Lessons

Lesson Info

Single Chair Posing Small And Large Groups - LiveShoot

So let's let's do some chair postal girls you take a break let's work with dad jason what's up guys who's the favorite no don't tell me I want to know I don't know but that's like a great icebreaker is kids like your dad who is the favorite right? So lyndsey mentioned this before when you see people most of time they sit in the chair and they instantly just drop and compress so I never say sit in the chair I always say sit on the edge of the chair so sitting on the edge of the chair instantly lifts up from the centre of the spine and it gives us space to move and lean in different directions. It also gives us space for dad to separate his knees to put another body this is just a space to put another body this back here is a space to put another body right here is where we can put knees and lean over shoulders and get heads together. So again, even if I'm looking at a chair I know I compose at least three people on this chair because there's room to pose bodies and puzzle pieces togethe...

r you're gonna be right here and just going to lean in perfect right super easy for a guy bring your left elbow to your left knee left all the way there you go see what happened to his shoulders he's instantly dropped his shoulders. We have a little bit of diamond dimension and diagonal lines in his post. Okay, I'm gonna come your memory in here. And what I want you to do is just take this arm and lean on your dad like this, right? So and then you're gonna tilt towards him just a little bit way twist your head all the way around. Well, you can't do that. You can't do that thing. The other thing we can do is if I have an apple box right there, that would be awesome. I carry around with me a little set of opposing blocks, tools that I use for their very much like apple crates on ly there much lighter, and they're very portable so we can use is this and I can have you see right up there this might be a little bit too tall or might be just perfect. And then you can lean to your dad this way, and you're gonna lead over his shoulder this way, and then you're gonna bring your faces together. So there's a clean, classic portrait of dad and his not so young second youngest son, this second youngest now with the problem with this is that, uh, liam looks like totally bored and really out of it. So let's, change it up a little bit. I'm gonna have you come back here on the top of the chair. So I want you to stand back there behind your dad. This is gonna be a little bit more natural for him. So let this elbow come to me, and then I want you to give your dad a big hug. I want you to put your face right here, but a little bit higher. Whoa. Little bit higher. There we go. So he didn't look good where he was. And even though he's smaller, this is going to be a close up. So, jason, turn your face him just a bit more. The reason I turned his face was to remove his ear from my frame, right? So I didn't want to see full face full face, which means both ears showed the camorra wanted to third to do the face where I can only see one side because one faces air this close together that year could be distracting between their faces. Oh, my gosh, liam, that is awesome. Are you supermodel? Have you done this before? He's like, yeah, no problem. I've done this before, moving just a little bit, I'm using my seventy two, two hundred because it gives me so much variety on what I can shoot with what the angles that I can get and the uh called focal lengths I can get so I don't have to constantly change my lenses back and forth but look how sweet that is that's just like easy right that's easy that's easiest way to do that and he wasn't comfortable in front so that works out right? So here's, another space to put a puzzle piece right here so we have another space put faces so go ahead and put your face where you were before a little higher there you go, that's it so you're gonna come right in here I want you to put your jobs right here next to your dad's head right here. See? So you can get anyone to lean in his closes you want by telling them exactly where to put their head go ahead and hold on to your dad's arm and a little bit lower and now get your face right in there and I want you to hide your fingers on your brother's back there you go and squeeze those faces all the way together kind those hands just a little bit more back there that's it okay, liam, chin down just a little bit, buddy that's it chin down in this way towards me a little bit and you got eat poop, smile on your face did you just eat poop did you just eat poop because you you like that's like that you see that that's eat poop okay, so let's lose the poop smile there you go and squeeze in that it liam chin down and stop eating poop there you go for any age boy poop is funny poop parts vomit you know you ask okay, so liam who in your family farts loudest say like this is like when you're photographing kid you literally have to get down to their level right? And you know at home with boys farting is the funniest thing that happens right? Okay, squeeze dad squeeze that that's a jacob get your face right in there and so did you see jacob farts loudest oh, dad. Okay, but who is the most smelliest bring bring this right here you're on you're on national cable television whatever or internet uh all right, jacob lean your head in, move those hands from the back that's it squeeze together just a little bit more of it. All right, so you can see working with boys is a little bit tougher, right? Like the girls are all like oh, yeah and the boys like come on right, so but check it out there's still plenty of places look, I want you look here and decide where we can add some more puzzle pieces right. So instead of having to redo the whole pose and oh, what am I going to do? What am I gonna do? How can I add to this? Where can I put another piece of the puzzle? Okay, so cure. Come on over here and you'll go just like that. And right there for me. Let's. See if that's gonna be tall enough that should work in a while. Let's, try anna in this spot because and a little bit taller. Perfect. Peace. You're gonna lean back on your dad just little let your feet come all the way out your feet. Yep. So by moving dad's feet forward, I've altered the height of his fi so I can now use it as opposing prop. So if his if his knees are all way back, go ahead. Bring molly back her shoulder's gonna be a little bit too high if he moves him all the way forward. I drop her shoulder when she leans on him. So just by moving those feet in and out, you creating a different level for her shoulder, which will give more of a diagonal line and some curve to the body. Okay, how you hanging in there? Yeah, I know it's tough for them. Because while you're teaching your explaining everything you normally doing, so this has taken me four times as long as it would normally would on a shoot, right? So these kids are holding up pretty good. You guys are amazing. What did you promise them, like, what's the bribe here? Because I know there's something there and ipad involved here. Sorry. Okay, so I'm actually going to move and out just a little bit so that she can lean back a little bit on her dad and get a little bit closer now. He can come around this shoulder now. Here's a problem, right? Her shoulders so far under that he can't lean over her, so twist your body a little bit more and now he can lean over her shoulder a bit more. So by turning the bodies out to the camera, you create more puzzle pieces. So when we put bodies like this, you can't get people together, right? So let's just say shoulders to the camera, right? A lot of people start posing their bridal parties like this shoulder to the camera. You can't do anything here, but if we turn out, turn out your shoulder out and then separate your feet just little bit. Put this foot over there and drop this shoulder. I now have a place to come and put my head right. So a lot of times when you start seeing this open up the box. He's. Now, the other interesting thing that happens when you open up the bodies and you press hips back, is it thins out the body and makes the face more prominent to the camera, which puts the focus on the face and minimizes the body. So if you have somebody that has any kind of belly issue, you definitely don't want to do this because it's gonna accentuate that if you have some of the little belly issue, you turn him to the front, press the hips back, lean over. And now you've minimized the body and you put the focus on the face. Good. You're lucky you don't have a beer belly yet, it's. Good. Okay, so here we go. I've got another kid in this picture. Dad is starting to lose it. You can see it. Right? Okay, jacob, come around. Just a little bit more with your feet. Come around a little bit more. Keep going. Keep going. See how? Move his body closer. So you've got to be aware of this when you're looking through the camera move your body a little bit closer jeez and lift up a little bit higher that's and liam up a little bit higher buddy up a little bit higher get a little bit higher but chin down so body up chin down body option now let me help you okay right I love one older siblings try to like help okay lived up oh yeah shin down turn this way just a little bit there you go right so here we go so sometimes you just got to get in there oh there you go jacob come a little closer a little bit closer yes and you look gorgeous lean on your dad just little bit more this way now I like this and it's all good except that his arms are coming out from behind her head right so you can hold on to your dad here and hold on here and now you're gonna lean back a little bit until your head toward your dad but I want you to slide this way and then turn this way see how altering their heads we don't ever really want to see heads back on top of each other so I'll try to move her out a little bit and then turn her face back towards her debt so scoot forward on that bench just little bit more scoot your butt forward scoot your butt and now lean back toward your dad now turn your face see what happened when she was too far back she was like this and her neck got all kind of crazy funny when I scooted her forward a little bit she could lean back and then gently turn her face and she's young enough you can lean her back a little bit and it's not going to distort her body so anna chin up a little bit turned forty dad jason turned towards yeah jacob come forward just a little bit more little bit more bring your foot right next year dad bring right there little closer that's it haha yes oh my god you guys okay? We're going to make sure we're focused I love that liam what you've eaten no uh squeeze together squeeze together that they lived up and don't you dare smile let me see your mad face mad really mad household how long can you hold mad and what happens if someone tickles your feet so a lot of time with kids too I'll be like let me see your map face let me see your sad face sometimes especially with families they've been over prepped all right how many people had their mothers like better be good I want you behave you better be good for the photographer smiled everything they say and then the mom's behind the camera like not that smile and I'm like, oh my god, you're killing it because the poor kid thinks they're smiling and doing what they're supposed to be doing all right with you, they think they're doing what they're supposed to be doing and then mom's criticizing the smile so always tell about don't prep um, and I'm gonna ask him for silly phase, and the reason why I'm doing this is because when they start like within a couple of seconds or minutes, their face muscles, relax and then they're just naturally smiling because I have forced them to relax through like facial exercises that's really what I'm doing, right? Enforcing the new facial exercises by asking him for stupid faces, and I always say to mom, don't worry, we won't get that, but I do. I get a couple of stupid faces and of course, what does mom say? Hi, I love that it's so cute. Oh, how did you get that expression? Because it made him make stupid faces. Yeah, we have a question. Well, I actually just wanted to acknowledge that that was the most asked questions so far that people had voted on the most from simply joyful was how do you get genuine expressions for clients when dad or kids don't want to smile or giving big smile so, yeah, everyone love the fart jokes too yeah, I'm serious like you you've got to pull it out you know, like I sometimes say s h I t just cause I know it'll make the kids laugh and cause like it's probably forbidden at home but the krays photographer sending on then they laugh and they're like connolly in paris like did she just say that I like you know and I said I'm sorry and how we get expression teo but yeah so that works okay where else do we have a puzzle ah hole for a puzzle piece here anywhere are you looking right this is another great place so I would put a taller person here okay? So olivia just so you know I know and memorize all their names today if I run into them in the grocery store tomorrow be like who are you? I mean, I'm sorry totally happens like I remember for like my session and then like the neck and it's so embarrassing I've done weddings and I'm grocery store the next day and like I see someone in the bridal party and like, hey, where do I know you from? It gets so bad okay, so I'm gonna have you right here on your knees perfect turning to your dad a little bit so I'm gonna have our knees turn in but her body is going to turn out so bring your knees a little bit further away and then it's bring this arm behind her and then I mean have you like mean and like this and move your knees away just little bit more so you're gonna you're moving your knees out that way and turn them towards me so by the time you're done here let me show you what I want I'm just not explain myself here a little bit further away you're here and then you're gonna turn in this way so this I won't see a promise okay so sometimes it's easier just to do it and tell them the worst thing you could do is tell a client owner that's all wrong you did not know that wrong if the but a person's not getting into a pose I need them to get into it it's my five and explain myself correctly because I never want that person to feel like oh my gosh they're already on the spot and self conscious there in front of the camera so I never want to say oh, that looks terrible and if you do oppose it looks terrible shoot it oh no that's awesome and then just change it right never stop and go oh that looks terrible because they think that it's them not you and you know like maybe you suppose I'm right but they're like well what I do know why why why why do I look bad right did you think for a minute it was you a little bit yeah lean into your dad just little bit more jacob you nowhere to go, buddy. So now by the fourth time we've done this poll is everybody pretty much knows where to go and lean and just little bit more livia turning into your daddy s little how about you drop that back shoulder and lean in with your front shoulder there you go now twist to me a little bit more but lied to your dad and then twist your face to me so lean it lean it yeah there we go. All right, every squeeze together. Olivia no, you're good, anna and has a little bit straight so let's do this so he he brought his feet back again feet out and let's have you lean this way so she's not quite so static so attorneys that way and then let her lean this way bringing it this shoulder over and then that way see how I just changed the direction of her body she was like very static straight up and now now you're gonna lean this way a little bit so you're gonna go this way with your head just a bit jason go that way there you go now squeeze together so you just changed the whole dynamic of that yes oh, my gosh okay, jacob hide those hands in the back they hit back hands and then bring that hand your dad elbow that's it perfect I love it squeeze together just a little bit more okay I still think we have a hole here check it out oh that's so sweet so look at this little space right here who who would I put there okay for all you people at home he probably didn't hear this but I think mom is out in the hallway with finn who just like screamed at the top of his lungs awesome. So yeah right and why would I put mom back here because we want to hide her right so she came in right here and lean over this way look at that we're having a mom's body you want to jump in and mom's body okay jumping or you could be uncle pete just be uncle pete jump in there or this is a modern american family whatever you see but see where see where his feet went so you need to be here ready? Watch here and here because I'm not going to be that close up or separate your feet for me right there see? Puzzle pieces this modern family it is best that so go ahead. Yeah put your foot right between her calf muscles so there you go and squeeze in there get nice and tall a little bit taller this awesome this's completely utterly swinging back swinging back, swing it back so you're back a little bit more, get a little bit taller, lean over, lean over. We got a little bit of it, but it's going to work because this is yes. I would like to see this up on the web site that is modern family, because he's, sticking out a little bit, I could probably who have olivia swing or feed out just a little bit more and then have you come back and turn this way and then lean over this way, right? So just twisting upper body a little bit let's, see if that makes it any better. Yeah, twist it back a little bit, that's it, lift up a little taller, a little taller up a pyre and then lean over with your chest and get up a little higher. Get closer to liam. There you go, squeezing like you love them, that you wear that. Wow, I love that. You see the difference if we could just show that last one by swinging his hips around a little bit more, we did minimize them a little bit. That is that's fantastic.