(suspenseful music) So, creative process and the workflow of creating images, is, you know, the most important part of the images to me. Like, the idea of a photograph, and executing the idea, is like the part that brings the joy in. The idea behind my photographs, and then getting to execute that idea through photography, is like the joy of creating images for me. And, this is a more recent image that I took of Maddie, and it is this photograph of her ears over top of her eyes, watch, you know, I don't need to do that because you're actually looking at it with me. Sorry. Now, I'm self-referencing something that's happening. This is like a recent image that I took of Maddie and this kind of intersection of an idea that I have, and then getting to take a photograph of it, and make that idea into an object, and something I love, is like that intersection where you just discover the joy of photography. This photograph came from something that I do with Mattie really often which is like,...

you know, I grab her ears and like I'll put them over eyes and like, you know, just play this like really silly and cheeky game of peekaboo with her. And I was like, "Well, how can I express that image, that idea, into an image?" And, you know, all I did was just, you know, take like a little piece of tape and put it on the backside of her ears and just like stuck in on the edge of her nose. And this becomes this like really quirky, whimsical moment with her because it's something that the dog's ears can never do naturally but it like really mimics, like, you know, you putting like your hand over your face. And, I knew that I wanted the background to be not distracting. So, you know, this is just in a wall, shot in my house, with one big window on the right side, and the left side, there's no window. This is all fill. So, this is all the natural light coming from the right, and then bouncing off the wall. So, it's very much like a big studio light but just, you know, with natural light in the house. And, you know, the other kind of like camera-creative decision I made was I focused where I wanted the eye to be drawn, and that was right there at the tips of her ears. So, you can see this was shot like an F 1.8 on a 35 millimeter lens, and all of that is very sharp and in focus. And then, you know, her snout and nose is out of focus. So, that's one of like the technical points, you know, attributes of photography that you use in correlation with the concept to communicate this visually. So, her nose is out of focus. So, your eye drifts past it in the composition. You always want to have a point of focus in your image that is tack sharp, a place for your eye to rest and circle about in the composition. Yeah, so, like the background is simple. It's white. It's a single light source, and it's just an incredibly straightforward and basic photograph that, you know, to me, I think it just became very simple and fun and really just kind of like made something like a very human-like game of hide and seek, you know, with Mattie. Yeah. So, this next image that I shot here, this was one of the photographs that it becomes excellent when you wait for the right details. And those right details were waiting for blue hour, for the light in the sky to get really low, but where you still have enough ambient light to photograph what's in front of you. And then, also, there is, you know, the low enough light, so, the house glows. So, it kind of like has that tungstend, really warmth, coming off. So, the warmth of the house, the reflection in the lake, sense of place, and then, just this great experience of kayaking with your dog. And, you know, I took about 30 to 40 photographs of this, and I was just like photographing the back of Mattie. She was kind of looking out on the lake, and when I was shooting that image, I knew I needed those components of the reflection, the low light, cause I wanted the glow of the house, but it was missing a little bit of magic, just shooting the back of her head. You know, she was like looking out, looking at the, you know, the ducks in the lake and, you know, paying attention. And when I was sitting there I just called her name and she looked back at me, and she just stretched her head over, and her ear fell back into this really funny place. Like she was like really straining to look back at me to see what I was saying, and that's the image that I snapped. And, that's the one that stood out to me when I was going through editing them. And I think that's often the piece that you're looking for in images is just that one little decisive moment that pushes something very standard and basic into the space of special and quirky and stand out. And, you know, we still have like the composition of her ear falling down and her looking back just like made it a moment where she's like addressing me, and looking at me and you still have all the, you know, all the other elements of the image.

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Theron Humphrey

These days I like to think my photography exists somewhere between that country living and city ideals. Images with roots and connections but excited about big lights and tall buildings.

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topics covered in this class

Commercial Business Fundamentals

Ratings and Reviews

Lori Rice

A really enjoyable course! I really enjoyed getting an inside look at Theron's philosophy and approach to his photography work. I picked up so many good points to help me better define the work that I do and the direction I want to go with it. I did have to go back and watch a few things because Maddie was so happily distracting. I found myself watching her and missed what he said. Ha! I felt like this course was true to how it was advertised - approach and tips for getting commercial work. Next, I'd love to see a little more technical course from Theron that shares his how and why for gear, light capture, and angles for the outdoor shoots like those shared in this course. I'm really inspired by the simplicity of his production.

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Lesson Info

9. Reviewing Previous Work

Lessons

Workshop Welcome

The Importance of Studying Photographic History

Light, Composition, and Image Making

Assignment: Footwear Brand

Building A Relationship with Your Subject

The Importance of a Personal Project

Theron's Personal Project: This Wild Idea

Elements of a Successful Personal Project