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Shooting: Formals, Ceremony, and Cocktail Hour

Lesson 29 from: Group Mentorship: Grow Your Wedding Photography Business

Susan Stripling

Shooting: Formals, Ceremony, and Cocktail Hour

Lesson 29 from: Group Mentorship: Grow Your Wedding Photography Business

Susan Stripling

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Lesson Info

29. Shooting: Formals, Ceremony, and Cocktail Hour

Lessons

Class Trailer

Day 1

1

Mentorship: Introduction and Overview

20:49
2

Mentorship: Business and Marketing

30:42
3

Mentorship: Shooting & Post Production

15:21
4

Social Media Marketing

13:07
5

Google Analytics

29:16
6

Targeting Your Market with Social Media

25:54
7

Social Media Marketing Q&A

10:21
8

Common Issues and Problems

20:01
9

Student Questions and Critique Part 1

26:18
10

Student Questions and Critique Part 2

20:41

Day 2

11

Month 1, Week 1 (Sept 8-14) - Assignment Video

10:28
12

Month 1, Week 1 (Sept 8-14) - Feedback & Weekly Review

53:10
13

Month 1, Week 2 (Sept 15-21) - Assignment Video

09:43
14

Month 1, Week 2 (Sept 15-21) - Feedback & Weekly Review

43:05
15

Month 1, Week 3 (Sept 22-28) - Assignment Video

07:12
16

Month 1, Week 3 (Sept 22-28) - Feedback & Weekly Review

39:17
17

Month 1, Week 4 (Sept 29-Oct 6) - Assignment Video

06:41

Day 3

18

Office Hours Overview

13:42
19

Name Your Business Review

31:41
20

Where are You Running Your Business Review

09:41
21

Get Set Up Legally Review

16:12
22

Personal and Business Finances Review

26:58
23

Banking and Paying Yourself Review

15:42
24

Pricing Problems and Case Studies

35:12
25

When the World Isn't Perfect Review

23:56
26

Mission Statement and Target Client Review

25:46
27

Shooting: Macro and Getting Ready

17:26
28

Shooting: Portraits of the Bride

14:24
29

Shooting: Formals, Ceremony, and Cocktail Hour

16:30
30

Shooting: Reception and Nighttime Portraits

18:46

Day 4

31

Month 2, Week 1 (Oct 6-12) - Feedback & Weekly Review

57:47
32

Month 2, Week 2 (Oct 13-19) - Feedback & Weekly Review

55:04
33

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

57:13
34

Month 2, Week 4 (Oct 27-Nov 2) - Feedback & Weekly Review

47:48

Day 5

35

Details Critique Part 1

28:49
36

Details Critique Part 2

23:57
37

Getting Ready Critique

29:38
38

Missed Moments Critique

11:44
39

Bride Alone Critique Part 1

12:39
40

Bride Alone Critique Part 2

21:04
41

Ceremony Critique

12:36
42

Wedding Formals Critique

19:18
43

Bride and Groom Formals Critique

24:23
44

Reception Critique

18:33
45

Introductions and Toasts Critique

18:14
46

First Dances and Parent Dances Critique

17:47
47

Reception Party Critique

20:08
48

Night Portraits Critique

15:38
49

Month Three Homework

18:45

Day 6

50

Month 3, Week 1 - "Office Hours" Checkin

43:05
51

Month 3, Week 2 - "Office Hours" Checkin

28:11
52

Month 3, Week 3 - "Office Hours" Checkin

36:06

Day 7

53

Get Organized

30:40
54

Editing Q&A Part 1

28:57
55

Editing Q&A Part 2

32:18
56

Editing Critique Part 1

33:32
57

Editing Critique Part 2

31:48
58

Editing Critique Part 3

28:43
59

Editing Critique Part 4

29:33
60

Editing Critique Part 5

21:51
61

Final Image Critique

36:28
62

Album Design and Final Q&A

21:57

Lesson Info

Shooting: Formals, Ceremony, and Cocktail Hour

family formals. All right. Everyone hates family formal. I actually don't mind them at all. I've got them now down to a science. Um, and again, if you don't have a wedding to shoot, you don't have to shoot Family formals can shoot whatever you want. But before we really start talking about them, I'm in a reiterate this at the very end, when I'm telling you that I want to see three images, three images that you've shot in each of these conditions. Getting ready, macro stuff, family formals, bride alone. You don't have to shoot them. In the next month. You can pull your favorite three shots of all time and send them into me for critique. Because what is going to happen in one month when I come back in November for the full day, it's going to be practically a full day of image critiques, which is going to be great, which is one of my favorite things ever and is one of the biggest learning experiences I ever had as a photographer is watching. Judging during print competitions, it's fascina...

ting. It is an extraordinary learning experience. So when you're putting together your three images from each of these categories to send me. I want you to send me the best of what you've got, whether you shot it before you shot at this month. Conversely, I would also like you to send me in something that you tried really hard and it didn't work. And you can't figure out why it didn't work. So either send me something awesome that you think you can't possibly improve upon or send me something that you tried to dio that didn't work And you don't know why. That's what I would like to see to moving onwards shooting some family formals. The lenses that I favour are my 72 200 to 8, my tons 200 F four and my 24 to 1 24 now. Usually I'm going to be using my 72 200 F four for family formals. The reason being is that I'm generally shooting these family formals anywhere between 56 and F eight. And why would I hold the heavy weight of the 72 200 to 8 when the 7200 F four is much lighter and I'm not gonna be shooting it to eight anyhow, Sometimes for bigger groups or in situations where I can't get that far back with my lenses, I will use the 24 to 1 How am I creating my light? It is a single off camera flash on a mono pod. So it is one speed light whatever speed light you use on a mono pod that stretches out so that my assistant can hold it. We have a rogue flash bender, and we have the large one. It's about yea big sitting right on the front of our flash, and I use a faux ticks, transmitter and receiver. One of the transmitter sits on top of my camera. The receiver goes on top of the mono pod and the flash clicks right into it. So you have mono pod phobics, flash flash bender, and we also use an F D nine battery pack that hooks into the front of our flash and attacked us to the leg of the monitor. God, if you watch the days you saw that in action, Sander actually put it together on camera. That's all we're doing for our family. Formal lighting is just one single off camera flash. How are you handling the posing quickly? We want to get the group. Then we want to make it efficient and we want to get them out. Because usually we don't have a lot of time to be doing these family formals. And how are you keeping cool? You just do it. Ah, lot of people ask me, you know, on wedding days, do you get nervous? No, I never got nervous shooting weddings. It's work, right? Like I'm going toe work. I wouldn't get nervous going to a 9 to 5 job. And just because it's a creative job doesn't mean that I'm getting nervous at it's not. It doesn't have anything to do with ability. I just never really got nervous going to weddings. And how do you keep cool when everybody is going crazy and everyone's running around and they're trying to pull these groups together? You just do it. You just be authoritative and be cool and get it done. So this is what my family formals look like. Does it look like studio lighting? No. Is it super fancy? New? Does it get the job done and look a little bit better than an off camera flash or an on camera flash. Yes, it does so very, very simply what I am doing, Teoh light, these is I'm taking an ambient reading of the scene. If I'm going to take a picture of this set up with no flash at all what would my settings be right? Like if I'm going to shoot a group like this? That 63 f 63 what would my settings be to do that? I determined that Then I under exposed those settings by two stops. Then I use my flash to fill in the subjects. What I'm doing, my under exposing by two stops, is I'm making my background nice and dark. The flash has been being used to fill in the faces of my subjects. So if these are my subjects standing right here, OK, I am as far back that way as I can possibly get with my 72. 200 is close to 200 as possible because I want that lends compression at 200 for this group. My assistant is probably about 10 feet off at a diagonal. So to make it on a very small scale if this is the group my assistant is going to be about here. Onley a few steps further as a diagonal back, right, like she's coming at it from a slight angle. I am off. That way you can see the fall of the light by seeing a little shadow right behind her heel of the little shadow right behind him. That's how it's falling backwards. It's very, very simple. Ambient light reading of the room under exposed by two stops flash to fill in their faces. That's it. There's no crazy formula to it. There's nothing super fancy and crazy to it. It is nice and simple and clean, as you can see here. Yes, full power. It depends on the room. 95% of the time, it's going to be at full power. Sometimes, if it's, you know, a bright space with pretty good light. I'm just trying to fill it in that will be at half power. If I'm outside doing this outside, it's the exact same principles. Flashes almost always at full power outside, with the last bender on there always thank you. Now somebody on the Facebook group and I'm not trying to chastise you, but I kind of needed to call you out a little bit. But somebody on the Facebook group was like, Hey, listen, I'm going to start trying some off camera flash at this weekend's wedding, you know? Tell me what I need to get to start doing off camera flash. It's great that you're trying to learn. Don't try this for the first time that a red at a wedding. It is highly irresponsible to try this for the first time at a wedding. Try this for the first time at home with your friends with an army of teddy bears, anything that you need to do to get comfortable with it and then do it at a wedding. Ah, wedding is never the time to try a technique for the first time. So this is very, very, very simple. One flash off camera, one camera, one lens for you. It's nothing crazy. I'm not switching bodies back and forth, and then you're going to just work with your assistant and the light, and you're gonna start getting more comfortable as to where you want it, right? You might find as you're doing it, that you want to add another light on the other side or that you don't like it at all. You want the light to come war directly behind you. But the point is to get out and start practicing it. And if you don't have an assistant, get a light stand. You can always put a flash on a light stand and set it up wherever you want it. Okay? Yes. Verification. Um, you're under exposing by aperture or shutter speed. Never buy aperture because I need the opera chur to be consistent so that the entire group is in focus. It's a combination of eso and shutter speed. Thank you. Always the ceremony. This is going to be the hardest one for you to shoot if you don't have a wedding to shoot. However, the ceremony usually is basically the easiest thing to shoot because you can't control anything about it. You can't change the lighting, You can't repose the people. You just have to document it as it is. So if you don't have a ceremony to shoot this month, think about it. But don't sweat it too hard. The gear that I take to a ceremony the 72 224 to the 24 to 1 20 year, the 85 or the 35? I don't know. It depends on the space. How big is it? A small of it. How much light is there, right? Like I'm I might use the 85 14 during a ceremony. If it is so dim in there that I need the power of the 14 Maybe I can use the 72 200 f four. If it's really bright in there. Maybe I can't use a 72 200 at all because it's so dark and I can't hand hold it. The gear that I put together for a ceremony is 100% driven by the space that I'm in. How am I handling the light? It is all natural light all the time. Unless there is some strange exception. Usually when you're shooting in a church, you can't use a flash anyhow on. And if I'm outside, it's going to be natural light. Anyways, how am I staying unobtrusive? I mean, I'm just being careful, right? Like you're there. You can't completely hide who write like you're there to document that you have to actually document it. But at the same time, I'm not gonna do something like cross across the altar. Stand next to the priest. And how am I getting all of the angles? Well, you can't, you know. And that something Sometimes clients will say we want all angles of everything. Well, I can't I can't get on the altar. I can't stand next to the priest. Maybe I can't get a shot of just your faith as you're giving your vows. If I can't go over to the side, you can Onley do with what you You can only do what you can do in this situation that you're in. Maybe you're gonna find yourself in a super strict church that you're just stuck standing in the back the entire time and you can't go anywhere else. Well, all you can do is what you can dio. Sometimes if I have the ability to I will take that off camera light that I used four family formals and I will use it in the exact same manner to light a processional. But that is on Lee for an extreme case. If the room is extremely dark and I have permission, that's not necessarily something I'd start trying. If you're not comfortable with off camera flash. If you're in a situation like this and you can use a flash and you're not comfortable with on camera or off camera flash, there's nothing wrong with using an on camera flash if that's kind of your your jam. But this was in a hotel that was so incredibly dark that without flash I wouldn't have even been able to shoot it. This shutter speed would have been so low. My I s o would have been through the roof. It was literally like they were walking in a dark room and I had permission to use Flash. And so I did. But most of the time you know the ceremonies that I shoot don't all look like this, right? Usually they look like this couple up on altar. Pretty bad lighting, terrible white balance. Nice people. What can you do creatively with this? Nothing. You make sure it's in focus and you're telling the story and you're hitting the key moments, right? Like the great moment when they're praying or the moment during the ceremony that the groom does something cute. The bride makes a cute face. I can't light this. I can't get super creative with this because you are completely limited with what you can do during a ceremony. Yes, you might have already said it, but I wanted to reiterate Are you mostly using your seventies during the ceremony and procession? I'm using a little bit of everything. And it 100% depends on the face. If the aisle is long and I can I will use the 72 if the eyeless short and I cant will use the 24 to 1 20 like this is very much I don't know until I walk into the space. What? I'm gonna pull out because I don't know what I'm dealing with. Is it a cathedral? Is it a conference room? Right? Like you just don't know. Um but that said I'm always looking for different angles. Like if there's a church with a balcony that you can get in and you can find a good angle of the balcony, I'm going to get in the balcony and try to see what I can find. You know if if I have permission to roam around during the ceremony. I'm going to Rome to everywhere I can, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. So again, if you've got a ceremony to shoot, it's great. Do the best you can with the gear you have. Try to find some moments in there, but this one's a tough one if you don't actually have a wedding to shoot this month. And if you don't don't sweat it. Too bad. You know when they're coming back down and they're doing the recessional. I'm looking for moments, you know, I'm waiting for moments. That's basically all I can endeavor to get during a ceremony is moments right? So then caught Tell our, which is usually pretty much the easiest thing to shoot. This is hands down my least favorite part of the day. So much so to the point that I don't shoot it anymore. I think my assistant go do it because it just burns me out like nobody's business. What I'm taking the cocktail hour is the 24 to 1 20 up, for the reason being is, I'm gonna put it in my assistance hands and it's super versatile, and it will let her be wide and it will let her be zooming. I said the settings for her and her Luzon cocktail hour. Um, during cocktail hour. Usually I'm in the room shooting the reception room and Sanders shooting gripping grins at cocktail hour. Now, understandably, sometimes you have timing issues. What do you do if you're doing all of the portrait's during caught? Tell our What do you do? Well, if I'm shooting the family formals and the pictures of the bride and groom during Conteh lower, I have to be very honest with them that if I don't have a second shooter, I'm not gonna be shooting their cocktail hour. Most clients don't care. They're like you'll be there during the reception. Anyhow, it doesn't matter. What if he should alone. You need to be very up front with your clients with what you can do in the time that is allotted to you, right? And this is all we're looking to do during cocktail hour. This is the Sander side of things. This is the going in the cocktail hour while everyone is mingling and greeting and whatnot were in there with Can I get a picture of you guys get a picture of you guys can get a picture of you guys. It's what we call gripping grins. Usually the flashes on auto. It's balancing just a little bit behind me. E. We are almost always at F 4 to 56 depending on the group and a low shutter speed to allow in some ambient light. But again, we're not trying to make art here. We're just trying to document groups. You could do this at a party, right? But then I'm shooting room. I like shooting the room. There are no people to put together when you're shooting the room shooting the room. And if you don't have a room to shoot, shoot your living room, shoot your dining room, set up your table like you're having a dinner party and shoot that right like make a tableau and shoot it. The lenses that I bring to the shooting of the room I bring a lot of lenses. Actually, the 72 to 8 85 14 24 to 1 20 the macro and sometimes my little 16 to 35. If I need something super wide, the 16 to 35 really only comes to play for me with room shots and Horace during the dancing. What exactly am I shooting? Including everything. Shooting everything in the room, the tables, chairs, the place cards that everything. Anything that a bride had to make a decision about having in the room or not. I'm gonna shoot it. And what about timing issues? It's the same with cocktail hour. If I am shooting something else when I would normally be shooting the room, you have to be very up front with your clients that if we're going to do this, that means I can't shoot that. And then you let them make the decision. And what if you shoot alone? As I said before, be very up front with what you can do for them in the time that is allotted to you, right? And when I'm shooting the room, I'm looking for details of the cake, and I'm looking for flower arrangements set on tables. I'm looking for overall room shots like so and like so and I'm looking for detail shots like these three in a row, the table settings, the florals on the tables, any place cards that are set out, anything that is in that reception room. How can I shoot it? Make it look exactly like it looks to be there. Make it look beautiful. Sometimes I have the advantage of having pin spots on each table, which is great. Sometimes I'm using my ice light video light toe. Like, um, sometimes we're using our flash at a very low power toe. Light it. But I want you to get out. And I want you to start trying to shoot rooms. Be it your room or be it a reception and show me what you're doing. I want to see what you're doing so I can help make it better.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Mentorship Launch and Social Media Keynote.pdf
Susan Stripling - Study Packet Spreadsheets for Numbers.zip
Susan Stripling - Study Packet Spreadsheets for Excel.zip
Susan Stripling - Month 1 Mentorship Assignments 1 - 7.pdf
Susan Stripling - Business and Marketing Workbook.pdf
Susan Stripling - Study Packet Spreadsheets - PDF.zip
Susan Stripling - Month 1 Mentorship Assignments 8 - 14.pdf
Susan Stripling - Month 1 Mentorship Assignments 15 - 21.pdf
Susan Stripling - Month 1 Mentorship Assignments 22 - 28.pdf
Susan Stripling - Month 2 Homework.pdf
Susan Stripling - Month Two Introduction Keynote.pdf
Susan Stripling - Month Three Assignments.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

A couple years ago I attended WPPI and sat in on Susan's class. Out of all the classes I sat in on that year her's was in the top 2 for actual information and not just fluffy feel good hype. So I figured her Group Mentorship course would be a good one and it definitely has! A bit of background on me, I've been running my own wedding photography business for the last 6 years, 5 of those full time. I've taken tons of business courses and have circled back around to taking more classes to improve my craft. Susan's class focuses on both business and improving your craft. The big warning I have for this class is that there is a lot of homework, A LOT!!! But that is not a bad thing at all. I was swamped with weddings as the class started and was late to get to my homework but I'm so glad I didn't skip it because there was a lot of things I learned about my business just in answering her questions. I believe there were homework assignments every single day and while some are quick others will take awhile. So my recommendation is to take this course in your off season and use that down time to really concentrate on doing the homework and putting together questions to ask during the weekly chats. I was not able to do that as much as I wanted because of my schedule and I feel I did myself a disservice by not taking full advantage of what was offered. As another reviewer stated there were a lot of basic questions that were asked like how to get proper exposure in an image, etc. If you aren't sure how to do that then this class is not for you. I believe this class is geared towards those who are past the portfolio building stage and are looking to set their business up for success on the back end while improving their craft. Remember to ask questions, keep a notebook and write them down while doing your homework. Don't focus so much on what she uses for everything but why she uses it, if you understand the why you can apply that better to your business vs just the what. Again I would say to properly allocate time to take this class, treat it like a college class with weekly homework and study required. Don't buy it to watch later as you will lose out on most of what this class is about which is access to Susan for questions and feedback. Do the homework, I found the questions she asked us to answer led to a lot of revelations for myself in my business. Her questions led me to ask my own questions and review a lot of historical data for my business to get a better grasp on where I am. Luckily for me I'm doing way better then I thought ;)! Also I recommend for image critique to not just submit your best images, while we all like a pat on the back that won't make you better. She requested a mix of your best and areas of struggle. The images I submitted that I was struggling with are the ones where her advice will improve my craft.

Carissa
 

Susan, simply amazing photographer, amazing woman, amazing business woman! If you want your but kicked then this the course for you! A kick start for your 'business', awesome .. honest .... brutal.... critique.... don't take it personally.This is a course for beginners and for those been in business for 4 + years. I have been in business for 4 years and this helped me seriously start from the beginning again on the business side of things and fine tune my processes. I learnt so much.... but was also great to know I was on the right track. For those beginning - oh I wish I had this as a guide 4 years ago!!! Enjoy! worth every penny! cheers Carissa www.capture-t-moment.com

a Creativelive Student
 

I found this course helpful - but I also did all (well most) of the homework and I think to get the most out of this class you really need to be prepared to do the homework - which does require a reasonable time commitment. I found the business information (month 1) invaluable, and Susan was very, very active in the Facebook group, constantly answering our questions, which was great. Month 2 was a big image critique and I also found this very helpful. Month 3 was about editing and it was also a critique, which was helpful as well. Susan, Sandra (her assistant), Jen (her post production person) and CL worked very hard for us so we could get the best out of this course and I really feel I did get the most out of it that I could have gotten out of it. It is definitely worth it if you are willing to do the work. All of my questions were answered and I feel like my work is going to improve for the better now. If CL run any more mentorships such as this one, I would highly recommend them as I found I learned a lot more than in a regular class - because of the homework and the feedback (direct from Susan) on the homework. I am so glad that she was honest about my images because now I am seeing them in a new light (no pun intended).

Student Work

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