Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot Review and Q&A

I want to start by thinking the studio audience again. I started with you guys. You guys are still here. I appreciate you guys very, very, very much aware that it's such a positive energy, and I think that you guys are going to become the nucleus of where thiss show head. So thank you guys for that, and I'm looking forward to what we have planned later on today, so on that note, I want to thank the three photographers for really being under the gun to shoot. I know it's very, very, very difficult, but the goal was, if you could shoot in this situation in ten minutes and get photos that you're proud of, get at least one photo that represents your brand, then I think that it was a success, so don't think, don't worry about what anybody else is saying. You knew what you wanted to do, and if you've got that that I'm very happy now. The goal from this point on would be between now and the next month, so roughly thirty days, I would love for you to hone your skills a little bit more I want a...

t minimum one shoot no, ryan had mentioned that he has a wedding, so this would be a great opportunity for him to hone in on how to capture the types of photos that you want he also said that he has a few things that hasn't haven't been blocked, so this would be a good opportunity he's not necessarily going to change his approach, but he's might change how he presents the photos is no longer any focusing on pretty photos which all your photos I'm sure are very pretty, but we're going to start telling a cure rated story stuff that will attract the future bride that you want. So the goal if you do not have a wedding or shoot lined up, I would heavily encourage you to do so because I want you to post your photos in the facebook group I want everybody to be posting their progress photo's going to pick one photo from a recent shoot that you've done between now and don't go and find your best photo from like an old shoot I want you to actually make this happen because we want you to put your words into action and then we'll move on from there. So hopefully in the next month we'll have an update so we'll show this photo today and then the next day when we start will show what you guys have been working on throughout the next month, so we're going to start with the first photographer who shot today, which was melissa, so I want to start by asking if you do anything now, barring these huge, you know, this is not very normal whatsoever, but just kind of like, big ideas what what would you have done? You know, I think I probably would have used everything around me a little bit more, I'm not usedto like styled shoots, and so I think, like, props and things I'm just not used to use, and I think I would have I would say could have come up with something that I that I loved incorporating those things better, okay? That's fine, that's good. Now here's the thing I think that we learned we learned the most going through difficult situations because I think if you're ever put in a situation where you have at least one or one hundred details, what are you going to do with that? You're going to incorporate them based on this experience, so I want to bring up melissa's photo, and I want melissa to describe the word that this photo and bodies what's your branding word that you were going as used a chic chic, awesome, great. Now what we want to clarify these photos are all out of camera, and I think it was a pretty difficult situation they're shooting back when I personally like the way that it shot I love the way that maddie is looking at the camera, I would change kitten's eyes it looks like he's looking a little too far right bring this size in a tiny bit but the photo itself it's just really, really really pretty I like the way that she had cut it off I like where she had cut it off at the knees I have this weird thing about cropping at appendages I think that she crept right at the right point like how maddie's knees are touching I love the photo I think it's cute I think it's a wonderful wonderful start given the situation so congrats no one thing to you to keep in mind he would have shifted your camera slightly to the left you would got to both arms of the couch just something to keep in mind yeah, but small thing it's a great start it's good it's good! And so in the next month I'm expecting a lot more photos like this chic one of the cheek it's a custom and connected perfect I want to see more of that that's good we're going to move to our second photographer and mickey so nicky has this adorable photo and they are rap so nicki, what would you have done different? I would have made sure that the background wasn't so complicated I probably would have moved them over to the right a little bit more okay or had all brick so that way, you know, I was drawn directly to them, and then I would have had the blanket opening towards me because right now, it's like, what are they wrapped in, like this could happen and probably would have changed the angle of the of the blanket. I love their expression. I love how to me it looks romantic, I think, yeah, definitely, yeah, definitely so I think, is there? What do you think going into the next month? You want to do? Do you think you will have the ability to create another shoot? I do I have some stuff lined up? Go get it, we'll be able to see progression and if it's at all possible, if you works, it is a challenge for you, because if you were sued, incorporate or have your clients bring something like a prop, say a blanket and you were to recreate the photo, were able to recreate the photo and achieve what you want to do. You want to have a less busy background, and you want to have the blanket opening towards the camera. If you do that, you're learning from your steaks and you're showcasing health or you're moving along the next time I'm in a situation with the blanket, I like pretty much like I tell you anything. Okay, this is good I'm going to move over to ryan and write I want to start by asking if you would have changed anything through the photo shoot um I don't I don't know if I would have changed anything I think I would have maybe just I feel like I scattered around a lot um we don't know we're under pressure, but maybe it would've done more different types of like poses in the same location so I could have more variety good that's, good that's actually a really, really, really good point because one were working in an adorable area, but it was really small for those people at home and guessing we were working and maybe a twenty by twenty square, which is really a good idea of what an average living room looks like, so the key would be over a longer period of time stay longer than ten minutes, he said it's okay, ryan, I love this photo what's the word that you're trying to capture us, but I was kind of trying to go for creative fun okay, good, good, good, good I think that it looks like they're enjoying themselves. I wouldn't necessarily say it's photo and strongly in either of those two keys but it's a good photo I was trying to keep in the back of the mind that it was a shoot like a themed shoot too. So I tried to get every like their whole close that hole on the set. Yes, yes. And I think it's a wonderful, wonderful start. Wonderful start. So they key for you will be to go to your wedding within the next month and shoot your bride and groom whatever space that you're given the challenge for you would be to set up, set up a shot and then I want you to shoot that same shot three different ways. That's gonna be the challenge of the next month. That's okay with you that's perfectly. Ok, so now I just kind of want to level things out. I want kay are gonna keep it real. I want to know how you guys are feeling in this moment because we're filming this and in in march. I want to be able to look back at this moment. I want you guys to be real with me. So no cameras, no studio audience. I want you to be real because when I want to juxtapose this footage with what was going to happen in march, you guys can look back and think, you know what? Today was kind of a sucky day. But I'm excited teo I'm sure I'm just going to be really if I was in your situation is very hard not I'm not feeding you anything if you're like love it I'm happy awesome great then it's on ly up from here but I want to get like a real poles on where you guys are to be really the studio audience to be real with yourself so that in march we could look back and say you're so I'm gonna start backwards so much right okay so just kind of like how I feel well today was really like nerve wracking at first I feel like with all the information that you gave us today I'm like I would have changed so many things with the consultation with the shoot and also with the email as well um so hopefully I can move forward and use your wisdom good, good and emotionally how are you good I feel good good yeah good awesome so you're excited to go back and during the break somebody reached out to you during for a prospective wedding right? Somebody was watching him and liked him and I think that she just got engaged so obviously you know, I think this is great because if we are showcasing our idiosyncrasies are flaws and not where your business and your business is not where you want to be and somebody looks at you and says I still like that I still see the potential there I want to work with somebody awesome that's freaking incredible because the rest from here on out once you do kind of shape up and like judge decides gonna be great it's gonna be really good so I'm excited thinking thank you we're going to work backwards to start with we're going to go to nikki so how are you okay you know, I think it's a combination of things I'm feeling really grateful to be here because I mean it's just such when you ever get the opportunity to have someone that you really admire in this photography business to be able to give you constructive criticism you know it's just such a great opportunity and I'm just I'm very thankful it's scary obviously it's nerve racking and I feel a little embarrassed that some of the you know things but when during lunch break I looked at my facebook and people random strangers posted some really positive things so that made me feel awesome you know? I'm encouraged I'm inspired overall I think had we not done it this way it wouldn't quite have been as authentic and I think that that was the purpose was so that we were keeping it reels where everyone at our expense a little bit but wait hey so I was excited and encouraged good, good no I feel huh good like I feel really grateful I'm talking to the crier this is why you guys have okay anyways um yeah, I felt like really grateful for I think my brain is gonna explode like all day like everything I wanted to implement, like right this second and I felt like everything okay like the tv. Okay? It's cool e so cute. Okay, god it's really hot. Okay, so, um, a little overwhelmed, I think, like I just recently became, like, very overwhelming them the particular it's not ridiculous, it's very hard it's very, very, very hard and I knew that it was gonna be this hard and I would not have picked you if I did not believe that you were up for the challenge, you know? And I totally am I think just like the shoes, I think the shoot was like, oh, my gosh, the pressure of late I have to show everybody that I'm a professional and I know what I'm doing them out, then we're going out, I don't know what I'm doing, so that was really hard, but I'm friendly also I feel so good about, like, truly I'm so grateful. And I'm so excited for the next few months like the harder the heart of the gentry, the suite of the destination oh yeah for sure, like, I'm totally I won't cry this much the next melissa I am so glad that you are being honest with us and you being honest with yourself it's very, very, very difficult to admit and if I'm if I'm gonna be honest myself a lot of times you go out there and you're put in front of a group of people a group of your peers of very talented people and you're asked to perform and it's very, very, very difficult, but the true greatness is derived from a person who performs under pressure I think I saw your photo and we think it should be something you should be proud of do not let anything from today ever affect how you feel about what you do you're here for an intention you're here for a purpose and I think that people are going to look atyou specifically moms and say this girl is making it happen and I'm going to make it happen to so know that truly thank you guys thank you and thank you to the studio audience wait move on teo internet questions I would love to turn it in for a little bit more judge from the studio audience if you have it you guys flew from canada from wisconsin we have a lot of people represented so I would love to give you guys a little bit more priority than kelly's gonna be getting out mike's and love just a chat with you guys what what what do you guys feeling? I mean this is a totally different perspective from y'all in this room because you guys are viewers because they're active viewers you guys are in the mix and you guys ate the popeyes with us at lunch. I mean, talk about a hookup, right? So if anybody has questions like feel free this is this is going to be the time I just it's not more of a question but it was just it's just some admiration for them being up there and it's just so exciting to see them you know, put themselves on the line and just what it means to us sitting back here and watching and, you know, going on and being held accountable and you know, being scared to fail or into get back up and try again and so you know, I just think you guys uh I just wanted to thank you jobs might have been following you for years. Coming from a little bit different perspective that wasn't necessarily talked about. I changed markets I became fat and happy in a market and got spoiled and this is really kind of opened my eyes of you know, to reevaluate see what I need to do to change to my new markets and my new bride things have changed since I got really lazy and it's been a great eye opening experience and a good challenge so I'm excited to go back home I'm excited for you to thank you so much and now I'm the one getting syria thank you guys so much I mean it just means so much like seriously that we're all like chasing our dreams it's really difficult for us to admit that it's difficult to admit we're fat and happy and it's difficult to admit that we're hustling and it's difficult to admit that we don't know our cameras good is we should as well as we should it's difficult to admit that we don't have the answers but thank you for being here and admitting that because it's going to keep you publicly accountable so thank you truly I appreciate you generally I just wanted to say you guys did incredible we were all going and eyeing at your pictures as they came in and melissa, you were the first up and that is hard and like the models to get a lot more comfortable if it went so like first ten that's you really rocked it and like yeah you guys you just all the good and I'm excited for the restart group that we can all just learn more from you guys over the next couple months thank you that's awesome thank you guys appreciate it it has a way of cheese to the back so I e well, I kind of wanted to just like just the energy from the front to the back I think one of the things was when I initially joined me start much like you I was just trying to find myself again on dh where I place in in terms of the business I think one of the main things was digging deeper and exposing yourself because not easy you know to exposure you know your flaws and I think I had a problem with that because I try to match my pictures oh, they should be perfect in reality it isn't and I think that's why you're still successful because you're able to bring that out of us that are trying to do this and trying to be out there put ourselves out there so I just wanted to thank the aid of live and jasmine and all three of you because we were all sitting back waiting waiting just like football like that so thank you so much I found out that I was coming I just feel out I think you know because I was like I was on the verge of just giving up like on photography period and it's just not something that I want to do but when I came here I was talking to chief jd I just said no, I'm not going to give up we start we do it all over again for you thank you step over here seiken laura a so I really I'm really looking forward to following you through this process because a cz you know I mean we're in the same market and I had a baby this year last year on dso my life now is completely different then it wass two years ago or three years ago five years ago when I was starting my business and for me this whole restart process is kind of identifying where I'm going to go forward with this business that no longer fits into my life the way that it used to because now I have two full time jobs so I want to say I'm I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do and following your process and I have so much respect for all of you moms who are running businesses at home because I know what that's like now and it is wow really hard so um anyway that's only lose thank you lord thank you I also just wanted to say thank you it was a few years ago that I actually watched your guy's wedding and I have totally given up on wedding photography it just I had had a few instances happened I just thought you know I don't want teo it's just too stressful and I just had a baby my second baby and so I literally was at home I just ran across who you were through someone's blogged randomly and then came across creative live and literally it has changed my life my view everything so it was so awesome to sit in the comfort of my own home with my newborn and have my confidence restored just buy that entire workshop and I'm now I just have my third baby she's six months old and this is again just boosting me into future and trying to find the same thing that balance is a mother and a photographer as well and it has I mean just the confidence in being able to watch you and what you've done and what the whole team here has been able to dio has just it's it's changed my life and it's changed the life of our family and the things that I'm able to do and it has its just boosted boosted me so thank you just to everybody for giving your time and allowing us to be a part of what you d'oh day in and day out I do have a question a ce well, I know what I'm trying to think of a game I am I'm wondering so when you talk about the three words and building your brand around the three words do you ever start to feel like your pictures are all beginning to look the same and because that's the one thing that you're focusing on and then at that point if that does happen is that when you go and you change your words to bring something different I think it's a two part I think it's a two part answer is I'm keeping the same words but the steps that I'm taking to achieve the three words are going to be different so if I went into every shoot and I said I'm going to do three poses for fun three poses for editorial and three foot poses for fresh and they did those same nine poses every single time that yes there would be an element of hama ginny in my in my work but I try to think of new ways to achieve the end result and I forgot the latter portion of the answer how do I change my words thank you jenna do I change my words I haven't changed my words for about two years it has always been fun and editorial and for a while it kind of floated between other ambiguous things like fabulous which you know that's not really like it's not really is quantifiable as search in other words so fun fresh in editorial have been the three words and the goal is to think of different ways to achieve the end result every single shoot you go you go on thank you my I'm use me he has needs too right I know you yes how does it pronounced excuse me but I know I'm very familiar with you you participated in submitting videos for yet is live and yes eso my question is for me since I feel like this isn't restart for me I feel like this is start so my question is at what point did you go from saying I'm starting a photography business or I'm chasing this dream too? Yeah being confident and saying I'm jasmine the photographer I'm jasmine like a wedding photographer I mean I don't do weddings yet, but at what point did you feel like you transition from that? I would say probably took me for five years and still even to this day that's something I'm gonna struggle with a struggle with it when I put myself in comparison to other people when I start looking at even at instructors who teacher at creative live after I see their work, I'm like I'm not a photographer not compared to them, but when I think about how far I've come and I think the fact that I get to wake up and work with my best friend and my dog and we get to travel the world together, I'm a photographer and you are never that moment whenever that moment happens for you, you are a photographer, so so often we use his totem pole of success well, I'm not as successful as him, but I'm definitely more successful than her but she's not really a photographer, so I'm kind of sort of photographer but he's definitely a photographer stop you are a photographer the minute that you are putting your mind to this and you're actively getting clients if you have clients who are paying you to do what you do on a consistent basis and an element of consistency going back to the previous question, do I ever feel like the work is getting stale will know there is a value of somebody paying you and knowing what they're going to get, and I think that that then is also true marker of a professional so based on your own system, the minute you're getting clients the minute your bookings the minute you transition to do what you want to do full time you're a photographer thanks. Thank you and teo three participants you guys rock, I'm so excited. Hi, stacey s so I just wanted to say to the three of you guys and I'm kind of overwhelmed that I may cry the past year for me has been huge and I did husband's workshop in november and it was like, indescribable really like I'm still trying to make sense of it and then connections I amazing I came home, I've just been a lot and I just have such respect for the three of you to put yourself because terrifying and you represent all of us like that's that's what I kept thinking today like way we're all sweating and like dying out here when you're in there, but we all would have been the same as you in there, just putting our best foot forward and doing the best we can, which is all we can do. The other thing, I think that I was thinking today about the whole branding idea and your three words in the development of your business and as I think you need to know you guys the last month, I think really and in my own three words developing my own three words, I think it really comes back to who you are. Yes, they're goingto I represent your brand and your pictures, but it really is you like, as I've sort of narrow down what my words aren't I hear what other people's parents are like it's to you, and that is what makes you different, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all and everything but just who does she like? And I cannot wait to watch you develop thank you think well to add on to your point, stacey, and just for the three of you as well, you know, for all of you guys are in the studio audience, there are hundreds and hundreds of people watching from around the world in their in their own homes right now or wherever they may be and they are experiencing the same exact thing that all of us are experiencing we're all the same that way and that's why this course is so amazing because it is this community kind of experience of growing together it's a couple people wrote comments that I want to read katy byron bairam photo said I would have cried on the actual shoot with all those people watching me and seven minutes to do it unless you guys almost cracked tio interview fatigue I was close we all feel this way and a move photo says thank you for the true feelings this is how I feel too so I just wanted to show that I think it's really important to realize that there are thousands of people that are experiencing this with us at this very moment so all right, well that's it yes no no I want to get to questions they want to make sure those online I feel like all right let's ask some questions. Okay, so charisma h oh, no I'm sorry christmas says hi jasmine thank you for your infectious energy and the time you have put into helping others and growing the industry. I'm hoping you can give your personal description of what editor editorial style means to you um I don't necessarily when I look at what currently exist in editorial world for weddings it is heavily styles and it is shot much differently than what we're available with on a wedding day most of us don't have backdrops and most of us don't have like white seamless to shoot like on our wedding day so for me I think that wedding editorial is more of a wedding photography with an editorial flair I'm not afraid to put clients into poses that are very fashion forward without being it's as fashion forward as we could possibly be when the bride is in a very poofy dress if given different circumstances we could probably work it different ways but editorial means to me two people in love a lot of judge and a little bit of attitude all right we have a question from only positives on twitter how do I get taken more seriously when I'm young or how does one get taken more seriously when you're young and this is from canada I think the way that it would best behoove this young photographer is to shoot like a professional and act like a professional if you shoot me africa professional people see less age I have a question from yo yo ma who says what do you do if your three words regarding your photos do not match the three words regarding your personality my photography is dark and moody but I'm a goofball I think it's going to be I think it's going to be a balance and one thing that I would caution yoma is there are certain things that we aspire to be and do with our photography and sometimes it's harder for us to be something we ultimately want to be instead of embracing who we are. So perhaps there could be at least initially, in the beginning more of a balance between goofball dark photography. However that would happen, I think it's going to be more important. Teo, look at what you have at this moment versus what you aspire to be your aspiration words are going to be good and that's ultimately how you want to shoot but it's going to be the experience. So if your words are dark and moody it's fine to have like a dark web site, we have to make sure that the ex spirits that they're experiencing isn't dark and moody so kind of drawing a line between the two and over time it's going to morph and overtime it's going, teo change but it's going to be important to balance, but the personal and the portfolio I don't have like a this is exactly how you do it, but instead of focusing so much on you ultimately want to be trying to first focus on who am I right now? What am I given and how then can I move in that direction without being without first taking exactly who he he who he or she is? Well and also like you should bring it back to that experience great client experience great keep that in mind all right I have a question from best shot who says what is the biggest mistake or regret that jasmine has made in her photography and so maybe just thinking about as we're all feeling very vulnerable what is something that you experience that you can save the rest of us no you know I think maybe it maybe it will apply to all of us who are really going to move forward with the restart process I think there's going to be a group of people who tune in and enjoy and think that's what I want to do one day and then I think that there's going to be a group of people who actually put it into action now for those of the people who actually put it into action what I would caution you is the thing I believe like my biggest regret early on is carrying too much what people have to say I feel like we let it affect us in more in more ways than then we should it becomes a really small community and everybody's somehow removed just slightly from other people and I think the minute you put your head down and you focus on what you ultimately want to do and if you have clients and if you're happy and if you're moving in the direction of your dreams don't let anybody say that you can't do something or that you're not good enough to do something very cool. Michelle lange asked when you first started, did you know anyone that did you know that you wanted to teach other photographers? How did you make that transition? Or really addition to teaching photographers? And thank you so much for doing what you do? Um, this is I believe that this is michelle lang from the last restart rescues me from the last creative life workshop power to create and that the girl she is doing phenomenally she just launched a new website. It looks beautiful, she's been featured on a ton of wedding block, so I'm so proud of how far she's come now. When did they transition into teaching it's not ever, ever anything that I thought I was going to get into remotely? I didn't get into the industry with the aspiration of teaching, but I think what happened is the business grew in all in traditionally the wrong ways, because in two thousand six there was a way to start a business and there was a way to run your business and there was a way to do things and because I I went in and I didn't know really what I was doing, I made the rules up. As I went along and they worked and so I think that it was a fundamental shift in how we looked at wedding photography and I think that it's now more of a prevailing thing everybody sees that it's working so now it's so you don't think much about it but at the time to do things different in a way that was traditionally perceived is broken people are like well how are you making it work? So then more people became interested in what I was doing and the first time I ever spoke it was a group to like forty photographers in san diego and they're just like, hey, we've been following you you want to come meet with us and I was like sure so I just started driving up in down california and getting paid in like starbucks cards which is ironic because I don't drink coffee but it's okay they make great gifts but yeah, my parents loved him but it wasn't something that I ever aspired to it just like the doors open naturally and then the groups of like forty photographers soon grew into a larger groups in larger groups okay, I have a question uh this is from solis digital media dot com who says jason how do you deal with the haters? My motto is don't hate congratulate I wanted to ask you because all these people have been really vulnerable and I know it when the more you put yourself out there, the more vulnerable that you're gonna be great and what is your number? One thing that you do to deal with that? Do you just not read anything? Or you were tryingto china to read things, but then you know it will it will come up it's just the digital age and social media it being the way that it is and people have opinions and I have to understand that it just comes with the territory, and if I let it affect me, it would really affect me, so the key is to stay away as much as possible and then teo wake up and realize that regardless of what anybody is saying, I'm happy I'm working at being happy, which is a far cry from where I was in two thousand five when I was genuinely unhappy and he struggled trying to find who I was and what else was do with my life. So finally, finally, I found a rhythm and they found like what I'm supposed to do with my life, and if people don't like it, they're entitled to their opinion, but I'm shooting weddings in some, I get to meet really cool people in the process and along the way, if other people are achieving their dreams in tandem with all of us, it couldn't make me any happier so I think we have time for one final question this day has gone by so quickly from jennifer photo who says, I know you covered this and exposed pretty well, but how do you find in cultivate true community with other wedding professionals? I'm finding more and more that without each other job can get very only a men not like legit, like if we're all sitting here in this room, I think that part of the reason why we latched onto each other immediately is because we were brought together not by a single person but by this desire to change our businesses. We were all so compelled, tio come together and say, we need to change, we're going to do it together, and I think this philosophy of, like a team versus a single person really changes it because what we have is like a digital work room, right? So we don't have really co workers, but we have a lot of co workers on facebook, if you know what I mean. So, gosh, what was the question I was going there? I was getting there. I was getting their questions about the best way to find and cultivate a true community, okay, true community, I can't help but feel that true community is the derivative of vulnerability. Because a lot of times what we want to put out is what we want people to think of ourselves we have it together we know what we're doing we're really so successful and when that happens it could make you really intimidating in your market every so often it is okay to express where you are in your life and maybe you don't have to do it publicly but you can reach out to other photographers just a few months ago just reached out to a few photographers and they said let's meet up for lunch because it had been so long since I actually had a communication outside of the people that I love with that I started getting like I'ma rick loose so it was nice to like take a shower before five pm and put on real close meet other people for lunch and over lunch it was just really a good opportunity to be riel toe let people know you know it is hard to book sometimes it is hard to deal with criticism it is hard to find a balance and all of a sudden when we walked away from the lunch all of us felt like a big a breath of fresh air because nothing had changed about her situation we just found solace in other people and I think that when you find solace in other people you're actually building a community on things that you are tied with and so, as we progress and as our days get better and like our lives, are balanced. I think that that's ultimately what's going to keep us tied together with community.