Lessons
Day 1
1Class Introduction
10:08 2Why Light Matters
35:34 3What Makes Good Light?
18:32 4Equipment Q&A
13:04 5Subject Centric Lighting: Bowling Balls
10:51 6Wizwow's Rope Meter
17:44 7Softbox vs. Shower Curtain (Claudine)
26:05Technical Q&A
33:07 9Light Modifiers
13:37 10Light Modifiers Shoot: Alyssa & Claudine
47:40 11Light Modifiers Q&A
23:25 12Subject Centric Lighting
25:14 13Subject Centric Lighting Q&A
03:35 14Shoot: What We've Covered
22:45Day 2
15Lesson 16 - 29 Introduction
08:41 16Reviewing Previous Images
20:21 17Placing Exposure
31:22 18Placing Exposure Q&A
11:43 19Emotional Lighting
17:58 20Shoot: Window Light (Brie and Alyssa)
42:11 21Working with Models
09:41 22Shoot: Window Light with Reflectors
06:20 23Shoot: Headshot with Hot Lights (Brie)
22:51 24Shoot: Headshot with Hot Lights (Alyssa)
13:09 25Shoot Q&A
11:15 26Shoot: Beach Lighting
27:47 27Shoot: Clam Shell Lighting
26:15 28Shoot: Beauty Dish
20:23 29Reviewing Today's Images
31:23Day 3
30Owning Your Own Light
13:57 31Telling Stories
09:43 32Shoot: Dramatic Single Light (John)
20:08 33Shoot: Beauty Setup (Natalie)
28:50 34Student Shoot: Tracy
13:18 35Student Shoot: Kimberly
15:18 36Student Shoot: Ian
16:53 37Student Shoot: Lori
16:13 38Student Shoot: Moe
05:54 39Shoot: Building the Ambient (Isabel)
53:48 40Shoot: Two Subjects (Briana and Natalie)
16:23 41Student Image Review
13:46 42Life as a Photographer
51:09Lesson Info
Lesson 16 - 29 Introduction
one of you were talking about how people will tell you you can't shoot with certain cameras or the whole thing about kit lenses and you can't do good work with kit lenses and all that stuff and it's just so terrible because photography is an emotional art form and a lot of us forget about that we take it in that we just look at the science of it it's just so what how many pixels we have and what format we're using and it it's something that I've grown up with with photography is the emotional connection between me and my and my camera or in the old days me and my cameras even today when I get an assignment or I think of a photograph I will first think format I will first think well haven't thinking doing this photograph and I've got to shoot that on four by five well it's probably not going to happen everything I think of these days is generally shot on film except for my amusing my four by five for shooting ten types now but there's something always has been magical about the differen...
t cameras and I had him all I did have a mall man hide house of lads and with me is and six by six and six by seven my gosh she wouldn't want to be cut without one and thirty fives and four by five eight by ten and five by seven still have most of those cameras um and still like to use them on occasion but we're told these days that all this all this sudden it's almost like within the last five years now we're told that oh you can't do this with kit linz and people suffer through this sort of self censorship oh I fight if if I didn't have to shoot a rebel I could make better photographs or if I didn't if I didn't have a sony I need I have a sony now I need to change to a nikon because all the cool guys have nae cons or whatever the thing is and that's just not true it's not true at all great photographs were made on all kinds of cameras from diana's and holders and low mose and iphones and androids and everything great photos because the photograph has to be from your heart not from the camera science and magic and art all blend in photography you can't be a great photographer without understanding that there is some science involved whether it was black and white film or color film and exposure we have tools that have limitations and so we have to learn that but we also have to know when to put that away and just make those photographs and don't don't stop yourselves don't self censor your work because of what you have make photographs aiken aiken stand and tell you about people I know who shoot five demark twos at high rez raw files and the only thing they've ever posted a picture to his model mayhem you know if you're shooting twenty four megabyte mega bet I don't know what the twenty four megapixel image to put up seven hundred pixels wide chances are you probably could have shot that on a ten d or a iphone you know chances are pretty good so we lose ourselves in that we've lost the magic I think when we go down that road come back to it dr grab a camera and lindsay don't make photographs and that's important and you mentioned timing timing about not rushing it's your photograph I can't imagine being in heart surgery and having the insurgent going I'm going as fast as I can I know you've got other things to do and we're just we're going to court we'll try this sutra it should work not really like to take have him take a much time as he needs to make it good thie difference is we project onto our clients that need to be finished and there is no need if you need to start an hour before they get there do that but they're due never do not ever let your clients run your show okay what I say in the workshops and I'll say it here in my studio I have a couple of rules and I know that makeup artists and stylists are um self employed I understand that but turn the damn cell phones off when we're shooting you're on my dime now I don't want texting I don't want phones ringing when we're shooting there'll be enough breaks where you go and grab it I dont you lose a job when we're shooting we turn the cell phones off you're there for me and paying your your freight so to speak um not arrogant about it I'm insistent it's my set everything comes through me I own that photograph at the end of the day if the photograph doesn't work I'm certainly not going to say to my client yeah we were we were working pretty hard on it but you know my makeup artist was having a baby sitter problems and you know he's gonna look into going for what my picture all me now this sounds like a totalitarian dictator yeah it kind of is it's the only moment you can be your set you own it every moment of it and you command respect by being respectful but you also can't command respect by saying there's certain rules so we do that I always expect my stylist to be on set I don't want her to to do this do the work and then leave I wanted to be their own set that's her job to do that and I don't have any pushback I don't have anybody upset with me or any pushback because it's always done with the care of the photograph in mind we're going to get this done okay so it's your set you own it everything every score foot in it is yours and if you don't control your photo shoot somebody else will nature abhors a vacuum and if you've ever lost control of a photo shoot and I'll say to the internet I I'll bet you there's some people out there I know I have you lose control the photo shoot and the makeup artist takes over the photo shoot or the stylist takes over the photo shoot or the model takes over the photo shoot someone's going to lead the shoot it better be you because once you lose control you know get it back there's it's done just accept your role get through and get the shot done on a commercial job it's it's a disastrous so you just don't let it happen okay so don't rush yourself make it make it maybe have like almost like a standard operation of procedure type of thing tio to give to your makeup artist way have a production meeting just like we do here in creative life we have production meeting and on we say this is this is the deal and I have a little checklist for everybody it's not a you know formal thing that anyone has the sciences little checklist make sure your phones are off or on silent you know knowing that you got a message great then you can check it at break and gosh we're doing a photo shoot there's going to be all kinds of opportunities for you to take ten minutes while we're building over here that's fine but when the shoot's going on I wanted to be totally focused on what's happening in front of the camera and that's whether it's a uh people shot or a food shot or product shot or any kind of any kind of photograph I'm doing I want the attention to be on what we're doing um I also have uh um um fun and uh play time you know we do have a lot of fun on my set I don't want anyone to go away thinking that I'm sort of some big ogre going do such or so phone young man now we have a lot of fun so I just thought that that would soften the yeah they communicate it sze it's not even that it's always done with kind of a smile and kind of like this is what we need sure but it is kind of a dictatorship it is you know my my set always I said you've ever been only director on a film it's the director said he is god on that set and that's that's your job time can be time congee riel killer because time is photography right um then there's that there's certain facts of science that are unexplained as of yet for instance whenever you're doing a shoot in the evening the sun goes down faster it's just no one could figure it out it must be a time zone the warp of some sort of thing but it always happens the time could be your enemy
Class Materials
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bonus material with enrollment
Ratings and Reviews
Cheryl
I just finished watching this course, and with teary eyes can say, without reserve, this class has been fantastic! Don's last session would be great to watch in the beginning and the end because it helps to understand his thoughts on being a photographer. The rest of the class is full of great information on lighting and Don is able to explain his thoughts and his processes with ease. I hope I will always think ahead and plan how I want my final results and how I want my subject to reflect light. Learning this was one of my "aha" moments during this class. I own over 30 Creative Live photography courses and this class is one of the top classes I own. I already plan on rewatching the whole class. Well worth the investment! I feel it is not a beginner course, but a intermediate to advanced one. Don has set a high standard in lighting...a goal to reach for...a goal that is possible for each person willing to take the time to learn and practice. Thanks Don and thanks CreativeLive!
Ryan Redmond
I am so glad I took this course. I'll be honest, it took a few lessons for me to warm up to this series but I'm glad I stuck with it. I have had a couple cheap speedlights, softboxes/umbrellas, and reflectors for many months now and was too intimidated to start using them. After going through this I am not only downright excited to use them, and confident that I can have spectacular outcomes, I'm also confident about shooting in natural light indoors and outdoors. It's also given me the tools and confidence to start shooting in manual vs aperture priority and to nail the general calculations in my head. I appreciate that Don used mostly budget or unorthodox equipment like speedlights, foam core, work lights, curtains, etc. because that's what I can afford and have been using to try to replicate expensive gear. Other classes use thousands of dollars in lighting and Don proves you don't need that for excellent shots. I also appreciate his advice for directing your "models" and insights into his overall process. This class was invaluable to me as a novice. Thank you!
Joanna
I thank very much CL that I could see the wonderful material on the light in photography, in fact everything became clearer, Don you are the great teacher, great stuff, very interesting and fantastic lecture, very helpful ! Thank you one more time !!!