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Shooting: Macro and Getting Ready

Lesson 27 from: Group Mentorship: Grow Your Wedding Photography Business

Susan Stripling

Shooting: Macro and Getting Ready

Lesson 27 from: Group Mentorship: Grow Your Wedding Photography Business

Susan Stripling

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Lesson Info

27. Shooting: Macro and Getting Ready

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: Macro and Getting Ready

So the first thing with month two and shooting is inevitably somebody is going to stand up and say, Oh, my God. But I don't have any weddings this month, right? Or have only got one wedding this month, or I haven't even shot a wedding yet. That doesn't mean you can't go practice these things. You can absolutely get friends to come in and pretend for you, right? Like if you're shooting a first dance, grab a couple that you're close to have them come over to your house and just dance in your living room and practice when you're sending in your examples of this work, it doesn't have to be from a wedding. It could be from it. Could be teddy bears set up in your living room, right. It could be Barbie dolls. You know what I mean? It could be your friends. I just want to see if you're getting you know, if you're getting it down, Do you know what I mean? Like, just if you're getting the concepts, because if you're getting the concepts before you have actual client work, then when you have actu...

al client work you'll be ready to go. So I'm going to talk to you about every single thing we're gonna shoot this month. And then we're gonna close it up with a very concise breakdown of what I want you to shoot and win. So each week we'll have a few shooting assignments. But generally over this month, these were the things that I want you to practice shooting. If you need to break it down on a week to week or a day to day basis, go for it. But this month is basically a free for all to hit all of these different things at some point in time or another. But like I said, at the very end, I'm going to give you a suggested weekly breakdown. But if it works better for you to do it in a different way, by all means go for it. So the first thing we're gonna shoot it's a macro stuff. If you've got a wedding issue. Awesome. If not by a ring at the dime store and let's go. So we asked a bunch of questions, right? Like I asked when you're looking at this in the very first day, I asked what Lindsay's air using what f stops for you choosing. So now I'm gonna answer these things for you. So as far as what Mac Curlin's I'm using, I use the Nikon 105 Millimeter macro. And as far as F stop, I'm in F nine F 16 or higher. I never start any. I don't shoot my rings at 35 I don't you my ring that f four. And how am I being creative? This one's kind of a hard one, because ah, lot of people seem to be super obsessed with making really creative ring shots like running before you can walk. Don't be so obsessed with what you can put the foreground, what you can put in background and how weird you can make it. How you can layer the picture until you can take a clean picture of a ring. Don't start going above and beyond to something else. So, for example, thes air the ring shots that I'm making F nine F 11 F 16. Almost all of these are at F 11 on What I'm looking for is a very clear in focus bevel of the ring, and then something going on in the rest of the frame, right? Your first step in all of this should be to get a nice, clean picture of the ring and take a white sheet and set a ring on it and practice with it until it's perfectly in focus and then start building creative elements around it. And as far as creative elements, I don't want you to copy what I'm doing. I want you to start finding your own way. Okay? For the most part, when I'm lighting these ring shots, it is natural light. It is usually a large window in this instance in this image that you're looking at right here. It was a large window at my back. The ring was about three feet in front of me. The window was about two feet behind me. There's no flash, there's no video light. And I'm not saying that if you want to use flash or video light, you can't. I'm just showing you what I would dio. So the goal of this month, first of all, is focused. Second of all its clarity and then third of all this creativity on, I want you to practice with it over and over and over, and then I want you to pull your top three favorite ring shots of the month and send them to me. And the very last flight is gonna tell you exactly how to send them to me. So don't stress out about that. I promise. I'll tell you. But I want you to just work on basics. And now some of you out there might be saying, Yeah, but I've been a wedding photographer for 15 years. I've got the basics down. Do them again. You know, when I'm when I'm struggling with creativity, I go all the way back to ground zero, a clean ring on a clean background and make sure that it is the right is the right lighting the right linds selection, the right F stop selection, and only then do I start layering creativity. On top of it, something is simple as to back up. One step. This is the ring sitting on her belt that she's going to put around her dress. This is the ring sitting on a leaf. Keep it simple until you're ready to make it more elaborate. You might never want to make it more elaborate. You might find that keeping it simple is your way of doing it. You might find that you hate ring shots and so do your clients. This month is about exploring how you feel about the detail shots that you're doing. Do you have any questions about any macro work at all? Because the first thing we're gonna do is shoot some rings. Let's give him a chance to China. May take him a minute or so. All right, we'll wait. Way we'll go on. I'll stop at the end of each one and you can just hit me with anything that comes in. So from okay, Lou Cannon, who says a couple of folks were asking, Um, what if they don't have the macro in their box? What do you recommend in their bag? You don't have a macro. You can't do macro photography. I mean, and I hate to say that, and that sounds super rude. You don't need 105 millimeter back row. You don't need the latest and greatest. But if you do want to do macro work, you do have to have some form of macro lens. There are off brand lenses. There is. You know you can go on and get a used, used, used, all manual macro lens for 100 and 50 bucks. You just have to go search for it. You can use extension tubes, and you can use filters and stuff like that. But it's never going to be the same as a true macro. So if you don't have macro lens to start doing macro work, you're going to need to get a hold of one. You know you can't like shoot a 24 to 70 and crop it and call it macro. Do you know what I mean? So I would suggest going on eBay going on Katie h dot com trying to find something even if it's all manual, even if you have to focus it yourself, which is what I do 90% of the time. Even with this expensive Mac Curlin's, you've got to find something that will allow you macro capabilities. Yes, Sam is the section on macro like a large section because if it's like a week of homework, I could rent one for a week or something, right? Well, I mean it at some point in time this month, you need to shoot some macro right, like so, If you're not sure what you want or you're thinking maybe you should buy one. You could rent one, or you could rent one and practice with it and then put buying it on your to buy beer list. Right? But this is one of those there's no substitute, right? Like you can work with light, no matter what lens you're using. But you can't do macro work without a macro. And you could practice right, like you could practice with the 24 to 70 making sure that you're getting everything and focus that you're, you know, or whatever linds you want. But it's never going to have that true macro look without a true macro lens. And if you're looking at this and you're like, I don't have a macro lens and I think detail photography is stupid, well, that detailed, hungry man might not be your thing. Your clients might never care about getting a picture of their ring, and my husband almost never shoots the rings at the weddings that he shoots. They're just that's not something they want. And me when I show up on a wedding day, they're like here. You go, Here's my rainmaker Ring shop for me and I'm like Oh God, right, Like it's it's all in what you want. So maybe you don't shoot a single detail shot this month because you don't think that your clients are gonna want it. It's not big in your demographic. It's not something that you want to shoot. If this doesn't work for you, don't do it. But you will need some form of macro lens at some point in time if you want to experiment. And if you don't have one, you can rent one for a few days for a very nominal price to give it a shot. And if someone was desperate and they really wanted to do a ring shot but not use a macro, okay to turn it in for the homework. Perfect. Just tell me right? Like I don't have a macro lens yet, but I'm trying to learn the principles. I use this Lynn. When I get a macro lens, will I be able to translate these things toe a Mac Roland, please do that by all means. You know, I don't want you to think that anything that I'm telling you to do during the shooting section means you have to go out and buy here. Like, did we not just do the spreadsheets, right? Like you don't want to go out and buy something. But if you want to practice with that, you could rent one for a couple days and try it. Thank you. Yeah. So then we're gonna shoot some getting ready. Okay. I'm gonna tell you how to do this if you don't have any weddings at all, But let's talk about what I do with getting ready. What lenses do I favor when I'm shooting a getting ready? I favor that 85 millimeter 14 And I favor the 24 to 72 8 Those air sort of my to go to getting ready lenses. How am I using light? It's directional from windows, if possible. Always. How am I instructing my subjects? Naturally and gently. I'm giving suggestions instead of poses. And how are you being creative and being creative? However I can, with light with mirrors, with angles of compositional choices with how I'm storytelling, I don't have a how to be creative checklist. I'm just going out and trying to see every single scene as differently as possible. Like for example, you know, light from a window. You can do this with a friend, have a friend, come over and put on a party dress in your bedroom. Right, Like this doesn't have to be a wedding. You can set up this scenario with a friend or a model, but this is generally what I'm looking for. I'm looking for Ah, big window, something that I can close the shears down a door that I can open that will let in light from outside. And if I don't have a window in the room, a place where I can put a video light to emulate a window. But more often than not, I'm looking for a window. If the bride is about to get ready in a room that doesn't have a window in it, I will always try to move her to a different location so that I can have great light for her when she's getting ready. But my suggestions when talking about suggestions instead of poses I didn't set up this picture. You know, Jennifer's dress is just hanging in the window and I said, Hey, guys, when you're ready to get ready. Just go grab that dress out of the window and get started. Once you've got it pulled up in your decent, my assistance going to show you where to stand and then you just go to town. It's not Turn your head here. Its not put your hand here. It's none of that. It's putting them in the right lighting and compositional scenario so that when they get started, they're in the right spot. This is light from a window shooting directly into the window. You can't see the curtains. You can't see the walls. This is just a faith against a window. Something to consider. This is the same scenario, but moving onwards from it, the brightest still in front of the window. But her sister in law is off to the side, helping her with her veil. I did not set this up. I set the bride down on the battle, is about to take some pictures of her and her sister in law came in and started messing with the veil. And I said, Hey, Leah, if you're gonna do that, when you just kind of stand, we scoot a little bit further away from her. And she did, um, my ideal. When I'm getting a bride getting ready, you see the window, you see the curtains, you see where she's standing. That's where I want the bride. When she gets dressed, I want her just off to the side of the window, facing the light like if this is a big window right here, this screen and these were the curtains right here. I want her right here. That's what's creating this beautiful rim of light on this girl's face is the light coming from this window and hitting her face juxtaposed against a dark background. This is the scenario that I'm looking for, right? So when she's next to the window, like so you get that rim of light. But now imagine that window. Imagine turning things a little bit. You're going to get this right. This is the same thing. A very large window coming through and directly lighting the bride's face. Not from here. If this is our window, right And this picture here, she's standing here in this picture here. She's standing here directly facing into the window, so it's the light from one window using it in multiple different ways. So let's step back one step, right. Remember when she's sitting on this bed here when she faces the window, It looks like that when she goes back and sits back on the bed. This is what it looks like in this picture. The windows right there in this picture, the windows right here. I just moved from side to side. You can see the light is coming through and hitting her. You can see that rim of light. Same thing there. The reason why the background is darker is because I'm exposing for her face. She's juxtaposed against a dark background. If you're still having a hard time seeing what that looks like, here's that same window. So you say you're sitting on the bed, right? She's kind of facing the window at an angle. Okay, we're gonna pretend that you guys are the window and I'm the bride. I'm sitting here facing the window. I angle a little bit this way, windows still over here, and I'm shooting into my face here. It's getting the light from the window. And then there's the wall. I turn a little bit more. Here's my windows still right I turn all the way this way, keeping that wall behind my head. That's what these pictures are all in a room that looks like this. This window is the same window that is lighting these pictures. And it is the same window that you see here in this picture. So if you don't have a wedding to shoot and you want to start working with these scenarios Barbie doll, Teddy bear friend, kid, anybody, anything Styrofoam head, You know what I mean? Find something that you can put in scenarios like this and shoot it. That's what I want to see. Pick whichever lens makes you happy. Shoot, however, makes you happy. Pick your best three and send them to me. So kind. Yes. OK, so Dana would like to know, Um, how do you expose for using a window as a badly exposed for using a window as a backlight spot matrix meter? And how do you do it? So it doesn't look muddy. If it looks muddy, you're having too much light spill into your lens. That's probably the biggest problem, right? Like if you're shooting so directly into the window that the light is blaring into your lens. It's the same thing. Is getting too much haze from an outside son into your into your lens? Just re angle yourself. I'm always exposing for the face. Always spot matrix, however, you have to go about doing it. If she's here right here, I'm exposing for her face right here, right? Whether she's against a white background, whether she's against a black background, I'm still exposing for the face always on. And this is really like what I'm doing in the second half of this afternoon. It is 90% of the 30 days constants down into 90 minutes. So if you've got the 30 days, I highly suggest you go rewatch the shooting section of it. If you have my three day and we watch the shooting section, if you have no idea, just get out there and get started, right. Like a lot of people end up so much in their head that it it's hard to even get going. So if you get going and you submit your pictures to me and I can critique them for you, it will help you get going to the next place. The goal at the end of this month. Here is for me to have a bunch of images from you from all of these different scenarios so that I can come in here and I can critique them and I can help you out. Terrific. Um, from Charlotte, I always struggle, struggle with getting ready shots on some houses as I go to their very, very dark. And if there are windows, there's always a lot of furniture cluttering it up. How much moving around furniture do you do to create these? Well, in this, you know, in these instances right here in the bed, next to a window, right? But I have no problem moving chairs. I have no problem moving a sofa. I have no problem moving in table. We move lamps all the time, all rearranged the whole freaking room. If I have Teoh and I'll ask people Hey, guys, you mind if I move the furniture around in here? And they're usually like, whatever you got to dio and it's not always gonna be epic. Sometimes it's really gonna stop, right? Like sometimes your scenario is really kind of crappy. But all you can do is all you can dio you know Not every wedding is gonna be the greatest wedding you've ever shot. But it's just being able to survive and thrive as best you can. Perfect. Thank you. Yeah. Are we good? We're good living onwards. Okay? And guys, listen, I'm not expecting you to go from zero to perfect at the end of this month or to nail all of this or toe have all of this down. Pat. It's to get out there and start trying to do it and then turning in images so that I can help you get even further.

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.

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).

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

Student Work

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