Lessons

Lesson Info

Demo: Banner Photoshoot

I'm gonna walk you guys through our client interraction, with how we would photograph this. But I want to show you guys this setup too. So, I use a pop up screen background, we don't use the sweep ever, because we don't do full body on this. We're really only using, this up. So, a lot of times when I see people shooting green screen, like if you're doing action shots, maybe it makes sense to pull way back, but I think you gotta focus on getting cropped and tight, get all of the stuff that's in the background, out. 'Cos you don't wanna have to cut that out later on. Make this process as automated as possible. We do that Einstein light, with the two DigiBee's, with the collapsible soft boxes, grid okay? That's, all the diagrams in the bonus material, they'll tell you the settings, the power, the measurements, everything that we've got up here. It's so detailed, and it's so easy, if you follow it, it will be exactly this. And, one more thing I wanna talk about, for outside portraits, if t...

his was outside, and we were using a beauty dish, I would take my light, and no matter what, this top one, would always be loose. So, there's three sections, on this light stand. I will tighten this one down, I will tighten this one down, this top one's always loose, because if the wind comes by, and catches it, this moves. If I had that top part tightened down, it's way, way, way easier to have a light get knocked out, and then you're sunk. It's happened, we talked, I had, the light got trashed, before I even used it for one picture. Because I tightened everything down and I wasn't paying attention. So that's a big tip for outside lighting, just to save your gear. So, I'll tell you guys how I would have this conversation with the team, they're back there, I'm just gonna pretend that you guys are all gathering around me, and this is exactly how I would talk to the high schoolers at the schools. Okay guys great, now we're gonna do your banner shot. And before we start, I just want to make sure you guys understand some things. I donate these banners to the school, I pay for them, so I want them to look really, really good. The first thing we're gonna do, is we're gonna decide, as a team, are we doing game face, or are we doing happy smiley? Game face. Okay, okay game face. Maybe we should vote, game face. Okay, happy smiley. Alright, game face, got it. Alright guys, so in this situation, I will actually let you guys pick your own poses. But, we're gonna go over a couple of the ground rules. You can pick your own pose, it has to be appropriate, and I have to be able to see your face. So there will be no dabbing, cos that's always the first thing, the first kid walks up, so dumb. Back when Tim Tebow was a thing, kids like this, and, no, we aren't gonna Tebow and we aren't gonna dab. We're gonna look at the camera, that is important, and I'll let you guys pick your own pose, but, if I don't like your pose, I pick your next one. That's your warning. So, keep it classy, 'cos this is going on the walls, I don't want to redo these, you can pick your pose, but if I don't like it, I pick it. If you don't know what you want to do for a pose, I'd be happy to help you find one, okay? That's the conversation we would have with our clients, most of these banners, how it works, with our programs at the school, I pay for them. And most of the schools, I just, they get them for free, and I don't want to put up stuff, I hate the ones, where kids just look ridiculous. I think, I think it's just not a good look, I don't like it. And so, we are going to do athletic poses, we're doing game face, 'cos we picked that. (laughs) Yes, game face. Enthusiasm in the back of the studio's infectious, so that's, it's an important conversation to have. So come on up and we're gonna do these poster shoots. These lights, I wanna show you guys some of the cool things with it, this foot stays here, but we put the foot straight towards the camera. So they can stand, they don't have to stand, facing one direction. They don't have to do any of that stuff. So, and for our poster stuff, we were writing a frame number down, for the individual images, on the order forms, those are what they would have ordered. Now, for the posters, every kid goes on it, no matter what, so I don't need them in any order, I don't care, I don't need to know who's who, 'cos they're all going on it. So, as long as they all get photographed, it's fine. So, come on up, do you know what you wanna do for a pose? I'll think of something. Alright, let's do it. Alright, I love it, I'm gonna actually do this, as a test shot, to show you guys, why we're gonna change it. So, I love it. Okay, what, stay where you are, one of the things you have to be aware of, with this lighting setup is, this popping, can we get this to pop up on the screen? So, the green screen knocked him out completely, (laughing) Just kidding, just kidding, one of the things that happened on that image, is that these lights, these rim lights that we're using, you gotta make sure that we're just, kinda, kissing the back right here on it. We don't want it to be hidden too far on the side. 'Cos it blows everything out. So with him standing with the one foot on there, and this far back, it's bad lighting, 'cos too much of this is hitting his body, so we actually would slide you, I actually want your back foot, where that blue foot is. Yeah, there we go, yeah, so that's, just bringing him forward, makes that adjustment. Let's go back to the pose you wanna do, do your little Superman pose, awesome. Alright, relax your shoulders just a little bit, and then, turn your shoulders just a little bit towards me. Like, you're exactly perfect, if you were, like, 6 inches this way, yes. Alright, right there, one two three. (camera shutter clicks) And, drum roll please. Boom. Alright, that's cool, I'm gonna do one more, I'm gonna just tweak this light, I feel we're giving too much on this side, so I'm just gonna push this back, a little bit, and once we get it in, it's good. One more, one two three. (camera shutter clicks) Alright, that's good, perfect, go home find your mom, next one. Okay. (laughing) I'd like to do like, Yeah you can do that, except I can see your tummy, I'm sure you know that, alright. That's cool, alright, one two three, don't move. (camera shutter clicks) Don't move, don't move. That's amazing, that's amazing, we'll do one more, one two three, (camera shutter clicks) you're good. Alright, you ready? Alright, Yeah. Perfect. Just getting sassy with that, love it, right here. One two three, (camera shutter clicks) Perfect. Yeah, absolutely, and they can use, they can use their props, if it's a sport, if they wanna bring in the ball, if they wanna bring in the bat, that can do that. The funny thing that happens, we'll use the bat with him, is if we have little kids come in, like five, six, seven year olds, there's always, like, one kid who does this pose, he like racks it, and then, every kid who doesn't rack it is mad, and every kid after him, does this exact same pose. (laughing) So, the weird thing is, when I do photo shoots, and the first kid comes up for the poster, and I have, like, 12 kids, like this, in the banner shot. But it happens, alright, cool. Awesome, right there, stand up tall, perfect, right here, chin up just a little bit. (flash pops) Don't move. Don't move, that's amazing that's good. Alright. So, some of the other stuff that we would do, go stand right on that foot there, perfect. Alright, know what you wanna do? Like. (laughing) Alright, you, I'll allow it, but you're gonna look at the camera. Okay. Okay. (camera shutter clicks) Got it, I love it, stay there, I'm gonna use you for a couple of other ones. So other poses, other poses that we would do with the ball, I'm not gonna shoot them, I'm not gonna make you do them but we'd have them stand like this, okay, so, hold it like this, bring your elbows up, awesome, just like that, like you're gonna inbound it, that's cool. We will have some people hold it on one hip, gimme some attitude. Yeah, perfect. We had the woman earlier, put it on her shoulder, there's a lot of stuff that you can do with this, the other one will have it like at soccer, like they're throwing it in. And so, you can use this any way you want, again, just make sure that it's appropriate, you know? Alright, cool, go find your mom. (laughing) (ball bouncing) Look at this guy, he's so excited, he's ready to rack it, I love it, he's ready, yeah! (laughing) Hold it, chin down 'cos of hair, beautiful, you're good. Thank you. (laughing) Awesome, bring that foot up, stand on the foot, no, the other foot, there you go. So, that's cool, what I'm gonna have him do, I just need you to lower it just a little bit, lower your hand, yes, perfect. 'Cos if it's coming straight at the camera, it gets weird where you don't see the arm, so it, kinda, has to go a little bit down, or a little bit higher, but if they try to point straight at, it looks bad. So, lower it just a little bit, there, one two three, (camera shutter clicks) You're good, alright, alright so she needs a pose, put your left foot right on the foot, cool, I'm gonna have you kind of get your Superwoman pose, beautiful, but we aren't smiling, we're doing game face, with this one. Alright, right here, okay so Meg struggles, with game face. (laughing) She's just too sweet, so if that were, (laughing) Okay, oops sorry, if that were to happen, what we'd say, the direction I would give someone, who is struggling with this, is, yeah, there it is, we got it, you're good. Just relax your face, let's your lips part, like you're breathing out of your mouth. Relax, that's the look. Some people get really into it, and it's bad, you know, they get like mean-looking, we don't want to look mean. Chin up, just a hair, perfect, one two three, (camera shutter clicks) You're still like trying not to smile. (camera shutter clicks) Got it, alright. And, you're amazing, I love it, you know the funny thing is too, I've had it where sometimes people get really self conscious and they're aware, when the whole team is watching them, and it's their peers, So, if it's a problem, and ongoing, and they can't 'cos they get super, super nervous, and they can't function. I'll make everyone turn around, don't look at them, it's harder to do that with a video crew, and a live audience. But we'll do that, turn around, turn around, and then they are able to lock it in, and we'll get that picture.