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Month 2, Week 3 (Oct 20-26) - Feedback & Weekly Review

all right, First question. This is a little off topic, but since you didn't get questions, I thought I'd ask, What are the steps that you're taking behind the scenes business wise as you build your view, our business between the getting's between the getting the studio section and officially launching. What ground work were you doing to build your portfolio? Marketing the business line and making sure you're ready to serve clients? Any advice to other wedding photographers would like to add a boudoir branch of their business. You know, I've been getting this question a lot lately. I moved into my studio in May and, you know, started up putting together the boudoir side of things in May. However, at the end of June I always leave New York, and I spent two months in New Jersey, so I had to put anything that I was doing with the shooting or the marketing or the setting up of the studio on hold. So when I came back from being in New Jersey for the summer, I went back to getting everything ...

together for the launch of the boudoir side of things. But I really don't believe in putting anything out there until it's totally and completely ready to go. So that said, I shot a bunch of models in early June before I went away for the summer. And then when I came back, I thought I really had enough samples, but I didn't really. I started playing together. The portrait side of my website realized I just didn't have enough of a variety of images to really make it look like I had a fully functioning studio, right, like I have 250 images in my wedding portfolio. And I had, like, nine in my portrait portfolio, and I think that it's very telling when you have examples of the same person over and over and over again that you haven't had that many clients. So I went back, and I have been working with modeling agencies to try to get some women in. I've got a mixed right now of women who look like models, women who look like real women, all different body types, all different ethnicities, and I'm working on pulling it all together. You know that, said, is this going slow? It's going very slowly, but I really wouldn't have it any other way. I also have an incredibly busy year wedding wise, and I can't just stop that to start marketing something else. So what I'm doing right now is I'm shooting some more samples. I'm working up some marketing materials for my current leading clients. I've developed my price list and the products that I want to offer, And then my next step ones everything is done is to launch the portrait side of my website and to reach out to all of those wedding clients and start trying to get them in the door, you know, advice to other wedding photographers who want to do this. I can't really give advice to that right yet, because I'm still in the middle of it myself. So for me to tell you, you know, you have to do this or you have to do that to set up a side business, you know, shooting something else other than weddings. I'm still in the very formulaic, you know, the stages of it myself. So any advice I would give you wouldn't be tried and true in any way. So just if I did have to pick a piece of advice right now it would be to go slow and don't do anything until you're ready. And make sure that when you're finally ready to start marketing all of that stuff out there, that you are bulletproof on your side and I'm not there yet, so I'm still working on it. I'm really hoping to get everything launched in January for a big push towards Valentine's Day. So next question. We've been shooting Portrait's for three years and started working on weddings this year. We don't have a large wedding portfolio yet. Who and how do you recommend approaching to get more samples or even a style shot for the wedding side of the business? Not. I'm going to answer what I think is being asked, and I'm sorry if I'm wrong. If you don't have a large wedding portfolio yet, you everyone have to shoot the mornings, and I hate to sound like I'm being overly simplistic with it. But without having weddings to show, you're not really going to be able to book wedding clients now. That said, there's nothing to say that you can't get your best friend who just got married to put back on her wedding dress and go shoot some things of her or to work with the models to do a style shoot. But as Faras who and how do I recommend approaching you recommend I recommend approaching anybody that you possibly can. I would start off working with friends as models, but before I really started doing anything like that, I would start trying to pound the pavement and get some weddings booked. Just because you don't have a huge wedding portfolio doesn't mean that you can't get people to hire you. You just have to be very up front and honest about your level of expertise. All right, next question. Uh, you go. Where do you think the future of wedding photography is going? Have you ever thought of offering video are doing video yourself as a part of engagement or boudoir sessions? A. Zafar is the future of wedding photography. I have absolutely no idea where it's going. I don't know, Um, and for me, too, for me to speculate on where it's going would be very irresponsible, because I have absolutely no kid blew. It would just be me making up information and spitting it out there, and I don't believe in doing that. Have I ever thought of offering video are doing video myself? Absolutely not that it's just not something that I'm interested in. I may as well offer basket weaving or lion taming to my clients. It's not in my skill set. I'm not in any way interested in being a videographer. The the behind the scenes ability, the post production. It would be learning a completely new art form. And it's not something that I'm interested in at all. Next question. Back to social media. I'm working on being more interactive with my Facebook page. I just recently posted a small album of photos for a bride and groom so that they could tag themselves and use the photographs I shared Received a lot of lights, but not many of those photograph likes are turning into Page likes. I know this is big, and you could probably use more details, but is this just the wrong approach to getting people to like my page? What avenue do most of your page likes come from? And I dont know exactly specifically where each of my page likes come from, but I do know that when I stopped um worrying about how many likes I got and started concentrating on getting people to be more engaged with what I was posting on Facebook. Then I started getting more likes. The lights were going to come when you've proven yourself to be a very valuable resource for brides. For other photographers, you know, when my goal with Facebook is when it's time for a client to hire me, I should obviously be the person that they think of because I've already proven myself to be respected in my industry and a trusted source of information long before they were actually looking to hire a wedding photographer. So instead of just putting albums and pictures out there and waiting for people to tag them and like them, I would I would start doing post that involved interacting, ask questions, get the people that do like your page to start engaging with one another and at there's more dialogue, as there's more customer loyalty, as there's more reason to come back and engage with the page. Then you'll see the likes start the climb. But I wouldn't you know, I don't worry about the number of people that like my page, I worry much more about the loyalty of the people that do and the interaction of those people with the page itself. Um, question five. What do you think of offering both digital and film packages for weddings? I mean, I don't shoot film. It's just not the art form that I am drawn to. I like shooting digital. I think that if you want to offer a digital and film package or you want to be all film or you want to be all digital, you have to do what is right for you and your style. And what makes sense for you financially understanding that if you offer a film package, they're going to be phone costs associated with that? So you just need to plan accordingly. Um, this question. I previously asked the question last month about reception flash usage. Thank you for answering. My next question regarding reception lighting is directed towards the wedding. You recently blog's Sam June and days. How did you use flash during this reception? I mean, asking how I use flash during one reception is you know, there is no one line answer to that. Some of the images were shot with on camera flash. Some of the images were shot with direct off camera flash. Uh, some of the images were shot with off camera flash at an angle, but I didn't do anything different with that wedding. Then I do with all of the other weddings that I shoot most of the dancing like if it's the images of just the guest dancing and splash on camera, Um, first dance, the the toast. That's all flash off camera. And in the same way that I've been demonstrating that I have used that there's really nothing about that one wedding that I'm doing differently. There's no new style or new technique or anything, but just ask a blanket. How to use Flash during this reception is really hard to answer, because there are so many different ways that I just flashed during that reception. I know that's not entirely helpful, but that's really the best answer that after that question. All right, um, question seven. Do you shoot with a high I eso in a high shutter speed when doing the interest. If you were shooting by yourself without an assistant, I would rather not set up off camera flash for fear of a child or someone knocking it over. I mean, I don't ever shoot without an assistant, ever. I always have an assistant with me at all times, every single wedding that I shoot no matter what. So there never is a time that I'll shoot something like that by myself. Um, but do I shoot with high I eso in high shutter speed? I can tell you that because I don't know what the room looks like that you're trying to shoot it. Is it very bright? Is it very dark? But there are up lights and other ambient light's. Is it kind of mid range with a mix of table lights and wall I. It's like there is no one universal answer for a question like that. I will go with a high eso if the room is very dark and I need it. But I'm always trying to keep my shutter speed as low as I possibly can because I want to bring in the ambient light that's in the room. So chances are I'm usually not with a high shutter speed, but again, this is It's such a generic question that without saying, Listen, I'm in a dark room. It's incredibly dark. There's some spots on the table there, some candles and there's some up lights on the wall. What might you suggest? You know, there is no when I shoot introductions. My settings are A, B, C and D, because it really varies with the room, the size of the room, the distance that I am from the people, all of those things. So again, I know that's not answering your question specifically, but there is no specific answer to a question like that. All right, question eight. I love the back like my subjects, and I've noticed a lot of times by subject in the my subjects end up looking really magenta. Is this just something that has to be fixed in post? Or is it the way I'm in England myself? With the sun, I use auto white balance, so that could very well be my problem. An example. Last weekend I shot a couple about 45 minutes before sunset on a dock sun behind them, just outside of my friend. They look so cool. While the background is so rich in war, I again guys, I feel like a lot of the questions this week, and I'm really sorry I don't have specific answers to. I have no idea why the image would be magenta without actually seeing the image itself. If this is a problem you are continuing to have over and over and over again, please pull an image that illustrates that problem and turn it in as part of your homework. If I can see it, I can probably speak to what the problem is, but without seeing the situation, knowing what kind of camera you're shooting Canon vs Icon actually does make a difference because the color renders differently in a cannon and in a Nikon. So I'm I'm not certain, but I would really love to see to see an image example of what we're talking about. Let me find the next question. Um, you get this is probably a really ridiculous thing to ask about that. Here goes. I have the worst memory on constantly in fear of mixing up a client. Same with another client, are calling their room by the wrong name. Is it just me? What do I do to keep everyone straight? That is not a bad question at all. You know, I had one week a couple of years ago where the groom's name was Andrew on the bride's name was Carol, and then the next week the groom's name was Andrew, and the bride's name was Coral and I didn't Did you call the bride? You? You know an awful lot because I was really worried about calling her by the wrong name. I have my questionnaire that I send to my clients in my assistance bag all the time, and I have the client's information on my phone every once in a while. I had to look at it when I forget a client saying, But usually, you know, remembering their names is not really something that that becomes a problem unless their names are shockingly similar to clients that I had the week before. Let's see, next question. Here we go. This is the same question. I still struggle with exposure, especially shooting bright backlit, usually outside under a roof, on a boat or a gazebo. The subjects were usually against the light, and no way to change that. Um, I'm not sure what that means. I don't know if you're talking about during a ceremony or or what if the subject against the light there's no way to change it. I'm not. I'm not sure what scenario that you're talking about, that you can't change it. So I would need a little bit more clarification on that one. Um, here we go, shooting an 80 priority and so far, shooting in spot metering. But then I'm trying different metering modes. I often have the problem that my subject is way to dark. I also do the metering and hold the star button on the cannon to freeze the reading and then recompose. Still, I can't get consistent results. I usually focus your meter on the eye, but it seems that sometimes I'm just to get off but still in the face. And then it is over under exposed now because I'm so afraid of this problem I use on camera flash with the hopes that the flash will give me a well that scene. Still, I often end up with really dark subjects, but in the eyes you can see the reflection of the flash that fired as well. Another problem that often occurs is that I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry about this. When there's a lot of it. Grammatical mistakes from trended to check them as I'm going as well as another problem that often occurs is that in aperture priority with flash, the shutter speed suddenly drops real low. And okay, I got to take this in bits and pieces. All right, First of all, we're gonna stop here and answer this question. Another problem that occurs is that an aperture priority with flash. The shutter speed suddenly drops real low, and I get motion blur. Well, the problem is that if you're using flash with aperture priority, especially if you're using TCL Flash, you have absolutely no control over everything. Your camera is setting almost everything for you. That's why when I'm shooting in flash, no matter where I am, no matter what the scene is, I am always shooting in manual mode on my camera when I'm working with Flash that so that I can dial in the shutter speed that I need that so that I've been dialling the f stop that I need and that so I don't find myself in a situation like what you're finding yourself in, which is where your shutter speed will kind of go crazy go crazy on you while you're trying to work with a flash. So first of all, if you're working with aperture, priority and flash at the same time, I would recommend that you not do that. If you're going to use flash that you switch over to working with manual Um, I've also tried manual mode, but the very dramatic light changing situations makes me get really lost. I just don't understand anything anymore. I'm confused in the more tutorials I do one meter in the modes and flash. Just get any more and more lost. I guess my question is, how do I properly expose the subject and very bright backlit situations and get consistent, well lit results in this form? I can't include examples. Unfortunately, I hope you understand what I meet. Um, I don't entirely understand what you mean. What it sounds like it's happening right now is that you're very unsure about what you're doing in situations where you're working with sun and so you're trying ah, lot of different methods to get to your final result. But it depends on what method that you're coming at the scene with how I would solve the problem if you're an aperture priority shooter. You know, if you're an aperture priority shooter, we we would need to talk about your exposure, compensation and how you use that dial. Teoh either increase or decrease your exposure. And if you're a manual shooter than we, we need to talk about that as well. I wish that I could help you more. I understand that you are, you know, in a in a really difficult place and you're having a hard time. And I feel for you. I truly do feel for you when you get expected. But I just wired my Internet, and so it shouldn't happen again. Okay. Sorry, guys. My wife I have decided to be a little unreliable today. My upstairs neighbors actually moved out there working on the apartment upstairs. And for some reason, I think they're trying to get in and out of my wife. I on and it keeps kicking it off. But I wired myself in. So you're stuck with me for the next 30 minutes, Hopefully with no interruptions, but back to the question that we were answering before. Look, I understand that that shooting in bright light at first could be very, very frustrating in very, very difficult, and there are so many different ways that you can come about it and so many different metering modes. But the problem is that some of these these problems that are being had are very elementary problems. And I'm not saying that hurt your feelings at all, but not understanding what happens when you're shooting flash with your camera on aperture. Priority sort of makes me think that there's just a very large level of confusion just in general about exposure. You know, in the beginning of this question, it said Now, because I'm celebrated this problem I used on camera flash with the hope that the flash will give me a well, let's seen, you know, you can't just throw a flash on your camera and hope that it's going to give you a well that scene. You need to have a better understanding of exposure and how that works and how the light is falling. So what I would honestly recommend doing And I really hope that if the person that is watching you know that asked this question is watching doesn't get terribly offended because I mean absolutely no offense whatsoever, but you really have to go all the way back to the very basics of trying to learn about how to come about a good exposure, how to understand when and where to use Flash. And I can't answer all of these things in one office hours, one video, one question. What I would really recommend that you do, because I want to help you get to the bottom off what the problem is and exactly what you can do to improve these skills. I'd love to see examples of these scenarios that you're finding yourself in turning the minute your homework, telling me what your problems are. Being able to see the images and see the results that you're getting. We'll really be able to help me help you find in your settings a little bit more. Next question. Which lends do you use for the cake cutting and how close to the bride and groom do you stand? I mean again, I'm really sorry. I feel like the answers for a lot of these questions are It depends, you know. I don't know what lens I used for the cake cutting and how close to the bridegroom's I stand How close to the bride and groom I stand is very dependent on which lens I do use for the cake cutting. And the lens that I use for the cake cutting depends on where they've placed the cake and where I am capable of standing. If they wield the cake out to the middle of the dance floor and I've been back up far away from them, I'll use my 72 200 if I can, because I really love that lends for that sort of scenario. But if they wield the cake out onto the dance floor and all of the family and friends immediately rush around the cake to try to photograph it as well, then I'm going to go with my 24 to 1 20 or my 24 to 1 because not going to be able to get far enough back to use a longer limbs. I've had instances where I had to use the 28 millimeter. I've had instances where I had to use the 16 to 35 and I was literally like 12 inches from their face because we were shoved in a corner and the guests were pressing up behind my back. So, you know, my ideal lens would be either the 2041 20 or the 72 200. But that's one of those situations where I really have to choose the Linz based on the scenario that I find myself in that time. All right, You know, this might sound weird, but what should I do with the wedding planner who tells you you have to smile all the time that you take photos? I know I have a serious face when I concentrate, and that's what I do when I shoot a wedding. But I have a hard time to maintain a stupid grin on my face when I have to think of so many things at the time that are so much more important for the photos. I got the feedback that I looked stressed, even though I had a really good time, especially getting a group together. I tend to make jokes, so I was really shocked to hear that I looked stressed. Um, I I'm sorry. I seem a little taken aback. I It's a really strange scenario, you know, I have a very serious face when I'm thinking about things or when I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing in a certain scenario at a wedding and every once in a while. But if I catch a client looking at me while I've got sort of my resting serious face, I'll say guys and I'm so sorry. I know I looked really confused or I look really stressed out, but I promise you my stress face is exactly the same is my thinking face and they usually laugh and they really get it. But I would actually be incredibly irritated if there were a wedding planner hovering over my shoulder telling me that I need to smile all the time because honestly, it's really not any of their their business. I think it might really benefit you to pick up the phone and call that planner and say, Hey, listen like, you know, putting me on the spot like that in front of my clients is really awkward. It may be a little uncomfortable, you know. Please understand. I wasn't stressed. It all is having a great time. But you know, I had to convey the seriousness of the situation, is trying to get the groups together. And you know, just because I'm not smiling doesn't mean that I'm not having a good time. Like you don't have to have a grin on your face all the time to be totally doing a good job, your job and being taken seriously. I think that was a weird thing for them. Is Sadio. Do I ask people to remove their glasses during formals? Um, no, I don't. If people wear glasses, they might not like photographs of themselves with their glasses off. If that's not what they you know that that's not whether used to see when they look in the mirror. So, no, I don't ask them to move glasses during the fall. Um, question 14. Do you have then Folio as a second website? I know you use them to show your work. The clients would you walk me through how this works a nose and fully was not. My second websites in Folio is the online system that I use to both deliver the images to my clients and to provide a password protected online image gallery for the clients to look through their final images and to share the images with their family and friends and to choose the pictures, further albums and also to order any prints that they would like. It isn't a secondary website so that there's as faras Would you walk me through how this works? Basically, I have a small handful of featured weddings on my eyes and polio site that I used to show prospective clients When they email me, I just email them the links so that they can take a look at it. And then I just use it to deliver my images to my clients. But it isn't a second website. I definitely don't consider it, you know, an online portfolio or anything like that at all. All right, Do you have advice on how to best shoot or exposed if you have a couple or groups of people with different shades of skin color from really Palin Fair took quite dark. If I have not too strong extremes, I tend to meet her on the darker skin. Is that right? What do I do if I have? I have to come back to this question is still being typed in, so I'm gonna come back to this one Now, Here we go, It's all the way. And if I have not too strong extremes, I tend to need or on the darker skin. Is that right? What do I do if I have really extremes? We have a very big culture here, from very light, almost white European skin tones to very rich dark skin tones. So it happens quite often. Would you meet her on a middle tone? What is the best practice for meter in? I am getting on and get out of answering the question. It would depend on if you're using flash or not, or if you're working with natural light. And if you're working with natural light, if you're working in the shade or if you're working in harsh light. If I have a dark, dark and a bright white, I'm gonna try to find a happy medium as a general rule of thumb. All right, Okay, question 16. I apologize if we've gone over this before, I've been trying to figure out how to go about deciding where to advertise. How do you determine what method is best for you and where your work will best fit based on what that particular online side or magazine portrays. Is it just a trial by fire? Is there a good place to start any advice with the awesome? Well, I hate to come down hard on you guys for questions like this, because I know that they're very important questions. But this is what month one homework was for, right? Like this is what identifying the vendors and identify your competition and seeing where their advertising and seeing how you're finding their work and finding your advertising niche. That's what you know. A large portion of month one was dedicated towards doing so. If you're still not sure where you should be advertising, I you know, I look where my competition is, advertising. I look where the vendors in venues that I want to work with and at our advertising. And I look at you know, the blog's where the venues that I want to work out keep popping up, and the other photographers that are my competition keep being featured on. That's what all of those spreadsheets and month one were were hoping to achieve. All right, next question. Okay, sorry. The questions were sort of changing in front of me as we go, so let's try to get through these quickly. All right? One thing I'm lacking in my business is relationships with other photographers. My area basically unknown. None. If something were to happen where I couldn't go to a wedding, I'm not sure what I do. Do you just do a Google search on photographers in the area and email about Tama photographer? You're a photographer. Let's be friends. Do you put up an ad? Also, do you build your list of other photographers that you know for that? Just in case you have to back out of a wedding situation based on their price and styling similar to yours, it will be easier transition for the client. First of all, being incredibly worried about not making it till wedding is something that is probably not ever going to happen to you. In 14 years, I have never missed a wedding. And only on two instances that I have to hire someone to come help me at a wedding when I hurt my hand. Um, so being very worried about finding someone to take your place where you're not able to make it for a wedding, it is really not something that you should definitely be beating yourself up over. And as far as making photographer friends, I mean, in all of New York, I have a very small list of photographer friends, and they're my friends because they're my friends. Not necessarily because they're photographers. And the way that I met these people waas by going to conventions and I'm going to trade shows. I'm in New York and a photo class is this weekend, and I'm gonna go out there on Thursday, and I'm sure I'll meet some really cool people there. But it is becoming active in your community. Go into networking groups and they don't have to be photographer networking groups. But chances are you might meet a photographer there if you're involved in your chamber of commerce. If you are involved in your junior league, you are involved in your local P p A group or, you know, camera club or anything like that. I would go out there and I would start meeting other business owners, and I would start becoming active in my community, and that will lead you towards people in the wedding industry and other photographers. Also, the more you get involved in your community. You know, you'll get to know people that work in the wedding field, and there are tons of networking events for people in the wedding field. And that's how I know about making friends. And as faras handing off a wedding client to another photographer in the case of emergency, I'm going to hand them off to someone that I trust as a friend before I would ever hand them off to some stranger that I met on the Internet. So, you know, beware of strangers on the Internet in all shapes and forms. Next question. I've been having some issues with family and bridal party photos lately that have been making Schmich, but that sorry, I have been having some issues with family and bridal party photos lately that have been making shooting formal so incredibly painful, basically involved people simply not looking at the camera or just flat out refusing to look at the camera. I keep trying to yell out, Okay, look at me. Don't look at anyone else. This is the important camera here, but people are 80 D and still look away. Sometimes I simply can't get a photo where everyone is looking. Also this. Is that happening with the bride and groom? Sometimes where guests will be distracting them and they get really nervous that are less comfortable in front of the camera. How do you handle this? Do you tell all the other guests distracting them to go away? Is there some other trick or can is just not being helped. Well, this is two questions, really. And the first question is what happens when this is happening during family formals or broader party formals? And if it is to the point where no one is looking at me, then I will actually put the camera down. I will turn around. I will say to everybody else around me. Guys, listen, I know you want to get your shots, and I know it's important that you get a picture of this family grouping. You know, I know this is your family, and you love them. But the problem that we're having here is that in all of their professional photographs, nobody is going to be looking at me. And I know that you don't want that for him. So I'm gonna have to ask you one more time. Put your cameras down give me just a second to get these shots. You know, otherwise I'm just gonna have to ask you to put your cameras away entirely. And as far as time with the bride and groom, I've never photographing the bride and groom with guests Looking on, we are always going somewhere else. We're always off on our own and I won't let guests come. And I won't let anyone come along. Who's going to be distracting? Otherwise you're gonna end up with exactly the same scenario that you're finding yourself in. Oh, sorry. Um, out of curiosity, what is the single most unusual request you have ever had for a photograph at a wedding? Um I mean, I honestly can't. I can't think of anything is usually all pretty straightforward. I've never had anybody ask me for something that was, you know, super weird are out of the ordinary. Next question. I'm just getting into album sales. I know you mentioned that your client select included images, online news and polio. How do you handle the selection of other aspects of the album? Is this online also? How do the clients make a decision without being able to physically touch the materials. This is something we're definitely getting into next month. This is a large focus of Month three, which is workflow post wedding workflow, post wedding client Karen album designs. Why? I promise you that we're going to get to the way I do all of this in month three. All right. Um, Question 21. I was recently shocked with electricity while shooting a wedding. I walked backwards into an electric fence. I was okay after about 30 minutes and continued shooting the entire time. However, it led me to think what would happen if I couldn't have continue shooting the wedding on the day off. Do you have a plan If something happens to you at the wedding that you could not have predicted in advance to your clients know about such a plan? First of all, no. My clients don't know about such a plan. They don't need to know. You know, your clients don't need to know everything. They don't need to know who I would call in case of a backup. They don't need to know what I would do in case something happened to me on a wedding day. You know, that's just kind of one of those details that I would never really actually bother the client with That said, if anything were to happen to me, you know, my assistance in working with me for so long that I could literally leave and go to the hospital and she could pick up a camera and keep on going. She would call my husband. She would call, You know, my other best friend, Jen, who is also a photographer. She would call your friend Jeff. Sure, my studio with was a photographer. You know, she knows a lot of the photographers that I'm close to, and she would just pick up my phone and start hauling thus what we hoped we would never have to dio. All right, Can you go into detail about how you get your exposure debt on every time When you say exposed for the face in the background will dark and down? How are you? How are you doing this? Aperture priority manual. Sorry. This is basic. It just isn't clicking. And I feel like my exposures are all over the place or being fixed in post. I can't. There is no one in this. This question keeps coming up, over and over and over again. There is no one answer for this because it really depends on the situation that you're in when I say exposed for the face in the background will dark and down That's Onley in an instance, where the faces in bright light in the background is, you know, already darker. But if you're in, if you're in a shaded area and you expose for the face, the background isn't going to darken down because that's not what the shadow and light relationship in that scene is going to do when you expose for the face. If you are shooting flash, it's also a completely different way of coming about it. You know, I there is no one answer as to how to get exposures get on every time other than on awful lot of practice. You have been doing this for a really long time. I've been doing it for so long. I don't even think about doing it anymore. I just go out and do it. But there is no one rule that will apply to every single shooting situation in every single scenario at all times. I'm sorry that that's not more helpful. It would help me when you're doing your homework to see instances where you're having this issue so that I could help you specifically with those issues. But to say to get an exposure dead on every single time you do blank. There is nothing that filled in that blank because it is very situational. Next question, you say you never use flash in a church. So how higher you generally pushing our S o. And are you concerned? If noise and grand, what do you do if the church is so dark that your highest highest So you are still under exposed. We have talked about this a little bit last week. No, I do never use flash in a church on a lot of times. It's because there are rules against doing that. I will push my eyes. It was hard as high possibly can, right? Yes, I'm concerned about noise. And yes, I'm concerned about brain. But I also have to do a job. And if I can't use flash, my only alternative is to push the I s. I was high that possibly can. And what do I do if the church is so dark that it your highest eso you're still under exposed that I've never had that problem. That's that's just never really happened to me. I mean, I would literally have to be in the absolute complete pitch darkness, and I've never really encountered a scenario like that. Next question. In regards to first dances, I often find that couples will move around in a circle very fast, and they have their arms around each other's next, blocking the bride's face. I find it frustrating to get good shots of them because a they're moving so fast that I end up getting one of their backs or B. I can't see the bride space because her arms were up around the rim sec. How would you deal with this? Would you advise them before the dance dance? Sloan. Keep hands at waist height to ensure the best photos? Or do you just deal with it? I know you mentioned that you stay in one spot and wait for them to come around to you before taking the next shop. But what if you miss a magical kiss? Our moment when they're turned away from you? OK, so this is two questions. First question is this happens all the time, you know they put their rooms ready to theirs. Next they put their heads down on each other's shoulders. You can't see a face at all. I mean, you just have to deal with it. I would never tell a client to alter their choreography or to dance in a certain way so that I could get pictures. It's it's really my responsibility to just roll with it. But if I do find myself in a scenario where I can't use directional light in any way, shape or form, because of the way that they're dancing almost and over closer to my assistant and I'll use are off camera flash as our main light. And you know I won't really be able to try for anything dramatic or different or creative, because this scenario simply won't let me. And that happens. You know that happens often. So, you know, I would rather have a beautifully exposed picture of exactly what's happening. Then try for something creative arts. You're different and have it not work, and as far as staying in one spot waiting for them to come around to you that's That's not the way I cover first dance. I will. My assistant stays in one spot, but I will move. Sometimes I'll go stand next to her. Sometimes I'll stand opposite on the dance floor from her, sometimes all stand so that we form a triangle. If I see something happening like if I see they're about to death, I will move myself. So I definitely don't stay planted in one place the entire time. Um, next question. How do you feel about running contests on Facebook to potentially increase bookings, for example, full with free engagement session with the hopes that they end up booking you for their wedding? You know, I think that whatever works for you advertising wise is something that you should do. That's not something that I'm going to dio. I feel the second that I start giving away things for free. It's going to be very hard for me to get people to value the things that they actually are paying for. So I generally stride. I sort of stay away from any sort of gimmicky contest or anything like that. But that said, it is something that you could make work for yourself, and it's something that you know really resonates with your clients. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing it. Just because I don't do it or it won't work for me doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it. And it wouldn't work fantastically for you. Do you actually use high sync speed on your flash? Almost Never. I mean, I really don't have a lot of scenarios in which I would actually use it. So no, um I'm trying to understand how you shoot by knowing the light without a light meter. What mode do you use? I, um you talk about this a little bit. Last week, I shoot in matrix mode, but it could also be turned over to spot. It could also be turned over to any other mode. Literally, because I don't I never look at what the meter in my camera is telling me, and it's because I've been doing this for so long. I've been practicing practicing this so much that I can literally like I could sit here, and I can look at my computer that I'm talking to you in this room right now, and I consider there were shooting the computer. It would be, You know, I s 0 800 probably about, you know, let's say 60th of a second at you know, 18 right? Or if I'm gonna shoot it at four, that I'm gonna need to bump up the I s so I can see what I want to achieve in the final photograph. And the reason why I don't shoot manual is simply because my brain uses the exposure compensation dialled down and up. But I'm doing this without actually looking at the meter. So if I see a bride standing by a window and you know she's, I just look that way to go into my office is over there. If I see the bride standing at a window and I know that aperture priority is going to automatically want to under exposed her face because it's going to try to regulate the scene, I know that I need to overexpose it by a stop and 1/2 to 2 stops now, whether I do that an aperture priority or whether I do that by switching over to manual on making those decisions myself, you know, it's just something that I've learned to trust the meter inside of my head and said at the meter inside of my camera, because the meter inside of my camera doesn't know what I'm going for. Um, so this leads us very well into question 28. Do you use aperture priority, and do you adjust the exposure? Compensation? Do you set your exposure based on manual settings? Um, setting my closure. If I was sending my culture based on manual settings, I would be shooting in manual. But I do use aperture priority, and I do adjust the exposure compensation dial frequently. That said, whenever I put a flash on the camera, I switch over to shooting in manual. If shooting in manual mode, do you adjust your exposure? And the ambient light changes like when the sun sets well, of course, you dio. Because of the light changes, your exposure reading is going to change. So no matter what mode you're shooting, and you're going to have to adjust that mode based on any life change in the room, all right, Next question. I often shoot in large reception spaces where I've tried to be no closer to the bride and groom with my flash than the guests are standing. I'm finding that this makes my flash, whether too much I work with a light stand, and I'm wondering if you have Sandra stand in the middle of the dance floor. If that's what it takes to get the flash where you want. I've never had to have her stand in the middle of the dance floor. She almost always stands on the edge of the dance floor, but it's the light needs to be stronger. We simply turned up the power of the off camera flash. Now, if you're shooting with on camera flash and you're really far away, then yes, you will probably have a problem with your flash feathering. So if you're shooting with on camera, flash is absolutely no reason that you can't get out, get out on the dance floor and get a little bit closer to them. I know lock photographers were really sort of nervous to get out on the dance floor because they don't want to be obtrusive. But, you know you're the wedding photographer. Guests know you're there. They expect you to be covering things, and as long as you're not obnoxious and up in everyone's faces, I don't see anything wrong with stepping out on the dance floor that something that you need to do to get the images that you need to make. Next question. Do you ever ride in the clients rented limo on their wedding day? I sometimes clients wanting documentary style images on the way to their ceremony and the reception. This doesn't mean I leave my own car in the driveway and I don't have access to it for the rest of the day. So we're in a scenario that I know that we're going around town and they have to ride on a trolley. What will happen is my assistant. Will Parker card the reception location and I'll move, pick her up, and then I'll drive us over to the getting ready location, and so will we leave. And my car is there by the time we get to the reception, her cars there and she'll take me back to my car to pick it up. That said, I try to get out of writing with them in transportation as much as I absolutely possibly can. It's usually not the photographic opportunity that they think it is, and I usually find myself getting incredibly car sick, so I really don't want to do it. But if they do want images of themselves in a trolley or in a car or what not also, you know what? I've got my car here with me. I need to get my car over to ceremony or reception or wherever it is we're going, you know, why don't we all just get over there and then when we're there, we'll get, you know, get the bridal party out of here. We'll get a few shots of you guys alone in your car and your limo in your location, and then we'll, you know we'll head on often get you guys married. So ah, lot of times, what they really just want is some images of themselves on or in or about that transportation. And if you can achieve it without actually having to ride with, um, riding with them is one of my least favorite things. Never. You know, it's kind of horrible to be barreling down the highway sitting backwards. The light is constantly changing your being bounced around on the ground. You kind of feel like you're gonna puke. So there's anything that I could ever do to avoid that. I'm going to do that. All right. Next question. I've been using off camera flash at wedding receptions for a few years, and I have a good handle on it, although I'm always trying to get better. One thing that constantly struggle with is at receptions, though, is receptions and then used where one or more of the walls is glass. I constantly get weird lines or reflections on the subject pretty much wherever I put the speed life, Any suggestions? Um, kind of hard to make a solid suggestion that will work universally in every single scenario, because that big glass wall, it really depends on where it ISS Is it at your back? Is it you or your client sitting back against it while the toaster happening? Are you trying to shoot into it? I would really love to see when you're turning in your homework at the person who asked. This question is here. I would really love to see examples of what that is looking like for you, because I can see what the flash is doing in these scenarios. I'll be able to better help tell you how either you couldn't move or your clients could have moved or your life could have moved so that the problems that you're having aren't problems anymore. Um, and see if any more questions pop into the document. You know, I know there are a lot of there were a lot of questions this week that were like, You know, how do you do X or how do you do Why? But when you're shooting a lot of times, there is no universal answer. Toe X. How do you always get a proper exposure? Well, you know, it depends on 15 different factors. How do you get a proper closure when a bride is standing to the left of a window and the light is coming through in its noon? That's a little easier to answer other than how do you just get a blanket proper exposure at all points in time? Because there is no hard and fast rule for shooting. You know, if you do, a sometimes will be. And if you do a sometimes you'll do C and a little bit of D with a little e thrown in. It really depends, but I know that there are a lot of people here who are struggling with very basic exposure things. And if you are struggling, if it seems very, very insurmountable, which it often does in the early days, don't get dejected. You're trying to learn a lot of things. You're trying to learn a lot of things quickly, and you're trying to learn a lot of very varied techniques. So feeling frustrated is totally and completely normal. And you just have to not get discouraged and just keep at it, turning in the homework so that I can see examples of what you're doing. And if there are specific problems we're having, you know, backlighting, flash receptions. I want to see what those images are looking like so that I can say, based on this image here, this is what you should be doing to solve the problem. Um, had another question. Just come in for your off camera flash. Do you have Sandra 45 degrees out from you, or is it 45 degrees from your clients? So it's like 90 degrees from you again. I'm not really sure, you know. I don't know what you mean. You mean off camera flash during family formals? Or do you mean off camera flash for first dances or off camera flashes for toasts? It really varies depending on the scenario. It it's usually about, um, 30 to 45 degrees off for family formals, but as far as toasts or for stances, will start at a 45 degree angle. But then I move all the time, so the angle is constantly changing. So again there is no, you know, there is no one hard and fast rule when you use off camera flash. You know you should always be at X degree from your assistant is going to change based on the scenario that you guys find yourself in. Um, you know, I hope that the answers to some of these questions were able to help you guys. I also hope that for those of you who are asking these questions that you will follow up with photographic examples had a little clarification on the question that I just answered where it says four reception dances, toast, etcetera well, reception dances, toast, etcetera. That's all different, like they're all different things. So, for example, during the first dance, right, like if we're looking at a dance floor like the back of my phone is a dance for Wright and Brian Dreamer Nancy on the dance floor right here. And Sandra starts off here. Well, I might start off here, but then I might move here, but then I might move here, and then I might move there. Right? It really depends on what I'm trying to get at. If we're shooting toasts and the bride and groom are sitting here at their table, she's gonna start off somewhere over here. I'm gonna start off somewhere over here. But then I have free reign to move around. So there is no, you know, there is no hard and fast she stays here because I'm always moving so that where she is, the light is coming from different angles for me. Um, do you suggest I sent my flash in combination with ambient light and work on the poses in one setting, like, for example, on a boardwalk overlooking the beach? Or do you think posing them? Um, I'm really sorry. I don't know what that pushing means. I would love to answer it, but I'm not really sure. Um, like, I can't even take a stab at what is being asked that question. I am really sorry when you were shooting getting ready to you shoot in aperture mode. Specifically when you are shooting the brides in front of the window. Yes, about 95% of the time. When I'm shooting getting ready, I am shooting an aperture priority. Yes, we've got about 5 to 10 minutes left. If anybody's out there, if you've got any other specific questions, even if they're random, anything else here and there, I would, you know, love to answer them. We had a little clarification on the question before. Do you suggest that I flashed in combination with ambient light and work the poses in one setting? Or do you think posing them in various settings and then reconfiguring my lighting before shooting is totally acceptable? Once I'm not taking too long to shoot the scene. Um, I don't know what that means. Um, work the poses in one setting or do I think, posing them and then reconfiguring the lighting? I'm gonna take a stab at answering it. I would rather work with one lighting scenario as much as I possibly can before moving on to another lighting scenario simply because it's going to be a waste of time to set up the lights and shoot something, then set up the lies again and shoot something like If you got the white set up in one way, work that way as much as you possibly can, then move the lights to a different location and then work that it's just gonna end up being a big, um, time saver in the long run. I hope that that was answering the question that you had. I think that was answering the question that you had. But I have also just it completely invented a completely different question and answer that instead, get another second, see, have any other questions? Pop it. And I want to make sure that I get as many questions is absolutely possible before we have to head out for the day. And, you know, like I said before, I understand that shooting can be very frustrating and you're managing clients in your managing moving parts and you're managing lighting into managing yourself and you're managing your gear and it can be incredibly daunting. But again, please stick with it. I know that it you know, it can seem very insurmountable on it and seem very overwhelming. But the more you do it, you know, it's like riding a bike every single time. You do what you get a little bit better at it and you get a little bit better at it a little bit better at and then all of a sudden you're riding without even thinking about what you're doing. And I promise that this stuff is going to come to you just really have to buckle down and keep on going. And, um, you know, it's not gonna happen overnight. One more question. Suggestions for shooting a couple with their wedding day fireworks. You know the answer that is really going to depend on how much fireworks there are on. Sometimes it's one or two, you know, one or two bursts of fireworks, and then it's over. Sometimes it's a full on firework display, and it really depends. Sometimes we'll use our video like toe like them up a little bit. Sometimes. If the light from this guy is a very vibrant fireworks display, I'm not gonna need any other light other than the light from the fireworks. So like them andan, sometimes on a very rare instance will use are off camera flash very, very low setting to illuminate them just a little bit. Next question. When you arrive to the getting ready location, the bride is still getting her makeup done, but it's not close to a window. Would you ask them to move? Or do you just shoot where they're sitting? You know, if I have an opportunity to ask them to move, all say, Hey, you know, if it's not too much trouble, could we shoot over here? But nine times out of 10 the makeup artist is already set up, and the chances of you getting them to move somewhere else is practically non existent. So you just have to roll with the scenario that you find yourself in, you know, and sometimes it really stinks. And you know I hate it when, like they're set up in about through their shooting, getting ready, you know, with the makeup on the counter in the bathroom. But, you know, if the make up artist is like, Hey, this is where I'm set up and this is where I'm working, you say cool and you make it happen um, what do you have your bridal party doing while you're setting up your lives on study? Otherwise isn't something that takes, um, definitely does not take place while I should be doing something else. My assistant always sets up the lights. It is a very, very quick process, you know, we've been doing it together forever. She knows exactly how to do it. So let's say we're shooting family formals right after the ceremony. Will during the ceremony, she's gonna set the light. Or if you know, if we're going to be doing family formals in the park, she'll set up the light before we even leave the hotel to go to the park. I would never tell my clients. Hey, guys, hang on just a second while I set up a light onda. Also, because we're not using, like, these big, heavy strobes that have to be moved in complicated ways from one location to another, it's just one light on the Monta pot and she can set that up in less than three minutes. Um, how do you shoot sparklers circling the clients at the end of the night? Try hot. Um, I don't know what you mean by shooting sparkler circling the clients at the end of the night. I guess that you might mean a sparkler excess on. I should have. Just like I shoot everything else if there is ambient like to shoot it in. The ambient light is beautiful. And when you use that, if there is no ambient light, I'm gonna use my off camera flash in the exact same way that I would shoot Introductions were just going a little off to my side. And, you know, I don't use a tripod for something like that. If I'm going to be working with a flash, the flash is going to freeze my subject. So I'm not going to need a tripod. Um, if you're in a darker room with very little ambient light, would use flash during a detail shot like the rings? No, I would probably take them to another location where I could use ambient light. Or I would use a video light before I used a flash. Hopefully, that is helpful in sir. All right, have another question coming in because we were sort of wondering how this is happening. I have a document in front of me and I'm being live said your questions to the being typed out to me so that I can answer them as they come in. What about looking for when I'm deciding where to do the family formal portrait. So it really depends on if we're indoors or outdoors for the family Formal portrait. If we're gonna be outdoors, I'm looking for an area where I can put my clients and that is shady with a background that is brighter. The point is, is that I'm going to use my flash to eliminate their faces, which will really be a beautiful look when you actually eliminate that shade lit face against a bright background. If we are indoors, I'm looking for a location where I can back them off of the background enough that there won't be any fall off from my flash and also a background that isn't terrible. I e. A lot of times I'm choosing between like 45 egregiously awful locations, trying to pick which one is the least egregiously awful when using your flash vendor is the flash point that the family formal groupings are straight up inside the flash vendor. It is straight up inside the flash under. All right, my hand. My camera is too old to get fast enough shutter speeds for handheld detail shots. Can you recommend a specific tripod Armada pod to help me get details about camera shaking the shots? Um, I guess I'm curious as to why your camera would be too old enough to get a fast shutter speed, But I don't work with a tripod. I don't really work with the mono pod, so I can't I know what I mean. Let me back that off. I don't use a tripod or a mono pod for something like that. The tripod that I have, I think was 100 bucks. I don't know what it is. It isn't very fancy. It definitely isn't very sturdy. We have a man photo mono pod, but I don't use the mono pod for anything like details. But my question would be if you're using a camera that's too old to get passionate shutter speeds for handheld detail shots. How how can you use it for the rest of the day? So I'm just sort of stumped as to that one a little bit. Yeah. So we are right at 501 We're almost exactly at an hour. I know we have two more weeks. You really have about a week and 1/2 to get your homework assignments in before the live critique day. If you want me to help you with the problems that you're having, if you want me to look at your images and critique them, you got to get them turned in. The email address is in the Facebook group. The information on how to do that is in the Facebook groups. You can email them into me, and I will be able to help you out. What is the camera hanging on the background on my wall? Oh, it's just a tiny little toy camera doesn't actually work through. This is my home office and working from home today, and the little the little camera hanging on the wall there is just like a little like toy necklace camera. It doesn't actually do anything other than hang there and look cute. So on that note, now that we know that I have toy cameras hanging on my wall, I'm set. You guys back out into the world to do some more shooting, get your homework in and we'll see you live on Creativelive very soon. Bye, guys,