Lessons
Lesson Info
Culling Selects
maybe we could just review a little bit about what the lighting set up Waas just before we start to move it for people who are asking. Sure. So I had two lights that were evenly lighting the background and their, um they have the flats around them to prevent the lights from spilling forward. Maybe you want spill. So then you go like this. Open it up and you'll get a little rim on his shoulder, which could have potentially been nice. So many things to do. So, uh, we have it here now. We had our key light, which was this big biotech that was over here. And then we had this one adding a little extra shape towards the back. That's it. And then we sort of started killing the lights one by one. So and then in particular, in the shot we can even see right now, he has a very bright won t shirt. Yeah, how and I we overheard you talking with Dave about you know about that. How do you go for exposing that? So our exposure had it been brighter when much brighter When he took off the red, I would h...
ave adjusted for it. But what would have happened is no would have said closed down 1/3 which he did, or he would have told No. And I know what if I would have seen him going in just to adjust it. So this is the pace and the vibe of what it's like on my commercial sets for a magazine cover shoot, because there's it's sort of were sort of a well oiled machine in that way. But I'm not afraid. Teoh. Stop and say, Just let's kill this and come over here and stand by the window, you know? And I'm not. And I'm not gonna throw them off by saying that either. Uh, so I think seeing sort of how this is sort of a little song and dance that we dio is, um, really helpful because you guys also get to see me just focusing here. So I'm not lost in the photography of it. I also think it's really important toe have been where you are right now, because I know how to say to know that we're to Dave, I can articulate what I'm looking for because I did it myself from the beginning So let's go ahead and at it. I'll just have you started top. And then the 1st 1 the first, the absolute And we can something way. There's something in there, and that's that. No, this particular set up was just way killed the back to and had the 1st 2 on. Or was that just that side? Rotech. Yeah. So that was he was just confirming my suspicions, which is that it was just the that side angled Phil biotech here So potentially when he comes back out and is another outfit, we I could start just like that. And all of a sudden it's a new shoot, right? I think it's that. So this image, this image without like it, like, uh, basically on the left side is what we can do with it with, You know, we wanted to. We have a lot of latitude. We could even push it a little farther if we wanted to. Right there is when we just say thank the gods for raw. Yeah, right, because we have the ability to we're still in the realm of possibility. It's still where we want to be. It's a properly exposed image, but there are ways we could make it open up the shadows more or close them down if you really wanted to make it moody. So I think that's beautiful. I love that he is looking away. I would mark that as a select and just go ahead down. So let's skip it. I'm just gonna go through all of them and then I'm gonna stop on the ones that I like. You make it so they can see it's a big green. They know that it's perfectly calibrated for the folks at home. They might not be able to see the entire green had no no criteria were cross a little bit. There we go. OK, perfect. So definitely keeping course. Okay, so keep going. Keep going like something in there and I go back. One more like that. Keep going. Nice going. Please roll right through. That's nice. Go back. But I actually have a the saturation there. So the reason why I'm basically going through only marking the ones that I like, but it's a big wide at it. Thank you. Another trip to France, right? It's It's a big, wide at it that I like, um and then I go back and I find Tune it a little bit so and the reason I love that one The reason I'm not saying anything in between is sort of thinking. So I'm gonna try to talk out loud for you. Basically the other ones. I'm just not seeing a connective iti to, you know, I'm not connected to him or it's not striking enough. Um oh, that's fun, but big sort of big smile. Go back, love. Sort of like the softer smile on the next one. Better so then I would go back uncheck the one before Sometimes it's good to edit reverse, which I do a lot Keep going. Just I love both about its these halfway moments. Yeah, okay. Yeah, I love No, no, that's not at all. I'm really super fast editor. As far as I when I'm driving. So you wanna drive? No, no. Keep going. That's nice. I like that whole wide. That's great. That's interesting. I love the step. That's nice. Keep going. Good. Let me change it up. Really right about this one. This one first one Keep going. You like it with studio in there? This, um, environment. I like how symmetrical it is, but the corners air slightly different. I love the motion in that last one. This one. Yeah, keeps up. I cut off his toe way, have other toes. That's nice. Going good. I love that one. Go back up next one. Love. So basically, this is my the wide at it. And then when we I will take all of the wiser than I would narrow it down a narrow down to just 10 selects that I sent to the client or editor, sometimes you have to deliver more. That's totally acceptable. I think there's a lot in here that would make him happy. Wendy's asking, How do you call that many great images down to what you actually keep an or submit to the client and that Does the client dictate how many? Or do you have a general rule to a paying client? OK, interesting question. I definitely don't have a rule, there's no set number, and, um, it's a gut feeling, so I'll go through Well, you know, now that I'm saying this out loud, sometimes I'll have this giant edit and I love them all. But then you have to actually start going in and color correcting and processing. And then let's say I have 120 images that I've made for a big wide edit, and I have to go in and color cracked 120 images. Well, I find that when I do that, I quickly like 40 less, you know, all of a sudden and like, I don't really want to retouch this one or re color corrected. So that, to me, is a gut instinct that it's not a strong some of the others. So I start with my favorites, the ones I think of the strongest. And then, uh, once I've done that sort of first at it, I'll look through and say, All right, Did I only mark one set up? Where did I only Mark you know, the horizontal and I make sure that I have a good variety and then I So I'm always stepping back and looking at the whole package that I'm actually delivering to my editor editorially and in advertising, I want to make sure that every photo they have, if they decide to print it, I'm OK with my name beside it. So if it's for a personal, a personal shoot, and it's going to go in a family album or on a wall. I'm OK giving them the photo that maybe it's not my favorite, but they think they family looks the best. Totally okay with that. But there's really not a set number. What is the program that you are using for folks at home that you're anything in Capture? One. Uh, I use a whole variety of programs. I talk about photo mechanic a lot. It's a program I personally use. But when I'm working with ah, check and I'm tethering, I will use capture one, except in the situation where I'm using my household blood, which requires that I use their program because it is a house of blood back, which is called focus. Um, yes, sometimes last minute. Yeah, there's a lot of text in a lot more than I do about, but if she turned to me and said, you know, foam attacks, that would be like, absolutely. And I would spend the next, like ours line making sure I got this point would say, Hey, we really want you to go and take a portrait of so and So where? It's a multiple exposure and she looks like she's dancing across the page. Can you do that? It would be my pleasure. Yeah. So, uh, then I would go home and figure out how to do it, and, uh, take it from here. Add that to my arsenal of things to do.
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
An compact look into the unique and highly successful style of a top portrait photographer. Through intense focus, interaction, and willingness to experiment, she can get in ten minutes what others could not get in an hour. A look at her website shows that her style produces photos with great action and life that seem to jump off the page, in contrast to the static and posed look that is so common. For a more complete look at how she works, and to stretch yourself, also take a look at her CreativeLive course, Portraits Under Pressure. Anyone that is trusted and paid to work with top celebrities–and can produce excellent portraits when given only ten minutes and a closet–has a lot to teach us.
Tricia Rubio
Great class, I felt like I was there watching this live shoot in real time. It was helpful to see how she works through her process and I gained several fantastic tips! Thank you!
Jon Thrasher
More excellent advice and demonstration from Victoria Will. Her casual approach to portraiture and editorial shooting is refreshing! There is a good bit of overlap between this course and her Portraits Under Pressure course, so I did feel like I paid for a bit of duplication. But, they say repetition is good. But, a very helpful, professional course for anyone who shoots people (with cameras)!
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