Shoot: Beauty and Innovation
Clay Blackmore
Lessons
Class Introduction
09:35 2Shoot: Basic Posing
50:46 3Shoot: Refining and Lighting the Pose
17:09 4Posing Two People
17:23 5Shoot: Hannah and Amanda
21:46 6Shoot: Back Two Thirds
20:03 7Shoot: Basic Two People Poses
22:34Shoot: Group of Three
18:15 9Groups of Four and Five
22:54 10Shoot: Groups of Three
42:27 11Shoot: Slimming Poses
23:38 12Shoot: Beauty and Innovation
39:28 13Student Portrait Critiques
16:17 14Shoot: Window Lighting
30:20 15Shoot: Split Lighting
21:36 16Shoot: Corporate Portraits
36:42 17Shoot: Outdoor Lighting Roof Top
32:29 18Shoot: Family Group One
53:40 19Shoot: Baby and Parents
26:47 20Shoot: Family Group Two Part 1
34:24 21Shoot: Family Group Two Part 2
17:37 22Shoot: Family Group Three
17:52 23Student Portrait Homework Critiques
22:33 24Shoot: Bridal Session Part 1
32:34 25Shoot: Bridal Session Part 2
23:49 26Clay's Slides and Discussion
08:41 27Shoot: Portraits of the Students
17:21 28Shoot: Wedding Couple
39:11 29Shoot: One Light High Key
25:46 30Shoot: Speed Lights
21:49 31Shoot: Different Lighting Setups (Sand Box)
38:51 32Shoot: Innovative Portraiture
35:25 33Shoot: Shake and Bake
20:35Lesson Info
Shoot: Beauty and Innovation
and let's have beautiful Hannah come up here. And you know, Hannah, before you walk in bar, just lay that face down. I want to do something. When I walked into this creative life studio, I saw these rust walls here, Bart, together, we're going to bring the 1st 1 in right here, and we're gonna put it right on the paper, and then we're gonna put the other one in, and we're gonna make a V shape out of take off the sandbags and then hold it down low. Remember, on the board down here, there's a board in the back. Let's just go in. Beautiful, actually, let's start with this One of them right there. Nice. Nice, Nice. All right, Now, I need something to stand on having a couple of apple boxes. Those apple boxes are really beautiful. Sorry. Put one on top of the other year. I don't know where I can get some of these, but I want some of these rust colored walls. They're beautiful because they're real, Finn. They're not that heavy. Their real rust, the road metal to come right in. Go, go. Higher ...
Now, the hair lights gonna have trouble because I'm gonna have to have the face, like appear. So why don't we start? The reason I have to bring an apple box in here is because I need to get this band out of my picture. If I tipped the camera and this is in the picture, you're gonna know it. So I'm actually going to just stand you right up here. I'll help you out. If you want to go barefooted, you'd be more comfortable. Go ahead. I'm not gonna show your feet. Sure. Okay. Cool. Now, there we go. Good. How about fold your arms like this? I'm just gonna give you somewhere to kind of I'm actually thinking light, light, light. Get the lights in place, get the lights in place. And I said, fold your arms like here. I don't know. I'm just talking to her like I talked earlier about some direction. Okay, Now give me a kicker like they're coming into there. Right there. And how about tell me and him, Monica, this backlight. Can you go put that behind or somehow Monica? Christine, just We'll just see. I feel like it's very flat in here. I don't know. I know there's probably Some of the studio lights were all unplugged here. So let me get my main light in a little tighter. Why? Why is she so high? Because I want to isolate her against that rest. Wall your hands on your hips like this. Tip your head back like that. How about Monica? Let's turn your fan on and you just blow it underneath there. I think the fans a good thing. In my studio we use an eloquent Ellen Chrome wind machine. And you know what? Kids love it, too. I have, like, six year old little girls get the win machine out. It blows their hair off their face. What did we do issue just the other day for a magazine And they wanted me to show the top. They wanted me to show the clothing, and all I did is, uh, did little wind machine on the model and the hair just lifted up. And the real way to use a wind machine is to win machines one on each side lifting the hair on both sides like that. Well, look at what we're getting to up there on the screen. Isn't that gorgeous? That rusty color there Yeah, just like that. Turn your nose to the right. Point your toe to me a little bit your chin way down Because look where I'm at. I'm down low, so look at me here. Tip your head to the right. A little more. Good. Now, this might be a time where we taken 85 12 and we open that 85 1 to look at the background, see how busy it is. So it's right here on the floor. I think I see it right there and let's let's get in a little closer and let's go with a wider aperture. And what is that going to give me? It's gonna give me Boca. What book is really something for video, But what? It's going to give me any of the clip. Actually, I should be able to just hand hold us, but when I'm projecting, I can't handle you. Okay, Monica. Okay, way might even give you Ah, bark. Give Monica opposing stool to sit on. You'll be much more comfortable yet and put it trying to Yes, Came down a little bit right there. Like something like this. The hair lights kind of on the face a little bit more. Oh, that's pretty right there. Come on, Video. Come on, show me, love. Turn your nose to the right a little. Oh, isn't that pretty? I'm gonna go to manual focus, because that's what we have to do. Can help a little If you head to the right. A little Good. Right there. Now look in her left eye. See what we're doing. We're missing her left eye. So look all we need to do, Jerry, get that light in their eyes. Look at the difference. You see it? Good, Good, good. Hey, Bart, why don't you go ahead and plug in my field light back here and let's throw that big white umbrella on it? If you have it, let's show him how we do our feel light. And we might even do a couple of portrait's in a minute. All feel like boy, that is a strong picture. There. Chin up a little bit right there. Oh, is that looking good? Monica? That's you, baby. Look at this. Come on, let me just see. Ah, I love it. Now what am I shooting? I'm going to go ahead and get this thing up in the 12 here in a second. I'm at 71 See that 71 Relax for a second. Take the fan off. The fan can also drive the eyes out. So when I'm making changes and adjustments, I want that I want her to relax. And what I'm gonna do is I'm taking my I s 0 to 100. Ah, 100. What are you gonna go to? 104? I'll tell you, because I want to get my aperture at 1. 1.6 or 1.8 is safer. 12 when I n one eye out, You know what I mean. I'm now where I should have two eyes and focus. Now I'm taking the shutter speed wherever it needs to be. All right. I'm shooting a 2/100 of a second at 1.8. All right? I just love it. Let me have that wind again. Let me have the Jerry. That piece of rust behind her. You see it feeling a lot of light from our kicker light. Can you kind of feather it off? Is that where it's coming from, or is it my main light? Let me just go live again. Push it in a little closer to chair. All right? You know, step down from me for one second. I'm going to bring her even further off of it. Do it again. Now I can kind of control what's going on here. I know. I think it's good just to keep it off of the rust. I mean, I could, uh, look at that hair. Look at that portrait. Here we go. Jennifer Thomas, are you out there? Are we doing good? Now? That's our producer. And she's trying to keep me current and hip and I love it. Is that right? We're doing good, Lindsay. Well, this is about his hip. A photograph. I think this is speaks volumes to everything we want to do. So let's go up like this. Do we have any music we could Player is that it's all gonna be royalty free, so don't worry about it. But if you could turn some on in the corner and she'll she'll loosen up more, and I know that it's just goodbye, but don't do it. If it's no trouble, don't worry about it. Let's shoot a few more of these beautiful I'm gonna go a little darker books. Wrong way. That's it. That's it. All right. How about 10 Portrait one. Change it real slow. Yes, Yes, yes. It's just right there. Beautiful. Beautiful. Stay there and come on. Live. You turn your nose to the right. All right. I'm going to do something for you guys at home. You guys, you take up the camera. I'm gonna unplug here. I'm going to take it off live you and I'm gonna shoot like I would be in my studio so I don't have that delay. All right, Go. Go. Come on. Yes, that I love it. Wolf. She's doing great. It looks really bright through my lens here, So let me let me feather it. I don't know. The monitors over here could have been fooling me all day because I just looked through my camera and I felt a little little hot there. Let me just say, Let me just look at the back of my camera. Now. I'm liking it. Here we go. All right? It's beautiful. Yes. Look at that. Now I guess what I could do, Guys, I can do some verticals. Here we go. Yes! Oh, That's good. Yes. All right. I want 20 not 10. Just like that. Moving. That's what she does. Great. Look at her. Look at her. Throw all that hair back. This keep going. I'm afraid to look at these. Don't show him to my wife. Here we go. Just like that? Yes. Look at that. Look at that. See? Let her do her thing. Look at that. Let me keep backing up here. You know that little band in there? We can take it out if we have to bring your left knee in front. Just like we're talking about their ago. Your right toe to me. Your right toe. Yeah, that's it. And turn the totem anymore. I'm just slimming the figure. Beautiful right there. But we just pulled the back white out of there. That's good. This is good. Let me do a few more and then we'll show the audience at home. How? Get it looks. Look at that right there. Uh, it's great. That's great. I'm shooting full raw. Is there like 28. 30 mags a file. Just a beautiful file. 85 12 I'm shooting at 18 Came down a little bit Look at that. Can I get something to stand on to? Something like a little apple box? Anything. I feel like I am shooting up to her and there's anything I can stand on. Just a little case. No, no rush. Here we go. I gotta Hansen. Phone posting Block straight from San Francisco. Thanks, Hansen. There we go. Yes. Look at that. Right there. Yes. Give it going. Yes, yes, yes. Sideways. You're not there. We go right there. But I get that hair light on her hair. Now I forgot. It's hitting the background. Let's get it right on the hair. That beautiful red hair. We wanna pull it all together off the face, though, and lower the stand a little bit. All right. Few more. Yeah, right there. And then that turned around To me. That's better. When you kind of square, she is very petite. Which means she could go square to the camera. Easy. Can I enter this in the portrait contest tomorrow? Who? Here we go. I feel it. I'm feeling it right there. How about just keeping going? Let's do another few minutes. Just two minutes. Yes. I mean, come on in. Really close. What's she's got her face completely away from the light right there. But why don't we do some glamour lighting? You take this light. The kicker, Actually, no. Do we get our field going? Look at that. Awesome. Here, you take this as our underneath light. Look at this. Feel like Woo hoo! This seven inch parabolic reflector scrim you're going to see tomorrow is one of my secret weapons. It's my cloud anywhere. Any time when I go outside, I can throw this up on the light stand. It's a translucent scrim, and I think the light of pollutes a 2013 prize is a seven foot umbrella tip ahead there, I think there it's being given by a company out of New York that's sponsoring this. Come over here, Bart. On this side. I love the full length. Look here. You know, if we were gonna use this full length come this way. A little more in flippant horizontal. We're gonna have to cover that. You know what coming? This background just came in today. Can you unfold? That was helper stepped down. Unless cover the blocks with this background part, come back and help him with that. Give Hannah hand down. You know why this this is a pedestal. And look at that. It's the perfect color. It looks like the background. Hallelujah. So let's come back here a little bit. We're just gonna lay it over the blocks. The dark, rusty corner only need a little piece of it because I'm kind of building a pedestal here. Let's pull the reflector at. How about don you work, my reflector? Your my reflector, man? Yeah, just a little corner. I want to hide the apple boxes. Dons. Got the reflector. Well, there we go. That little corner right there, you know, there you go. Anything? The dark green. Just cover the apple boxes. I like it even darker. So pushed that lighter part back and use this upper left hand corner right there in the that big reflector. I think it's OK now. They got it in. I want to speak to painted backgrounds to because I've always been a fan of a painted background and, you know, people laugh at me. Help. Right, Bart is, you know, would you really use a painted background? And you know your 2013? I love him I absolutely love him because I know how to use them. I use these lenses that air wide open and the background melts out of focus. And most of you are using the backgrounds using sharper lenses. And you see this painted background. And most people say, God, why would he use a background? Because we've seen so many backgrounds use so poorly, don't you think when you see a painted background, you think of inexpensive photography? You think of you know, the cheap, cheap, you know, way out. But, you know, I need to work with the Uncluttered effect. So my backgrounds are usually hiding something that I don't want to see and and also give me the ability to tip the camera. So this is looking awesome. Can we get a wide angle shot of this from the back? Somebody, Anybody have a set up camera? That's good right there. Let's do it. Let me take a look. Yeah, no, just looking at the main light. Thes thes six bulbs. Are they strong enough? Lissy, where's our other light? Right there? Weren't. All right, Let's go for it. But I don't see her feet, though, so bring him back a little bit. I think what you're better off doing Barn is going. Put it off Over here is more of a main light. You stand up and put it back on the stand or just flip it over and hand. Hold it right there. Give me a loop. Shadow. Bart, I think that's better. I want to make my statement with my lighting. I want that light on the face. I want that loop shadow, your There you are. There you are. So there. Let me see guys liking it. I'm loving it. Um, I feel like the fill light could come across. Can I get a helper? Done? Just unplug this to this bank. All my lights on the left, and this is blocking up a little bit. So we're just gonna slide this over here? You got it. There you go. Right there on that. Strips it. That's looking gorgeous, isn't it, guys? I mean, we started so formal. And this is what it's all about. You know, this is fashion at its best. Look at hand out there looking so beautiful. I'm gonna go back to my auto focus. Your barely in the picture. Bart right there. All right, here we go. 10 shots, and we're gonna change the whole thing. One not changing. Really beautiful. Yes. To three. Four, five. I love it. Six. Is there any sheer fabric in the room? Just a piece of real sheer. I saw him yesterday. Will use it tomorrow for sure. We'll use it the next day because that wind can catch that sheer fabric. And she could just let it blow. Yes. There you go. Right there. Reminds me of Aphrodite E. You know, really, really That picture of that. She's in the seashell. You know that picture? Just give it to her and see what happens. A long piece. Put it around your shoulders around the back, See if you can get the wind in it. You know, try to get as much body openess as possible. Can I get to people one on each side to kind of give me a V shape, you know, there we go. And then one of dawn over here. Just kind of bring me a Yeah, I just hold it out like that, and then Don is gonna get it from this sign. All right? It's a little bright. You know the whites a little bright, but let's just play with a few minutes. How about holding up above your head? As much body as you guys can get out of it. Wings. I love it. The fans barely in the picture. Chin down. Yes. Point your toe to the right. Shake your hair back. Good. Right there. Beautiful tip you had right there to the right. You boy. That David Mayhew background came in, like, just in time. It fits right in with the rest. All right, I think I've got that. Let's throw that away. I think the white and here against the rust is totally taken my eye away from her face. And I want the face, you know, how about just sit there on the background for me? Help her down. Let me help you. I got you. Just I'm not gonna really worry about the band right now. Just sit there and let me say yes. Um, I'm gonna worry about that band. Let's see. How about if I get up high bar and just shoot down? You have beautiful. That's it. This is This is really special. Right here. Beautiful. Beautiful. Look at that. Nice, nice. Nice. Yeah. Doesn't mean yes. Right there. Monty would be rolling in his grave. Slow down. It's a dollar. A picture used to tell me. And there we go. Not not anymore. Turned sideways like this. Left knee over the right. Yep. Right there. Beautiful. Look at that. Tip your head back. A little more. Chin down. That's great. Right there. You know, I'm just about done here. I was gonna dio I think I've got an idea. This is looking great. I mean, look at you. I can't stop. I know the pictures in there. You ever feel like I just can't settle right now? I just got to keep it going. I just want that one shot. It's in the camera, and she's there. Were there. It's all working. Beautiful. The lighting looks great. Just say, how about Bart? Give me profile. Lighting picked up this big, heavy light. Look at that and then just pick it up over her head. And then you look straight up for me right there and then go behind her face a little more Good right there. Tip the top of your head to me a little bit Yeah, a little more good hint of a smile. Let me make sure it's not too bright. This is great, right there. Laughing, laughing all the way. Pull the hair back. Put the fan on the other side. The fans should always be on the side of the main lights to come over here. Yep, and just blow that hair now, Looking straight up in a profile, pull their hair out of your mouth a little bit. There we go, right there. Beautiful. When you see that corgis. All right, stand up for a second and I'm going to do an Irving Penn. What is an Irving pin? I was going to call out here to creative life and see if they could build me. Let's throw that over there. Let's give that, Jerry, if they could build me a wall and I mean Google the guy right now, Irving Penn. I mean, the guy is a legend. He's he's like his photographs have sold for 20 grand apiece. 20 grand apiece. So where where is my head? I wanna be on curving pin. You know, I want a 20 grand photograph. So what he did in the studio is is. He made a V shape out of two pieces of wall materials. So I need a couple of grips over here, but I want to help me. We're gonna bring this in. I think we could get a couple of guys. Jerry, you want to get on this, too? And I'm gonna take the weight bag off and there's some Corden here. Let me get these out. That's gonna be a problem. There's a big yellow coordinate list. Let's just come out real slow. Move that light. The hairline. Pick it up or down low. Look, part look in my hand. Yeah, all right. But you go out that way for a V. You turn it, turn it, turn it more. Keep going More. All right, wait. Bags on. How's that looking? That a V shape? Pretty close. All right. See if we can, but him together. And how about just step in here? What I'm gonna do now is turn off all the spider lights and I just got a new toy and earth we have landed. This is a tiffen g l one light. It's just a flashlight, but it's a focusing spot. It's a video light and I want to kill the film, Gerry. And let's just take that umbrella off and just take it so the cameras can work better. And we're just gonna come in here and we're just gonna do a spotlight. So you'll be my white man. And how about if I go with a tungsten balance? So we're gonna take the camera? Hey, I got my Now that I'm not on live you, I push the thing and I can see that little wheel for black and white perfectly. So now, tungsten, give me one second shelter. A normal color. Um, I could gel it. Yeah, I could put a daylight gel on it if I wanted, but let me just see. This room's got a lot of extraneous light. Look at that is really strong. Now I need to helpers. I want to kind of turn this. These V shaped a little more v a little more Irving pin. I think if I bring this in in a little bit like this and you bring that one in little good right there. There we go now. Want you just to put your shoulders right back in that corner. You just put your shoulders right in there and just yet right there and tip your head to the right. I don't know. You know, never done this. Of course, that's the beauty of photography is having fun. That's really, really nice. Now look what we could do. It's a just a dead on spotlight. Where's that reflector? The scream that I just popped out a few minutes ago. Right there. Why don't we pop that open and let Bart Why don't you shoot through that? You know why? Because I feel like I've got a flashlight right on her face. And I feel like Curiel. Hold it for you and then just go. Go Vertical. Yeah. There you go. Right there. And let's see if we can spread the light a little bit. Maybe stick it up on the apple box a little bit. Yep. Open it up to me. A little bit. Good. Here we go. Now you're going to look right here at me. Good. Right there. Should. I haven't been sharing these pictures with the audience at all. Can you kick that box over here a little bit more? Where's my tripod? I want to go back. Live for the audience. Here we go. Put it right here. Yeah, that scream is gonna have to come out a little bit. The only other thing I could do. See these air mixed lighting sources. You You've got two things going on. I'm gonna put this guy right in here. Good. Now I am live, I think. Just go ahead and pull the scream out for a second. Let's just see what's happening. Must slow down. Let's make beautiful Portrait's here. All we need's a few good ones. That's that's the thing. You get to a wedding and you know, you you start get into this feeling you have too much to do. You know, if you look at a wedding album, how many Portrait's are there in a wedding album of the bridegroom together? Four, maybe fine Portrait, then And then later on there some groups and pull in. But really, in the beginning there's four. And how many of the bride alone do I have in my wedding Them one or two or three. So why don't I get all crazy and shoot like 90 pictures of the bride and they're all mediocre? Why don't I just slow down. Put up some lights and just take a few good ones. That's my thought is all right. Let's go live. Let's see. Here live. You all right? But why don't you throw that in there? Maybe back up a little, Bart? We can see. There we go. And you're kind of blocking my view on that screen, so keep coming back. Maybe that that looks good right there. How about the I s? So now how about 12 50? That's starting to look really nice. Going the other side of the monitor going closer going closer. Give me that spotlight getting closer yet and higher, given that spotlight and pointed down a little bit. Okay, right there. There you go. Right there. And you know, that's the set up. I think in the in the end, we're going to just review because it's going to be so much better for me to flip this vertical guys and shoot it like this. Let's see what happens back at home when you see it vertical. And it's crazy looking. So let's just go live. Somebody kicked those apple boxes out. Darn you got those or anybody like that We're going to go off of live. You. I'm thinking black and white only because of all this mixed lighting. And yeah, for that's blue as it can be. So I could white balance against this lighting. But I think what I think I want to do is I'm just gonna hit this big button and go over to monochrome. It's a beautiful black and white. And guess what? I am raw. I can always go back. All right, That's cool. That's cool. Were there. We never talked about this today at all. Very important. Subject. What is camera position? Catherine, come over here. Tell me what camera position is position of your okay in relationship? No camera position is either full face. 2/3 are profile camera position. When we do the window in the morning, it will all come home to you because you're going to see me do to you know, all those three camera positions. What is camera height? How high the camera is? I'm making a full length portrait here. So how high do I want that camera right above for I write it. The naval right at the name of her full name. Just halfway down the middle. And then if I go toe to a 3/4 shot, I'm going to come to the bus. And if I go to the head and shoulders, I'm gonna come up here. And if I do a close up, I'm gonna be above eye level. So the closer I get into the subject, the higher the camera comes up. Now I see so many pictures where people are shooting full ins up here. Click, click, click at parties with flash on camera. It distorts. They call it spiking. The people's legs go like this. So it's very important that you put the camera where it goes. All right, I've done all this work and we don't have the picture yet. Show me something. Here we go right there. Just kind of. How about both Hands above? I think that fan was pretty effective. Can we get that going again? I think it really made her feel good to turn your toe to the right Kind of spread your toe out a little bit more. Yeah, right there. That's gorgeous. Right there. That's good. Beautiful. How about your eyes at me? Shut up. Just a dash. Keep you head. This way. A little bit more. Good. Right there. Chin down, Little chin down right here. Eyes here. Beautiful. I love it. I love it. I love it. Go a little darker. I'm already minus two because of all the dark clothing. I'm gonna go minus three. I should just go manual exposure. How about Jerry? Let's turn on all of our lights again. This one over here, behind Bart, What you turn that went on. And why don't you give me the hair? Just turn this one on, Jerry, right here. Just bring it way back. Behind me is a Phil, and let's go with our daylight. I love the little flashlight, but it's just too hard to balance in this room right now. And how about if I try to get a from the live feed? Okay. Gone. Can you Can you plug this in? Give your glasses on. Good. Good, good. You got it. There we go. We're going back. Live for you guys at home, and we're gonna go horizontal. Uh, we're gonna go off of autofocus and right there, and let's go back to color. So it's real easy. Let's see if it doesn't now. Now when I have the menu. Yeah, it doesn't do it the same. So we're gonna go this way. All right? Here we go. Just a few more minutes in this class today, and I want something legendary. I want to run in there close. What's wrong? My white balances on tungsten and tungsten is incorrect. So we're gonna come over here to daylight, love it, oppose it, light and love it, and look at her. She's looking so good. I'm gonna I'm just coming in there tight. I'm coming right in here. Let's see it. Here we go. How about Jerry and Bart? After I take this picture, I want you to close that V and tighter. But let me get this one in the camera. Okay? Beautiful. Right there. Turn your nose to the right. A little more. Turn your nose to the right. Get right there. All right. 10 shots. There's one. You know, this is definitely a vertical shot, so I'm just going to show you a couple of these horizontal, and I'm gonna flip over two vertical. Okay, Good. You guys close to be a little bit Gerald. One side Bart on the other. That's it. right there. Yes, right there. Yes, Just 10 shots. One. Show me something else too. Jimmy says three tip. You had more four. It was five. Can I get two posing stools on each corner and then one on each corner, and then we're going to use There's a stool here. We're gonna put a piece of plexiglass in front of her. We're gonna spritz it down with water. I've been, uh, planning this all day. I just thought of it. Let's put one on each corner. You keep working to me. Let me get some beautiful shots. Lots of window. She loves the wind. Good, good. Good. Point your toe to me more. Do something better with your hands on top. Your head. Yeah, right there. Beautiful. Good, good, good. Real tall in the back. This is the feminine pose. We got good lighting in there. Chin down. All right. The plexiglass is right here. And get a spritzer bottle. There's a spritzer bottle somewhere. You know, you've been so patient over here, Sean. I might get you over here, okay? Because I don't want to make you been here an hour and 1/2 and we didn't get you. A soon as I get this portrait, I'll switch the two of you. Good. Right there. All right. So far, you take one side. Were the spritzer with water. Okay, let's just put plexi glass in front of her, okay? Is it heavy to people here? You want help? Yep. So this is just a standard plexiglass Home Depot. Okay, $39. Now, here's what I want to do. I think you guys lay it open to me, okay? Lay it open. I'm gonna spray the inside of it. Keep coming. You know where this idea came from? I looked on the internet, and I typed in the most beautiful woman in the world. And you know what her name is according to the Internet. Monica Bellucci, Italian film star. Now pick it back up, and there's a picture of her, and she's going like this with her hand, and she's looking through this glass, and it was colossal. Now I've got a huge reflection. I gotta play with that. So let me see here. It's like soft focus. I could go back live for the guys at home because I am working on horizontal is here now I want you to come in here and you have a tripod for me. Right in here. Okay. Good. Good. And I loved it. Review everything we just shot. Just run through it. So let me get you all focused in here. Look at that shot behind you. Pull your elbow back. Did we just take that? I don't believe it. Can't? These lights were kind of in my way. Where are we gonna like this from? Uh, boy, See this light here? Doing two things right there? I think I can't see the monitors. My problem. I'm gonna bring this over. I don't think it matters which side this is on. You got that, juror? How about come around, Sean, and hold the glass for Jerry? Just come back a little more. Give me a little slack, Martin. The only problem is my light was blocking the monitor and I can't see what I'm getting right there. Look at that. Look at that. Look at that. It's still in the picture. I've got the reflection. Tip your head to the right. A little more to the right. Chin down. Turn your nose to the right. Can someone relieved? Bart for a second, but run gave me my pick Troll. Now I want you to take your hand and just slide it across rials away. Let me go live. But come on, camera, Go live. Live on creativelive. I just slide it a little and look through there for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Right there. Right there. Go slow. Do it again. Right There you go. Real slow. Come across. Right then. Let me see your eyes. Don't go away right there. Both eyes. Fingers over right there. There's something. I'm gonna move the camera over here, in your face and closer. See that little bit by your nose in your mouth? Can you clear that off, too? Yeah, right there. That's it. That's it. Right there and part. You have my lens, Ken. Down and down right there. I'm taking off the 85 12 and I'm putting on on old canon. Soft focus lens. Got a tip in number two, soft focus and a pick troll. What is a pick? Troll? The pick troll was something we used for enlarging lenses. Toe lower the contrast. So we should be looking at something super soft, Super different. Super cool. Let's go live. Uh, there we go. You feeling okay in there? Look at that. That lenses just melting that scene. I'm dialing in my pick troll. Now I just have to show it to you guys at home. This is made to go on an enlarging lens. And when you wanted to lower the contrast, you would spin it down. Then once you get it all spun down, I've got one tooth cut out, and that tooth is where the eyes go. So now I've got it all of zeroed in. I've got a tip in warm, soft, so the picture is warm. Uh, this is just beautiful. Here we go. Let's take a few shots. I didn't get one yet. Pull your hand across now I'm on auto focus, so that won't work our auto exposure. See, when it brightened up like that? There we go. Right there. Chin down, Chin down. Right there. And when it brightens up like that, it's on auto focus. So any good? Emmanuel, There we go. Look, Chin down. Good. Ok, I'm there. What I want to do now. Can you come back a little? Jerry, Can you guys fold the the glass down and spray it one more time. What? I have two minutes. One minute. None. It's over. Let me get the shot, then. Here we go. None great. Real good. You got two minutes. Two minutes? Okay. None. All right, here we go. I didn't get the picture. I think it looks so beautiful. I don't know if we can re spray or not. Before you put your hand, let me see what's gonna look like. All right, here we go. All right. Do the hand nice and strong. Let me see your face. Just right there. All right. Let me just like that. You guys, if you don't mind, I'm gonna unplug just for a second. And just make sure that I'm in focus right there. That's it. Beautiful. I love shooting fast. How about let go and look through the glass over here? Come over here. Yeah. Now that is. Get me a reflection. Go that way with it. Go that way. You stay where you were right there. Tip your head right there. Chin down a little, right there. Don't go away. All right. Don't go away. I'm a little under. I'm a little under. You know, the only thing I can relate. This photography, too, is like David Hamilton. Those soft pictures maybe come this way a little bit. Google, Sarah Moon, Google. Sarah Moon. You will flip out that Sarah Moon. She did French French perfume ads. And Sarah Moon was all about the soft focus all about the beautiful shot. And you know what somebody said? You know, there were two Sarah moons and they were both men that they were. It was a weird thing that they did back then that everybody said, I'm Sarah Moon. I'm Ceremony was a made up name, but then again, I've seen a book by Sarah Moon that was hand signed from from a female. So somebody I'd love to know the story about Sarah Moon, other than I have a book of hers. And the work is just very representative to this. All right, let's just do it. Put your cheek in their coming close. Chin down. Now Go the other way. Chin down and look at me. Good. Right there. And I slide your hand across the either one. Yeah. Now the other hand. Let me see your face. Slide it again. Excited again at one more time. Yes, Benito. Whoa, We're done. Thank you.
Class Materials
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
Clay Blackmore is the real deal in portrait photography. The guy is a bundle of creative energy and technical mastery. I took portraiture with Monte Zucker, and am glad to have Clay now as his successor. This concepts in this course are the rudiments. They'll never change, regardless of trends and fads. Clay is also very likable and fun to watch work. Keep your ears peeled for every word. When Clay points out those many little details, they all count. Love the course, and have a ton of respect for Clay. He's a portrait master, and a great guy. What else could any portrait student hope for?
Rosina Ortwein
This a wonderful class. Clay has worked w/Montey and brings a supreme knowledge to photographers who want to learn more. His skills are creative and insightful with a modest personality. This is an amazing class that comes with a great price.
Tom Lokos
Of all the courses I have purchased without exception this is the best. Clay is an excellent teacher. When he speaks he is saying something and not just talking. He explains his lighting techniques in great detail while demonstrating them . He is clear, concise and fun to listen to. You will learn how to pose individuals all the way to large groups, while learning the correct way to light them. All this while being entertained by one of America's great portrait photographers.
Student Work
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