start by building a portfolio and once you get to that point you think ok, now I'm gonna charge a hundred dollars now gonna charge two hundred dollars three hundred dollars right? So you just take one step at a time on then once you're at the point where you have a great portfolio it's really selling itself people are asking ugh they don't mind giving you the money I think sometimes that people especially artists I know brian and I both come from pretty rough childhoods and there's a lot of feeling of guilt right? Like I'm not good enough or you know I don't deserve this money or I don't deserve you know my art isn't valuable what I'm doing isn't valuable and it isthe it is valuable and people need to not be afraid to ask for money in fact people will respect you more if you to ask we'll give some strategies in part to that really outline exactly exactly how to do that also when we started we said yes to every job absolutely we just said yes way needed to work with people we had to get that working with people and we had to get good at taking photos do you also want to take you also want to be smart about who you're photographing for free and make sure that it's your client right if it's not your client if it's not a callaway gable client what's the value for us are we going to get great images out of them? Are they a couple that's trusting of us that is willing to go for it? S o I would say for her find a family that's freaking awesome that's you know animated and fun and those images right there will be enough to sell something well like she said she's right now she's shooting friends and families and charities for free so it sounds like she's kind of going in the direction that suggesting which is the right thing build your portfolio but make sure you're shooting the right people for free, right? I love that absolutely right and if it means teaming up with with makeup artist he's trying to build their portfolio and a wardrobe person you know pull another other talent he's trying to do the same thing and that will take the shoot from here to here just that little stop so great point and we'll dive into a lot of that segment to as well how to start are we ready for the framework way are quick note to about twenty percent of our revenue I don't know he said this yet comes from engagements so hopefully you guys are starting to see that this is a huge can be a huge part a value add to your business and by the way you can apply this doing tio anniversary anniversary shoots is well on dh so it doesn't have to be limited just to engagement shoots ok okay so again I was saying earlier that when we started shooting together I really do know how to use a camera so my value came from how do you know how to work with people right? And I was pulling from what I knew which is the different kinds of modeling that I had done, you know, to the time of catalog from the season robinsons may we're it's exaggerated emotion and everything's big and heightened right? So that's a great way to get your stuff really not really should never do that again but it's a great way to get your clients moving then there's beauty you know I was a loreal girl and you know it's all the tight makeup pretty stuff editorial campaigns that would be more the story like calvin klein that's all very serious fashion landscape macro photography humor and I'm gonna dive into these a little bit more but keep in mind again as we go through each of these styles, what I'm thinking about is I'm thinking is a technician first okay, so when I think about catalog, what I want to first do is make sure I have a pretty clean background and that I have great natural light because with catalog you want to get the people moving there's running there's jumping it's exaggerated emotion this is where the right most variety of images will come from is this section and we're going to be doing that with our couple today we're going to concentrate on this today if you walk away with nothing else but this that's great because this is where we get the most variety that all the other stuff except for beauty is sort of an add on if we can get to it find it and going back to the curse was a curse in who wrote in this is something great to do with families as well to get the family running and throwing their kids in the air like that is where it's at people those are the images that people can't help be connected when they're moving that's what we've learned people just cannot we'll show with you guys when we get you moving later hopefully well guys, guys we're talking to are it's hard not to connect with them like that's what we always do okay, so then the second one is beauty quick, this is all from one shoot oh yeah this is all one couple one shoot ninety minutes. Ok, I think it was actually less than that and for the ten that you're seeing however many there are there are four hundred, five hundred total that they get that are all a variety of these andi want to deliver all of these so beauty again clean backgrounds natural light again. So for people who aren't comfortable using light, this is a great one to add to your portfolio right now shooting beauty those air the tights classic pretty this is the shot the parents want where they're just smiling at the camera really pretty low f stop wait a buttery sort of image so we're shooting with a fifty year, five, seventy, two hundred and these guys are pretty sexy so in their beauty shots there's a lot of this sexy connection and this is just, you know, this is happening in there in that moment, so the next one would be editorial. This is another one of my favorite photos. Okay, andi, I love these guys so much agreement zach but editorials about telling a story right? Telling the story of where the couple is in the environment capturing a mood and a feeling this is where you can play a little bit and be a little bit more artful sometimes we're using light sometimes we're not this is just a natural let shot this is where we look for reflections silhouettes yeah incorporating part of the environment into the shot somehow ah lot of times we find this stuff by scouting before which we'll get into later but scouting is a huge part of what we do and the next one would be fashion I can tell you we had a couple he they were both mathematicians I think he was actually emmett rocket scientist here he was a phd getting his film degree okay, doctor was the mathematician they were the biggest geeks you could imagine and self proclaimed like brian and I are too by the way but geeks and she is six foot three norwegian he's five foot for indian dark skin complete opposite and awesome we gave them a fashion shot we did it and they were lit and sexy and feeling it and maybe maybe they weren't quite, you know, it's serious in their fashion photos but they did not realize they could look at that awesome in that sexy and how powerful to have that like to see themselves that way we will do their feeling that there feeling sexy they want to look, you know, amazing well dio with with these guys we'll do one lit shot yeah, let's just elevates your work so much when you use light yet so the next one is landscape this is an area where I am continuing to grow I see the world very small like this and brian sees the world very my commercial background I see the world very wide and this actually isn't wide enough I'll show you one in the second that is but this is where we go very wide and the couple is very small, very simple and that's usually ah wide angle lens aperture in the middle somewhere mayor not may or may not be using light we were in that last image this is a true macro shot but I use the word macro tto help me remember to going tight so this is their hands maybe it's their shoes maybe it's just their lips again I'm trying to think of all this variety how I could tell a story so that they'll be motivated to buy a book or they'll be motivated teo do something with the photos humor we're always asking them to be silly to do something funny and this is something that you can usually capture in the catalog section of the day but don't be afraid people want to be funny they're feeling silly their love so uh the next one would be just added this to our repertoire if that is the right repertoire iss repertoire yes way added this to our repertoire uh like to talk like that it feels good we're looking this is looking for light so we're looking for little patches of light we just spoke last year at mystic seminars and we talked a lot about this finding pockets of light and one of the the person students students that went there she started experimenting with that and actually got a june bug engagement award of a photo where she just found the light it's a very simple photo but it's a very powerful when you can show the contrast the environment so we're always looking for these little pockets of light when we're scrapping the great thing about looking for light is that you can do it anywhere so there's no excuse well there's just you know the lights free flat where I am if you're in you know there's no city buildings there's no interesting light that's not true we just photographed a wedding in santa barbara this past weekend there were trees everywhere there were pockets of light coming through the canopy right if you're in the city there are pockets is right everywhere dramatic so find a pocket of light, put the people in it and go for it. This is something that we're really playing with an experimenting with now realize okay, so this is how it carries into the wedding they they already kind of know the experience right? Hey guys run on the beach when people run and people move, they connect well probably even tell him hey look at each other have a kiss while they're running works really well so this is the great thing is that we've we've worked through all of this at the engagement so when we get to the wedding they're pros and they are feeling it too they know because they've seen okay we were a little bit nervous at first like you I don't feel that comfortable running that's weird like why am I running but they see how awesome the photos are after the engagement there like I want to run would be running let's do it just do it again today uh well you know it transfers to the wedding so you wind up with that much more of an awesome wedding photo I love watching you do thank you cannot wait tio watch this over and just repeat that beauty is going to die at a wedding and editorial real shot how do I tell the story of where they are we're pulling in the natural environment we're looking for affection something that this is in bora bora and we knew that we had to show where they are where the environment so you can see the the over the water bungalows fash action shot this again fashion think of fashion is is not as dynamic as more of a static shot right there there stoic and we're using like this is actually unlit it's lit by the sun we called in the sun and the sun came and helped us with this, but generally will try to use light, but here the sun was working really well. This is a great example of how beautiful that's exactly I'm talking about try to figure out a way to get them really small, and there is a small amount of trickery going on there. Brian had a flash underwater, but you know, you can do this just with natural light, very easy matter shot again, telling the story of where they are, we found that little crab, he was really cute humor. This is one where you do have to give a little bit of direction here because people just they're not sure that they can show themselves and be silly so often times, I'll say, like, laugh, attack each other right, and brian and iron on brian and I are doing this with each other, and once they get started, then they can't stop and then that's, where the gold is right that's, where the gold is light again and I'll be honest, we produced the light in the shot, uh, using a video light so often do that as well, just a very sexy time shot we're going to talk now about the connection with our plans, so how do we go about starting this connection you've you know there are certain things that we do before we meet the client will be talking about a lot of that in part too but now we're meeting them in person and for the shoot, right? Yes before the shoot they have not slept very well the night before because they're nervous and they've been going over and over this in their head they're camera shy they don't know if they look good there there's a lot of feelings happening so what do we do right away to set them at ease and before brian goes into that I just want to say take yourself out of it, okay every photographer we all have issues weigh all of issues is artists were all a bit tortured I don't have any issues frank doesn't have issues another one that was funny that's okay, I'm close, I'm close I think it's number eight year almost there were all of it tortured, right? And maybe not all of us but many of us and we feel like good enough and oh gosh, I'm so nervous about the shoot am I gonna be able to pull it off? I know every single shoot that we do on the way there it's part of our creative process are we going to be able to do this? Whatever you're feeling doesn't matter, it doesn't matter it only matters what your clients feeling and if you are showing fear and you are showing that you're scared and that you're nervous, they're picking up on that and that's making the whole thing worse. You take charge and be there to love and support your clients, that's it so here's, some of the tangible things that you could d'oh well, we show up, we usually do a hug will just touch is just so important. That was my attempt at being very serious. Weii did get a question from some folks said, does the hug ever backfire? Some people don't like to be touched. Well, we read people. I would say that for the most part are clients like to be hugged there's just they're attracted to our image and image is very touchy. It's very alive. Uh, but yes, certainly there are conservative people where that might not be the thing, so I'll just give me a high five everyone could do a high five that's the other great thing about thie engagement session is that you're learning who these people are, right? So okay, this person isn't that comfortable hug so what's another way I can connect with them let's talk sports ok, right, so brian's, really good at that, but this is an opportunity really figure out what they are whereas if you show up at the wedding you don't know these people you don't know that you don't know that kind of thing about them so I think I think most people like hugs but certainly there are other ways that you can connect and when we when we bring our couple on stage will probably go through a lot of this but we'll do a touch of some sort and then we'll do a common denominator so we have a questionnaire like I have their questionnaire right here and often especially guys guys usually we're not going to read all of that I promised to read any of it I'm going to actually make this up I would say that he says he's a cubs fan and I'm a cubs fan too how about that game last night they totally suck right? Yeah, they suck so with guys it's a great way to get guys comfortable talking sports I did notice one thing though if I may be so bold uh that one of his favorite movies is top gun so that's one of my favorite movies so I would be quoting top gun literally the whole shoot and it won't be funny it won't be funny at all but it's going to be so bad that that like you guys are laughing right now that's what happens to them when I don't know if we saw the shot of him but he his face will he let us? Yeah, well, one more thing I have to say the other thing on the questionnaires is he's really really loved her he's so proud of her looking at these look at her she's like oh uh you know it's just like no, no, no he's really not know now I mean he loves her lives very proud of it she's very accomplished on dh you know, that's something that we're going to be playing on this well, yes so let's put those down because there's a secret intimate I'm enjoying it and enjoying reading reading by the way, we're going to talk a bit more about our questionnaire in the second section but way actually have it on our website too. If you're interested in finding out what's on their liquid courage, we know some photographers that even start their engagements in a pub. Yeah, it truly works. We started today because we were nervous in a pub I weigh talked about movement humor is really good. I was suggested that if humor's hard there's always an improv class in any city in any major city in the us, I would say taking it probably actually brian's actually serious when he says that because a lot of photographers there kind of watchers, they're uncomfortable you know, when we teach people say that's probably thing we hear most is I'm I'm kind of shy, I don't know howto connect with my couples, you know, that's, a really great, great way to learn or some hip pocket tech techniques on how to connect. One thing do you walk away with is yes, and so anytime someone says, can we do this? You don't go no, you go, yeah, that's a great idea and let's do this so you'll learn that kind of a tool shoot with confidence that just comes over time. Chipping is when we show them the work on the bat and the queen of that I'm constantly doing that, I feel like when people see the images, they are getting it and any kind of feeling that they're having being stuck in their own head like, oh god, I don't look good why she asked me to do this that feels really strange the second they see that photo it's all gone right? They are, they are buying it, they're believing it chipping is really especially if it's more of a sophisticated shot like if it's a lit shot or a silhouette or something, and you show them or it's just a great tool to have them on your side and giving them compliments the whole time you've been doing great, you guys look great in this awesome we've actually seen we've we've been at you know hotels just his guests where we've seen weddings happening and we always kind of spy on their doctor and see what they're doing which is also on d c a lot of people who aren't connecting like they're walking from point a to point b and the bridegroom are way behind them like not even in the same airspace is them or bubble spaces are kids would say you want to be with them complimenting them talking to them as you're shooting them that's it's like a conversation that's happening when you're shooting right and it's another chance to tell really bad jokes on this is a classic brian here we're going to show you all else fails so when all else fails this we're having a really hard time with this couple uh not couple mom and mom and sign well mom's always want to just do this right they always just want the kind of cheese photo so one of my tricks is the photo bomb so that's the first frame I talk so let's just do it once is not an award winning imaged by the way but it is something that you could do to break the ice so here's the first attempt at a portrait of the two of them I felt it wasn't working so I jumped in and then there's the photo and then there's a photo right so go back go back really I got really go, brian so that the first photo this is this is brian jumping in and then look at how much more awesome that photo is like really? They're just so I mean that's that's it and then of course we showed the photo to happen said look o great you look there's one problem with this I've probably ruined twenty amazing photos because I would jump in the shot way have had a couple clients put that photo in their way they fall in love with brian, but that's what it's all about right that's what it's really all about? We want to make that experience so awesome that they will put a photo of me photo bombing them in their album, so we're in this for the money we're in it because we enjoy people and we understand the responsibility is huge and we want them to have these photos forever and their kids to have the photos, and we really wanted neil who they are as a couple because you only see who they are they only know who they are as a couple together and it's really hard to capture that in public. So this is all designed to do that right when you say yeah, and I think but I also think it's okay to get paid for it true, ok um ok, so that we're going show you today, we're going to show you our techniques for shooting catalog, which is all that movement and a lot of these air going really ridiculous and silly, and these guys are so awesome for volunteering their time, we're gonna have a lot of fun, but just tio go over this one more time before we start shooting, and then we'll see if there's any questions that have come in, uh, movement, we're going to be focused on movement, getting these guys having fun and moving together. We have various different ways that we do that we want to say, if I may, you may that we always start with movement outside, so for creative live were indoors, we would never start a shoot. It's the fastest way to go toe have a shoot, go south, we want to start outside, we'll get them moving, use all these different textures and things, so we'll show you how we do this indoors. Yeah, today is more about the project. You process less about what the final image looks like don't judge don't. Although I I I will say having read their questionnaires, we would have picked a different kind of location for them, we would be shooting outside urban and then maybe, like in a sexy hotel somewhere. On dh you know we are here for creative life we're here to teach but these are also our clients so when we're done today we're going to take them outside for a while and give them an amazing engagement I'm battened interaction yes so fun also we didn't same earing brian and I we do shoot engagements together a lot we also shoot separately I do recommend getting an assistant if you start working with light more but mirroring I'm constantly jumping in and showing them exactly what I want what I want to dio like one thing we'll do is people don't often get it so we'll go like this well run down the street go weigh this one way cold hands and then you turn around I don't know what you're gonna run away and look back at the yeah right so we'll show that will show the people that it also gets him to laugh yeah it's ridiculous when I'm by myself I'll do the same thing I really work so so mirroring we want the heightened interaction that's what we're going for in these photos we want to capture the fun and the personality of the couple not everybody's going to really go for it by the way not everyone's going to be jumping and leaping and that's okay we just we want to capture who they are within this framework so you there will be that challenge but then there's several tools right? So we have that challenge I think you guys need to go get a drink if we have a hard time not sometimes I mean just last year I had I could feel that it wasn't going well so I said you guys should get a shot and I think that's a great idea yeah so then he got a shot and all of a sudden he went he got relaxed or you can just put her in front of the cameras, start photographing her and then show him looking amazing and he's starting to relax and feel good watching his his hot lady so you always start with catalog right? You will fail so I'm sure they'll yes, brian fails often I fell all the time I'm going to show you some of my favorite fails coming up fresh on his mind please do not judge me for it this just happened to be on the side of the road if I thought why don't you guys get on top and let's uh maybe not that's not a good idea the china logical table was free way did not take it home I really don't even know what you're going to get me laugh every time I am woman but see I saw the light right I saw the light right there and I was like, oh yeah it's great pocket of light what do you get on top like should I am like yeah it's a great idea and all I think fail epic fail pooping pooping out of groom number the funny thing is I keep trying this every every sheet I keep trying to see if I could get it to work and it just doesn't never work it's just no good no there's nothing good about that one more. Yeah heywood had attacker attacker this's me shooting by myself by the way I don't think I would ever happened if she was there I actually love this photo when I have money if you like kicked her they actually put that in their book they love that photo they did so that's not really an epic fail I love that photo is this our last life? Are we shooting? Yeah yeah so let's uh let's question, but one of the biggest questions that I'm seeing from a few different people daniel nicole asked how do you find such great locations that fit the couple's style? We are absolutely talk about that way will hold those related. Yeah, well, like I said this you know, with this couple here we had it we have a whole pre engagement process. We would have sent them a questionnaire had a phone conversation with them. This is not where we would have picked to photograph them we would have helped guide them towards a better location and there's a whole process for that we'll talk about in part two, so let's talk really quick from one band twenty two a lot of men are uncomfortable during a first photo shoot. I don't have a male sidekick and I can't really talk guy talk ea sports is alison have any tips on how a female photographer can make a male subject comfortable? That's an interesting question I feel like I'm kind of more like a dude, so I may be lucky in that way, but I think that guys I just want to, like, make out with their chick, right? I mean, they just want to, like, look at how hot she is and snuggle up to your I mean, our experience that's generally what they want so any time that I can can it get them connecting where he's touching her and feeling her he's feeling great about it and men are visual way more than women, women are emotional, we need to feel it. We need to feel comfortable men need to see themselves looking like a bad ass, right? Chipping right away I'm gonna put him oh my god, look, you're hot look at your man like our haughty is right start taking photos showing the photos I've got him hooked right away he's buying it he's believing it and then he's willing to do whatever I say let's go professor of how it is in our life as well tell it yes brian is very insecure man and I am constantly telling him how hadiya's he needed reassurance she's showing me pictures of myself all the time this is true he's always jumping in right okay we're going to move some of the stuff out of the way or maybe get some help with it yeah let's have our let's meet our couple yeah, you introduce yourself this is a pleasure to meet you finally very manly way you guys look great love you dress wear that we'll move this out of the way move it, move it are you guys feeling good? Awesome. We're excited to uh so we're just gonna play we're gonna start playing a little bit getting you guys moving, having fun we'll show you some of the photos as we go and if you're comfortable with anything, let us know but it's just us playing and having fun that's it like we said before, this isn't the ideal location for these guys. You see they're super sexy and awesome she's also like amazing at design and we read that on their questionnaires so we're going to take them out and do some sexier stuff later we will try to do one little shot that is just for them and all about them at the very end of the segment, but for now you guys come on over here with me and you want to do this let's start I think the important thing is we're in a studio, right? So rather than being concerned with what the final image looks like, we're going to be thinking more about the process, so obviously we don't have a lot of faith here to use there's a lot of stuff in the background, what we normally would have done when we're shooting catalog is looking for a clean background, right? As a technician thinking about good natural light feeling like the light is really beautiful coming in from here, so the first thing I would probably do is have our couple put their back to you, but I think for the sake of where the cameras are currently let's, start with this backdrop. Yeah, that sound yeah, or what we could do is if we want to start with motion, maybe have them coming towards this light, that word, I think they could put a camera that work for you guys if we have a camera over here perfect, but why she was talking that's a great that was great there's a lot going on behind the scenes where I was like, how we doing guys there sunday isn't working uh they're small talk constantly I'm constantly like you know you guys look good top guns a great movie talk to me goose sir I had commander heatherly in my sights he saw me move in for the kill we're below the hard deck for more than a few seconds I had the shot there was no danger so I took it I've never seen top gun I have no idea what he's taught me neither neo e actually refused to watch because I know it there's one there's one of the nice things about having a beer person team as well is that if I do that and they just he just started laughing she's taking the photo if I'm by myself uh I'll just have the camera up while I'm talking um so you guys just got hold hands get this big giant poured out of the way should we show you what we want you to do yeah so we're just taking a walk in the park is what's happening and you guys just be you with it brian and I are pretty wacky so wait at walking okay you look great look away from each other and we're going to that like five times ways well okay but we find this is a fastest way to get people sort of out of their heads so guys before I start shooting I am just composing in lighting first so just forgive me for a second and just start walking toward me guys that's great overlooking each other look out kiss way and then back again that wasn't made looking here and knows what to do that's amazing good job let's do that one time that was awesome that's great are seeing the photos okay, that was a test that's why you guys aren't allowed to look yet so we're not going to show that brian just what was just happening over here was so awesome yes in the moments when normally I would have put the camera down and gone through like what did I just take these guys were just playing with what they just did their laughing at each other they're having this moment they're feeling silly doing it those moments are going to be way better than anything else this is another great technique you don't ever put your camera down that's right especially to people who could do this all just start coming toward me hear small biter I think I just got busy right around the time I was taking those great photos there got a busy signal here because your tether awesome balls that was amazing hey guys we're going to do the exact same thing so here's another technique to get people moving come over here where I am interject yeah may I ask you guys? Do you guys shoot alone or do you have a new assistant or do you have a team it also asked the internet as well, uh were used to shooting as a team, but I want to make sure that we're addressing people that shoot bythe I'm self as well, smoking says, gosh, they feed off each other so well, it makes me want to get a business partner. So do you recommend people do look for something? Do actually, we dio because you have dr jekyll and mr hyde in a way you have I'm very personable on the phone, but when it comes asking for money, I can't do it, I just can't do it. I think a lot of people struggle with that. So she's, the she's, the bad cop? I'm the good cop. Yeah, they also said and small talk that she was funny and I'm not it all feels really, really er it's, nice it's, nice to have a partner, but sometimes I would like for bryan to go away, so just make it it's certainly nice to have support, but it's not necessary yet, and I'm gonna actually have you step back just a little bit, brian so normally brian would be off to the side shooting as well, getting the more candid moment because I'm the one that's directing so he's off to the side. We're going to do the same exact thing I just want you guys to walk away from me with this light is so pretty on you actually can you snuggle up together right here? Just put your bum to his tummy you heard me tell me tell me tell me mummy to tell me where you go that's great just snuggle up together right there that's great actually, yeah I'm just composing guys in lighting right here. Just take a look outside this is your beauty light over here so just looking outside o on just reach back and grab him right there with your hand or snuggle up to him whatever feels look about you that's where is your light? Where his life that's amazing let's get you guys moving so you see they're starting to feel comfortable but we're not quite there yet, so wait don't judge yeah so let's turn around we're going to turn around and hold hands and we're going to the same exact thing that we did before except this time as you are walking away from us let me just hang on hang on just a second guys as your walk our light totally just changed hang on I'm just composing and lighting that is the sound that just came out so as you guys are walking away same exact thing you're just gonna look over your inside shoulders and just have a laugh or whatever. Whatever feels like you. Okay, so start walking away. Yeah, let me get close. We got looking for that book. That's. Great. Now give her a kiss right there. That's. Great. And just come back toward me again. Guys. Just have a bit of a job toward me. That dog is a great guys. If we have more room, we would have that go on for a little bit longer. And there's always a little moment in there where they look really good where they look awesome. I think that's a bit soft, but that would've been great moment right there. So we're going to play with another. Oh, you you want to fix your collar, exit b caller issues today? Yeah, we're going to play with another technique now and again, this is more about the process. Unless about the photos. Guys, this is not the ideal setting. We're going to play with the technique where we make him look like a badass and we have her do the movement. So let's, have you just come on over here and have a stand? Actually, what we are, what you're doing is perfect just turn the whole thing this way, this is your beauty light. Over here that's great and what he's doing naturally feels really sexy and perfect on dana I'm just going to get you moving a little bit hon so you're just gonna have a walk past him and check him out I'm going okay okay hang on you guys are really good these guys they're so brave this is not easy how do you feel so good it's not that hard right could've done the shots yeah probably should wait just look down at your shoes look down at your shoulder open up your torso a bit more than me right there and just let your arms hang behind you right there that's gorgeous so pretty just look down your shoulder right there you look so beautiful so pretty great and just start walking toward him right there and just have a turn around here of me that's great now just run up to him and grab him and get him get him get him get him that's right it's not a lot of time but I didn't get him out of tokyo take a little take a little see those moments they have no they have no choice but to connect yeah because it's kind of uncomfortable and it's funny and it's fun right? Yeah way doing what do you mean what am I doing that's really funny that's great that's really great let's see want you want to do one thing at least yeah let's do another one I think maybe just to show a little bit more what we can do with movement let's put you back up against this wall, honey over here and I just want you looking gorgeous and beautiful back here so just kind of so you guys notice I'm nearing what exactly I wanted to dio by the way never put your foot up because it looks like amputated so the foot down here just put all the weight into your right hip here and just having a look at your beauty light over here is great and if you're going if you want you can put your hand here on your hip or whatever feels like you if you're not as good as alison at doing that this's what it looks like so just lean against the wall and look up off like that and she makes it look really easy but it's not easy it's not easy for most of us I have this is what I struggle with constantly and so I would especially them by myself I have to like be like a girl and go look at your life but that's what we're asking yeah yeah yeah so please copy me and not brian let's see what do you want to do? Beauty shot her down? Yeah, she looks great right there so I mean this could be an opportunity um just maybe put your hands cross your hands over here or that looks that's gorgeous right there that's beautiful okay, show me I want you to just run up to her and just grab because she's standing there kind of all allow yeah just yeah let's have you start kind of over there and it just went up and just wait till brands out of my frame there that's perfect and go get her you you might you might you might want to remember there's a camera back here great that's great aunt just no good together right there that's beautiful, perfect high hi, that's good. Yeah, I just have a look at each other. They're smell her hair now actually really smell her hair we actually make people do that all the time. It feels weird but it doesn't look, that was actually perfect. What brian just told you to dio yeah don't let him do it just lean away from lina way and have a laugh. Yeah guys both have a look over brian that's great and grand and run toward brian all right look totally overexposed on those last couple on that's great. So you guys get the idea it's okay, right trying to get them moving, trying to get them feeling relaxed again this is not a natural environment to do this in but we want to do something with motion so I think any questions about that are these things that you guys do already with couples yes kind of a comment I guess yeah eh so I'm pretty good with the connection of my client but I do shoot alone and I find myself laughing at my own jokes far too often yeah I missed it so honey if you're watching I'm converting you when we get home you're coming over to the dark side yeah it's true uh we've had quite a few clients become wedding car and it's always the husband and wife team uh so they could do that yeah but if you are on your own I thinkin you're feeling that way that's kind of normal you know you are sort of out there on your own it just takes time and the more that you're showing them the photos the more that they're believing in you said you're you're on the right track you know yeah you see this so far because it just shows exactly the feeling that you're bringing out the the way that you're connecting with the people just by fun I'm going to do weird thing that's what it's about action and so it's been really cool to see you work wei have ah team miller though who says I should alone actually feel as though it's more comfortable for the couple instead of having two people watching in directing I think it can be distracting so do I in great that's true and if so, how do you combat that issue of multiple direct? So if we feel it's going down that path, I will often I will often uh, step back and look for the landscape shot I'll look for the silhouette, I'll look for the next shot so that I'm not disrupting them when they're on a roar and vice versa and honestly a lot of the times you know, brian is so awesome and so fun and he really is great in helping the people feel comfortable sometimes he does need to step back though, and let me take charge right? Or vice versa vice versa, so in that moment he'll maybe be helping with light or he'll be shooting with a seventy, two hundred from really far away and then sometimes he's just not shooting at all, but generally in a case like this, one of us is on the couple complete focus would be on me he'd be way off to the side capturing the natural moments happening so we're pulling this in because I think we're close to being out of time and we did want to show a little shot, which is awesome ah now I feel like way more these guys can we just give them a round of applause? This's not easy to dio, especially in this situation on dh they're definitely I think we can see that they're silly and fun but who they really are is probably a bit more editorial fashion so we want to deliver that for them right now so we're going to show you how we would do more of a fashion lit shot with fashion it's less about movement it's more about posing but I say that loosely the first thing that I'm thinking about is I'm going to tell you guys exactly what to do so just hang tight for just a second the first thing we want to think about is going back to being a technician, right? So I'm thinking about my composition this is actually quite nice, which is thiss clean white brick wall in the background I want to think about light I know we're going to use an off camera light for this so we'll show you how we do that and then I'm thinking about the emotion than wanna capture in the shot very difficult to do movement with a fashion shot just because we are using light so it is going to be a bit more posed but within that framework we still want them to be themselves so let's have you guys stand up? I think if you want to come over here for a second I'm just going to think about exactly how I want this and I think if we maybe have let's have our guy come on here and you always want people kind of at the edge of the sea whenever you're doing a sitting shot for women it just helps them sit up straight for dudes they just look a bit more powerful had no uh so have a seat here just kind of lean in right here really cool. And I'm probably gonna have you have a look over here so just pop in and have a seat look at these guys. How great and how? Find that photo is what's that that's your favorite pose? Yes, yes, it's the thoughtful men pose the man have a stand here maybe put your back to him. I still want you guys to connect, so maybe like a hand on his shoulder here just something that's really pretty and let's just have a look at how that looks maybe scoot a bit closer to her and want to actually sit into that left hip zana right here and I do that a lot by the way, when I'm posing brides is using the hips. So I'm always thinking about if I'm shooting them from the side which I will be here put the weight in the hip closest to me and then just open up the torso so you get this nice little shape right here she went right into it because she's a rock star that's awesome okay and just lean a little bit closer to the camera I think actually moving a bit closer to him here. That's perfect. And how would you connect with him? Do you does that feel natural to you to have your hand on his shoulder would feel better to have it around him or just on your hit here? I think this is good that's not good to you perfect. I'm gonna pull this out of the way because we actually want to be able to give them this photo I don't want any ambient light, so I'm going to get so two hundred probably get the max shutter speed toner for shutter speed f stops going to be probably it's all started eight to see what it looks like. One of my tricks that I love to do is take the autofocus off just the test light why she's posing so I can see what it looks like it's looking pretty good don't look at that photo though because that's not what I was trying to do okay, so then I'll have allison for us light when we use light we're just going to use the baird stroke we don't use we used to use soft boxes and things all the time but we really, really enjoy just using this way also fined for the sake of time just using their flashes really great always above the couple pointed down often will put on a light stand and even go like this. You're shooting on your own. Putting that flash on the light stand is the perfect way to fix that. Just make sure that it's a pie and pointed directly down on the couple's. I just want to point out one thing because I want to think about servicing our client here. Is it possible to take off the microphones while we're shooting this photo? Or do we need to keep them on? And then during the break we can take it off and do another one? Are we just photoshopping out? Okay, let's, just do that. The power of retouching power. Okay, okay. Perfect. That's okay, I think we can hold. Okay, that works. Great. Perfect. Okay, guys, just for now we're just composing and lighting, so just have a look, maybe write it. Brian that's the first shot. It looks freaking amazing. And if we want to get that one to come up there so we have this really beautiful light. Really simple. Uh, you see, you see hello, hot stuffs. So we would just continue playing with that that set up. So I would look at this and go apple and try to get away, be maybe let's, have you guys set up? Stand up, stand up! I'm gonna rotate it just a little more so I want to get maybe catch that window and then go back to where you were sitting down looking straight at the camera right away using the location that we have this would be an awesome save the date for him to have this creative live and tell all their friends that they did this because this is really unusual and awesome thing the fashion shot too, for us is always also from this sort of dominant point of view there dominated teo to us, so they're cameras below eye level looking up, it also stretches out there. All right. Can you guys each just have a look in a different direction? So, simon, maybe look over the audience. Zana, look here at my light right here. But maybe put your right hand on your hip right there, that's. Great. Just turn your bum a little bit more toward him there and then open that torso to bryan. Perfect. Relax. Your shoulders vehicle is my underwear showing like pants are falling down. Sorry. Uh, so on this shot this shot right here. I shouldn't miss that. Just saying no, I would not have missed that yeah, now you understand that's great, just have a look right here, your camera blue steel guys sexy you look at me the perfect yeah right there that's great have a look down at him maybe turn your tummy toward him now so let's get you a little bit more emotion turn your tummy completely toward him your whole body toward him and then just open up that torso to brian right there perfect injust a hand right here and just looking kind of down toward your right foot right there that's gorgeous really beautiful a lot of time with the guy if he's doing the same thing over and over again maybe I fix your cufflinks fix your if you have a tie maybe you're just doing something so there's he's doing something I'm not just so a variety we're trying to get a lot of variety yet but I think this looks amazing fact if he came more from the window with the lights we that sure more of a sidelight was more of a sideline that's great let's have them stand up together for this one should do that pull out this couch for a second what do you guys just go? Tummy tummy let's do something a little bit sexy time just tell me to tell me there is great and if you if you want tell me to tell me yep that's perfect she's actually right though she's actually right in opening her torso because that's what she and I see she knows what she's doing we show them the difference yeah let's go let's go tommy to waken do tell me to tell me here but women always look better when they're a little bit open with reports so uh see she knows that's great and we're just going to do a little shot like this now do you guys feel more comfortable if you're looking into each other's eyes or what feels like you perfect let's do it so just start off kind of almost nose to nose when she's really that's all that's a great offer later so I'm gonna have to take the photo okay so as I said before one of our favorite shots that we love to do is what we call a streetlight shot on dh I don't have you're right mac needs a store you're not climbing up on that school I'm just gonna get a little high on it okay but what we would like to do with this shot is going up on the store even use you can use a light stand okay and the key to this is just have make sure it's in front of them but it's up high so just have a look at each other right there guys that's perfect shame but just open up your jacket put your hand in her pocket yeah that's great right there and go really close together almost nose to nose just having a moment there where you knock down the exposure uh yeah when the climate of ten on the flash okay, don't thinki on this is we want the light to be very soft and dark so right now we're using the automatic exposure I mean, the automatic flash we're knocking it down by one negative one was that really dark? Yeah looks awesome. I could go even lower if you want. Okay, guys so just almost nose to nose right? They're really beautiful. Perfect just hang tight right there for a moment I'm not able to frame this without anyone in the background but just that little pop of light look how sexy that light as so this would be a great example of a fashion shot I think we are just about out of time here, you guys can we give them a round of applause please hang around because we're going to go to a real shoot after this so if you guys keep this outfit on, we'll do a few minutes in this and they will change and do the other one okay, thank you guys five right? Yeah, right go have something teo like way often arrange for them way often find tiu that people don't want it to stop as well these guys might want to stop it but it wasn't so bad right now, okay, good okay, so I mean, even just in the ten minutes we were shooting obviously not any award winning images in there but we got the moving we got them playing the trust is building were ableto already deliver something that's catalog something that's fashion something that's beauty just in ten minutes so write questions really cool again to see you guys working to see you actually get the client to get what you need and to really easily do it make it so that it's fun for them and just create great experience question from on the other end of the spectrum some of those I don't know if this has been discussed but as people always have their issues have you ever had a couple that came to a shoot angry at each other and how did you handle it? You think so or just you can tell that there's not necessarily openly angry but there's yeah, they didn't have a good day. Yeah how do you do with that? There are varying degrees of chemistry as well. I think we had our very first arrange marriage last year, which was interesting andi engagement you would never know by looking at it because we still managed to get all those feelings started very hard it was very difficult yeah it's like they had never touched before, right literally so there wasn't a lot of touching in that, but uh we just waded right now we're just small talk and I feel like usually for the engagement anyway people are so self aware that they're not really thinking about the fight way certainly have couples that do fight and bicker and we just work through it I mean, brian and I bicker all the time so that helps to feel like I owe you guys a fight you're like us like us fight well, yeah, yeah we find of course we fight yeah, I mean, you just try to work through it and that would be a good opportunity to take her alone and do some beauty shots and then take him alone and do some dude shots and once they're feeling sexy, they come back to each other and they're like, what is this like the tough fun way we've ever had a couple literally fighting we have on the wedding day we have on the yeah and that was interesting everybody had a story right? There's everybody has great stories exactly let's see in a glimpse photography says anything familiar? Answer this you mentioned having conversation with couples how do you find the balance with engaging your couples but also not being part of their memory of the day and still giving them some privacy? Totally question I can answer that well, we sort of touched on it before to think that's why the engagement is so important right? Because there doesn't for our style anyway there are certain people who were completely pj photo journalistic photographers. They do not interact at all. Our style is very emotional. Were hot messes were passionate like we're emotional wrecks. We need to have that connection with our clients. Usually we attract those kind of people. So, yeah, I think the engagement's a great time to work that out because we're all getting to know each other and working through who's. Who? And can they trust us? And can they be emotional in front of us? Can they be vulnerable? So that when we get to the wedding day, we can step back because they know they can trust us? All ten perform down to defining your style. So if someone's a photojournalist on lee that's a whole different type of photography, they'll attract a different client. Our clients become our friends. Uh, and so they want us to be part of their memories. That's. Why we do actually make the wedding album cut a lot because ugo way want us at the wedding to take a photo with them? Because of the experience was so much fun because we want the relationship to go past the wedding we want, but but the same time it's important to say that on the wedding day ninety nine percent of the day is photo journalistic you know we're not stepping in the ceremony for mom first here I am you know that's not the point is that will not happen. This is limited to the portrait and bridal party, by the way, the same exact things, the catalogue, the fashion we do the same exact list with our bridal parties, we want the girls to have that lit shot we want them to have soft, pretty beauty shot we want the fun, silly shot we want all of that so that's the only part of the day we're taping photos points out I wasn't going to watch this because I'm not sure if I'll go in the direction of engagements, but I'm loving this class so much of this can translate to all kinds of can so fantastic that many questions from here in the room, we could take one or two if you do. If not, I definitely have questions right here in the front go ahead of you, how you managed to do everything the bar, the changing closing in ninety minutes how do we manage to do what all the stuff around they're going to the bar ching in the closing goingto beneficial to another into exactly have a ninety minutes works the quick answer is that's only one outfit to outfits otherwise they have to do what we call a conceptual shoot, which is a much longer shoot, so there'll be time. The fact is, I think you know super fast. Ryan and I have been shooting weddings and engagements for seven years six, seven, eight I don't even it's blurry it despite the long time, so for us, a lot of this is it just happens naturally, I don't think about that list bryan does, it helps him he's, a masterful lighting person that's where I'm working on becoming better, but I think for people who are new at this or who aren't that comfortable with shooting that quickly, just start with a couple, start with the catalogs, start with the beauty, start with one lid if you don't know how to use light, challenge yourself to find the light of important brain that we didn't bring up tio each of these things, the catalogue, the fashion try to just work on one at a time and kind of get that in your tool belt, and then you'll see that as you're shooting, you'll start to see there's a pocket of light I'm gonna do that next and all of a sudden you just go and you have to be really good for your camera to you have to be able to be really fast with your cameras. So practice, practice, practice, practice, that's. Why the hundred thousand images a year is a good goal to set.