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Shoot: Shooting with a Vulnerable Client

Lesson 12 from: Boudoir Photography

Rachel Stephens

Shoot: Shooting with a Vulnerable Client

Lesson 12 from: Boudoir Photography

Rachel Stephens

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Lesson Info

12. Shoot: Shooting with a Vulnerable Client

Lesson Info

Shoot: Shooting with a Vulnerable Client

we're gonna be in this segment, We're gonna be shooting you. I'm gonna be pretty much ignoring everybody. But I will break just to kind of explain why I'm doing a little thing here or there. But for the most part, what I want to do is just kind of, like, try to forget that everybody else is here. And we're just really want to get some beautiful images of you. We really want to make you feel great, empowered. And I want you to love everything that you see when I send you the images. Okay, So do you have any questions for me? You're like, OK, cool. I need my camera. You guys have all the images from yesterday, right? Okay. I am going to reform at the card real quick. Just let you know Angelita Kinsey in the chat room says, Oh, my God, all in caps. I just yelled out loud at the computer. She looks so good. Absolutely. All right. Okay. I am going to set up the light. Apologize. I didn't do this first. Should have done it first, but I really suck it. Forethought now. Creative lives spoiling...

me with assistance because I don't hate it. All right, so this has come off the belt. I just got tightened back. Okay, So I have to tell you, when I was over listening to you, um, talk about why you decided to do this while you decided to finally just bite the bullet and gum and you did make me cry a little bit, cause I can relate to so much being someone who gained weight with my pregnancies. And I'm still carrying £50. Like I was hoping by the time anything like this happened for me, I would be skinny and, you know, be like, hey, not be worrying about that. But that's not what life is, you know. And I have two daughters. So I've been going through my own. I related so much to what you said because I was like, you know, if I deny experiences because I am afraid of what other people are going to say to me, or if because I'm too sensitive when people do say things to me that a hurtful then I'm not only robbing myself of extraordinary experiences, but I'm teaching my daughters to do the same thing, and I related so much to that. It was just really amazing. I really, really admire you for that. Okay. Do you want to do some with the robe in the outfit? Took to open you like, Just tell me what Dio All right, So let's get a little sassy, Take a step this way for me. So I'm just going to do a shot really quickly where I'm going, Teoh Show you why? Um I'm gonna do a side by side later of where I position the camera when I'm shooting full body. Why I go so low Or do you guys want me to show that now we can pull it up on the screen? Should I do that now? Jazz hands, guys. All right, let's move the hair right here. Let's put this hand here and this hand here. Like you need to pull that off the shoulder. You bend this knee and like this and you're up on the toe more your arch, the booty back like that. So booty back boobies for it. Shoulders down, lift the chin. Hurt this and the chin down towards that shoulder a little bit. Perfect. I like the hand, but we're holding tension in her hand like this. So let's just do fingers just like that. Let's bring the shoot the elbow in just a little. Let's come upon that toe a little bit more. Can we bring those two up next to each other? So, do you see the difference? When I was standing straight on and I took the photo, which a lot of us dio, you stand here to just get back far enough so that the bodies and frame right. But when I come down to my knee and I make sure that my lens is that hip like, uh, mid thigh level or even lower, you could lay on the floor as well. Do you see how much longer her legs look and just how much leaner her whole body looks? So it really lengthens the image when you all you have to do is just get down on a knee, take a knee like the same football just taking me. So when you when they're when you know you're doing a full body, just remember taking a you shake like that's just a little if you're sex it up. Normally I have music, but we can't play music here, so we'll just have to pretend. All right, so let's take a deep breath after the mouth at the shoulders. Relax, relax, relax. Shake it out. There you go. Perfect Spot. That hand back on the hip. Like this here. Like this. You bring it. Hold it down here. That's OK. There you go. And bring it down off the shoulder. Bring that Children like this. There it is. Hold that. I mean, I might need a box. She is so tall. Yes. So just a quick disclaimer. I am very clumsy. If I fall off, I'll be fine. I'll get up. No going to jump up. I'm OK. Okay. I might be shaking as well because I also don't like heights. Me neither. But I'm nine feet tall. Tell your head this way for me. That perfect. We'll bring the shoulder in and bring your chin towards your shoulder. But keep your head tilted. There you go. And relax the fingers down. Perfect. Can we bring those two up next to each other so you can see here? I have ah, pose book and some of the comments on it. People are getting really irritating as I keep saying pop the shoulder so you can see here why I do that when you have the client just kind of tilt their head and they have their shoulders back and then you just have them publish one shoulder forward and just have them bring that chin towards that pot shoulder. You can see how it's. It's creating more poetry in the image like I call it. It's just not kind of like, You know, I don't want to say boring because it's still a beautiful portrait, but it just brings more poetry into that image. You've got more. It's more fluid and it's it leans out her arm kind of leans out the face a little bit. Now you've got, like, more of the contouring shadow in the cheeks and down the nose. Oh, well, it's like magic. It's a box. All right, cool. So we're gonna let's do oppose its its a little dirty, but it's all about strength, too. So we're gonna have you sit on the very very edge like this and sit legs out like this. So the feeder out, you kind of tournament a little and hands on top of the thighs. You're gonna push one knee in your set, Riel. Real tall. So again, booty back boobies forward. Okay, so this is a variation of the standing power pose that ideo where? Remember we were doing this right? We're getting centered into our power like this. If you have a client sit like this, but yet they're still it's still the same thing. This shoulders air open, shoulders air down. So we're still really connecting with our confidence, Right, girl? So you're gonna bring come up nice and tall. Put your hands like this This hand slides forward. This knee comes in like that. Bring that foot out like this. I can see the side. There it is like you want to look at the books all your foot like that. There you go. Nice and tall. Shoulders down a bed. The feeling that I feel like you rule the world. The problem here, huh? That's right. We can rule the world. Or underwear. That's right. We could put these under, so I'm always looking for little things that I can kind of hide. Don't have to fix it in photo shop, nice and tall for me. So we're doing this just a little. Let's really get those boobies out. There you go. And let's live. But gin leaner. Your upper body and towards me just a bit. It's the course at huh? Sorry. Tilt your head this way a little bit. No, it's have you Rotate this way. Your legs This way. Just a little. There you go. You're gonna bring this foot forward just a little bit. We're going. You're up on the toe on that side. Your upper body turns towards me. Your stagger those shoulders. That was ham. Here, tilt the head this way. Turning it this way a little bit. Perfect. That's long neck. It's like people were got me. You can't be nervous because I'm too bossy. You're like patting your head, rubbing your stomach. What's happening? Lean in towards any like this and booties forever. There it ISS left trip towards me. Down this way. Chain back this way. Eyes right to me. Look right in here. Look, look, look, look, look. Think about bacon. It's okay to laugh. I want it. It's ok. How have your eyes gaze down? This way. This way. There we go. You ready to lose the robe? You're sure I'll take my shirt off to Does that help? All right. Okay. So I was gonna have you lay on your belly this way with your feet up. But you're so tall. Let's try it and see how it goes. I don't know if yeah, I'm not sure if it's gonna be long enough for you, but let's try it. So if you let me show you if you lay like this like that, it'll look way better. Wouldn't you do it? Get on my back. It's part of what's in my session Packet is I do talk about posing where I tell you, you are probably going to feel so awkward holding some positions. But when you see your proofs, that was going to be the shots you love the most. And it's good. Can you give me upon your elbows? You. What does she want me to dio? This is so weird. Can you kind of angle your body so your upper body comes this way a little bit. There you go. Perfect. What's happening here? Pull down. Pulling this up. Okay, That's the thing about corsets. It's like you can basically just stand there. Thank you. We get right in here. I'm talking this tag. Okay? Can I bring this knee out towards me? Just a little. Little more. Perfect. You bring this foot in this way. No point. Sweet or perfect upon your elbows. Okay. You're not falling out, right? Okay, I'm gonna cross your rest like this. Perfect. And you really want to kind of come up? I know it doesn't feel it, but looks real good. So hold your daughter 20 that's such a fun age. Bring that, Children. When your chin towards that shoulder, my daughters are five and seven. Yeah, it's It's It's amazing. It's amazing as you are raising your kids and you realize how much when you were out of diapers and all of this, They're becoming their people. Like how much they're actually teaching you, you know? Yeah, exactly. It totally makes you evolve as a person. Okay, I'm gonna have you looking have you turn around? This is a little too short for what I wanted to dio. I do love those, but let's have you come off. Do you help and hop up for me? And I'm just gonna turn this a little bit and have you said we having fun yet? All right, So you're gonna kick your legs out and you turned your side facing out this way. Perfect. Let's have you scooch down just a little. Is it better when you kind of stretch this out? Or is it better Sedan either. Let's have you, Neil. I think the way that this course that is sitting probably the laying down poses there gonna be too painful. Like digging in right here. Okay, We won't do those. Then that shouldn't hurt. Uncomfortable. Fine. Painful? No. Okay, Neal. Right here. Like long here. And your hands right here needs a part for you together. You bring this knee in this way just a little bit, just a little. And then you bring this snake me this way. So you're gonna have Disney a little bit closer, almost to the edge. There you go. Perfect. And then I love the tilt that you have going on. Just kind of want to push back, like, push the booty back that way from you. So we're really arching right here. This is probably how have herniated. My desk is showing women how to stick their butt out just a lot of fun to explain it. The doctors office. All right, you're gonna push back like that. And when we push back, we don't want to sink down. We want to be nice and tell him nice and confident in a lot of strength. Beautiful whole death. Gorgeous. Beautiful. I love it. I love it. Give it to me. I love it. I love it. Now keep your head tilted. How it iss? I want your eyes to gaze that way and down a little lower that. Yet The eyeballs down a little lower. That's it. Nice. Don't move. Don't move. Part your lips. Eyes to me. Don't live your head. Can I grab that other lens? The 100. Okay. I don't want you to have to move, so I'm your try to move this without you moving. No, don't do that. Okay. Just looked at me like hell. No, you're not. I'm not dying today for you, lady. Okay, so it really doesn't matter how you have the lower body. Really? Because you're so tall. You're pretty much coming to here anyway. I just want you don't want to be able to lean like that. Just don't put too much body weight on you Might want to actually, Neil. So it doesn't It doesn't come this way. Yeah, this one like Okay, go ahead. Is that more comfortable? Have one leg off Do you want? I just I want to be stable. I mean, he's a partner. That might kind of distribute the weight. There we go. Is it okay if I pull this little shorter? The sentimental value for this necklace back to get off them. It's what I just Oh, no, we don't take it off. You were it. We want to shoot it. Okay. Nice and tall with makeup in here. A little powder. Yeah, It's because I shoot with hot light. So I'm basically saying, Look at your underwear and then let's stand in front of sun. That's why the room so cool. I was already on cool. It's like magic. You ask friends or something? That's just magically there. Can you come up a little taller on your elbows? Keep that staggered Kind of. Yes, Exactly. Perfect. Hold up. Bring your chin this way. Little eyes to me. Yes, part ellipsis. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Look down this way. I both to me, right in there. It's OK. I'm OK. You're getting all mom on me. But I like the smile. We can do that again. If you are eyeballs that bones. Cool. Could we get a little powder, please? I just wanted to bring you on again. So when I I'd issue hot like this is really, really common when you do shoot hot light. Um, the clients get warm there already nervous. Sometimes you get clients and some people just start to sweat when they get nervous anyway, when they have a lot of anxiety. But once they get under the hot lights as well, um, they tend to sweat is why I, like, always get venues that have air conditioning. And I always keep it pretty chilly. Even though it's pretty chilly, like it isn't here today. They still do sweat. So, um, that is one of the downfalls to hot lights. But they do have the continuous light. That's cool. I prefer the warmth of the tungsten gold. So, to me, it's Ah, it's an OK. Pale tradeoff. Perfect. Thank you. Look back up the light like you did. Does your head this way more as to me. Beautiful. You ready to get out of that. Course it, please. I want to read again. All right, let's do some bad shots. So while she's changing out of the course that I could take questions, there are any there absolutely are, as always, Um, let's see. Need a diet Coke apparently says. So far, all the models have had long hair, and Rachel loves to use it, especially on the laying down poses. What about girls? Was shorter hair. How do you put softness in motion? And in those photos, a lot of time. You'll even sometimes get women with longer hair who like their hair sleek against their head. So I always ask if it's OK if I arrange their hair around their head or if they would prefer to have its sleek, obviously, with short hair. There is nothing to arrange. So typically to create interest. I'll use hands. So if I have them laying down, will do have them doing stuff like this. You know, I don't really see any difference between them loving the images the signature imposes with hair or with short hair. I think that everybody loves them equally. Do you have any questions? Yeah, no clients come in with their own poses and you let them do their own poses. And if it doesn't seem to be as flattering Conley suggests, I used to You mean like tear sheets like the magazines and the Internet? I used to let people do that. Um, and I would literally have clients come in with a binder and like, laminated pages of stuff with notes. It's just kind of gotten to a point where I feel like when you do well for me. When I was when I was allowing that it was I was letting go of my creative control and I was just trying to copy other people's work. And a lot of times, clients don't know that that there, there selecting poses that their body is not gonna dio. And then they get upset that it is your fault that you didn't capture the pose properly. They don't understand that. You know, this person is like 50% more limber than you, like. Your back doesn't do that or, you know, whatever. So I have no longer do that. I, like Teoh, be inspired by each client. However, if there are any like signature poses of, um, of mine, where they always are those signature poses that people bring up. I really love the laying down when the cameras like from looking down on you in the hair. That's like people always love that or they like the really strong one, which I just showed you sitting down with the feet apart and you know this. People love that, too, so they can explain what they like. But I don't know, I no longer allow them to show me pictures. I have a question from Stephanie. 12. Do you think that any size and shape of client can connect with any size and shape of photographer meaning? Do you think it matters with the photographer? Looks like I don't think it does. I think it's your energy. I mean, I typically am very nonjudgmental, welcoming person. I don't My brain doesn't wrap around those kind of judgments about people, so I can't really speak to that. But I do know that if whatever energy that you're sharing with your client is what they're going to be absorbing from you, perfect answer. It's not about I don't think is not about what anybody looks like right, Right. It's the energy that you bring. Exactly. Thank you. Are you ready? Yeah, that's right. It's the moment of truth, my lady. Okay, so, um, I am gonna have you, actually, just and where are down there, Okay, like this is happening right now. I'm gonna grab the shape Mrs Under here. Maybe I can have an assistant help me out. Yeah. Now I'm gonna go back on the road, maybe like, I gotta go do that about myself. So, Rachel, what is it that we're going to go into now? We're gonna be talking about, um, bed shots and if you if, uh, and just and just connect with the client lot of times when they come in for the best, that's, you know mean there naked. So they're like, Oh, my God. But once they're on the bed and shooting, it's just much more relaxed because they're not working worrying about wardrobe buckling or, you know, any kind of distraction. So great. So we'll just we'll just watch as you do that. Yes, it's OK. It's OK. Okay. So since your hair is parted this way, I'm gonna have you lay on your side. This way So your elbow here and you're gonna scooch down that way just a bit. So did you hear me talking about the correlation between being able to love yourself, but not love everything about your body? Because you know how people are always saying like there's a whole movement of like, basically, toe love yourself means loving your body, loving you in your skin right now, which implies letting every single flaw that you don't like about it as well. Like I don't believe in that. I believe that you can love yourself but not love your body. Or you can let things about your body and then not love things about your body and still love yourself. It's your do you feel that, too? And it's interesting because, you know, I see I see so many women every year, and it's like I kind of feel like women that are more further away from, like, the media's standard of beauty kind of have it harder than those of us that are further away, like they seem to be the women that are the most hard on themselves during these sessions. For some reason, I think it's easier for us to kind of let go of that once we get into a situation where there's, like, no clothes that are that are distracting your Like how What a mess is to be in this. We're just in a sheet were just us. You know what I mean? Let me take this off. Keep you busy today. Okay? So we're gonna have you thing keeps pulling my gas down. Microphone thing. OK, let's have you hold it here. Just so I don't show too much that you don't want to show. And then I'm gonna push this in between, okay? Like as much as I can. Here we go. So you're gonna grab this and pull it through? There you go. Perfect. And you're gonna straighten this leg underneath you a bit. And let's bring this one in. Is it more comfortable for you to have the top leg come down? Where's the more comfortable you have? The bottom leg bend in. That's what we're feels most natural. This one. Okay, cool. So let's stay like that. Let's push this in. That's how you bring your elbow out to where it feels comfortable. Well, when you if you want to keep yourself up. Where's it? Feel comfortable to you. Okay, so let's bring that that hand in this way. So where do you live? You are a Cali girl, too. Living in L. A for like 20 years. I miss it a lot. He's went Teoh the Marymount school in pills for days, right next to Long Beach. You still got you guys still have Ah, busy bees? Subway shop? How sad for you, then. There we go. Yeah, I wish I could have brought the California weather with me to the Pacific Northwest. I have to have a happy life. Now turn your head this way. All right, Your head. This way. So we have the elbow here. We'll bring that shoulder in just a little bit. Weird. Turn that chin towards that shoulder and you tilt your head and you look over this way down and the hand that's on the fire right here. Let's grab the sheet on the bottom and kind of drag it up. Little their point, the toes down. Beautiful. Hold that. I spend the top elbow in just a little. Come in a little bit more. Nice. Drag that sheet up. Just a little more girl show a little more skin. I mean, what are we doing here? Most to me. Okay, so now what we're gonna do is you're gonna have your head tilt back like you're gonna have your house till back that way and the top hand you're gonna bring your fingers right to your throat And I love the tilting your head, but they're the fingers were like this with hand. Let's kind of make them a little softer So yes, there we go Top of your head goes that way A little bit Close your eyes part your lips Fingers on the throat Fingers up here Top of the head that way Kind of arch low boobies forward had back Close your eyes You're doing it. You talk like you keep peeking at may. Beautiful. Okay. Roll into your on your tummy. You're gonna be diagonal in the bed. Feet are gonna go that way. Perfect. And you're side. Are we comfortable showing your side or do you want to keep the sheet in front? Okay, it's gonna it's gonna get in bed with you here. It's all good. So you bring your feet up point the toes needs apart. Just a little bit brightly. Your feet go that way. Point the toes. We're just gonna loosen this here. Just Do you have those things on? Okay, So what we want to do is we want to be able to see this up the side of the breast, but not the nipple. Someone just kind of got pushed down, so I'm just gonna keep the sheet right up where the underwear come. Okay? Is that Is that you comfortable there? All right. So nice. And Tommy elbows for me. So this we want to relax the hands down so you can cross. There you go. And let's go ahead and cut nice and tall. And let's go like this with legs. And can you Can you bring him? Can kind of hook that tow behind that leg. And can you bring them both this way more. Perfect. Now you've got this shoulder wants to come this way, little let it and then you're gonna come this way, my reflector. I'm just going to do it. I'm just gonna have her hold the reflector for me. I know it's cheating because that's not what I dio, but sorry it is what other people dio total jit just for the catch. Lightner, I don't You have this way a little bit beautiful. Gore just around. I actually had a client in Tokyo, your tiger and she was like, there. Okay, you are no longer a tiger here stopping the tiger. Beautiful. I both that way, you know, because this is what we dio in bed. Like someone just walked in because I know I lie like this in bed by myself. My makeup on. I'm more like Homer Simpson laying there. Little my IPad. Like my hand here, huh? Okay. I need that other lens. So when I'm on the bench on when I have a quiet on her bed on her belly like this, the 100 please, I always grab a few portrait's with my 100 millimeter, a few headshots and one of my signature poses that I dio I can grab the reflector myself. I got this one. Yeah, thanks. They're gonna be nice. And, Tom, those elbows it's okay. You gonna hold it? Moms always want to help me and go like this. You're gonna bring up shoulder in this way. You're kind of rotate your shoulders this way. So you're kind of not Not too much. Just a little bit little us. My pants are falling down. It's OK. That's about another good thing about boobs. I can hold my reflector about myself. Stand by. Don't worry, ma'am. I'm a professional. I know what I'm doing. Okay, Now you're gonna do this. Perfect. So what we want is the palm of your hand underneath your job. Exactly. And the fingers like this on the face, but not actually pushing in, just faking it. They're going to come up like this to have this. It's help me out. Been Photoshopped. Let's move that those little pieces of hair or just yes, Like that's like, I'm gonna bite your tongue and eyes that way. Oh, yes, we al Hold that. Hold that. Hold that eyeballs to me. Okay, we are done. Thank you. See, you survived it, Angelita. You had so many fans in the chat room. Everyone absolutely said you were beautiful. Said you were brave, loved what you were doing. And thank you for being here in front of everyone because we know that that is tough. It does not make it easy. So thank you. again for being here and for being your beautiful self and Angelina. We also have a number of photographers in the chat rooms who would love to photograph you as well. So we have people lined up so absolutely gorgeous this section. So first of all, thank you. Wear all looking, sitting of the shots, looking like Wow, she looks stunning. Amazing. Yeah. So we're talking here about about stripping down defenses in the section. How is it that you that you get women to be the most the most vulnerable? I'm sorry that that's okay. We're talking about the question. If we're talking about stripping down defenses and we're excited to see you do that again with a niece, what are some of the things that while she's not in here that that you do that, you recommend to make them feel vulnerable? Those right again, the theme of stripping senses? Well, you know, being that we're in a studio and we have people watching and there's basically TV cameras everywhere, I'm trying to organically demonstrate how naturally I do it. But, you know, that's it's different. It's a different environment, so it's not gonna be perfectly authentic when you're talking to someone, It's normally they're nervous for like 30 seconds. Once you get going, you know you're fine. I mean, this time I did meet her before we came out. Kind of talked about some stuff just to kind of switch it up and give her a little bit more time with me before she came out. But the most important thing is connecting and hearing about their story. And really, listen, they're gonna tell you why they're there and what's important to them. So then try to relate to it. People love it when you relate to it. Or like how I brought up my daughters and how I related Turn that way and then and then your friends. That's key. So Angie, in the chat room noted that one of things that you did was actually call attention to perceived flaws instead of like, you know, being just 100% supportive and positive. And you're awesome. You're great. You did acknowledge the flaws. Do you do that intentionally? What is your thinking behind it now? Because Israel, I'm not here saying, you know, trying Teoh drum up some bs reality for them that I want them to subscribe to. You know, we're dealing with issues that every single day we're beating ourselves up over, you know, I mean, I look in the mirror and I think I have nice eyes, but I don't go. I love my body. And my stretch marks are awesome, you know? I mean, we have things that we look at in the mirror that we wish weren't there. That's just the reality of it. But that doesn't mean that we love ourselves any less. So that's really where I'm coming from. A very real and nurturing environment of saying yes, we all have flaws we don't like, But I'm gonna take care of those for you. Amazing, beautiful. More about the emotion and then the expression in the face. We could tell she has a gorgeous expression. This pictures were amazing, but we could actually kind of see how at the beginning she was a little bit more tense in her face on, and I know from hard experience last night I seem to forget what I'm doing with my face, and it's it's kind of one of those. It's a surreal type of a moment there, and so how do you get them to relax and find that expression? That's more of a natural expression, whether it's if it's not a spot. Smile, Especially normally, I am shooting super, super fast. So normally a client has 40 minutes with May. We do two outfits and an implied nude set, and I'm shooting about 500 images. So I know as I'm shooting and I'm talking to them and were bloody blow. I know that, like the 1st could be throwaways. It doesn't matter. It's just a matter of getting the shutter going, like getting them used to being, you know, and I'm directing and put your head here, pop your shoulder, kick your hip out. I'm moving them around. I'm constantly directing, and I'm keeping the conversation going on Super bossy on the super chatty Cathy. If they're not feeling like they're going, they want to talk. I'll talk so I don't have, like, the dead time that you're seeing here. It's just this is a different environment, and we're all getting used to it, so it takes a little longer for a client to go. Okay, I can connect with you now. We could usually at the time she got to the bed. Yeah, I got a lot better with her expressions. A lot more relaxed. Seemed a lot more now. Usually it happens really quickly, like Michelle knows. You know, like we were having a blast, like within five minutes, you know? So it's like, you definitely start getting that feeling like you're your old friends and this is a slumber party and we're just hanging out. And this is like, how much fun? Pampered, and I'm pretty. So it's keeping it light and fun, but also giving them an opportunity to tell their story and relating to them the best you can, okay?

Class Materials

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Client Policy
Example: 2 Day Schedule
Lightroom Presets
Lightroom Presets Installation Instructions
Client Session Information
Full Edit & Longhand Retouch Partt 1
Full Edit & Longhand Retouch Part 2
Full Edit & Longhand Retouch Part 3
Longhand Retouch Part 1
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Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Let me first start off by saying that Rachel puts her subject first. She has a passion for empowering the everyday woman, showing them that Boudoir photography by no means only belongs to the "supermodels". She shows them that they're amazing and beautiful, and it was so comforting and heartwarming to see this in action in her Creative Live course! When Rachel's shooting with a client it's almost like no-one's in the room but the two of them. Rachel gives her undivided attention to the client's safety and well-being and general comfort. I was so glad I tuned in for the course as I learnt countless tips and techniques about lighting, angles, posing, different settings for the different types of shots you'd want to grab. Another reason that watching the class was such a pleasure for me is that Rachel comes across as that awesome, down to earth, lovely friend you might have in your life, who just happens to be one of the BEST Boudoir photogs on the planet! This was an excellent workshop, top to bottom, and I'd recommend purchasing it to anyone who wants to learn everything about this type of photography, including the business side of things which her husband, Sean, explained thoroughly. I have absolutely no idea what a couple reviewers were "disappointed with" but take it from me - this is a STELLAR course and if you're looking to get into the business, or just even honing your skills on photographing the ladies, this is most definitely the course for you! Tons of info - great guidelines on how to handle your models, great info on lighting, lenses and settings! Rachel will make you fall in love with Boudoir photography like your life depended on it! She's just THAT good! So go on, purchase the course and have her invaluable instruction at your fingertips whenever you need it!

SunSoBright
 

I mainly photograph landscapes but I'm interested in learning other types of photography. Being introverted it's a challenge for me to photograph people but I it's a barrier I want to get over. I purchased this course and some others on portraiture and boudoir photography. While Rachel and her husband aren't polished speakers I thought they were honest and straightforward. The "clients" being photographed seemed a bit nervous but I imagine that had a lot to do with the fact they were doing the boudoir session live in front of thousands if not millions of viewers. Rachel also had to keep in mind she was tethered and the recording of the session while photographing her client so I don't think this was optimal and Rachel's back began to bother her so I'm sure she was in some physical pain. Regardless, the resulting pictures were beautiful so Rachel was able to make her clients feel "safe" enough to get through the session. Also it seems part of the audience were women who had been photographed by Rachael so it says something that they came to learn from and support Rachel. I appreciated Rachel was photographing real women, not models. What I liked most about this course is it made me feel like little 'ol ordinary me could be a boudoir photographer too If I am ever inclined to do so. Her style of photography isn't quite mine, but the session was still useful and instructive especially with regard to her lighting set up. I wish Rachel had talked a bit more about setting up the support team that goes around with her like her make up and hair artists, how she finds and decides on houses to rent and what cities she goes to, etc. but I guess you can't go over every single thing in a single course or maybe that can be a future course. Rachel and her husband seemed like a nice down to earth couple who put their family first and they were quite honest about some of the difficulties and their concerns over safety for themselves and their clients. I was touched that Rachel photographs women who have gone through cancer treatment for free as I do volunteer work in a hospital. I thought the bonus and included materials which had Rachel's Lightroom presets and her client info packet was very generous. Some of the other photographers charge for getting a copy of their client documents and presets. I purchased Rachel's eBook off Amazon and wanted to purchase Rachel's Photoshop actions but in searching for the purchase links I read Rachel is going through some health issues, I think it was spinal fusion, and it seems has suspended her business until she recovers. It looks like she plans to still make her "return" sessions starting with Hawaii during April 2017. I wish her and her family the best and will say a prayer for her quick and complete recovery. Thank you Rachel and Sean for coming to Creative Live and I hope you will teach another class or at least participate in a critique of boudoir photographs.

WellsWells
 

Warning: You are about to encounter a large number of exclamation points. ;-) This was such a great course! It was great to learn boudoir with such a caring, generous, and knowledgeable pair! Rachel really brought it with her posing, shooting, and building rapport with her clients. She even kept going while in intense pain! Also, the sections on retouching were EXCELLENT! I had trouble following the first retouching segment where she used her actions, but then she came back to retouching later and showed us how to do each step "longhand". Knowing what each action is designed for makes such a difference! I feel like Rachel read the audience and saw that we were floundering, and tailored her presentation to just what we needed! Sean was also very thorough in his presentation of the "business" side. It is hard, as an artist, for me to run my business like a business. Sean showed how it can be done. He also showed the need for a strong "why" to focus on when telling others about policies. "It's a business. I need to feed my kids." I need to reach down and find my "why" that will keep me strong enough to stand behind my policies and pricing. I haven't gotten a chance to sit down and go through all of the bonus materials yet, but I am so excited to see what's in there! I saw that Rachel had posted a longhand version of the "little hug," and I watched it, and I have been trying it out on some of my older images. Just that one little tweak makes such a difference! Thank you, Rachel and Sean, for giving us SO MUCH usable content! I'm so glad I decided to watch and then purchase this course! And I can't wait to see the two of you again for your next creativeLIVE!

Student Work

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