All right, guys couple of interesting things here way have huge window source which which is obviously daylight balanced but we do have a lot of cool symmetry I think would be cool to take you could take a shot where the daylight balance becomes your reference point okay, if you put calvin sitting and you sit here coming for a second just relax mean back and smoke your cigar yeah, okay, if he does that we're going to turn your face this way because it will be more interesting based on the composition of the windows. Okay, andi I gotta make an adjustment here, all right? Let's move those lamps farther away from him so I'm gonna move this there, okay? What I'm doing here it's basically playing off the location strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, right? So what's happening here for me is there a camera pointing? It is yeah what's happening here for me is you have four panels off when the four panels of windows that are quite large they're all rectangular I feel like that's a ...

really cool like geometric element to the scene I don't want to fight it. Maybe I want to roll with it. Okay, now if you notice the his face is a total shadow disaster right now so we're going to fix that. Another thing is I moved his two lamps away from his face so when he if he turns towards one land it's no so close and makes it makes the photo claustrophobic okay so we're going to move however this has to be quite symmetrical on that lamp is too far away from we're gonna move this one to the same exact distance to the curtain grab your hand man and rest your chin on it and you're just sitting there for a while and turn your face this way that's it go ahead and grab your butt and sit farther out into the edge of the chair so it's more relaxing more slouchy that's it good now you guys gotta see this but now that I did that more of the window light is hitting his face on this side so now that will become my reference points okay um I'm gonna take the picture black and white because of the trees and all the buildings in the back that colors are too distracting for me so when I grabbed this turned this to black and white that will take care of that I'm going to make my eyes so eight hundred I'm gonna make my aperture um five point six on if it's to the light is too bright I'm just going to make it f eight if it's too dark I'm just going to lower to a four at five point six is like a perfect middle ground it allows me to go open down quickly if you're shooting a real groom you have a minute to do this so five point six is a good like too much light goto our fate too little light go toe to toe point eight okay okay let's go to our six but let's put it right there alright come and go ahead and, uh relax yourself good, grab your hand and put it back up just you've been sitting there like that turn your face towards the light like that if he had a bottle of wine if he had like, a like a cop or something, I would give it to him we do have one enjoy our finest. Okay, let me just check something real quick before I move on. Okay? I'm just looking to see there's ah base inside of the lamp because then I could put my flash there and I could put in order to jail. I make those lamps even brighter with orange doesn't make sense but there is no uh base. However there's also no wall is the window. That means if I flash it up towards the lamp pole a one really bounce off the wall because it's a window that I will go through so we'll totally make it work this is like the opportunities of the location, right? This is kind of what we're talking about, okay? This point that light above the wine glass you look perfect just point your face slyly tours uh collins belt I'm sure that's an interesting point that's very nice, no smile I'm gonna play with the symmetry of these windows I'm going to take the picture without the light first calling them and remove the life for a second one two, three sorry raise that okay one, two, three okay this's without put the island's good now let's put the light up you know it is that he looks like a silhouette, right? Well that's cool but it's not cool enough like let's do it right uh forty eight writer his nose one, two, three fire! Try it again! That didn't fire! Okay, one, two, three okay. Too much light lower the power to three. Good one to three on dh that's pretty perfect moved back. Just a town on then. Nikki, I'm sorry. Amanda, can you move that? Can you move that lamp on? Inched towards the curtain. That's it perfect. Thank you. Yeah, they keep the symmetry going. Okay, okay. Where you guys? One, two, three okay, take a look at the lighting on his face now I don't know you can see it on the monitor so far away turn up the light to ah what power is that? Uh you know let's go to three point two three point of this is very finessing off the light it looks good it looks like the window lights and no minute in his face so colin move more towards the window so it looks like it's the window illuminating his face and we're gonna lower the power to make it even more subtle okay one two, three back up a little bit coming just two inches okay I'm happy with that let's take a look at this look at sort of the light this now and if you zoom in it looks like the windows just illuminating him it doesn't look like you flashed anything there's no crazy it just looks like a very elegant picture I'm using the symmetry of the windows the curtains I moved the lamps to keep the symmetry perfect he's not in the centre he's off symmetry he looks relaxed he looks like a silhouette without flash so when I put the strobe you can see the tail in his face a ton of details of course not and that will look tom let's do it let's make it look dumb let's go ahead and put that in power six on less point rather his face like if he was on camera flash like like if he was right here this is what you totally want to avoid doing okay this is this is avoiding the reference point where is the reference point of this light it doesn't exist so one two three okay that's what I meant look at that it looks like you just pro forma lights and you're totally excited about him on you're tryingto kill me zoom in on his face okay does that make sense to you guys it just looks like you're playing with your toys it doesn't look good very nice all right thank you let's move on can I ask you one quick question from the internet on this when you started at s o eight hundred couple of people were like wait why it's bright in there why I s o eight hundred is it because you knew what else you're going to need two docs started I saw four hundred okay sir and the reason why I didn't think they might have missed it because ice first strike the balance between how much lighter wanting the bar and how much light on one from the flash hitting them in the bar right to exposures for this oh I didn't change the okay never mind oh I see I started isolate hundred it was just a middle ground okay so I could have done this that I so one hundred I just wanna put more power on the lights okay thank you but the real answer to that is so question was in the bar you once you strike the balance within your ambience on your flash that's hearing your subjects, if you like the balance. But it's too dark just raised the s o b that that brings both up. And if it's, if both are two bright, just lower the lower the esso, and it brings both down. This is this segment is more about tweaking the light and finessing it, so it looks elegant. So it looks like you never used the flash. Or, if you did, it just looks like a window hit hit him or the windows, illuminating him here and so forth.

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10 Elements to Look For at a Location

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Roberto Valenzuela

Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer, author, and educator based in Beverly Hills, CA. As a member of the prestigious Canon Explorers of Light group, Roberto is considered to be one of the most influential photographers in the world.

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topics covered in this class

Lighting Portrait Photography

Ratings and Reviews

MizUniverse

Im sitting in my office listening to Roberto with my earplugs on and I know I have already left 2 reviews but he's so funny…. my family comes into the office asking me "whats so funny" Roberto makes me laugh out loud with his jokes but at the same time, he is SO great at teaching. Im watching for second time to make sure all his good info is ingrained. HIGHLY recommend you take his workshop on Picture Perfect Lighting if you truly want to take your photography to the next level! WOW thats 3 reviews now…can you tell I am impressed

Maureen T.

I'm taking a portrait photography course at NYIP online. one of the mentors there recommended the posing book by Roberto. I ended up ordering at the library the posing and the perfect practice book. I fell in love with both books...ended up buying them and signing up here for the year membership just so I can take all of his photos courses. I spent most of my weekend doing perfect lighting course here I am in love with the way that he teaches! He makes something so difficult and challenging for me make sense. I also like that he challenges us photographers to be true professionals. I am thrilled to have discovered Roberto and already noticed my photography is better in the short time that I've been studying him.

EDUARDO LLERANDI

I can say enough about this class, the best class ever I've seen about lighting. Roberto Valenzuela, as a professional photographer and artist is the best also as a teacher. If you are beginner, enthusiastic, o professional photographer and want to craft and master lighting for ever and ever, please buy this class. Thanks Creative Live for the opportunity of been part of this. Roberto you are the best. "Eres el Mejor Amigo, Gracias"

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Indoor Lighting: Shooting Against a Window

Indoor Lighting: Shooting Against a Window

Lesson Info

33. Indoor Lighting: Shooting Against a Window

Lessons

Intro and Who This Class is For

3 Groups for All Lighting Scenarios

My Progress in Lighting

Analyzing Circumstantial Lighting

Circumstantial Lighting Q & A

Using a Reflector the Right Way

5 Behaviors of Light: Overview and Angle

5 Behaviors of Light: Inverse Square Law of Light

5 Behaviors of Light: Relative Size

5 Behaviors of Light: Relative Size Continued

5 Behaviors of Light: Color

5 Behaviors of Light: Reflective Surfaces

5 Behaviors of Light: Q & A

Location SWOT Analysis and 10 Things to Look For

Location SWOT Analysis: Examples and Exercises

Overview Q & A

Speedlites: The Basics and TTL

Speedlites: Manual Flash

Speedlites: Zoom Flash

Speedlites: Zoom and Rotating Flash Head and Reflectors

Speedlites: First Curtain vs. Second Curtain Sync

Speedlites: High Speed Sync

Speedlites: Optical vs. Radio Systems

Speedlites: Groups and Channels

Location Lighting Upgrade Examples

Indoor Lighting: Building on Ambient Light

Outdoor Lighting : Speedlights in Direct Sunlight

Outdoor Lighting: Using Speedlites in Shade

Outdoor Lighting: Romantic Look and Patterns with Speedlites

Indoor Lighting: Creating a Window with Strobes and a Curtain

Indoor Lighting: Moody Light with Speedlites and Gels

Indoor Lighting: Reflective Surfaces