Shoot: Sand Image

Lesson 63 from: Fine Art Photography: The Complete Guide

Brooke Shaden

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Lesson Info

63. Shoot: Sand Image

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Class Trailer

Yours is a Story Worth Telling

02:09

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Lesson Info

Shoot: Sand Image

We're in this little tiny room with this one little tiny window and we're doing the sand shoot, which has been a lot of logistics to get to this place. Because when I was planning this shoot, I wrote down that I needed 800 pounds of sand and I put a little question mark next to it because I did not know if that was going to be possible, especially since we're out in the middle of nowhere and it ended up being possible. And here we are in this little tiny space with all of this sand and this beautiful chair. And the goal here is to create this super atmospheric very old feeling image and I think that we're going to be able to achieve that with this little tiny window with this light streaming in. Which is a situation that I would actually not shoot in generally. It's my natural instinct to shoot with the window light coming straight in at somebody rather than sweeping across the scene in this very diagonal sort of way. So I'm challenging myself in this space and I think that aside from ...

that lighting challenge, it's going to be a really beautiful image. And I'm really excited to see how it goes. But we have a couple of things that we have to do here in order to make it work. First of all we do have sand, but we have apple boxes put in place to try to hold the sand in because we didn't want the sand to just sort of spill everywhere into this room because then it wouldn't be piled up around the chair like I wanted. So we have things holding it in and just when I'm about to shoot, I'll move all of that away, let the sand spill down a little bit more and hope that everything stays in position long enough. I actually ended up choosing this room because the floor slants in the direction of the sand which is really helpful so that the sand doesn't immediately roll away. That would be completely terrible and a waste of 800 pounds of sand, which we're going to donate to playground afterwards. So all is well. But we have to get started here, get our model in place, so Kristen if you wouldn't mind just taking a seat on the chair. There goes sand. There it goes. Awesome, okay that's perfect. And she instinctively sat down in exactly the right position, this is exactly what I want you do to. So you are perfect right now and I'll pose you in just a second. But first I'm going to get the sand moving around here. You can see that it's already streaming in the window light, which I did not anticipate. And I am so excited about that. Because I think if we can capture that in the image, that's going to be beautiful. So I'm going to just really gently move this tarp. And, okay, this is good. So I'm just going to cover up the tarp a little bit. Just make sure that we don't see that as much as possible. I know that part of the goal here was to not dirty this house, but you know when you're in the moment you just do what you have to do and then you cross your fingers that no one's mad at you afterwards. Or at least that's my theory. So here go the apple boxes. This is like an adult's dream, right? Like it's not just for children. Okay, we've got one out. So far so good. And the thing that I should mention is that if for whatever reason we can't cover this tarp, that's okay I'll just get another shot later of the sand hitting the floor. And we don't have to worry too much about that. I think this apple box is now filled with sand, so. Yep, there it goes. Oh my gosh. Okay, that looks good. Wow. And then we've got a couple extra bags. I know that I do see these back here, these apple boxes. I'm gonna leave that one, cause it's just in the shadow. And I actually think that one will be completely covered as well because of that strip of shade that's in there so I'm not worrying about that right now. But I am going to cut these open, with some scissors. (plastic ripping) Let's see what we can do here. I may be small, but I'm very strong. Oh it looks so good. I'm like a little kid right now, are you doing okay? Yes. Okay. There and then one more for this side here. (plastic ripping) That one little flap, okay. There we go. Alright, we did it. It's very dusty in here. Maybe that's obvious already. But I'm just going to smear this around just slightly. This is a professional technique of making sure that the sand looks really natural. I just made it up myself. And we're gonna get that out of there. Okay I'm going to build it up a little bit around the dress. And now I'm going to decorate our subject. So as if you're not decorated enough, I'm going to put some sand on you. There, oh, look at that. It sticks really nicely, so that's really good. I'm making sure that she actually looks integrated into this sand pile not like we just sat her down here. And the sand is sticking beautifully. So this looks really good. Get some up here, you can move your hands if you want. Want them messed? Oh yeah. Yeah. We have a model who likes to play so this is really good. Okay, now I'm going to have you get in position. Your position is going to be letting it actually fall off your shoulders and you'll just sort of hunch this way, just fall this direction. Yes, exactly, that's very good. And I'm going to take a look. I'll let you know if anything needs to change. But for now, I'm just going to let your back show a little bit right here. That'll be good. And I'm going to take a look through my camera. So I'm actually switched over to a 25mm lens. And this is going to allow me to see what I need to see in this room to start. This is looking so beautiful through my camera. I'm very excited here. And I'm already getting ideas about editing so I'm already starting to think, should I take that window out of the picture or should I leave it in and actually edit something out that window that's relevant to this scene. So I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do, but we'll find out later. So I'm going to take my first shot, 'cause I actually love this pose. So I'm going to capture this as it is. That looks just beautiful. And then I'm going to take a couple extra shots around the space. And now we're going to try one more pose just to make sure that I have some options in this room. So I'm going to have you actually turn your body a little bit more this way, just your upper body, yep. And then just fall forward. Yep, no, that was perfect. That's exactly what I want. And then I might have you just angle a little bit so if you wouldn't mind taking your left shoulder up and your right shoulder down more, yep exactly. Perfect. And then I'll just really quickly shoot a couple more images there. Okay, and then I lied, as all photographers do. So if you can sit up in the chair once more. And I'm actually gonna have you stay sitting up with your arms exactly as they are but turn your upper body away from me as much as you can. You want me this way, or? Facing away as much as you can. Yep, just like that. And then let's have you take your shoulders toward the corner of the room even more. Yep, and then actually lean into the corner of the room. Good and then, again I lied. But I'm going to have you take this arm forward, yep, and then hold on and turn away just like that, perfect. Okay. And I'm going to shoot this really fast. (shutter clicks) Good. (shutter clicking) Okay. And we are finished with that shoot. So you can get comfortable. And what I was thinking about there was just allowing her to look fragile in this space where sand is symbol of time and letting our subject sort of blend right into the floor in this very old chair in this very old dress, looking like she belongs in this space. So I'm really excited to try out this new type of lighting for me, see how it goes and I think it's going to fit really well into the series which we're going to keep shooting now.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Guided Daydream & Writing Exercises Workbook (Lessons 1-11)

Creating an Original Narrative Workbook (Lessons 12-18)

Finding Your Target Audience Workbook (Lessons 19-27)

Planning Your Series Workbook (Lessons 28-34)

Set Design Workbook (Lessons 35-41)

Compositing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 42-49)

Editing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 50-55)

Location Scouting Workbook (Lessons 56-60)

Stock Image Downloads for Practice (Lessons 61-72)

Organizing Your Portfolio Workbook (Lessons 77-81)

Pricing & Editioning Your Work Workbook (Lessons 82-89)

Writing Contracts & Licensing Images Workbook (Lessons 90-98)

Gallery Best Practices (Lessons 99-106)

Pitch Package Workbook (Lessons 107-111)

Writing Your Brand Workbook (Lessons 112-117)

Marketing Workbook (Lessons 118-122)

Social Media Workbook (Lessons 123-127)

Printing Methods Checklist (Lessons 128-133)

Self Critique Workbook (Lessons 134-137)

Bonus Materials Guide

Syllabus

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Brooke Shaden

Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear.

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topics covered in this class

Fine Art Digital Photography

Ratings and Reviews

April S.

I tuned in for most of Brooke's lessons in this course and watched some of them more than once as they were rebroadcast. First I want to say that Brooke is a very good instructor. Her easy-going, friendly, down-to-earth, somewhat quirky manner cannot be mistaken for unprofessional. She is very prepared, she speaks well (not a bunch of hemming and hawing), she is thoughtful, she is thorough, she is very relatable and at ease, and she is definitely professional in her presentation. I really thought when I first tuned in that it would mostly be background noise while I was at work, sound to keep me company. Not because I didn't like Brooke but I really didn't think I was into fine art photography nor did I think I cared about the business side of things much. Not now anyhow. I was really wrong. Brooke sparked a deep interest in me to delve into fine art photography, to consider creating images for myself, from my imagination. In fact, I realized that this was something I'd been thinking about for a couple of years though I hadn't put a name to it (the idea of creating pre-conceived images based on my own creative goals). I gleaned many little treasures from her about image sizes, working with printers, different types of paper, selling, interacting with galleries, and so much more. I may not need all of what she taught right now because I'm definitely headed in another direction at the moment, but she planted ideas and information in my head that I know will be useful at some point. Things I may not have thought of on my own, but that seed is in my head now so when the time comes, I'll know. I'd really like to buy her course but at the moment, with the holidays right around the corner, it's not in my personal budget. I'm grateful to have caught the live and rebroadcast lessons though, and her course is on my list to own. I think it's a great reference to be consulted over and over again, not watched once and forgotten. Kudos Brooke for really putting together an excellent course.

Angel Ricci

When the title says comprehensive, it means comprehensive! I loved every part of this course. It's inspirational, motivating, and insightful towards creating art work. Even if you are not necessarily considering a fine art specialty, the concepts discussed in this course are applicable to many areas! I find this super useful as a videographer and photographer and look to apply all of these exercises and concepts for my personal and business work moving forward. It is lengthy, but you will not regret a single minute. Brooke Shaden is an amazing artist and educator. I recommend keeping up with her work, presentations, and any future courses that may come in the future.

Ron Landis

I'm retired now, but spent decades in the people and training business. Brooke is extraordinary! Even though this course is extremely well organized and she's left nothing unattended, she moves through it with friendly conversational manners and without a sense of it being stilted. It's as though we are all her friends, not students, as she shares her heart and passion with us. What a joy it is to listen to her. And what a clear, unambiguous command of her subject. Wow! She explains it with such ease using explanations and techniques that won't overwhelm artists just starting their portfolio or the Photoshop-squeamish among us; but despite its simplicity her resulting art is breathtaking and beyond original. I wish more of my professors at school were as engaging. This was by far my best buy at Creative Live yet.

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Shoot: Sand Image

Shoot: Sand Image

Lesson Info

63. Shoot: Sand Image

Lessons

Class Introduction

Storytelling & Ideas

Universal Symbols in Stories

Create Interactive Characters

The Story is in The Details

Giving Your Audience Feelings

Guided Daydream Exercise

Elements of Imagery

The Death Scenario

Associations with Objects

Three Writing Exercises

Connection Through Art

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Layering Inspiration

Creating an Original Narrative

Analyze an Image

Translate Emotion into Images

Finding Parts in Images

Finding Your Target Audience

Where Do You Want Your Images to Live?

Create a Series That Targets Your Audience

Formatting Your Work

Additional Materials to Attract Clients

Which Social Media Platforms Will be Useful?

How to Make Money from Your Target Audience

Circle of Focus

The Pillars of Branding

Planning Your Photoshoot

Choose Every Element for The Series

Write a Descriptive Paragraph

Sketch Your Ideas

Choose Your Gear

How to Utilize Costumes, Props & Locations

What Tells a Story in a Series?

Set Design Overview

Color Theory

Lighting for the Scene

Props, Wardrobe & Time Period for Set Design

Locations

Subject Within the Scene

Set Design Arrangement

Fine Art Compositing

Plan The Composite Before Shooting

Checklist for Composite Shooting

Analyze Composite Mistakes

Shoot: Black Backdrop for White Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Color Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Accessories

Shoot: Miniature Scene

Editing Workflow Overview

Add Fabric to Make a Big Dress

Edit Details of Images

Add Smoke & Texture

Blend Multiple Images Into One Composite

Put Subject Into a Miniature Scenario

Location Scouting & Test Photoshoot

Self Portrait Test Shoots

Shoot for Edit

Shoot Extra Stock Images

Practice the Shoot

Introduction to Shooting Photo Series

Shoot: Vine Image

Shoot: Sand Image

Shoot: End Table Image

Shoot: Bed Image

Shoot: Wall Paper Image

Shoot: Chair Image

Shoot: Mirror Image

Shoot: Moss Image

Shoot: Tree Image

Shoot: Fish Tank Image

Shoot: Feather Image

View Photo Series for Cohesion & Advanced Compositing

Edit Multiple Images to Show Cohesion