Artist Portraits - Outside
Lesson 16 from: Getting Started in Music Photography with Red Bull Photographer Todd OwyoungTodd Owyoung
Artist Portraits - Outside
Lesson 16 from: Getting Started in Music Photography with Red Bull Photographer Todd OwyoungTodd Owyoung
Lessons
Class Intro to Getting Started in Music Photography
01:13 2Live Music Photography
13:40 3Camera Settings
09:34 4Tip & Techniques for Capturing Live Music
09:14 5Research & Preparation
06:20 6Challenges & Pain Points
00:40 7All Access
16:29 8Shooting for Editorial
03:15Capturing Music Festivals
03:58 10Using Speedlights
07:44 11Photographing Drummers
07:44 12Gear
25:39 13Location Scouting
19:57 14Artist Portraits
06:56 15Artist Portraits - Stairwell
06:48 16Artist Portraits - Outside
12:04 17Sound Check with Low Hums and Wild Powwers
05:12 18Photographing Live Shows - Low Hums
06:29 19Photographing Live Shows - Wild Powwers
05:22 20Getting Started
10:15 21The Photo Pass
19:38 22Photo Pit Etiquette
06:29 23The Business of Music Photography
12:02 24Post Processing Workflow
26:02Lesson Info
Artist Portraits - Outside
We've moved outside now, this is a few blocks away from New Moves and Barbosa. And what drew me to this location, this auto shop, was kind of this graphic racing stripe, but also the fact that we can shoot directly on to this wall, but then pivot really easily and get a little more depth in the shot. I kind of like the stickers here on these posts, they add a little grit to the scene, and yeah. Just excited to work with Bear Axe on this second location here outside. All right. So for location portraits like this, I keep it really simple, just working with a soft lighter here, and it's gonna add a little bit of light to compliment the ambient here. It's not gonna look dramatically lit like some of the interior shots. And we have a second light that we may throw in there that's gel. It's for a different look. All right, cool. Just like that, looks good. Nice. (camera clicking) Cool. Great. Perfect. It's good. (camera clicking) All right, showing the band here, this is what we're work...
ing with. Should we get closer together or something? Yeah we could do, it's a little loose now, we can definitely do that. And maybe Shay we can have you tilt your head up towards the light a little bit. Looks good. Perfect, just like that. Nice. Nice, and even Matt, you can just look off to your left like that. Perfect. Nice, right back here. Good. (camera clicking) We're just gonna get a tighter shot. Good. And John, put one of your hands on your knees maybe. Yeah, just kind of bring it, yeah so they're not, a little bit different there. Mix it up a little. Great. So I moved closer and I'm shooting at about 24mm now, just to play with perspective a little bit. Looks good. (camera clicking) And back up, and go to about 50. This is cutting off the feet, but having a little tighter shot for a little bit more prominence of the faces. Looks good. Looks good. Nice. (camera clicking) And Matt, can I have take your sunglass off? And you can just hold them in your hands. Kind of like that, yeah. Looks good. Great. (camera clicking) Cool. Yeah, all right. Mix, mix it up a little bit and let's say we have ... ... Shay standing. How about that? We flip you two. (Shay and Matt laugh) And Shay, whatever feels comfortable, you know, whether it's leaning, I don't know what you prefer, the lean is-- I think you know, a death drop splits, you know? All right. (everyone laughing) Kapow! Yo! Oh actually, I kind of like that where it's like. Oh, okay. Yeah maybe you can come forward a little bit. Yeah, and if it's comfortable to drop down like that, yeah. And then, Matt you can just chill, chill back there, yeah. Yeah, like that you've, looks good. And one thing I always like to do is have people at a little bit different heights. It just adds more dynamic element than if they're all sitting on the same level, just so you have a little variation, but for a press shot, if this were the band's promo for example, you do want the heads to be relatively in line because you never know how the image is going to be cropped. It might be a really tight image, a horizontal, which some formats might need. Whether it's a venue or a publication, they might crop so that all the heads are in a line, so having the heads relatively equal is always a good thing to consider when you're shooting an image like this. That's perfect. I love those boots. Thanks. Great. (camera clicking) Good. Left hand is over here, right hand maybe put it forward a little bit, yeah. Perfect, just like that. Nice. (camera clicking) Cool. Looks good. I might have you, Matt, have you still sitting on that kind of doorstep like that, and scoot in a little bit. John come in as well. Actually you drop down as well? If that's comfortable. Cool. Looks good. Nice. And Ken, I'm gonna have you flip, just so it's hitting Shay's face at a little different angle. Great. Looks good. Nice. Great, John I like that lean forward. Looks good. Maybe just angle your face up a little bit, so the light hits you. Great. Nice. (camera clicking) I'm gonna stop down a little bit here. Great. I'm gonna adjust the power. It's looking a little hotter, maybe even, Ken if you came out a little bit. Like that? That would also address the issue there. (camera clicking) Yeah, the last couple shots, the key light was looking a little more hot and a little bit more lit than I wanted it to, so I'm pulling the key lamp out a little bit. It just balances with ambient a little bit nicely, more nicer. (chuckles) Great. Cool. So for for a shot like this, where I'm including the bottom of a wall, for example, and shooting perpendicular to it, I always like to make sure that I'm lined up precisely so that the lines on the bottom will stay parallel to the edge of the frame. Just as a minor detail so you're not kind of, making sure you're not slightly angled off, because when you're so close to being perpendicular, it's just the little details to make sure things are lined up. All right. Let's get a shot with you all, all standing up is good. Maybe, let's see Matt. If it's comfortable to kind of put your shoulder against that wall. Yeah, perfect, like that. Just angle off a little bit. And then John, come in. Yeah. You good? (band laughing) All right. Perfect. And as a minor detail, I like to have bodies slightly angled. It just adds a little bit of interest, so that people aren't just straight across. It feels more natural in a group portrait like this. (camera clicking) Good. Back here. Great. And John, if you could just look off to the right. Perfect, just like that, nice. (camera clicking) I'm gonna back up a little bit and shoot closer to 70. Just for a flatter look. (camera clicking) Looks good. Nice. Cool. And, just as a last shot, I'm gonna go ambient on this entirely. Just gonna pull the trigger off. Looks good. Now for this shot, since we're going ambient and not using speed lights at all, not using strobes at all, open up to a 4.5, 1/200th of a second, at ISO 125. Looks good. (camera clicking) Nice. Just gonna come in closer here. (camera clicking) Perfect. Looks good. Great. John, eyes back to camera. Cool. So, we're just going to pivot, you know, about 90 degrees and go into the second look for this one location. So instead of shooting flat against the wall, we're gonna shoot down the sidewalk a little bit. Just to introduce a little depth into the scene. And again, maximize our opportunity here at this one location to get two different looks. So we've gotten strobe, we've gotten natural lights, and then again, a different look from this one scene, So just maximizing our opportunity here because we've got about five minutes in which to make this next portrait, so it's working really quickly here. And, here we go, this is, fast shot. (camera clicking) Dialing up the backlight. Right. Looks good. Right here. Nice. Cool. Just like that, a little ... ... wider here. John and Matt switch places. Let's try that. And Shay, can you look off camera? Perfect, just like that. Nice. I like it. It looks beautiful. (band laughs) Cool. And just like that, but Shay eyes back here. Nice. Great. (camera clicking) Looks good. Little closer to wide angle. Ah, could you put your right hand, yeah just like that, perfect. Looks great. Nice. Gonna get a slightly flatter look here as well. Probably just about out of time. Nice. And again, just gonna power this off, get a totally (laughs) ambient look here. Looks good. Yeah, yeah leaning in like that that's great. And then, let's see. Matt can you angle off, sorry this way, other way, yeah, into the group. Perfect, just like that. Nice. Can I touch him? You can touch him. Yeah there you go. It's like you're actually friends. You like each other. Yeah, it's weird. It's so foreign. All right, perfect. Nice. Cool. Looks good. Gonna open up just a little bit. 4.5. Cool. (camera clicking) So we just wrapped up this location. We've got a lot of different looks, both lit and ambient in kind of two different set ups; one very straight on shot for this wall and another look set up with a little bit more depth, so we've kind of maximized this location and our time here, which is really critical when you might only have five or 10 minutes when you're working with a band for an editorial shoot like this.
Ratings and Reviews
Alexandra U
I highly reccomend this class for any one who would like to get started or dip their toes in the concert photography scene. This class has many useful tips and trick for any level of photographer, not just beginners. I have been in the music scene for over 10 years and I was able to gather so much information in every chapter. Watching this video boosted up my confidence as a photographer because it validated that I am already succeeding in my concert career. Thank you for this amazing stream. It sparked my creative soul once again.
Kris Comer
Wow, this was awesome! I have been a concert photographer for almost 3 years now and I still learned some great tips! I loved that he covered different ideas for promo shots which is one of my weaknesses. Any beginner should definitely check out this course! It is straight and to the point with all of the most important steps.
Mark Balmer
This is a really great course! I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this type of photography. It is presented in an easy to understand way. Todd gives clear and informative tips and shows how to set up lights, poses etc! I found it very helpful, and will definitely put what i've learned to work. Thanks, Mark
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