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Shoot: Student Posing

Lesson 7 from: Crazy Stupid Light

Scott Robert Lim

Shoot: Student Posing

Lesson 7 from: Crazy Stupid Light

Scott Robert Lim

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Lesson Info

7. Shoot: Student Posing

Next Lesson: Using Video Light

Lesson Info

Shoot: Student Posing

We will go over a little bit of a review first and just kind of go over some basics. I know we talked about lighting, you know, in the previous segments, but there was so much information yesterday, and we covered so much, I thought we'd just go back and cover some basic so we can get familiar with flash again and get in that flash mode up. So the thing about using manual flash and why it has an advantage over t tl, is that there's actually four ways to control your flash in manual and there's only one way in t t l and what is that one way we can control when we're in t t l the exposure compensation, and that is a relative setting s so that's, why you will get some fluctuation of exposure depending on how the camera's meet oring it's going to be it's going to set those eyes going to make those adjustments according relative relative to what the camera figures out so it's not guaranteed that you're going to get that exposure every single time, uh, cell. What we like doing is when we're ...

using manual there's four ways to control your output, and so one is by flash power output and that simply we can control the power on the flash by turning it up or down. Um and it's by stops and they usually go by fractions of power starting us full full is one over one and then it goes down to the next stop you would divide that in half so that which behalf power would be the next stop and it goes down a quarter sixteenth I mean, a sorry sixteen thirty seconds sixty fourth and then some flashes go down even to one twenty eighth power even to fifty six sometime it'll go down that low, but what I'm saying is that I think if you get a flash that goes down to one sixty fourth power I think you're pretty good um for today's newer cameras and shooting at higher isos that's why you need that flash power to go down lower also? Uh if a little trick about mei if the flash power is too strong you can always pull down the diffuser panel on it and that'll bring it down another stop or two in this flash is broken I could see okay so that's one way it's flash output the second is distance to the subject and we use this a lot because once we lock our background in we want to keep that background exposed the way we want to do it and the light on the subject we confined tune by just using distance as a very effective way to do that without throwing off the exposure on the background because once we change theis o r once we change the f stop or they're shutter speed uh then it's goingto totally change the exposure of the background not less you quickly figure out what the equivalent exposure is and match it that way but it's just a lot easier instead of doing all that math in your head just to take the flash and by distance um kind of flying tune that light on the subject where you need it. Okay, um next one is aperture aperture the smaller the hole which means the higher the number on the aperture it louse less light and your camera usually a setup in third stops so you can control your light in third stops for example uh let's say we're shooting in f or and there is too much light uh we can limit that light by turning up r f stop too four, five, five, six, eight, eleven, sixteen, twenty two whatever. Ah, we just make that hole smaller and it lets like less light in the last way we could do it is by I s o and we talked about I don't know if you remember but we had a missile off and what do we determine that was the highest asso somebody shot at twenty eight to any twenty five thousand and with the newer cameras nowadays uh, turning up the I s o so high you khun turn this little guy into a monster and you khun do some serious light with this and that's using technology to your advantage so those are the four different ways that we can control light are there any other questions that you guys might have before taking your final exam now there there find their final exam is this is that they have to, uh, light the subject uh sandwich like the subject with two flashes and then they have to jail the background ah color whatever, but I hear one of the students might go crazy and may use a lot more than three flashes, but I don't know he's trying to go for extra credit or self that you know we'll have to determine yeah, you know we can give him extra credit or not, but that's basically what we're trying to do today and we can also later mess around and let you guys experiment with some of those things that we did yesterday if you liked it and you wanted to try it, then we can do that and don't worry about it. We're all help here to help each other and don't feel intimidated or anything I will be glad to screw up a bunch of times for you and I'll be the first one to screw up if they you know to just put you at ease it's all about learning having fun experimenting, letting your vision go I release your vision okay, so you guys have any questions? Okay, let me talk a little bit uh maybe you guys might be a little bit um uh interested on how we actually set up this lighting setup and how you use a radio trigger. Okay? And this is my triggers air just like a lot of other traders and so they're really the same. So what you do here so I can get this off? I put us on a pretty tight okay, this is called a transmitter. Okay? This transmits a signal to what we call the receiver okay, in order for them to talk to each other on a lot of systems you have to match the code. Okay? Mine has sixteen different combinations on it that you can use now why would you want? Why do you need different codes on here? Anybody know why we would use different codes? Same transmitter, right? I don't have them setting off your flash and vice percent exactly. And sometimes when let's say you have two photographers um you khun b on two completely different channels so you're not triggering each other's flash and so it's important to do that now what I do is because most likely I'm the only one that that controls my flash I make it easy on myself and I just put all these dip switches here I don't know if you can see them I usually just put them all down are all up because I want I'm I don't want to confuse anything so actually what I'm doing workshops and we all have the same equipment I say listen, I'm all down I'm claiming that channel you to something else, okay? So just be aware of your shooting with me I'm all down you got to do something else okay, so that's what I do I put this the code down all down and then I go to the receiver and I make sure that's all down then you got to make sure that your flash is in manual mode, okay? Don't put it in slave mode or anything like that because this is a manual system and we are controlling the flash. Your camera is not your camera is doing nothing. Okay, so what I make sure isn't a man in on my on my particular flash that light has to be on m for manual, okay? And then what I do is I turn it on, I put it on low power before I test everything, then I hold this transmitter test button down to see if it fires just to make sure everything is cool uh and then once I got to go ahead with that I put my transmitter on my camera and now I'm all sync up so when I fire my shutter it fires and they can talk to each other okay? Yeah question you get up to multiple flashes so they all fire? Yeah, one trans right that's what we did yesterday. Okay, so this will fire, you know, is many transmitter's as you want, you want to set up one hundred go for a cz long as it's within range now this particular system ah, we got about three hundred feet, so I think we're pretty cool here. We're going to use the ten feet so we should be fine now, the thing you always have to remember to just like the radio in your car sometimes when you're in certain situations, don't isn't your radio get static and things like that nature on dh so sometimes there would be some sort of elect trickle interference or they'll be some metal blocking something and it won't go off all the time but they are pretty consistent in general, especially if you get the radio. It's ah, very reliable. Ok, any other questions on the set up of this? Okay, now do we have a brave soul who wants to start off now you know I'm your little assistant so you just tell me what to do and I do it ok I'm just like I'll you know control the camera get the settings whatever you want them to be I'll even hold your light if you want teo I'm just here for you guys okay uh so does anybody want to just start it off oh yeah a good you on he started off getting it over with okay so you pick your assistance and you pick your model ok lets do you want will use this chair okay uh well what I doing anything right exactly told toll I'm just sitting here what's that you said not until you're told yes okay um priscilla would you help me be assistant and oh my goodness there's um since I've been admiring your necklace all day weight coming from please be my model all right um okay so I'd like to move this out um okay from the background right let's see um let's see I want to get how about right about here yes I think this is good um just a little bit and then I could use it and then I'm going to while you hold the the flash I think well yes so I'll be happy to do that I can get two flashes on dh let's go ahead on and gels gels I got somebody hold this camera yes ma'am I do have the chills what color would you like um, I just got my partial thing here. I don't have all of them so let's come over here and maybe they don't even know what jails are so let's come over here and, uh, they're just basically colored tinted, okay, plastic thing. You like purple? That one that one okay, and let's use actually a different flash because I've brought the flash is that you can put the jails on and so let's let's, let me show you like, if you get my joke it I mean, you could use any jail kit. I include some, like, a clear plastic that you can cut out to fit your flash and some gaffer's tape. And I find that the easiest way to do this is to just wrap this kind of clear plastic around. And what I do is like, I create a little cover for it. So I just put the jail on top of the flash, and then I just close it up like this and that I find the fastest way to switch out gels. Okay? All right. So let me make sure everything's going, can you the test button on there for me? Okay. We're good. You want just tell me what power you want this at, um, I think we'll go for half half hour, ok? Why did you decide to put it in half hour? Well I'm just curious I'm I'm trying to go for that similar lighting effect that we did yesterday with the background being purple and I want it a little bit further so surround six feet s o that I'm getting more of that washing color on the background okay? And um the six feet but how did you determine on half power and why not like one eighth power? Is it just because I used half power yesterday? Well, so I'm thinking, you know, while I'm thinking actually I was thinking about eighth power or half power because you were talking about the color faras the stronger the flash you know, the less impact that the little girl will have on the image so I kind of want just like a hint of that color back there not you know, but I'm not trying to imagine it in my mind you actually know what camera settings that you're going to be shooting at I'm thinking of so how do you know your flash power before you determine your camera sitting so I was already already thinking of the black box right and how in eliminating the ambient light right? Right that's the first step very good yes so in thinking about that and from what we did yesterday and the fact that we are in the same setting and it's not like I'm just coming up here and doing that I did have the benefit of us doing that yeah right right so I'm thinking about that setting a veteran eleven okay um to affection effectually get rid of all of this ambient light right? So let's do that okay let's actually, um take a shot at the setting that you think we need to put it at and let's see if actually the all the ambient light is eliminated at that setting okay, fine yes on the switch here there's on and off so if you could just push it down in there light will stop blinking and then I'll make sure that flashes aren't ok so what what what what about eleven uh s so one hundred uh for some reason I didn't probably change my battery that I should have did that but that's why I have a lot of extra batteries here. Sorry about that. What can go wrong will go wrong please remember that it's just true to life so I can have backups on your backups. Ok? All right connecting. Okay, we are at f l what would you say? I want it those mixers in manual okay, let me turn this toe af eleven for you okay someone s o one hundred on and um one one hundred twenty yeah, okay, great so I'm going to take a picture of disarray, okay and I took it and let's see if it's completely dark I'm not sure if they switched it completely dark ok, so we created what the black box so we're now you're in full control of the light nobody sees anything until what you want us to see? Ok, right, so yeah. So you set that at what flash power did you set that at half half power or did you because I asked you what you want me to? Yeah. Okay, bring it over here. I'll set it to half power is on this so I couldn't see there you go half power and I'm using your example of about five six s. So I'm thinking there you go here. So you want to put the flash six feet away from the background because the chart says at half power at f eleven that will give you the exposure for the background. Oh, very good. Hoping now why don't you stand and see if that flashes pointing at your right is appointing where's it pointing to the head it's yeah it's a little hi hi, I want you pointed down because she's actually lower all right, whoever heard the background like if we're shooting here, that background is going to be right about where her stomach iss all right, so right now we're right about the lower right so you don't want it higher than her head well, doesn't that and you know it's just it's ok, it'll still work in pairs doesn't have to be exact science it works it seems a little okay I think we're there now what I'm gonna do is I'm going to what I like to do is after we said it I'd like to test it to make sure um you might want to move out the way just to see did it go off oh no I think you turned it off so I turned it off can you flip it back on? I always test everything before I start engaging the model because I always want my model fresh so if I if I'm like posing her and I don't got my act together then she's going to get bored and she's gonna think lesser means she's gonna lose confidence in me so I get my act together first and then I bring her in then I can pose there just for a few minutes and then bam I could take my shot okay, so that's why I always test everything first and bam okay looks and glorious ok, then I'm gonna have you coming in. Okay, here, let me have you come right here um little it closer and then I think yeah, not going to gel this but I wanted at one eighth you wanted at one eight why did you want wealth a ce faras the the inverse square law yes um the distance we have discussed that at six feet would be um half power right so I'm coming and I'm bringing her in half the distance yes so we're going to lose we're going to get work gaining two stops right right so I wantto lower the flash from half quarter eighth got it. Wow. Very good so then okay do you know what atheism that I believe yeah, uh that looks like yes okay does right close your eyes I'm going to test it okay, yeah went off there's some flashes going off over there if somebody could just turn one of those off yeah, like high okay and I well, we're more than three feet now so come on in e trying to that's three feet okay, so I'd like you to look up no hidden well, don't quite turn your body going tio let's see? Yeah, let me get my hands. I'm the best question yeah, I I'm going to capture more of just your uppers literally you know what they're doing? I don't even get into posing until I fix the lighting so I suggest, you know, let's just get the lighting first and then we'll talk about posing later, okay? Because then we'll just let that model rest and then because the creativity comes after the technical in my mind and get the technical down then you're free to create it and let's get the technical down first we do it the same just look closer yeah I want you kind of come in yeah it's coming down on her so your nose up towards the light and I like where yeah go ahead turn your body just ill hair this way it was towards the light and then you're gonna look towards me you see something like that that's kind of what I'm saying okay see what happens now you need another light on the subject because it's exactly two that's right two lights than sandwich her okay so what do you want me to do? I would like you to go ahead and get another fresh okay angel power date tower got it and I'm gonna bring you back okay behind her there all right three feet alright come in oh yeah you're doing okay yeah he's a typical e on facebook right now okay uh uh all right let's just try it let's go for you yeah, you you can do it. Yeah. Hello like ok, I'm totally chicken here. Okay? That's like just halfway down to focus it and its center once you hear the beep you know what you pull back a little bit and then zoom in on her okay? Because then that will compress the won't distort her face okay so you are nose up to the light let me get you let's see my angle is weird just afraid and move around you go ahead and take the shot to test the lighting to see how the lighting is and then we'll find tuna justice well everything going I'll start oh no the back didn't they didn't mind not okay I don't think it's turned on okay so okay now it's turned on okay hit the test button again there it is okay so before I start focusing and everything I just killed that get the test button going to make sure everything's firing and then I quickly focus and just take a shot okay maybe just been a little bit because you're more of a little bit more than three feet close the distance between you and her down well there you go go off I think it's oh okay okay america's next okay now students do you guys have any suggestions for little ani of what I would want idea of how you would maybe uh or do you want ok now that you see it do you want to change anything what do you want to do the the light in the back I want it lower I definitely the job bite oh yeah you want it you want a darker lower lower okay wait okay, good you had like a little bit further back behind her head okay um yes and this is still good I'm thinking about her posing the okay so let's okay when all else fails let's go to my general rule what is that face towards the next hearts alight body away right so let's reposition or that way so perhaps you can roll on your hip a little bit yeah there were yeah yeah all right that is more what I'm looking for all right closer now uh yeah let's try this now you see the light on her lips yes I think the lights a little bit too high okay so how I like to position to the light where it's just slightly above the nose and you're you're actually placing it right there but I want you to do to take the shot to see what that does to the effect of the photo so let's do that again okay lower yeah all right just above her nose looks pretty good and then ask her if that is pointing towards her nose that perfect look at me and there we go all right that's better right better that's um now um you don't mind me doing this right look at the whites of her eyes when you see a lot of what I like to see white uh on both sides of the pupil so that way the I doesn't look like it's strained right so now the lighting is set up you can just change your position a bit now you can watch this okay set up the same lighting that we had okay now instead of standing there you can stand over here a little bit more and now her eyes are not reaching but the light is already light has already set up so you don't have to do anything more is just you change the position okay let's try okay better right now let's try something a little bit different that's actually a little bit close my personal let's go back and zoom in so you compress the image a bit more and you lower the camera angle slightly and let's see what that looks like okay but I like the way you framed her a little lower all right okay so you can put me out of the frame or you can invest that later or you know you can change the background because now you're shooting here and so that background is actually over here right so if you were to do that you'd have that kind of reposition er her a bit if you wanted to shoot straight on you might have tio turned her yeah her body a little bit more so let's do that so what can you turn your body a little bit more see okay right and then your cat's way go I think you were pointing at her shoulder but yeah, sure but that's why I got it right yeah, okay, very good hey could you give her a hat wow that was intense going first you took it for the team you take it for the team all right great does anybody want teo volunteer and try something I just want to say again congratulations from the internet way we're sweating there along with you so that was great you go in and sit down you passed with flying colors they and is that the first time you've ever fired off more than one flash oh absolutely and she did it in one shot ladies and gentlemen one shot on a by chance in the chat room says I just want to say I'm getting so much out of this hands on section allows us to see the mistakes that we would normally make instead of a pro like scott gets it right the first time every time so yes thank you for being willing I hope you don't mind me coming in and making some suggestions to you um and hopefully it'll at least give you a different way to look at things so I'm not here to say oh yeah my ways right or whatever but I just want to show you a different way of looking at things too all right great uh who's next anybody christine way we're thinking one of the one of the more techies technique ok take robert or neil okay roberts coming up I actually want to switch out the chair will quick okay so I'll also described the inspiration but while I set this up we're at lunch we're eating together on he's going everywhere folks I saw I saw neil hey was wearing these awesome chrome glasses and it totally changed what I had in mind it's going to be a kind of an industrial look and it was kind of that's why wanted to steal so you were inspired fire neil's sunglasses nice you can stay there though I don't want to wear you out the sunglasses gave robert a vision okay and that's what happens sometimes it could be a small little prop it could be anything it could be a chair it could be a window it could be whatever something could give spur an idea in your mind and I like this this is great. Okay, so the first thing I'm doing is I'm choosing my color um even though it's dust really should do gray just wanted a theo gel thinking okay, I'm gonna choose like a yellow yellow yeah there should be a yellow in there and I'm like holy shaking right now yeah that's okay yeah what do you do that for? You okay, listen yeah, there you go okay. Yes, sir. Okay, uh what what what are you going to shoot at? What is your uh uh I'm just gonna play around I'm going to change my risotto I saw two hundred no why's that uh just so that I can keep my resource is my my battery power more oh wow. I never heard that one techie that's a good one remember that okay so yes sir. Two hundred eso oh you mean the battery power on your flat battery power okay, yeah, I thought I'd just cameras like well I never heard of that. Okay got it. I could keep the same settings but no let's challenging two hundred oh yeah. Okay, so two hundred what? Two hundred okay, I want to do the black box so since I've added a stop I need a, um compensate by changing my aperture to can I make a suggestion? Maybe we should just try it eleven and see if it works. Okay, right. What the heck? We got nothing to lose, so I'll take a photo and see if it creates a black box. Well, that's right? Because I sow and shutter should be the same it doesn't have that much impact and it's a black box so we just saved half the flash power because we're at s o that's effectively shooting it I s o one hundred and f aint right because we know equivalent exposure's right? If we know equivalent exposures we know that if we raise the iast so up then we have to raise the f stop up right but in this case if we lowered the isso two two two one hundred we could lower the f stop tau f eight and it would be the same equivalent exposure but we're at eleven and I also two hundred makes sense everybody okay? I'm going to assistance to assistance where the taller ones actually no, I could borrow you know then you do it cool bonnie's like oh, I'll do anything it's over for may okay okay, so what I'm going to do is set up my back light first um I actually want to have more of a vertical light so I'm going to turn it this way and I'm probably gonna have you sit low to the ground right here and I need you tilting it so that a star's power sightings that summit many tests and see if it's going off yeah it's going off I saw two hundred so at six feet that means I should be able to get it at half power. So is it set at half power? Okay, yes, it is so I'm about six feet tall if I don't have stuff that you're going for here eleven half eleven and I also what? Oh f sixteen so actually I need a quarter pound I know I I thought your shooting at f eleven at s o two hundred is that not correct? That's correct? Okay, so so what is the side of my car it's a full power aside to full power I mean at eleven quarter power quarter power right thank you it says the number there is very very small but it's probably three lights down okay great good. Okay, so six feet uh can you scoot in closer towards me that should be good enough okay, I'm going to test this and it's going to be a little bit under exposed but that's okay because I kind of want that underexposed look don't stop because of the jell o got it um lani you're going to be my main light so what I'm envisioning is actually a profile picture are silhouette rather um so why don't you come up now thanks for being patient and from my main light I think industrial would mean I probably want something harsh right? So I'm going to stick with that okay um I don't want any light to spill on the background so I'm gonna have you at three feet so let's calculate the number so I saw two hundred what's that side of the flash say how convenient this is right it is let's see at three okay, so at six feet eleven I should be a quarter power that means if you're three feet in by the inverse square law you should be at one sixteenth power which I think is the middle right? Yes yeah, I got it. Okay um turn sideways for me so that you're facing protested the lights are still going off okay um I will so we'll need one more actually okay does right doesn't mean you're gonna be my backlight might my kicker let me turn that on for well it's on okay, let me test it is go off yeah, perfect sorry what power you want okay, so you can actually be six feet away and I kind of want you pretty strong um so you don't do anything he's gonna tell you where so let's go quarter power and that's interesting because if you're six feet away they're going to get more coverage yes here and that's what you want yes, I'm actually thinking about doing a vertical shot and it's going to be filling up a lot of the frame from top to bottom no, toto uh so I guess I should hold the camera now but you're gonna need a front phil oh and scott who grab the lights right. Ok do you want my friend? Okay two stops under exposed to something under a hundred okay, so I also two hundred forty the chart that were shooting at f eleven which is quarter power at six, feet away uh do you want to move it at three feet? You wanted at six feet or what do you what do you want me, how far away do you want do it six feet I'm wondering if I'm going to spill any of that light onto the background ah probably not because there's enough who knows will took the fall off would be a plus we're lowering it to stop so if I go down to stops what do I gotta be o well you start at one quarter then we bring it down with stop is one eighth we bring him down another stop it's one sixteenth okay so you got at one sixteenth power so this is just acting as a little bit of a feel flashes that crack that's correct and it's two stops underexposed stops underexposed and you're going to put me so you are my okay you want me here you want me down you want to be just right here there for now okay okay put your glasses on neal hit the test button because I just want to make sure everything is firing did everybody's like oh off did you feel the pulse okay, good okay um let's see can you stand up real quick? All right? So kind of be casual with the way you sit down um just rest your butt on the like the lip of the chair it's still there you go and then ben put your put your schooler put your front leg on the on the thank you there you go okay, so what I'm hoping is that you won't get lit up either, but uh we can set that on some take that uh remote or something I can leaning against it you go see if that you khun just position it somewhere no that's not working uh what about my like this some night and we'll get something to lead it on you maybe this thing is it's close what about my cup? Your competition that's not gonna work yeah it's going okay, wait, this is macgyver folks, you got to just work with their surroundings and figure it out okay, we did it looks like that cup is gonna work you're just gonna work okay? Walk away and I would just keep hitting that test but just to make sure everything is flowing and I've you know I've used other flashes where they sleeps on that's just a habit but for some reason if you keep using it it just keeps the electricity flow. I don't know if that's true or not but it just in my general experience I like to keep pushing that test button to make sure everything is firing and and they didn't accidentally push a button and put it in slave mode or put it another mode or something. So I constantly do that okay? Would you step to where I'm at doesn't and then you're gonna right when I say so you're gonna raise your arm up I dont you tow away yeah all the way make sure aiming it towards like the back of his head I'm hoping this spell's gonna come at least over on the shoulder and then leilani if um you can also do the same disappointed a little bit high great looks good okay, we're ready to do what you want me let me get rid of that stand in the back okay, good. You see if this has turned off this is actually on some turning that off okay e doesn't want me about six feet away six feet away highest oh, shutter speed was one twenty five yeah that's fine. Okay, six feet away but the test button just make sure everything's going off test everything going off all right? Okay okay. Neil um with your right arm can you kind of played it the frames just gonna pull it up just like that then you go and look right into the camera not the camera I'm sorry turn your head to your left just a little bit and then chin down perfect who sexy focus its center focused everything go off yeah yeah okay let's see what happened here. Whoa, wait okay. Can I have a post just to be absolute okay, so, uh, if I could have you just what I like to do is when I'm taking a portrait I like to have the shoulders turn uh kind of center. See two shoulders because they kind of create a foundation for the head. So look like look, for example, if I was just straight like this, my head is popping out my shoulder. But once I move my shoulder's a bit, then it's centers the head and it looks a little bit warmer. Natural. So in that case, I would just have him turn his body towards the camera and open it up a little bit more so I could see his huge, massive, muscular chest. Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go. There you go like that. Okay, right. And this is the same thing, man. Hit that sucker. Yeah, I'm loving again my feet away. Also claimed that is my shot. Thanks for the woodshop formula here, man. That is amazing. One shot. That's, right? Is that not cool? It's? Cool. All right, I'm shooting a little bit wider so I might get some of the ceiling. One, two, three, plate. The frames haven't turned your towards you a little bit more. Just that is open your shoulders up more towards the camera bit there. Relax your shoulders. There you go. Chin down a bit right there, see that wound to three. And they haven't look okay so once we're here why would just make him do some stuff so we're not wasting okay, so have a look at the camera this time or look above the camera so the same thing turn your head and look yeah there you go since you're here already got the light let's just rip off a couple things okay wait no smiling, smiling bad ass dick you can of your inner clooney all right, let's check sorry okay, now let's just edit this a bit let me like take a look at it, okay? That main light to me looks a little bit strong. Okay, so let's back that off a bit uh what do you think? Yeah, that your vision parading close to it yeah, I'm just thinking of making it had darker okay, yeah yes, that my my original intent was to have it like really dark in the front maybe um so that mainland looks a little bit bright in my what do you think way into just a little bit okay, so we can move her back a bit. Okay. Okay. So let's move her back can step right? Do it and uh let's try that let's try that now what I do he's wearing dark okay, so what I like to do like that look too, but I liked of shine because his isn't his face brighter than his what he's wearing so if I fire the flash directly right where the dark spot is then this is going to make this brighter and a little bit of light is going to come here and it's going even the exposure because when I look at that picture over there that shirt looks too dark right? So I'm going to shine the light in the dark area okay more does that make sense so it evens out the exposure and that's why if you understand your light it's going to cut down on your post processing because in post you'd have to do that but now with one shot make an adjustment damn it's right there. Okay, so I'm gonna have this light come down a little bit lower house that okay and then is she backed off enough with lani? Is that right or a little bit further let's go a little bit better maybe like six inches further okay? They're like that's gonna start out open up towards this a little bit more neil relax your shoulder. Okay. Oops actually I was pointing at a shoulder oh, well I wasn't concentrating let's see what it looks like? Okay that's a little bit darker now that I think you're certain needs to come out a little bit more would you agree? So I'm going to bump up mine a tad yeah bye stop stop okay right or you could have gotten closer, but you're pretty close to the subject. All right, can you lead forward a bit? Kneel towards the camera. Yeah. Um bring your right arm kind of front into the front too like that. Oh, something that fire I didn't think it was the back. Okay, hit that what happened there? Okay, what did you actually, uh hit the test button it's going to get that back when go off let's just make sure everybody's settings they're cool. What do you quarter? I actually maybe a quarter. Okay, I actually move mine up quite a bit, so I because I wanted to lighten his shirt up so that up light is actually me and I'm sorry, but I'm gonna flag off my life, see what I'm doing I'm going to flag off my light so that light doesn't spill over into his face and it just lights the shirt. Does that make sense? Okay, so I'm gonna flag it off quick test. All right, on three. One, two, three but that looks like that's better, right? It's kind of a dark field, you know, kind of getting there uh different, you know, you know, you could actually have lani come a little closer. What do you think? Because the black light is a little bit stronger than the main light um and so you could actually have disarray in the back more and so its rim above his head so they could separate a bit yes, yes, right. So let's say we were come back this way right there right there back of his head let's try that and so this is your crafting your masterpiece you start off with an idea and then you keep moving it china and this is the fun part was kind of um so yeah let's get that light can you grow about six men inches taller so let's try to get the light higher so the edge of her head is a little bit more right? Okay, and then just to fix the shadows can you put the frame respect here? It's just you know, I'm not concerned that we're gonna get reflection because lights it's taller than yours and I would see his body position there I would actually turn his is body a little bit more towards the camera. Okay, okay, yeah, forty five degrees relax, relax your shoulders. I don't want any tension there, so I want you to look relaxed, confident and cool. See how I described that I described emotions all right, that's pretty cool. What do you guys think? You know, so there's some different ways of doing it, but I think give a hand robert out that cool I actually like your first shot that way with goldman my my adjustments were terrible but it was great that's so so scott the chat rooms actually have a challenge for neil if he's up for it oh, we want to see d photo specifically suggested a silhouette with a blown out background. What do you think? Yeah, well, what with a blown out background so we'll take the ceo jo off. Yeah, perhaps can we blow this out? You think we can I think again, yeah, you can definitely blow it out. You have to. So full power is ah, robert, this is challenge for neil your deal for my frenemy killing pointed you out too way have to use some new rules, right? Because we got to get a lot of power on them back around. We're gonna blow it out, right? Uh, new territory? Yeah, let's say let's say I've never done this once. So listen experiment with that we're done with a great background only white paper way necessarily need to completely blow it out just, you know, make it more of a silhouette so that they that so that we're not doing just the black box again we're trying to do something more high key I guess they want whatever I'll do it, we'll do it I wouldn't necessarily put lights on the subject at that point then okay I'm probably just going yeah yeah there you go I like that idea because then that way the background will be overexposed and some of that light might wrap around a bit uh but we don't know but we'll take a look at it and hopefully we'll create a silhouette so in general we're just creating a window let's pretend that's a window coming this way good idea um I mean I would probably start with two lights on each side okay two two and two shooting out the background somewhere all right let's go forward power half hour each I'm using multiple flashes because I don't want oh right two aren't full we're starting place so what you want me dio let's just go for a quarter power yeah that's porter power money for four flashes we get two assistants holding doing this thing here yeah like that yep tio and then uh too and some say let's go to quarter power here okay uh turn this on you want to hold two? Yeah quarter power here okay, so basically what you're doing is I'm not gonna even talk this is your challenge that's pretty much what I was thinking and I was yeah I would stay I mean your three to four feet from the center I would or even if you know so I'll be aiming kind of towards this spot towards the middle here on dh then when you're shooting it I kind of go a little bit wider um you don't have to hold it up there right now we'll get the rest of it set up um robert you wantto switch places with me be my silhouette cool so I'll um can we pull this stuff out from back there now? I'm not exactly sure on camera settings purse except that I would leave him where we've been working from f a little from there one twenty fifth and go from there s so you want to go back to one hundred I'll change it for you we could go back to one hundred. Wow, you could just rip around that similar tonight um one twenty fifth except your opportunity okay, so I would go back to where we started when twelve eleven that's fine. I saw one hundred all right, let's just see what happens. I have no idea, no idea a fool and I would just say like cross arm shoulders both um if you want to get a silhouette you should see the profile of his face. Yeah, right so having turn yeah, yeah look this way oh, okay, okay, we're getting close let's try it again but let's have him turn his face sideways yeah that's great and write out or uh scott is I guess cool background lights these guys see that pattern there I guess we could actually make like a nice kind of halo off I'm not sure if you remember exactly where you guys were but maybe kind of aiming rightto like we're his shoulder line is so it almost halos mohr his head yeah yeah let's just do that you can have her separate her hands a little bit more so even coverage on that okay cool so let's turn more sideways so we could see his nose it is profile and don't make him smile yeah um I would even I like the first one it was like a little bit more grey in the background so I mean we can either but they want a blowing out back they wanna pull around front crown well that we're going to need moss power let's try this get this e I say use that his inspiration you use the challenges inspiration and create your image cool but just that you that was an inspiration I mean I kind of wanna nail we're going let's do this why don't you point all the flashes at him and the camera so just yeah there and see what happens cool and we take a step in yeah just like that I don't wanna get your eyes even nice so nice and strong stance good actually we turn off and looked at other way again yeah even more awesome. Yeah oh my god good hold that oh hey that's cool that's different it's closed it does because that light flares giving that way kind of me I was going to do something similar to this for what I had in my head so thanks for the other one shot example think this's great getting new material it's like that like you won't keep building it or way mass here whatever you want I feel like I would like to can we try to get more grim but I thought I was going to try and do is just mohr really going yeah so you want to fill him in just with a little flash on the front so you can see him a little bit just a tad or you want to gel those rims or you want to just oh you do want compete pleat silhouette where you wanted just to fill him a little bit so you see a little bit of detail here I don't want any I don't want any details just one alright you want all safe they got him um yeah, but perhaps a little bit more so I would always have uh another person holding flashes around so we can get the top of the head too yeah like up on high from the back and then I'll come down here and hold this one what do you guys that quarter power? What with to our four okay and then we can always get somebody if it doesn't work with you to get somebody on the other side and we can go three right um and actually what we could do is get a light stand cause he's actually kind of tall right well we'll try it try it sweet yeah yeah down you go down yeah turned yeah you could almost look all the way yeah just like that nice cool good hold that um yeah we're just uh sort on the top there yeah, but you know if uh maybe gonna have him sit down on the stool since you're only taking waste up say this is good problem solving uh wait we could use those fine okay just want to make sure that we aim at one just stop hye won just a little higher make sure it's not all blasting and if you could get the top off this sorry sorry I need to start getting a workout awesome cool and turn and look that way again nice and tall shoulders told good knife good strong I think it's even a little bit yeah yeah I mean you could still probably get a little more on the head yeah, but we know how to do it right so I think it's cool yeah way don't do I t here god, I would love it now that neil got that shot like let's just kind of review oh, claire he got tio and what what the thinking process was or just how we got to this well, you want to take it over? Maybe not how I got to it but what the final result what's the lighting set up well okay, so the let you explain it neil uh well, this shot here well, well, initially we started with trying to blow up the background so all I could think of is throw lots of light on the background and not illuminate the subject keep them a little, you know, at least six feet away from background so the lights not spilling on them um and that would provide silhouette ondas we did do which we did one shock fool. So then from there kind of flipping things around just going with the rim essentially, you know, scott suggested turn alights towards the subject at that point and then, you know pretty much just aiming all around get still no light from the front for less details possible. So essentially it's laura four lights I mean, we could probably have done it with one a higher power but our one on each side in a higher power but, you know, keep in power management in mind two flashes at a quarter versus one and a half um two of them to spread the light evenly and then we were just starting to play around with um you know, getting mohr light in more accented even places and all that and I know that they are asking what are your camera settings? Camera settings we started pretty much with what we've been most of us have been using ah in this black box which was the blackbox settings one twenty fifth of a second f eleven and I s o one hundred so how's that cool it's fantastical and the past so you could write that down that's a formula after eleven I s so one hundred won twenty fifth of a second get flashes at what we set that at a quarter power just quarter power you're about what five feet away or something behind laid all around damn you get that shot, you give a groom somebody that or a senior or do that man wow that's your one shot formula we just did it for you. How teo maybe edit that a bit see how his ear is kind of lit a little bit. So probably if you push that light a little bit more behind it when light up the year um and personally from I mean he likes that complete rim. I like a little bit of light in there to create some detail so I put probably woulda pushed some flashing their maybe three stops under justo give it show some detail here but that's my particular style I can totally see that if he wanted a silhouette outline on lee than that school too especially if the person was wearing a top hat or whatever ah with a lot of shape this could look very very cool that's fantastic. All right, so do we want one more person to shoot? Christine teo so scott finally we have one more challenge for christine oh, what? But christine we're going to be nice to you the way is we want you to shoot scott no that's bad but okay gosh oh my gosh. Now I feel nervous the only time I feel nervous tio okay from us uh it'll be very difficult now and just get, uh speaking I feel bad for people like okay boys, you should hold the light you could go like call yeah there you go. Eso hay that's actually, just something to consider when you're picking an assistant you say cannot what are you doing next saturday? Can you help right? You might want to consider having witnesses and that's kind of tall because you never know the situation just something that you found that black hair that black shares here this oh, it's all right uh I need a lot of boy what do you want what you want but this war in the middle of all this okay what? Something really cool uh well then you shouldn't be taking a picture of me I want like kind of like a bad boy kind of like yeah is that what you like that boys okay get like uh wait uh I'm short though you sure here put a pillow on yeah, well you're uh I don't know that might be somebody like opposed for somebody twenty five years younger than me but okay you know my stomach to singing out just had lunch oh god ok challenge okay, um uh actually you know what set up figure out maybe the light first and then you can get to the post okay, so I kind of wanted a light that's kind of headiness face because I want that little bit of a butterfly shadow under his nose so well thank you alight that's kind of like great kind of close here above and above because I want you kind of looking more at the camera because it seems like we've been looking like okay this way um and then I guess maybe you're in a good position that maybe um just hold it back there okay, so I'm not that's figuring out what powered on what? Okay, so what camera setting are weak okay, we need f eleven I so one hundred shutter speed of one twenty five to the black box so at six feet that is what at six feet it's half power so like three feet it's an eighth power okay, good were right ok yes perfect um so I need you at an eighth I guess you're in a weird way it's probably most important thank you. Um theo theo only thirty thousand people are watching make all the mistakes for you guys I fell I'm failing for you you don't have tio don't worry okay um well it feels just like test it uh um so then I pushed the button right or you close your eyes yes actually you got into use one more for ya we need one for the back do something I want to read um you want to help you get that? Yeah, I can be very subject at the same time. Okay. All right. Great. All right, perfect the way that's not read that sort of read. Okay, okay, so I'm grabbing a red flash here, okay? You got it okay, I didn't I didn't change the power on that. You gotta figure it out. Ah, so what power you put in that flash oh god um we're reshooting that half okay? Good, huh? Which is one light less goto all way to go full and then just bring it back one so it's on that too, right? Yeah, yeah two perfect that's good. Yeah, yeah um that's good ok, well, just just testing things out okay hit the test button to see everything is turned on okay, I saw it yes I thought okay uh sit down. We'll just test game's on in well core um so can you come a little bit closer they want like kind of shaming me like that was just trade hmm mmm yeah okay, I'm just gonna we're just gonna put everything off yeah, I don't think I focus what's that I don't know if I focus I think you know that's what teo okay, okay. Getting somewhere okay sorry this was a different camera. Okay um one shot ladies and gentlemen god like me that's very good for one shot, I think okay can I think I want to lower that read? Mmm the count's good all right. Oh, here you get love kira's cool. Okay, it was a trailer you just need some light in the eyes okay? So you could do you could keep the upper light there but if you want light and you could do something on the bottom tio okay like that possibly okay let's try hair sticking up that land oh, great. Now you can show everybody might my gray hair that's fine that's the well here fifty years old I'm allowed to have grey hair yeah, yeah uh okay here ok, so you held this all the way down and if we get a little filth like with us that power is that eight hours so let's just uh let's just go togther he's like our house just to get a little this is just mainly for catch light spring somebody over to hold it and uh one thing that you could do is sometimes didn't you guys have joey l on here yes right and I think sometimes he just uses a flash strictly for a catch light so if you put that out one sixty fourth power and then we're just trying to use this as a catch light yeah uh then it won't have in super overall effect because it's a little but it's just giving me a catch light in the eye okay that so um okay try that so um sa uh nose pointed a little bit yeah perfect and then maybe bring that light closer to us huh what about this light here oh yeah over here so we're gonna put it right here oh yes, yes you're such a good assistant yeah uh you should try to talk okay uh oh this isn't zooming in now yeah, it does just turn okay yeah I said get out something didn't go off okay was tested them okay because they're right that they're don't okay uh movie lakes scoot over just a little well let's just get rid of it because you're not going oh yeah that's why that's why oh okay go back down to like one twenty fifth just to make sure everything's okay just good good I techie uh yeah see how it's creating that shadow and that's the reason why so it's probably okay the light oh uh just go to one you know no sorry that's good so it's pulled us down okay we're half eleven right oh oh they're so this dial here shuter I don't know how I'm sure you can lock it I don't even know how to do that okay okay okay so hee hee hee hee oh hey that's pretty cool and very good can you believe what she just did like knowing dean your wildest dreams do you think that you could manage how many flashes here three flashes four flashes in basically what are two shots I get it I mean congratulations I mean have you ever used triggers and flashes before literally my first sirio that's awesome yeah never never taking tea why professor great well everyone's going to see my gosh you guys everyone I high fives I made everyone went above and beyond and we had fun and that's you know that's what I I suggest that you do is you guys go out and do exactly what we do here and I like that idea of calling out challenges and have your get your friends and challenge each other and think it through and then you might discover something totally new uh, but but I like that challenge factor involved with the shots, with getting your friends together. And I guarantee you understanding the inverse square law just following the chart, you're going to get real close to every single time. And, um, it's, I mean, really, no light meters, one shot should bang. I mean, come on. I'm I'm, like, impressed with my teaching. You guys really eyes, like, I think I ve jeez that's, like, I am so proud of you guys, that is, like, amazing that's, awesome. Thank you, everyone, for being willing to step up and, you know, be in front of the internet audience out there and do an amazing job.

Class Materials

bonus material

Crazy Stupid Light Slides
Master Flash Guide

bonus material

FlashCalculator.jpg

Ratings and Reviews

Naomi
 

I just finished this course today, and I'm so happy that I bought it! It's been on my wishlist for months, after watching it as a rebroadcast here on Creative Live. I absolutely LOVE Scott's approach to lighting. The way he explains how to light manually is so clear, and easy to understand; he also has a great sense of humor which takes the edge off of trying to get everything perfect the first time. I like how he encourages the class to just try new techniques, and if mistakes are made, that's okay, just adjust and keep moving. This has allowed me, as a perfectionist, to try his lighting formulas, with a lot of success. I'm so appreciative that as an instructor, he took the time to create a class that helps us as photographers to be more creative. Because of this course, I feel so much more confident as I experiment with light on my own, and then apply it to my work. I feel that I have all the tools that I need to create amazing images that really stand out. Thanks Creative Live for making this class available, it has changed how I shoot! =)

Jack C
 

This course is simply amazing, super good, and completely exceeds my original expectations! Scott is such a brilliant photographer and teacher. His way of teaching is of great fun, and he delivers the ideas so well. I learn really a lot from this. Thank you so much Scott! Creative Live is doing such a wonderful job!!

Nadine
 

This is by far my most favourite course on Creativelive. It's inspiring, funny and most educational. I learned so much about flash and lighting and can't wait to practise all that I've learned. Scott is an enthusiastic teacher and his way of teaching just clicks with me. Highly entertaining! And it was fun to also get some posing, composition and other tips out of the workshop for variety. I 1000% recommend this course if you want to learn more about lighting in an inspiring way.

Student Work

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