LIVE SHOOT: Safe Portraits and Creating Reflections
Lesson 7 from: Lighting to Simplify Your EditDaniel Kudish
LIVE SHOOT: Safe Portraits and Creating Reflections
Lesson 7 from: Lighting to Simplify Your EditDaniel Kudish
Lesson Info
7. LIVE SHOOT: Safe Portraits and Creating Reflections
Lessons
Class Introduction
01:33 2How to Analyze the Light
06:53 3Leveraging Video Light
03:26 4The Portrait Formula and Maximizing Opportunities
08:17 5Scouting Best Practices
10:55 6The Importance of Playing
09:32 7LIVE SHOOT: Safe Portraits and Creating Reflections
08:06 8LIVE SHOOT: Creating a Silhouette
06:30Lesson Info
LIVE SHOOT: Safe Portraits and Creating Reflections
Hey guys. Thank you for being here, you guys look wonderful. Thank you very much. Yeah, so I'm just gonna start by explaining to them a little bit how it's gonna go. It's what we tell all of our brides and grooms right before we start our portrait shoot. So, what's really important is that you guys try to be yourselves as much as possible. One thing that you do wanna be aware of is your hands, so always make sure that your hands are on each other. Think of it as, you know, you guys make love, you don't just let your hands dangle on the side, right? They're usually on each other, so you wanna make sure that they are connected, because they are what's gonna convey love, and passion, and energy between the two of you. So make sure that you always keep your hands busy. Aside from that, I'm gonna give you all the guidance necessary. But then try to be yourself as much as possible. And if things are taking a little bit of time to develop, don't worry about it, it's not because you're doi...
ng anything wrong, it's simply because I might be working on something a little bit more creative. Sounds good? Sounds good. Alright. So we're gonna start here, just very very simple. Actually, maybe just with you, Katie first. So you're gonna come here against the wall. Yeah, where you are is perfect. Take maybe just a little step to the left. The reason why I did that is because I have the little knobs there on the door. I know I can Photoshop them super easily, but might as well clean it up within the frame. So in a typical scenario you might be holding a bouquet of flowers, but here why don't you maybe just cross your hands at the wrists. Perfect. So I'm just gonna have you looking at the camera. Maybe smile just a little bit. (camera shutter clicks) Perfect. One more time. (camera shutter clicks) Okay. I'll move in a little bit closer. Smile a little bit. (camera shutter clicks) Looking here. (camera shutter clicks) And look down. (camera shutter clicks) Smile just a little bit, looking down. Beautiful. Good, maybe turn around, give me your back. Wonderful. (camera shutter clicks) Doing great. Hold it just a little bit. (camera shutter clicks) Perfect. Good, so that was all of a minute and a half. And in that minute and a half I did full body, medium, close, looking at the camera, looking away, turn around, close up, medium, far. Once you convert all those photos in color and black and white, we're gonna have 15 photos that we can deliver to the bride and groom just right there in a matter of a minute and half. So typically we would do this with the groom as well. For the sake of demonstrating, let's jump ahead and go directly with the bride and groom. So, Mark, come on it. Alright so in terms of posing what we're gonna do is, Mark, you're gonna come just over here, Katie you're gonna come in front of him. Make sure that you guys are staggered perfectly. Good. So you're gonna connect your hands. Yep, you can hold hands there as well. Maybe wrap your hands around her. Good, beautiful. So we're gonna do the exact same thing here. So I'm gonna start a little bit closer. You guys looking at the camera. (camera shutter clicks) Smile a little bit. (camera shutter clicks) Good. (camera shutter clicks) Alright, now looking at each other, just as you guys are. Yep, Mark, you can actually come out just a little bit, a little bit more in front, yeah, good. Lean forward, looking at each other. (camera shutter clicks) That's perfect, you guys are doing really great. (camera shutter clicks) And Mark, maybe just give her a kiss on the top of the head. Just right there, yeah. (audience laughs) There you go, perfect, good. And you don't have to hold the kiss, you can just kiss. Yeah, kiss, un-kiss. Yeah, there you go, good. And give her a tight squeeze. (camera shutter clicks) Yeah, give her a tight squeeze and give her a kiss on the top of the head or the cheek, whatever feels more natural. Yeah, good. (camera shutter clicks) Good, beautiful. (camera shutter clicks) Okay, so again, same idea we did with them, full body, medium, close up, looking at the camera, looking at each other. Now that I've done all of these safe photos, I know that my responsibility as a wedding photographer is covered, photos that I don't necessarily need to think about, and now I can stop and play around a little bit more, and just try to be a little bit more creative. Going back to maximizing our opportunity, right now we're against a dark background, we're in beautiful light, let's not mess around with this, and let's try to make the most out of this really nice situation. So you guys stay right there, I'm gonna grab my little compact mirror over here. How are you guys feeling? Good. Good? I know the first few photos are always a little bit awkward, once you get those out of the way you just kinda relax a little bit. I heard you guys are dancers too? Yes. Oh, wonderful. What kind of dancing? Swing dancing. Awesome, good. Alright so come back the way you guys were. Good, yeah, I love the crossing of the hands. Like, yeah, it's good. Okay for these we're not gonna look at camera anymore, so really just be with each other. Try to stay more or less within that same pose, but this is wonderful. Good. (woman laughs) Wonderful. You guys feel free to talk with each other, laugh with each other, give each other kisses, whatever feels natural. Yeah that's good. (camera shutter clicks) Bring your faces a little bit closer together. Yeah. (camera shutter clicks) Really get in there, yeah good. Stay right there. You guys are doing great, I'm just trying, play with different elements. (camera shutter clicks) One second, just hold on. (camera shutter clicks) Alright, when you're ready just bring in your faces nice and close together. Go forehead to forehead. And then just turn your heads towards me just a little bit, good. But then look down at each others lips or shoulders. Yeah, good. (camera shutter clicks) Beautiful. Just try to relax a little bit. Take a deep breath with each other. (camera shutter clicks) Good. Give each other a tight squeeze. Good, there you go. (camera shutter clicks) We love to do that little tight squeeze because it really just conveys some of that romantic energy a little bit more. Brings their shoulders up, puts a little smile on their face, really brings the image home a little bit more. So all I'm looking for when I'm shooting these is a good expression on the two of them, good clean background, and then a little bit of a reflection to just make it a little bit more mysterious. What's important with playing around and trying to create photos that are a little bit more mysterious, is to eliminate any of the literal elements. So here if I start including anything like the doorknob, or a cord, or the floor, or the ceiling, those are all literal elements that bring you back to reality and take you out of that abstract mindset. So I'm really focusing on the two of them and the abstract element here, which is the compact mirror. Perfect, good. So we're gonna move on to our next spot.
Ratings and Reviews
Sara NAomi
So love the way Daniel explains the thought processes for the images. Calm mental state...so very very helpful. The D+D pair are an amazing photographic team from the feelings, experience, teaching and the results of their vision. So want to take a class with them in person.
Carlos Rosa
Amazing, very short compared to other classes that I have, but it's really relevant, he goes straight to the point and there's a lot of great info, and that's what makes this class so good. I really like his style of teaching, very simple and clear, and that's what we need.
Iris
Excellent course! Daniel explains in details how to take the pictures and how to retouch them later. I like his easy and clear approach and the use of a lot of examples. I recommend this course to anyone.