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Extended Family Photos, Wedding Party

Lesson 16 from: The Wedding Project

Doug Gordon

Extended Family Photos, Wedding Party

Lesson 16 from: The Wedding Project

Doug Gordon

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Lesson Info

16. Extended Family Photos, Wedding Party

Lesson Info

Extended Family Photos, Wedding Party

I tell you I just think that we're a little bit but I'm doing it visually here's the power it's less is more if you learned anything it's not about I see people like whoa let me bring in heat lamps and put two thousand watts of light on them I don't need light like that I need phil shadows not make shadows there's a difference to lights very simple that's a pretty good looking images in it okay what questions a question from a loose t a studio please ask how do you handle a wedding party that has been drinking even before the ceremony? Six grooms, six groomsmen and six semi intoxicated bridesmaids actual fact you need to have that conversation before the wedding ever occurs. I need to ask that question I need to say to them and no no clearer fashion of I need to know about your bridesmaids and in russia so they the type that's going to get hammered on the drive to the church? Are they going to get hammered on the drive to the hole? No, I have complete control of them because please rea...

lize if I can't control them I'm going to throw them together in a group and I'm going to take what I can get and move on and then I'm just going to have you sign off that they are hamid and then it's not my fault that I can't control them okay that's it very, very simple if you talk to him about it beforehand you'll get the air so you need and if you don't get the answer you're putting in the back of their head that these people are rushes a hand they got to control them for a couple hours very, very simple it's a matter of talking it through you cannot be afraid to tell people how you feel you cannot be afraid to ask questions you want to let them know that you have everything under control all right? Just another quick question about that large group what sort of f stop where you on and how are you focus where you're focusing I was a twenty four to seventy and I think I was at six easy enough for I was at sixty four but if you remember the back row I had almost on top of the bottom row they were leaning forward over them some keeping him on the same depth of field on because I had a wide event because I was further away my depth of field is what much wider if I was right on top of them it would have been much more it would have been shower right but I was further back my distance of subject was different good yes before you mentioned that by now you have already done the walking out the church with rose petals and stuff is the lighting setup comparable to what you did before when writing it is all going to depend on where the sun is? Because it doesn't seem like every time you take a shot of them walking out of the church, the sun is blazing right on top of them. Seems like always saw flash would become a lot more prevalent off which what I would do is meet a what the sun is, what the power of it is. And if it's two fifty eight f sixteen, I'm gonna blast flash I'm gonna have a speed like going off from the pocket. Was it right there to match the existing ambient? Not that year, the existing ambient at that point. Okay, so we got some family stuff done. Now we have the remaining bridal party. Now, if I asked the bridal party tonight the bridal party real quick, please want to take this way now, here's, one of the things that you want to realize. I really don't want to shoot into the same background all day. So I would try not to do these in the same location for the sake of video and ease of creative live. I am doing them in the same location, but here's the thing, gentlemen, can I have you guys to hans erik austin? So one of the things we know, the only thing we know at this point is that hardens is our best man, which means he's with alley, the other two gentlemen here are going to have a partner. They'll know who it is, and it probably one of the only people they know in the bridal party. Guys, can I have the two of you right over here? Good arms around each other bridal party just pose yourself and I want you to look at what happens. It starts to this is what they mostly dio they don't know what the heck to do, but this is what the times that I had everybody go over, they get together and take a look. Eric and bethany have no idea. Eric standing in the back, austin austin is sitting there thinking this feels really good, but it probably looks bad, ok, the whole situation, it doesn't work, but what they did do that was smart was pair up a couple's, so they kind of created it for me already. I'm going ask you two to switch sides, hans. I'm gonna ask you to face the beautiful miss sally turned towards the police, their arm around each other in about content in your pants pocket. Just like that going to come in nice and close here. Kind of bethany can have eric right over here on this side, please. You two were going to turn towards each other real quick arm around each other in the back. You're gonna move in nice and close. Move over. Move over. Move over right there. Just like that. Now what I'm going to do is already made a bad decision because based on the fact the speakers here, I have to watch out. So you two were going to switch sides for me real quick. I'm going to see what's gonna happen here, arm around each other. I don't like the balance. It doesn't work for me. So how am I going to fix it? You're going to be with miss ali and you're going to go over there so turned towards alley kick your like behind her in the back hand in your pants pocket, short yourself up a little bit. Are good coming? Of course not that much. Don't make a dramatic good. He would just create a wider based he likes kick your left behind a stand of tall cracking in the front. Turn your head just a little bit, sir, how you doing, great u turn and coast there, here we go, bridegroom leading together we got a three some way to go. Washington way got leaning in nice and close there you turn your head there and in your pants pocket flowers up just a little bit. Point your front foot towards me, ladies. Just like this, curving it in excellent, wonderful bridegroom here heads together we forward, eric, tilt your head and clean forward just like that that's a nice bridal party. Treacherous and pretty simple. Pretty easy, pretty quick because you want to make them their own individuals within the group. So now the lights are in everybody's looking at me nice and happy, guys, I'm making sure that that light is in the middle of them. So it's not over anybody's head and I'm making sure that I don't see an outlet or anything behind them looking at me you are doing terrific stare right there guys. Just like that let me crop in just a little bit tighter. Hold on one second think I broke my lens it's my hood here I hope you guys nice and happy smiling teeth one looking at me smiling, happy at some private groom. Look at each other. Everybody look at them. Look at the bride and groom guys looking at each other smile teeth, give her a kiss close your eyes nice and happy. Exxon everybody, look here. One more time. Connects this set of couple to switch with this couple. Switch sides real quick. Change it up. Change it up. Moving along at a rapid pace. Looking right here, gentlemen. Moving close around your girl. Perfect. Just like that, you know, wonderful arm around. Moving close, bethany. Good. Excellent. You two really did fall for each other, didn't you? Actually, we're going to switch you up. You were going to turn your back to eric mackenzie. You were going to go over here. Turned towards a little bit austin arm around each other. Excellent. Opening legs a little bit, austin, just like that leading coast. Austin, you're going to go in close. Eric, open your legs a little bit. Kick that leg in good. Eric, what are you doing? Stand up a little bit and bring that front leg in just a tad good. Here we go. Perfect. Eric, don't get loud, eric, turn your head to the right. Smile. Nice and happy. Guys. Hold that. You're doing wonderful. Happy one more. Just like that. Bridegroom looking each other. Everybody looked at them smiling teeth happy give a kiss. And then now what I want you to do a bride and groom kneel down kneel down everybody coming behind him giving him a great big hug squeezing in close guys created close lean in close getting close everybody squeeze and squeeze and squeeze and looking here guys squeezing squeeze and just like that hey there and he now excellent got it simple easy transitions normally I would do a shot of them kind of walking through and things like that would squeeze in do we get that last one that's a nice fun bridal forty picture isn't it? Do you think there's any chance that I'm going to see mackenzie's backside or bethany's backside or am I going to crop into both arms and backs because mackenzie's looking and being like look at my arm look at my butt sticking out and all of those different things I need to crop in and eliminate those things in iran I see it I know but once I cropping get rid of it you think you're going to question it I'm going to hide it all how about a tremendous round of applause for our families and our bridal party? Excellent job guys you guys are all on bird kill tomorrow thank you babies what do you think can actually do some questions and I'm just going to ask these guys to walk around round so the cameras yes all right go for it all right we've had so many questions I just you know I wanted people enjoy it I think they really really enjoyed it you just take or everyone really really enjoyed it do we have any questions? You all right you know you go ahead two quick questions first one during the party photos you like face some of the couple's close together and me almost seemed a little intimate and how I would have some of them had spouses are there any concerns what do you mean party photos at the bridal party folks have been pretty close ofcourse I had him close I'm not thinking about the spouses if someone's really going to get that upset about it than they really need to examine their own relationship okay it's a bridal party photo that a photographer centro together my right dear killing me come on ok the other question it goes back to a shot list I absolutely love pinterest sprites because I get a lot of great ideas for them but what about the person that has this huge list of like party photos that they want every random thing well here's the thing you have to remind them I will try to get to whatever you want but you hired me to do what I deal so I can try to get this list of photos that you know I love the idea I love this photo of people jumping out of a helicopter but you're getting married in a blizzard without a helicopter how would you like to get this photo you know they bringing my wrong that they bring in the most ridiculous things ever now in my case I'll admit I'm a little bit more gawky because it seems like most of the images that they're bringing in are things that my team has done so but the fact is I can on ly make what it is do you think I'm ever going to take a photo of a bride and groom holding a thank you sign you know when I can I have a photo holding thank you jesus thank you I am going to make fun of them so bad and torture them so much because that's not what you hired me to d'oh tomorrow you're going to see what they hired me to do they hired me to create a love story we're going to take more bridegroom photos tomorrow than you've ever seen in your life if you think it's going to be pinterest wait till you see what's done tomorrow you're gonna have your own well for this class now you have a final question for you and that is what is your favorite part about shooting a wedding? Do you enjoy this to enjoy shooting the bridal party? Do you enjoy shooting ceremony? What do you look forward tio what he left I love the interaction with families the least favorite part would obviously be the reception that's. Why I stopped doing them a long time ago, the way it works with may, our pricing structure is very, very simple. Obviously, I charge more for myself than I do for the rest of the team. Uh, I will give a thousand dollars discount if I don't have to show up to the reception. If someone else can do it, I don't like it because I can't control it. I'm bored. I feel like anybody could do it at that point, and I know that over time if I have an album of two hundred pitches, less than ten percent of the murder of the reception. So the reception's, my least favorite part the bridal party is like hanging out with, but I know of shooting them all the time. My favorite part is clearly the bride alone, the groom alone and the bride and groom, because I feel like I can make an unbelievable story out of that.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Bride Alone Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Bride her family and BP Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Doug_Gorden_Wedding_Album.pdf
Doug_Gordon_Posing_Guide.pdf
Full Family and BP Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Groom his family BP and the Ceremony Photo Editing Video HD.mov
Doug Gordon Creative Live Shot list.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Doug is one of those teachers who combines the right blend of humor with knowledge to keep the learning process inviting. Doug's heart is what draws me in...his passion for photography as an industry not to mention his personal desire to see those around him excel in their new-found skills. I have witnessed first-hand Doug's ability to transform an ordinary environment into an extra-ordinary work of art. Don't miss an opportunity to learn from someone who studied with the great Monty Zucker and who offers a system for integrating posing with an understanding of classical lighting. Don't miss a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of the best!

a Creativelive Student
 

Highly recommend to any wedding photographer, be you experienced or new. Although based in the Uk, most of what doug taught is relevant and has helped boost my confidence when posing and making adjustments to peoples pose. amazing depth to the way an image is created and lovely to see the images then used in an album to tie everything up from start to finish.

Sherry Callahan
 

Loved and bought Dougs first Creative live workshop and learned so much from it that I intend to watch and learn from this one as well! Just from watching the first creative live workshop I can see a big improvement in my work, so I am looking forward to this workshop and learning more from Doug. This one looks very interesting and more real to what us as wedding photographer encounter in real life. Cant wait!

Student Work

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