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Lesson Info

The Money Shots: Part 2

Okay that's the bride now you're getting to the groom five minutes that's it okay, so what you do is you know tie cufflinks looking in the mirror bam you're good right so late let's go back see looking in the mayor got that shot oh pretend you're adjusting your tie pretend you're adjusting your cufflinks put him in good light okay let's take a head shot of them but really that's really? All I do is tie hair cuff links it's all good maybe watch or something like that on dh then I take a portrait of the groom and I told you all about how to take groom shots, eh? So we don't have to kind of get into that give your groom the feeling of strength and confidence that's what you want to do and we've covered all this we did all this the lean and all that kind of stuff pop the hip away from well bob law use a straw if you see for our kit if you see strong architectural lines and structures that's great to put a groom against in this particular case here I liked that thie grid that's this the arc...

hitecture that was around him these mirrors that were here so I did teo give this my touch is you can see any photo shop very well there's a flash down there by its legs with a blue jail on it so I took a blue jail with a flash and then just hit it on him and probably just used a video light to light him up now it's at the end of it okay bridal portrait ce the more is not marry er and I don't know what it is between the brides nowadays it seems to me that bridal parties are getting larger and larger and larger and larger unlike thinking how do you have that many friends but right and so it's difficult? Sometimes I guess I'm old so the older that you get fifty rights so you have less friends but it's very difficult when the bridal party is very large because you can't aesthetically make it look good, but we talked a lot about how to do this are using stairs and varying the positions and creating different emotions and you're going to have to just put it this way you're going to have to arraign just in your mind I want you to think this you're gonna have to arrange every single person he prepared just don't go in thinking I'll just stand him over there if you got that in your mind if you don't have any posing tools or ideas it's going to look very boring because you haven't pre thought about it because just know that you're going to have to arrange every single person but you've got to use the stairs for different height differences so you can see everybody okay, this is make a funny face. So after you do some shots than having do something, just break that attention or break that, uh, just get some emotion into it into your wedding diamond composition, right? Using stairs, arranging them. The one thing that you don't want to do is have someone's head, right? If this since this person's right next to him, you don't want another head right on top of each other, you always try to get that head off to the side and never have two heads right above each other, um and creates more of a pleasing look and that's hard to do because you got to tell people to move over and all that kind of stuff. It's not easy to do group shots, it's one of the hardest things to do, but once you do it well, like I said, that's, your moment to shine because everybody's looking at you at that your that's, your job interview your job interview is during a group shots for your next wedding. You can also if the wedding party is large, which you could also do is bring the bride and groom forward and then put the bridal party in the back in that way, they're prominent and you can see them they definitely know where the bride and groom it's that sometimes when you put the bride and groom back there with all those people who like were because the bride and groom and it gets difficult that but you can always do that shot where you could do both right and this is how I put the bride in front large bridal party in the back and we went over all these shots here yesterday and how you have to range every single person you have to arrange them that's what it's going to come down to so that's why you need to know posing well if you can't pose one well you can't pose to you can't oppose that and so you got to do that in the matter of minutes thinking in your head that you got to do that it's not easy takes a lot of practice use large structures so a lot of times what I said before is yeah I have my basic poses and I used them over and over but what creates the creativity in my shots I can see a structure I can see a certain thing where I can arrange people on and then and gives variety to your photos and then you already have the proper posing skills and so when you put them on different structures and it makes something different adds a new element into the story and it creates that variety so look for large structures all over the place, okay? I told talked about this before is using stairs on the chairs so you could have three levels and you can do it very, very, very large group, but you've got three levels with just sixteen with six chairs, right? So you've got the lower one sitting and then above what you can do when you have a large group what's nice and you can put them in pods so you can have three areas, I could have the bride and groom sitting, you could have six chairs again, two chairs over here, two chairs over here, two chairs over here, and then just create pods and make them sit on there, and then you can pose them different. And so usually I like to put the best man and, uh, you know, the important people in their bridal party here and then there, but I try to keep the important people close to the bride and groom and that's a great tool to use. Now, what happens to fear the worst possible situation is you don't have anything at all, and you've got a large bridal party, what do you do? So you're gonna have to get higher somehow, right, find a chair, put this like this particular shot here, I just had the reach out like this over my head and shoot it and I had to literally shoot it look at it, shoot it and look at it that's the only this is like and this this is the worst situation you're on the beach there's no shade you've got a lot of people to shoot. How am I going to see everybody got to go high get it up high? You gotta make it happen and create mood. Okay, uh, so create some sort of action in this particular case here we're running out of time like usual and she wanted a brought a shot with all her bridesmaids and she wanted to go outside sometimes it's okay to say no to your bride if it's not gonna work right, you have to be conscious of time. So I said no that's not gonna work let's do something else. So I happened to look down, I sell bunch of pedals and I say I can't groomsmen pick up all these pedals, okay? I haven't sit down. Okay, now they're gathered together. I want you to pretend like you're having the time of your life and and then throw these petals on top of them and so that shot came out of desperation, so your creativity you're going to be pushed to the limit and then your creativity is goingto come forth and that's when you're going to be at your best and you're gonna love those moments you're going to be tested the best wedding photographers under pressure will think of something creatively they'll be like macgyver and they'll come up with something great and we'll be even better than they had imagined because they were pushed to the end there was no solution but you create a solution and that is really a great wedding photographer you run you have the love that you have to run into a situation where you're there on you're asked to do something and go help going to do this and then you come up with a great idea and that's how you grow as a photographer and you're just getting groups to interact here you could do the air kiss this is the one to three old see these air all dancers and I learned something very important how to do this shot where everybody's up in the air you want to learn how to do it so they just did a cadence and they said they like one of these purposes where they're like a oakland raiders cheerleader or whatever so they're all dancers so this is the trick they go one two down jump so the important is the down right you're going to do it come over here stand over here get up you guys have fallen asleep you'll wake up stand over there ok get it get in there okay, now I'm going to take the shot get up close to some people get in the middle okay and we're going to do it. Okay, ready one two down jump down there it is I get it you needed it and that's how you get that shot and then if you're a dancer you know to pull up your your legs to make look like they're jumping even higher one two down jump right one two down that I'm gonna get a cramp doing that okay, so uh uh that's how that shot is done what do you think I said here some of you I've talked about this shop before what do you think I did in that bottom one how did they get to be doing what they're doing there? Yeah what's that photographer yeah definitely made them do something I told them to dance in their seat see that and that's how I'm not going to make you do that but I could but I won't make it not less the chat room wants it I'll do it okay see that same thing that's in your seat because that's what gets the arms going that's what makes a great shot is the arms in there because if you go oh just last hysterically ha ha ha right but what makes a good is this kind of stuff so sometimes when I'm taking a groom shot and I want them to interact and talk to each other and look cool right? And they're talking I said um can you guys talk to each other with your hands and so they'll talk to each other way look over there and they'll do something funny and it gets them moving and it creates that feel the arm's all right scott well you asked the internet just see them dancing there's just some way got cameras on them ready to go okay, come on do it to be dancing you see it let's see it come on, president that smile look at me, huh? Okay, leading close together eating together yeah see that down there you go take the shot they owe everyone that was here you that's exactly what I do on wedding day this particular shot I wanted some emotion so I said I got on the ground I said your guys are going to run at me run right past me I don't care if you jump over my head do whatever um but just so right when somebody's running they have to laugh you can't run like this you're not going to run with no expression on your face, so if you really have a couple and they're just stiff as boards and they're not giving you nothing get moving you know, make him dance, make him run, make him do whatever same thing here, the inter electing arms keeping them together, creating that emotion. You need a balanced view of that wedding of all types of emotion so you just can't do the awesome romantic posing shots, you know, it's gonna look exactly the tone of the mood of that entire wedding is gonna have just a it's not going to feel alive, so you've gotta have those great shots. But then you have tohave shots like this you have to this is a reflection of you they're not going to give this to you if you're not that way or they may do that for you but they may only do it one time for you because I'm not going to do that but if they buy into you they're going to do anything that you ask him to do but you have to build that trust first. Okay, now you do all that stuff you ready for the ceremony? There's only a few shots in the ceremony that I care about one is right before whoever's taking her down. It's very emotional for this person. I remember when I got married I was even emotional on dso right before that time and you capture that shot the father and the daughter and then they walk past you and then I shoot in between them and I get the groom's expression as she's walking down okay, now one thing you gotta remember when you do that type of thing when she c is what every bride tells me scott, I want to get that expression on the groom when I'm walking down they all tell me that they know that's important so usually just to be safe I shoot the groom looking down the aisle even if she's not walking down so I'm sitting there he's like maybe he's just standing there waiting I'll get down hey, can you look down that way take it just in case I don't get the shot so that's in the bag already and then they walked down that way on and then you turn around ceases walking here right? And then I love to get all the cameras going in that the groom right there waiting they love that they want that you have to have that that's um us every bride wants that she wants to know and see that expression on her man's face it's important to her okay so lookit she's walking down the father's filled with emotion she's filled of emotion there longest he's he's looking there and guess what's happening the groom's crying okay that's what she wants she wants to see that groom filled with emotion and so I turn around and then I focus on him and that's when I use my long lens now I'm going to give you one very very important thing that you must remember to do do not step on the bride's veil do not do it be very careful don't get all happy and excited and it's a hoops and step on her veil you will ruin the entire wedding so if you're going to do this be careful she has a veil okay be very, very careful so that's the one little piece of advice that I'm going to give you I've never done it I've done it you know not at the ceremony but I've never done it during a ceremony and you don't do it either okay but that's something that I always get is this type of shot yes really quickly are you rely on your well oh that's a good question I always carry two different types of lenses on me one a wide and one along into body two bodies and so I always have to like go back and forth so that's what my that's why khun get everything is because I don't have to switch lenses is just right there wide long I don't really like shooting the middle forget the middle that's either wide or or it's long for me so I don't like the middle uh and it gives you a different perspective on the wedding and so there's two things wide long then shoot low or high I'm shooting high here shooting above don't do the normal perspective and I see a lot of it and this is this is good because this is going to get into other stuff too to be a good wedding photographer you have to be in shape I mean it's physically it's like, you know it's very draining mentally and physically and if you want a good shot ah lot of times the better shot is just right here, but if you're not in shape after seven hours you're just going to shoot it here okay? You're just tired is playing flat tire that's why I'm physically and mentally exhausted after every wedding and so it's like you know what? I just deserve that ten thousand dollars says I work my butt off wait, maybe we need to have you back a creative live in our lifestyle area to do exercising photographers robin, I'm good at that because I don't exercise but well, you do it just dance a lot what we already have yoga for for talking you know what you mean? Shapes have some kids, they go crazy on you and run around okay? All right, moving on now you're at the ceremony you need that one wide, huge shot of the sets where is this place right that that kind of setting of that grand scope of where they are because sometimes they're going to take some weddings and some pretty spectacular places and you need that wide shot you know and then you just go upstairs and take that shot and hang out for a while so you got to get that wide shot in there you got to step away from it uh this is interesting because I'm doing a wide shot really? But I'm zooming in to but you need that feel of what it was like to be there okay then during the ceremony you're going to find a lot of motion happening sometimes when people are going to be talking giving speeches and I'm just riding on those parents I'm just sitting there okay? So once they say somewhat when somebody starts telling a personal story get ready because that's a time where some emotion is going toe flow through and you're gonna see some different things okay so you got to get the emotion and you got to get the details a lot of times on the detail shot instead of just taking the program I focus on somebody reading the program and then I shoot it just so it's a little bit different and then a lot of times when you see what do you call these things hanging down on the isles these uh I'll hang your things while there's a day for um but what I like to do is get that in the foreground and get the bride and the groom in the background I like that shot and then all the okay, this is the thing about musicians sorry musicians out there I just take the instruments I don't care about people not unless they're friends or something like that so I can just rip off I could take a bunch of close ups of just the instrument and then forget about the rest of the stuff uh you know and you gotta plan it out so like in this particular case here when they're going to mix the sand together I know that they're going to mix the sand together what's the best place to stand I got all I need to be behind him because I know the light is going to come this way it's going to give me that back light there and I you know, I can't put no video light back there on during a lot of ceremony so you have to anticipate things and figure out where the best lighting is going to be okay and so now they're talking and you get this emotion you have to look to the audience you have to capture that emotion and the best time to capture it is right when that person is putting that clean it's right bam shooted don't shoot it here right to shoot it right there okay um that's the best place to get it ceremony so that's about it for me and then I'm just wait until the uh last shot really, of everything I mean, you can always mean it's logical to get this shots of some of the bridal party, whatever, but this is really the important to processional and the kiss. So what I do a lot of times when they're up, they're kissing in front of everybody guess who's standing behind the officiant, ruining the picture all the time sometimes you can stand off to the side, but that dude is there or gal is there every single time I go that's not cool, so what I do is I make them do it when they come down the aisle and there in front of me and everybody is looking back at them, so I make them so there okay, you gotta get this. This is the happiest they will be together in their entire life because after this is just you know, hey, I know I can't say that I've been married twenty five years, so anyways, so there they are happy really happy at this point then here they're walking down there they feel this is how the bride and groom feel at that point. So much stress just comes right off them at that at that point, and they're going party time now and so not only are they married, but all this just is melting away they're going to be very happy you got to catch it you just gotta put it on that fashion or speed or whatever and just rip away because you're going to get a great shot as they're walking down the aisle and then I tell him to kiss when they're right in front of me and then I go a high angle and they're looking at the crowd and uh that's when I get my shot same thing here yes have you had many brides they complained that that kiss that you put in the album or whatever it wasn't actually the first kiss and then it was so you've never had that ever why why do you think that never happens the other one looks way better right okay let's put it this way people do not care about reality they wantto look the best thing is that true what event looking better there that was in the photo okay yes that's the realistic moment but hey I look better here I want that one right you could always kind of like fake that teo up there if you want I want to but yeah I mean I take it but they never substituted in the album they never it's there they have it but it's not going into the album that's for sure okay so there looking like a happy they are come on as genuine that's what we do for a living I see that that's why now? Your photo journalists and you're waiting for that exact moment that that takes skill to get it right every single time because you have to anticipate it you have to have your focus ready and click it at the moment it's not that easy right? This takes practice to do to really find the feet it's you know what it's like a second sense that you know when that emotion is gonna happen you know cluck you can just get some photographers have it some don't uh but there's there's but you can keep practicing it and you can get that sense of when to take that picture. Ok, we talked about the formals now they're going down now, okay great let's take all the formals and we talked about this looking for even lighting now I just look for shade oh there's no stairs give me a roller chairs I put the oldest people on the chairs and then put everybody the kid's in front and then everybody standing above. And, um I'm not good with names on this type of thing, so I just call everybody like dad or mom if it's not the bridal party or uncle or cousin or whatever, I just you know, I can't remember names like that, so I just say dad and mom, whatever and that's how I called out people and if if they're a little bit older I just say hey uncle I don't know if it's on or not but sounds good he's like oh yeah I'm uncle whatever right in a position in that way you try not to have you try to see everybody right you try to not to put one head right above another right if you can and you got it just kind of overview it and look at it real quickly and make sure that you can see everybody and here they were that I had to stand on a chair so I am standing also on top of a chair while shooting down on top of them because I need to see everybody the higher you are the amore distance there is between this person here and this person in the back row here again they're going to ask you some times to take a picture of the entire wedding party I mean all the guests they will do that and so this is there's no stairs or nothing and there's no like we want a picture of everybody I'd like uh those air one of these moments where you go I don't know how to solve this problem you figure it out there creatively comes out solve this area was in shade I saw this counter here okay I can stand up on top here and I could take this picture so you got to get up really high and so. Okay, good. Now we get to the bride and groom and we talked about all this yesterday so uneven needed to go through it. Right? And I talked about the money shots, right? I live on that because it's featuring the bright it's, the it's, the modified prompt holes because it features the bride that's. Why? I like it. Yes, in this sequence here you're showing us the formal portrait after the ceremony. Is that how you usually see? You know, it could change it just depending on the schedule. But I'm just kind of doing a typical situation, but I have to go with whatever is given to me because sometimes it's not in this order, but it's generally in this order. So you do. You typically find that the formals happened after the ceremony? Yeah, I recommend that to the bride and groom. Oh, this is I should talk about this. I recommend that to the bride and the groom because that's when everybody's there, if you do it before and uncle tom is not there, they're going to remake you. Take it, uncle tom's here again. Can we take the picture again? Right? And this is how you get out of doing long lists of group shots I go hey, listen after the ceremony it's going to end and we're gonna take all these group shops I just want to let you know I'll do as many group shots as you want but I just want to let you know it takes about three minutes for every group shot that you tell me to put together so in their mind they're going well if I do ten group shots that's a half a knauer right there and so then they make their list shorter because if you let the bride go she's gonna have every single combination possible but if you say hey it's going to be three minutes for every group shot give me a list and then I also tell them give me somebody that knows the family that can help me because I couldn't take the shot but I don't know who uncle jerry is and so give me somebody that knows most of the people so they can go help me round up the people okay? Taking okay capture the unique environment, okay? If you go somewhere whatever it is, why did they choose this place? Make sure that you captured that unique environment wherever it is it hasn't now they happen to get married during christmas time and so this was in san francisco and they did that thousand santa run or whatever they do every year I'm surprised they don't have that in seattle because that's sounds like a seattle thing they would do to but they get out maybe because it's too cold or something like that I don't know sure, but they get up in santa suits and they start running and whatever and so uh they saw them getting married so they all came over and I took a shot of them okay mixing up the emotion right? One thing you could do to get him jump on the bed so you just do something fun cried just okay start jumping on top of here and they start messing around and laughing and what a lot of times as I do is I'll make the couple run and then I'll surprise them to make them do something so they're running and then I'll pick her up and turn around or they're running and I'll say kiss each other you know how hard it is to try to run and kiss each other. So what happens is this all the time and this is this shot right here is that they'll try to kiss each other, they won't do it and they'll start busting up laughing because they didn't do it and that's when I usually catch the great emotion is actually after the kiss is when I tell them okay, get them moving, you got to get them you've got to think of ways to get them moving, to create that different type of stuff