Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot using Octagon Softbox (Ben and Jenna)

what I'm using now is not to gone soft box. So the shadows going to be a softer than the beauty dish. And, um, I might even get a job to do some unconventional lighting with me. I love working with light and love experimenting with it. I love doing things that are different with it. So we're going to start out conventionally than in a few minutes. I'm gonna ask you to take the light off the stand and hold the light for me. Okay? Right. So now we've got two models. Come right on in. Ben and Jess. Jenna, Jenna, Jenna! Jenna. All right, so let's start a love love your dress, so I don't see the shot just yet, But I do see that dress flying out is one thing. Uh, I'm gonna move the chair down toward you, then right there is good. I think what I might do start out crazy thinking here that I'm gonna have you sit down. Kind of stiff needs together. Just like that. Jenna, I'm gonna have you kind of sashay. Good, even. Probably your dress up as you do that too. Boom. Just like that. Just throw it...

up in the air. And before we do anything else, let me just a test shot for exposure. We need to get the exposure to as far as the lights. Concern. I'm going to turn the light just a little bit to the right. So the center of the light is actually going toward the corner of the room here. So we're just kind of using the fall off, if you will, and we may have to bump the light up. Let's do a test to see what the exposure is. I don't want 5.6 now. We've got a lot of diffusion inside the soft box. Must take the power all the way up if you will, because right now I gotta turn all the way down. That sounds like what f come a little closer to the models point right towards me. There you go. Good. 11 Portland. Just like 11 point. You mentioned that you're using the fall off from the side of the soft box. Why would you not point the soft box directly at them? Why use the sides just because I want to get a more? I always do. Always used kind of Ah, uh, the side of my lighting. Sometimes if it's a product, I'll get it right in the center. Just a nicer light. To me, it's probably not that much difference just the way I shoot. Okay, That answer. But hey, okay. Test shot. I'm gonna get 11 going here. Did you say 11.5? Okay, so if 11 will be good in a test shot, who was pretty like that, that's going to look fantastic. So, Jenna, I want you to be really animated. Ben is gonna be a kind of stiff and serious, and you could be lovely. And I'm also gonna back up a bit. I love shooting with my 72 300 but I do have to back up sometimes. And also, when I shoot full length, I'd like to try to be around bellybutton height somewhere in that nature and one little situation here. And Joe, that's the light is actually in my friend. So when you move the light over for me, let's try to keep it exactly the same distance just like that. And now, further to the left. Just a tiny bit. Perfect. Thank you. Good. All right. Nice. I love this. Okay? I was a little soon. Good. Okay, Jenna, turn your head toward Ben just like that. It's a great shot. And I missed it. I didn't. Okay. We want to catch the dress as it's on its way down. SE set. Go. Oh, I love it. I missed it. I saw it. I saw it. I wanted to get now and again. Again. I got it. That Yeah, again, Almost got at that time. Beautiful God at that time and again. Good work. Divert. Okay. Yeah. When you're saying Got it. What was it about the shot that you got? It was the dread the dress flowing up in the air like that. So that's what I got. And you see that? But hasn't capturing an emotion or expressing with time not doing that right now. I'm just shooting the models, getting that body language going. But we all see shots. We can all see those things, But when we capture them, that takes on a different. I think it's anticipation. So anticipating when I saw that little fault, if you will the dress going up When I saw it and I thought I got it and I did it the next shot I got and I gotta feeling, isn't it? It's a great feeling. Okay, let's do something different now, Ben, You can loosen up. Great job, by the way. But, um, I'm trying to think that shut out. Let's do some kind of close ups with you guys. Well, I want to use the red chair, so, uh, we'll use it that way. Good. Well, hang on a second. Let's go back to back on that thing. Cool. I like it now. Joe will have to move the red chair down. Guys will have to move it down to here. Just this way. Right there. I'm just trying to center it up. There you go. Good. Just trying to get away from the electrical plug in there. And you know, I'm back to back. This is kind of interesting. I've got to think about my light now, and, um, actually, this would be an ideal situation for the beauty dish. We just switch it out real quick. Just a beauty death. The reason I say that because I want the light to be from up here and I would use this light if it was on large boon, but we don't have it that way. So after we do this job, just so you know, I'm going to switch back to this light and have you hold it for me. And they were gonna do something really interesting. And I'm gonna try to be quick because we've got a lot of shots I want to do here. And then Judy's got hurt work to come in. So I was just wondering about your choice between the octagon and the, um, just a box like, what makes you choose a box or Octagon instead of the box shape? The only good answer I have for that is the way the light falls on the face, especially for doing head shots, which I'll end up doing in about 15 minutes. I found the Octagon. Just give me just a nicer quality of life. That's a really bad answer. I don't think e right, because a lot of what you're doing is very instinctual, like, you know what you like and the way it looks right, And that's kind of part of the photography process. There's 40 years of experience working here, and I have all the lighting equipment. You can imagine all the south boxes, and I've use them. But when I got my octagon box, it's like it's over. Let me just say this about that. The first time I use Octagon Box, it was photographing somebody with glasses, and all of a sudden, I'm not getting glass glare like I used to, So I didn't want to use that as the reason because I loved Aquaman box. But I can tell you, for some reason, it generates a beautiful life. And now look what we've got here. We've got a gorgeous light, Joe, I need to take this up and probably bring it back just because the way I'm gonna frame this shot and what I need you to do if you will point the light now, we're going off the cuff because I'm gonna take the center of the light and point right to the models this time. Uh, the mining concern is the leg of the stand right now. Let me see what I've got here, and we're good. We're good. We're good. We're good. So now feel just point the center of the light to the models. Beautiful. No, this is gonna change my exposure. So Okay. So what do you think it's gonna be half 11. Uh, yeah. 11 or 16. We'll find out here in a second. Looks like 16. Let's test it. Let's do it. Let's do it. I flash meter test. Why do you use flash meters? To be accurate. You know, with film, we could overexpose the film and under develop it and get great results. With digital. You can't over expelled 11 in half. Okay, good. All right, guys, just get some character going here. I still have the stand. So to compensate for that, I'm going to stand up, zoom in a little bit, even though I much prefer to be at a lower camera angle. Yeah, if you don't mind doing that. So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna do a I'm going to do 10 shots. And as I do eat shot on which you give me a different look. This is a clay Blackmore technique. Eight shot changed. Looks change something about the shot, and we're going to go through 10 shots rather quickly before we do that. Let me just test out here, get my composition, Okay? All right. No, um, I think we might need the light bank over here. Pull that in. That is a four bay sheet of foam core, and I use it for a fill light. My general style of lighting fitting caught on yet is to use one light. And when I need to feel like, well, specially discover that with a head shot. I used the phone chorus to felt like you've turned the phone cord this way. And I'm looking at the angle of reflected with this light heading it. That's perfect right there. All right, guys. shots. 10 looks set. Go one to yes, three. I love it for Did that flash Okay, you know, second. All right. That means we got to start all over cause you're doing such a great human guard Said Did that flash okay? Will you test me? I'm sorry it pushed into the top of your game. Um, no, it's in there. Pretty secure. Two shirts. Okay, now we're working. Okay, here we go. Set one to love. It has been awesome. Three, Look at this four. Great. A fantastic five. This is so wonderful. Six seven Great hate. Nine. Let's go crazy. So crazy. Crazy, crazy. Awesome. Okay, great. Okay, Joe, let's change lights one more time and we're gonna go back to this, and you're gonna hand hold it if you will. And you know what Frankenstein lighting is. That's where you take the light come from underneath. I love that type of white. I love the look. It doesn't have to be one of those shots. They're gonna be fine. It doesn't have to be Frankenstein light. It could just be beautiful life. So here's what I want to do. And we've turned the power all the way down. And now we're gonna tell this back just about like that and what I want you to do. Stand Least I see them get up and we'll do head shots with you in a minute and you'll be seeding again. But not on this chair. Put your right knee right behind his back there. Actually, if you put your knee and it should come in really close, Okay. So this is like a television. I know what you're leaning over looking and down right into the center here. No sale. This works out Now. I'm gonna have to guess at this with my exposure. We'll start out at 22. It looks pretty decent. Hang on. I'm bringing the fill light in this. Just the white piece of foam core. Does it feel like Okay, love this light. Love the look, and you guys can animate Oh, no, no, no. Did the flash not go off? It did. Let me do another test Shot your hair. Okay, I've got something terrible happening. What? You're what went from 22 to 22. So, um, where's the meter? Since you're holding the light, I get this. Alrighty. Whoa, F eight. My apologies. Like 22. Let's go. Or at least f 11. I like to get, so I'm taking it up. A stop on the power pack. That's fall over here. Sorry. Where f 11 now. Good. Thank you. Meet her. Okay. One more test shot will be ready to go. Okay. I love this. Look, I love what you're doing there. This is wonderful. Great animation here, Jenna, bring your right hand back on his shoulder. More specific. Just like that. Now your heads closer together and you're looking at crystal diamonds appearing in front of your face there for that worked in it. Okay, Good. Now to what? Look at me right here. Nice look, interesting life. And, you know something? Uh, I just noticed another element of light I want to use. And to get that the work, I'm gonna have to take the shutter speed down. Probably 1/30 of a second. You know, See if I've got it here. I was just looking at the light coming on her hair and probably have to go lower than that. So I won't do that now, because we do need to move on here. Good. Look. Nice. Look. Great shots. Beautiful. Thank you. Okay, So Jenna is one more shot at when I do with you by yourself. Just gonna set up the white background for the head shot and Judy's first shot. And about time that set up what We will be good to go. So, Jenna, here's what I want to do. I would like you to be in that window self and your back up against the wall here, your dress kinda flowing down and we'll find the post when we get up there. Many of you will help her get out. Please. It seems the game news, you know. All right, So now the only thing is I'd like to get this light against that wall over there, and I'm gonna shoot from back there. Do we need to clean it up there first? Oh, okay. Yeah. I should have thought about that yesterday when I saw the shot. No, what I do you see here we have one from Goga in the chat room. They say hello from Korea. Atia, Croatia. Uh, do you ever plan a shoot or are you spontaneous and just assigned on the spot What you're gonna do as you're shooting both planned shots? I have a shot in mind. And but I would say these days, 80% of time. I'm using those three elements where I have ah, a subject or model. So that's 1/3 of the battle. The next third is the lighting, and I look for or in this case, create light toe work in on the third battle is the background itself. So when I get those three things to work for me, um, I'm kind of spontaneous with that, but when I get to ah, place where I am shooting something specific, I have something specific in mind. Kind of make those three things happen in a certain way. Here. I'm not doing that. This is totally spontaneous. When Aaron was calling me about what I need for props this and that, I said, don't worry about it. We're just gonna do it as we go. And that's the whole idea of this shoot is to create something. I watch creativelive all the time. You've got enough shoots where they actually have very specific. When I get to the head shadow. Probably a little more specific. Look at this. I mean, this is a great I have this in mind right now. We're gonna work out her right knee. I want that to be higher. Okay, Good. And the lighting needs to be higher. You sure you're one strong? I go up as high as you can. All right, there's good. Right? Got it. Beautiful. No. Look at this. That everything is working his just right. Do a test shot. Test shot right here. It looks like the exposures. Right on target F 11. However, let me look at that shot again. Half 11 at 1/30 of a second. So I'm getting detail coming through the light. So that's working. Theoretically, if I was actually doing this for a job, if you will, I would do this. I don't tripod, but this is going to be fantastic. And I'm I'm already seeing a great shot. And this is one of those shots where you you got it on the first exposure. So we're ready to change now, But I'm not going to do that. I'm just teasing because this is just way too fun. And, general, tilt their head the top of your head this way. Yeah, just like that. And what I want you to do with your left arm. Probably have elbow coming out on the wall just like that. And bring your hand down. I want you to break your wrist. Rest your hand on the on the bottom with the fingers to your Now, this is what I didn't talk to you about that. That's a fat hand to me. So I want you to roll your fingers right on the bring your hand back. So here you go. Good. Good, good. Beautiful, perfect. Awesome. Now, just a great expression right here. Look at how beautiful she is. That's just wonderful. Now turn your nose back to me. No more. No more. Right there. And bring your arm back on your knee. Just a touch. Maybe not. No. Forget that. Forget it. Go back to where it was good. And that's totally out of focus. Here we go. Good. Now, just one more thing. I want you throw your head back somehow knows going this way. Almost a profile. A scope for complete profile. Give me a profile. Turn your nose to your right. Now tilt your chin way that way And to help the top of your head towards me. Just like that. Give me a beautiful, beautiful profile, Gorgeous. And now, before we get down, I want you to kick with your leg. So your dresses flying? Yeah. Gorgeous. Right there. And have fun with that great shot. Great shot. Do that more time. Good. Get the camera focus. There you go. Good. Okay. Beautiful. Awesome.