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Lesson Info

Shoot: Corporate Portraits

This is an exploding market in washington d c do you know there are maur high rises in d c than any city in the world? More not high rises. You're only allowed to build thirteen stories more cranes, crane's building what are they doing? They're building offices washington d c is a boom town business. Business is good. Now the good thing about business they need to get their pictures on their website. Annual reports they need pictures of everything. And you know what? This is a market where they have a budget and I'm telling you, dealing with the mom of the bride and the bride sometimes will wear you out dealing with one person who's in charge of a corporate budget is not too difficult for me. We're both email savvy. We're both pretty handy, and we just get busy with it. Okay, so what we're thinking here for corporate let's get into it. I'm in the room with minimal equipment here. What are we talking about? As I'm showing these slides, I just need you guys to drop the black background d...

own. Jerry, you want to put it away, just unclip it. We're going to be working on that law let's, just clear that whole corner and let's, get my camera up there on top. And you're looking at me just like I'm at the office right now I've got two or three helpers what you're seeing here and I'm telling everybody let's move this let's get this I'm thinking of the next shot while I'm taking the first shot does that make sense because I have to keep keep it moving keep it going this hair light can go also what are we looking at here now I'm looking at minimal equipment I'm working right into the light I'm working right into the light I've got a guy here on the right shooting pj what is pj photojournalism flash on camera were also shooting you take that camera to the top and we're gonna plug it in right here is the way I photograph a wedding look at my photojournalist to the left I'm on a tripod doing portrait and my filmmaker is behind me what I'm doing is taking my wedding approach to the corporate and I'm shooting light and lively and I'm moving through these portrait's very quickly I'm using long lenses two hundred one eight I'm using a speed light from canon and let's put a cinder up their bark and start firing those flashes I just really need one light this picture is basically made with one little umbrella light we'll use a soft box and the soft box works on the speed light right over there so here we are running through the corporation and doing like this picture I love it. Let me see if I get in closer do you know I've been doing varmints is for twenty years I'm now at the corporate shot what am I doing here, guys? They're just all looking at the torah to me I'm harnessing the light what are you looking at here? You're looking at a profile of two thirds and a two two third faces I'm taking my shadows and my lights and bringing him right out to the job site but you know, it makes your life easier when you stay consistent when you push through this and there it is what is that a profile where the loop shadow right there you can't miss it that people are loving these pictures they're light they're lively there two point oh, and it's like shooting a wedding we're out there just working through it now here is this cannon c one hundred and I'm using a slider looking at three cameras time lapse and I'm just going I'm exploding just like I am here on stage shooting away here's how I come into the job something like this let me show you a little clip of us showing up at folder pratt well, I've got all my lenses in the bag I've got the spider lights coming together a reflector and here goes love it reflector and now I'm just moving around the office. There's the two hundred one eight I haven't loaded that. Can't that lends up yet? Well, hopefully we can get it on the camera, but the two point out we're using some lights off camera is the spider light's different lights from westcott here's the thirty five lens there's the time lapse going on and this was a film we made about six months ago that was the making of the film. Let me just show you a little bit of it, it's it's two minutes long and they love it. Let's get twenty for appear are twenty full surprise more than just a way. But we do more than just build buildings were really focused on building wonderful communities, and so when you look at something like downtown sewer springing the impact that had on that entire community park the tony, one of your projects going on right in nineteen, seventy is mixed use with residential office of hotel retail. Those are the kinds of things that way love to do because they really do transform and change and improve. This company isn't just the founding principles it really is made up of every employee we have way have fabulous employees from top to bottom, and so it takes an entire team. Wait go to great lengths to find the right people trained them and support them properly every day so you know they're always challenges but they're always different but that's kind of what makes it interesting is everything I can't deal with something that kind of figuring out how to overcome the challenges problems every deal dies a few times way build last way build people relationships reputation buildings continue these last way kenny you're going to come right up here with me this is kind of cheating because look what I've got I just got this beautiful light on you you know and I tell you I've never even used the spin light and I want to try I mean that's going kind of gutsy but all I need is a little feel like it's a matter of fact I've got all these helpers jerry give my silver reflector over here and just lower the contrast you know what I mean so clay if we could because we did this we set all this up while the video was playing so before we started that was like a minute we're still setting it up were still setting it up but if you could just review if you could review what we've done what you've done so far just for the folks at home you got it introduce where we are okay what is this a camera right here all right what what I'm trying to do here is show the space now if I go into an office like this, I'm going to try to pretend like I'm going to take your picture with no light at all like, I don't have a light. Okay, I'm going to use the windows. I'm going to get back in and so jerry with this right here, come on in here. Sneak under. Look at what jerry's got going on there. I'm pretending like I don't have a light there you go right there and then I've got really a pretty good portrait going on here. How about can you turn around a little bit to the basic pose that's all I'm thinking about so my lenses a fisheye showing everything and why are you using the fish? I well, I showing the whole room now the fish eye's a tricky one because it's going to spike into storage and give us all kinds of problems that we're not gonna love unless we know how to crop the picture so I might trim the picture panoramic and in light room. Aiken, turn it back around so I don't know if this is going to be tall enough for lorraine, but let me get my or shot made right here and bart let's, keep an eye on everything, firing right there, turn around and look right here at me I think I might be just a little bit wide let me see if I could go live for the audience at home and we're going to turn this back to video and you guys will see it down here so as I'm testing these turn on all these speed lights and see if you can link him up now these these are wonderful because I have a transmitter here and it radio controls over to here and when I push the button you know what on live you I don't think it's going to go let me let me go live I might have to unplug to make the actual picture all right so I'm gonna unplug here and see if it fires because it's on live year let me turn it off live you they're going so I'm gonna have to work off your camera and we'll show you the pictures later that's no big deal the fish is kind of cool you know one thing I want to talk about it right here monty was looking at some pictures of dean collins dean collins was the master dean collins was the absolute master of photography and you all know the name and we went over and we saw a calendar that dean had made at monte said god it's amazing we didn't have photoshopped back then he jelled it he timed it he doubled it it was all done with his mind amazingly but, monty see, we know what he missed the people. He didn't make the people look good. So all I care about right now is how your shoulders look, how the light is that's my goal. Thank you. Because I know you're the one that's gonna look if you don't care about the lights, you don't care about anything but how you look now that this this is a full frame camera. So let's go live again, let's go live and let's see that we're going to see so much so I normally wouldn't think to use a fisheye as a portrait. Yeah, this is environmental portraiture and it's to show the environment and bring your subject into it. So my goal would really be get in here early and show the studio. You know, we'd probably get in here early and clean the floors and put everybody out and show the scene, and I'm begging and I'm going to do it somehow and you'll see the picture if not the video. The room next door is chase jarvis's old studio and it is so awesome we shot there yesterday. I couldn't help myself big banks of windows. Mcintosh is everywhere, it is creative live on that on this side of the wall. And I'll all I did yesterday we said, let me take a picture of the room, which I did. And then I dropped in george jumped in and, you know, jen jumped and everybody wanted to get their picture taken, and all I did is focused on the foreground. I had just one little speed, like just one light, and we took the picture just like that, and the pictures were gorgeous. So this this fish eyes to show the room, the flashes to come into how much flash this is the key. If you have too much light, you're going to overpower and what is gonna look artificial? You can put a flash on camera and the flash on cameras wonderful. But then what happens? It's flat. Now, if I use flash on camera, you know what's gonna happen with you. Kanna, you're going to look flat and basically heavier. I'm sorry to say flat pictures make people heavier. We don't want that. No, we don't. So if I have an off camera light, what do I do? I shape the face, so I'm shaping the face, making people look more natural, you know, much more beautiful. I think with the height there, what we can do here, I'm going to start taking the picture I mean I tell you what I could do I think I see something here that I'm just going to play with let me have that what is that medium wedding let me see that thirty five right here is it what is that twenty four all right I'm gonna put a twenty four on here and what's going through your head I was going through my head is making you look beautiful but I'm going not distort you and I'm not gonna worry about the background so much so now I've got you looking good how about fold your arms now where is the light source here so how about turn to the light and bring your left toe to me and then tip your head to the right good that's it pose now what do I do like guess what the lights and that the window already and you what you could do bart why don't you bring my reflector over on the stand so jerry you can relax getting nervous up here looking at everybody I just want to slow down take a deep breath and say jerry you stay handy because you might do something with that you might kick it under but the stand and the reflector can go much higher and let me talk to this this is a great tip bring it out bart we don't want to block any cameras but this is so important that we use equipment because if you have a reflector in a guy's hand you know what nine times out of ten he's going to get a little lazy up there and I got tired of doing it and just a little like you know what time's lunch and all of a sudden you know that we're missing the light and number two with this one I can place the light excuse me and I can get it right there on you that's light's perfect and then what? My assistant bart this is what you should look like what's next you know I mean what's next meters needs a card that's what a good assistant should be I haven't found one in a long time bart's great we run around I don't mean to say it that way I mean I need a guy and he's been hustling all morning it's hard to find somebody nimble quick and ready to do everything okay you know as I start to look at this I said all day shoot from the dark to the light right? How about keeps getting keeps giving right there beautiful tip you head to the right right they're beautiful right there and now there's my picture with no light and now I'm gonna add a little like wow looks good little bright love the windows my friends on the wall right there I'm plus three no wonder plus a little bright how about let's get a meter into the situation let's just take a look the cool thing about t t l is tio what does that mean through that lens meeting so I can simply change my f stop and when I changed the f stop the light will change with me when I use my cue flash all right just take it off the stand and hand me that cute flash for a second thank you this has been my go to light for probably twenty years and I get in there and I meet her it but you know what I mean it it so many times that I memorized it and I I turned it into my f five six light and I said from right here ten feet it's going to be five six every time and if it's going to be five six every time I would put my lens on eight why? Because I wanted a little lower than the ambient when it's a little bit lower than the ambient you're goingto absolutely not see it but it's just going layer on c I'm adding light to this light and if this is the same intensity is that light what's it going to do it's goingto add and add it's too bright but why do we use flash? Why do we use off camera flash? I'll tell you one two reasons what's the first one just just a guest on why would I use an off camera like guests for a dimension to dimension? He got it. First answer. I'm going to shape the face. I'm gonna add dimension to the face. The second reason I would use on off camera flash is toe warm up the picture. Did you know what a flashes it's fifty eight hundred kelvin. So, have you ever taken pictures? And they look a little yellow, you know, a little blue I have and I've seen him what's what's going with color if I add a flash speed, light, quantum, whatever it is, I guess what the colors get beautiful skin tones get right on it. And the third reason you splash it will actually, it will actually freeze the action if I'm doing a wedding and couples are walking and stuff and I'm shooting off camera flash the flash will actually lock up onto the film a little bit. You know what I mean by that and that's those are all good reasons. So let's, take the picture. I think you're a you're gonna have to join us. Come up on stage here we'll shoot right up to these windows and I'm going to just a few fun portrait I think we should also d'oh. Opposing stool up here? I think we look at the lights just beautiful right here. How about come come forward to me a little bit because I'm gonna get you into the hair light a little bit right there. Look at that light just come in right around here, so you're gonna come right up here a little bit know what I might do is slip off your right shoe for mechanic is it buckled or is it hard to get out and you don't have to I can see. Let me see jim that's just frankly, I just don't have in the store. All right? Sorry. Coming from here. Okay, beautiful that's. Great. Now I'm gonna fold your arms again. You're kind of been a basic pose and you just come right in with your co host and that's. Great. How about just like this on kind of what I'm thinking about is kind of slipping you up in front of candace because good to me a little bit and just like that. All right, can it lean in a little bit? I'm going to raise your dash, so stand up for a second that said again your kind all the way up lean together a little bit, get good right there that's a picture must take a look, see if we can get that beautiful and then lean for it can adjust a little bit now this is all natural life right here so reflector I would like jerry just wiggle that reflector right in there you got it also important now face on the same plane back up a little bit. What about exposure? Exposure here is meaning how does the f stop relate to this picture? If I shoot this picture let's say it I s o four hundred I can go like to f eleven and go a fortieth of the second now eleven and a fortieth who would shoot a forty second? I'm gonna try part so I could do that. I could just go like this. The f eleven is going to kind of really keep everything tight and focus. Okay, but how about now I'm going to go what I think I would rather do is go a little more shallow five six at a one twenty five and I'm just riding my meter in there using all available light like that beautiful right there. Beautiful right there. Laurie, turn your face to the right a little bit. Good. Yeah. Okay, got it. Here's what? I'd like mr nimble gone jump up here what with a silver reflector in hand, I went to get you up underneath here a little bit of a question for you, please when you're working with corporate models are people for these shots? Do you generally tell them to smile? Open mouth or smart? Not really. Okay, yeah. That's gorgeous. This is glamour. Beautiful little light underneath this is the way I picture you two ladies just just awesome is what you are and I see this broadcast it's all gonna be how beautiful. You guys looking so nice right now while I'm making my corporate new business two point oh, lighten miley more friendly my friend connie hayes from soldier present. Clay we've been with you for eight years. You've made all of our business portrait. They've all been done on a dark background with a man like this. You know, the way I was taught, we need something more inviting, something more business to owe something more seattle I'm in around this place is gorgeous, the lights everywhere. So this is what I'm trying to do airy light feeling I don't need to do anything other than push the button and this is just too simple reflectors my whole idea going into the company is not even a thank you flash thinking I want the light it's there if I need a little life, I'm looking for a loop shadow and I'm looking to draw together so that's my whole goal with his video what I'm thinking is an interview with the ceo you saw that a moment ago I'm thinking of behind the scenes I'm thinking of sliders I'm thinking of bringing two guys with me and when you're doing video on the set you have to be looking for this you have to be looking for a couple of things you're gonna be looking for a guy with headphones on if there's no headphones on the set something's wrong because it's audio visual and making a good film means you really have to capture audio and I'm usually capturing that not with the camera with an off camera source can I have a guy who's watching what I'm doing and he's looking for the frame inbetween frames if you saw the fold your crack video a lot of the film was me shooting their website and they loved it they loved it since the more personal side of our business like that uh I like it a lot now here's what I wanted to don't be ok to go to the left a little bit I'm gonna switch sides with you barking you pull these lenses out of here these lenses just might I want to cheat over here what am I doing now? I'm shooting I'm shooting from that dark to the light correct now I would hand hold this because I can go twelve thousand I said I just told you that so but I'm trying to project this at the same time and if I had to project without a tripod it's just not gonna work so I don't have my collar that I mentioned earlier so what I'm going to do here is lean out here like this just like that that's a nice portrait guys I love it I mean I went to see it come up on screen here I've got it right into the screen here now to add the flash I got a couple of variables here and but you know what you could do also for me give me a cue flash sender unit I think there's two we keep him because I'll show you another trick with acute flash whitewall bounce bounce the light right offer there and I've got this gorgeous phil all right let me see your sending unit there and then bart what you'll do is turn that on one quarter power I know my life I know what quarter power is offer this wall I'm gonna just lightly phil you but I'm I'm looking at this and I'm just looking at a perfect photograph here I really think you're gonna love it I know you're seeing what I'm selling it I'm just telling you I'm telling you how good it is beautiful yeah good good good right here in me and all right lorraine turn your nose to the right a little bit just just a flash just really I cleaned everything up a little bit right there right there. Good, good, good. I want to get in a little closer to you guys good, good right there. All right, now two people just run down there are my helpers and slide the scene was off to the right now I'm looking at your portrait and saying there's a black light stand over there get over there and help or somebody that you could just plant that and hit the wall with it monica you want help or just just clean that wall a little bit that there's one light stand on wheels rolling over there we go I'm gonna show the audience at home I love it good alright mark moved the same list just two people right there looking right here. Thank you that's it they're they're moving that turn your nose to the right a little bit. All right, chin up a little right turn a little more movie shape what poser they both in basic what's myself four hundred what's my camera on one sixtieth seven what I be handholding? Yes I could why am I not? Because I'm doing video and I'm doing photography I feel good about this image I really do let me plug it in and show the people at home and one thing you'll find about me and especially with children if I get the picture let's go to something else quick I got this I'm happy I'm going to go something else something else something else and then when I get in something that's just so good like this is good I would just start bringing everybody to me and get get them all done and it's all about the pace of a session I want the people to get in their office and say, man, that guy just took care of business didn't we scheduled a half a day for five people? He didn't win five minute and we just let's keep him on our roller next right at the top any time we need to shoot call that guy because their time is valuable they don't be sitting around, you know, playing around with all these ideas that I'm showing him I'm going to go live ok, no problem I have so many questions to our way okay, great. Okay, we're gonna review this shots that we're not seeing life I want to get that two hundred one eight onto we wouldn't have a four five minutes to get the shot I love to show you the beauty of a two hundred one eight it is the lens of choice a lot of times when I do this now to focus this, I gonna look way down there on the monitor and we're gonna go backto life that it looks like it's working fine. Mike there's the focus right here. I'm even zoom in tighter. There's the focus right there. Aurelio awesome. Back here and come on, come on, come on. There's a shot right there. I'm gonna cheat it over there to the window a little. So thirty five millimetre this gentleman right here. Can you come over a little bit with a video camera right down here? And you look at him with his one man army. Just come over a little tiny bit right down here. He doesn't see me. All right, we'll leave him. We'll cross him later, but I love it because he would be my guy on the stick at the corporation doing the thing good and a good smile, right? Their teeth. And now I'm gonna look for a second, okay? And I'm gonna see the difference with him without flash off lybia and that is really something I've never seen before. That the reason that we can't have flash when we plug in and I feel like the flash just to be sure we're going on the fly here part if you think just pulled a flash back a little. And you don't have to do video video played just pull it back I don't think we're gonna use the two hundred just show to pull it back a little bit just to be sure I want to be real natural okay all right now the shot of the day I'm going to bring kenna down over here and you're gonna stand on this ladder okay and you're gonna come back a little dog I'm gonna go live and you guys can see the shot sorry oh no we're not using it so go up on the ladder and you're gonna come right into the corner here yeah good alright come back down for one second can you get a block party I'm gonna I gotta get you up a little higher I think we can put one of our phone blocks in here and somebody just steady her hand because I want to get her a little higher put one of the bigger one yep give me both who will hold her we have insurance e I got just what you should be barefooted I know you went camping on sunday so that all right you just go like this there we go look at that she's in the post marais you're right here pose now what ideo light let's go live this is it now all us students and stuff just come on back over here christine the light bart way over here but why don't you give me a back forty five on the hair what's what bart's going to do over here way over here I'm looking at this I want to get their heads a little closer together so to do that I'm gonna bring you down a little all right say say those stools how could I do it without that? This is it I've been wanting a shot all day how about just fold your arms in the front lorry this is kind of the newscaster pose isn't it kind of like you know confident come forward a little bit come forts and then sit there good kick again not leaning together they're all right I'm there the white seamless can you guys just keep moving it to the right christine you've got it worse jerry jerry's a strong guy you got the reflector alright bart on one side I just want to just kind of slide it a little bit it's just getting a lot of attention that that way probably it is a studio now where is my life going to be? Okay I'm just going to use all available light with the back forty five light on your hair can you lean forward just in end what's camera height very important what I'm thinking here is I'm thinking to keep everything level so I want to get my picture like you're not in the studio's level that studio looks level stay with the back forty five doing beautiful what that lights doing that little chrome on the cadillac I still think kennedy's to come up so you stay I'm gonna bring it down stand up for a second here's a trick come out and sit here and lean into the picture which is going to kind of lower you in there? Yep that's it that's it and can a little bit right there ladies you're a little far apart pull your chair and just a little bit all right, here we go here we go here we get creative live there we go right there spark there's a little light on the neck there just this light here just kind of take it that way and feather it a little more I love it the whole studio beautiful how about this time stand stand up and push him a little more and turn your back to your your partner turn this way and then yeah that's good tip your head actually keep you head back to her that's it that's it there's the shot right there. Can I get you a little close when we're done tip your heads a little more right there kind of tip your head that way a little bit yes right there tip you head to the right a little bit good right there let me just go with one other lens choice what do you switching up to now I was thinking a little tighter bart how about this's twenty four thirty five you know a twenty four seventy is go to limbs for may because I could just zoom in and out but I've gotten into these prime lenses for video and I just think that they speak volumes for quality and just feeling that's it right there that's it right there yes can you tip your head actually tip you head to the right and laurey you tip your head back here this is the final shot right here good leaning in there so all I'm doing here daylight you can't miss we've been doing that all morning a back forty five light to light your hair is the light going let's make sure we hit ken his hair with the light board come on right in there leaning in there a little more of a hair light does it come on in it's great to see the picture right away it's hitting her cheek a little can you keep going this way keep going mr nimble mr nimble go go go right there off her face and last shot one two three and creative live all creative creative play way got it ok ok let's come on down and we'll tow answer all these questions can I talk okay good let's go review the photos I'm gonna unplug and you guys re plug me back below let's, plug back in here. You really need to when you do an office, you'd like this, you really need to kind of get in there. And zero everything down before you go get mr ceo in front of a camera. So I would have done ten pictures of bart ten pictures of my assistant, the video's all clued in and we just get going usually it's a half a day shoot and that's how it comes together. So our idea here is that the look where we started way back at the beginning, I like that clean look right there, let's see what the flash did with and without. So I'm kind of shooting, I'm going to go all the way to the top and kind of tell you what was happening up here, the fish I was where I began and I think the fish I was a little wide right there, you see, I think people buy pictures based on two things. Kenya. How does my body looking what's my expression? Right? And you would look at this picture and say, no, I don't like it because really, I want to get over into this kind of you, right here isn't that much more flattering? So now I want to get in closer to you guys I want to hide the knees and get in here now I'm looking pretty good and I'm using all available light and from here I'm going to start thinking the reflectors right there to open it up actually here I unplugged our view and I used a six hundred speed light from cannon that's a t t l unit and I use them all the time effortlessly with a little sending unit we're not done with these we're going to use these a lot where I put my camera in ate the camera goes at eight the flash goes at eight eleven eleven I don't touch it it's called t tl my problem with through the lens mitri is that sometimes it'll fool me let's just say I'm in a black warehouse and the both ladies aaron black the light's going to try to make up everything grey it's going over expose them so then you have to compensate and come down so I would rather I think for my old fashioned way of working is just go manually put the flash on manual feet and distance you know joe saltzman the great photographer said hey that's what it's all about his feet in distance that how far is the flash from the camera how far is the the lens from the camera it's really just feet in distance right it's the easiest way to work I think as a working pro so I'm looking at the picture you can see the white seamless is going out and there we go how do we do ladies? I love it I'm going to tell you I've been working with al gilbert bill macintosh these air huge giants in the location portrait business and this is how they would do it now we would be adding a little hair light here in there we could be adding a little phil and the feel like came off of the back wall so here is a picture with no flash and here's a picture with flash big difference right? But jerry, you don't even notice the flash to you because it's so subtle this this window light is about f four how strong is that that flash it's to two point eight it's under it's less I could speak to that really strongly can you throw that q flash on the stand and just stick it over here? Barn is just so important to where we're heading, which is we're going up to the roof here in a minute and I want to talk about what I'm going to dio then we went for this shot I don't know I was really pushing it but I was trying to show the studio now the only thing missing here is a big light just kind of clearing up the back wall there let's see and I could have brought in some studio lights now there's that light from the hair light back forty five and I see it on the cheek so that's the picture here I feel like the light was kind of missing the raise eyes a little bit and I think that I was plugged in I was a little limited on what I could do there I think a couple of flashes would have been better I'm going to pick this is my favorite something along here and just trimmed out like that just trimmed in a little tighter probably head and shoulders so where's the queue flash it's just laying around here there it is right there the real highland it's hidden from you here's what I do guys the queue flashes manual I take the meter and I meet her it so here's very important rule on how to use flash and we're going to go up on the roof now pretty quick and here's my thought I've got to deal with a lot of elements up there but the flash I could never go up there without it let's put it on one eighth power one eighth power I meet her this outside with a taconic l three ninety eight I think it's what it's called three fifty eight when you when you meet her that's good and give me a pop their bar let me turn this on and what I need to dio I'm going with eyes on one hundred I wanna goto s o two hundred okay I'm a two hundred now but just give me a sending unit just hit the lightning bolt okay six point three is what that light just gave me six point three and you're in one eight power can you pull it back a little bit and can you feather it a little bit to the left a little more to the left right there give it to me again that's I was going to bet you guys dinner that it was five six and it's five six I just didn't want to fall down on national tv but I knew that with five six I've done it so many times now if you go outside to try to meet her a flash it won't work you know what happens the meter is adding the sunlight and the meter than the flash and it's wrong it's incorrect so you need to turn your meter up to two fiftieth of a second or to four hundred and that's how we get an accurate reading I've got a five six light hit it again I'm going the roof I'm going to go at fate let's do that that's our next segment but I hope that that was fun for you the window light the corporate that we're just moving around having fun we made some great images