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Shoot: Band Part 1

Lesson 9 from: Hack Your Light

Chuck Arlund

Shoot: Band Part 1

Lesson 9 from: Hack Your Light

Chuck Arlund

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Lesson Info

9. Shoot: Band Part 1

Next Lesson: Shoot: Band Part 2

Lesson Info

Shoot: Band Part 1

But what we're going to do now is photographed the band what's the name of the band people the people now here what's up tell us about yourself so the people now some of you in the live studio audience have some some swag that we gave away some stickers yes wonderful one of our trademarks is called rock band non profit and we use our music to raise funds and awareness for other charitable or education organizations basically anybody doing something really cool we support that's exactly why we're here cool cool so when I should iraq man or a country man are in the artist I like to find out what they're about um and it keeps me from making static image is one of the things when I was a musician for years and years and years and years and years look up the caribbean pictures online and, uh I see too many pictures of bands that actually the perfect example is there's a lien well mag cd a few years ago and she's in a white like a big shell like a picture and it looks like a christina you kn...

ow, regular album cover yet it's lian woman now, obviously we all know who lean on lawmakers, but what if we didn't quite know who she was and I picked up that album what kind of music? And I don't expect really old school country or pop it looked like pop yet you put it in and it's like well this is weird I mean I don't know how many times I've bought cds based on album covers many times people buy wine bottles based on the label exactly exactly so which I do I mean you know that's the way to do it so if I see something looks cool I'm going to buy it and I expect to hear what I'm looking for the new band in nashville or not that new but all the black bells and I saw their album you know I still buy records and at grinding his music story I'm like oh my god these guys looks for girls that look like witches and it's just this they're just all standing there on this great background but it's just lit still interestingly and it's just like I know they're going to sound cool yet it's there's just something about I had to buy it I had to buy it offing imagery and I wasn't disappointed when I put it on it was exactly what I expected to hear which you know was what I wanted you know but sometimes you khun that can go the opposite way I mean seems sometimes bands that look cool and then he put it on it's like this isn't what I expected so especially back in the days of tapes when and he didn't have listening stations he was kind of ok and you know there was so I like to ask what kind of music you probably call it alternative rock but it's it's high energy it's it's crowd engaging it's very diverse I think one of the greatest compliments we actually receive it nobody sounds like you guys cool yes it feels really good so who what kind of ah band would you kind of compare yourself with as faras visuals because you're going to get like five different answers it's good for different people who think this question about how you sound but more just telling what's your feel I like to say that we're u two with teeth a little bit of raging its machine a little bit of thirty seconds to mars but definitely with some of the seattle influence you could have some of the harmonies of alice and change some of the grunge and nirvana I mean clearly I'm tryingto getsem nirvana hair going on but you know the idea is that we take some of the strengths that have been very effective in the rock world for the last twenty thirty years and then we try to give that in a way that they don't expect not only in our live show but definitely on the record to and if you listen to it it's incomplete surround sound which is a unique experience so what what we heard we're not going to take him out in the field with pretty like, right? So maybe something not really against a brick wall like not so much ramon's because that's a little too no no train tracks and just not train tracks you know I think you know the first things they gave me a lot of the click the whole you to think I was like all right they've got a very cool style kind of some harsh black and white imagery that's kind of there and there's like a depth to it yet you know, maybe in out is it wise we've got more you know in styling comes into so much we'll play with that that's you know they're all kind of the genes of black t shirts that kind of armor moans look but what's not photographed them into ramon's was photographed and more of you to weigh where it's a little work I don't know cutting edge a little more modern you know and let's try some what's like that and see what they think now I'm going to do some stuff that I might not do normally just for the sake of creative live and doing some things but that's in cool hand since you know so that's what we're gonna do so let's get set up what's do something I've been wanting is another thing we're looking it up oh my gosh irving pin photographs guys airing pin fans okay good he's got this picture again marco this guy is just to look and I'm like oh yeah I made one of those like course you did so it's just two pieces of let's bring it out irving's got these pictures of models in tight corners you know I'm talking about exactly so what's a little duct tape and some candles but let's get a black a black floor so here's some seamless let's tape it down can we do this here to sleep? You know, this isn't a big cost to make a little set here's what? I'll just little more okay, there we go. So it's not going across the we weren't expecting this where you any questions yet? What we're setting this up I think I think we're still excited to see what's coming I'm sure you are um we kind of like we got but we did just really quick elizabeth lynn ours said that it's really great to hear about this band and the use of imagery within the industry and super interesting yeah it's something I try to someone you know, being a musician I feel like a relate to musicians and you know that's where one of the coolest things ever you taken artists were setting us up. I started thinking about this a lot with with a there was a bon jovi album call in just jon bon jovi album called destination anywhere and it's like here's this iconic jon bon jovi you we all have this visual of him and then he comes out with this album called destination anywhere and it's like when he first cut his hair kind of he changed his image the shots were there's just something different about when I looked at the pictures on the album it's like I put it on and it wasn't bon jovi it was something like I saw in the pictures and was like here's a guy you can take this is jon bon jovi and yet there's something weird about this album that's a little more adult contemporary it's a little bit weird like deep it's a story line I think even did a movie based on it and when I saw the whole layout of the packaging and all told the story it was all and it made a lot of sense and here's a guy that is bon jovi and yet he was able through imagery to mimic what he was doing with the music that he's doing I think that's a real important thing to do is a match and blend these things okay for the what they'll only be here we have you know what? What is that what's at the yeah you guys come here, we need to get some footprints. Yeah, you like it that's right now let's just go ahead and use this I might need a bigger soft box want me to get one set up? You have a speed ring here? Yeah let's see let's just let's see what we get with this but often take great off yeah take the group off I mean he was this in a second and get the band over here absolutely. There are more attractive people in this group come on, guys here I got it thanks to your everybody in the corner ok here's the thing I don't want to understanding because this is boring so mean get like one of you guys on the ground like like I mean like this what you get out for a second, not the I don't like that hey or are you a bass player do not for whatever you do do this I've got the world in my hand bass players do that carlos front yeah, I think it's different this's scary. So I want someone like me and you can't lean back against this but maybe just kind of like like the sort of strung out but not really you know and then we're going like position people just kind of and bands should be kind of like families, you know, so get down there, alright, another kind of just, you know, relax like lean on people, you know, it's like kind of hear ski legs out you know and let's get in there tight tight tight tight tight tight tight no you can't do that you know it was the one on the ground search your legs out like all the way out he was keeping their yeah let's put um that's cool come on your boot over come across come across just come across like that yeah and lighting like this can you maybe come over like here just kind of like this you know kind of like right in here and maybe even look down at this area because we're rock me and we can't look at the way we got to go this isn't the eighties anymore yeah that's something kind of cool okay I'm going to create some drama despite getting on and I can see the monitor light there we go we got a trigger on this thing I'm going to go back to these just for giggles worded my uh from court go it's okay thanks up there just I knew it was over here it was over there all right, what are you doing? I love rock fans or any kind of musicians artists musicians were fun people this is where we boom stand really comes in handy yeah yeah it's in my pocket and were looped on something there we go okay that's not my transmitter she said what little for this view in alone times all right we'll see we're good we're firing been off the streets for a long time so moving up in the this this work yes it does I'm testing my power dump it see little power little power more power of sixteen of lovely where you love she getting something let's go I can't let you like maybe kind of looking up like a rat right here we're not too much oh boy oh boy oh boy what can I do something really quick I'm wanting this in black and white and sometimes I actually photographed in black and white it's raw but it's not wrong here but you know and I like looking at it just gets liken tea tones um so where do I go to do that menu? This is yeah um cool whatever deal with light nothing I just replacing it they're kind of facing this way I'm going to shoot it from right here what's that doing short lining up right? Because they're all kind of feeling like they're pulling this way and it might put a guard I might even have him because they can I mean a lot of money and have him back like even entire like this like I'm gonna have you guys like really you know, the whole hands in pockets thing I mean it's just not see that's two three in one um let's it like really kind of struggling it's kind of like yeah it's rocket let's let's see there we go don't let going back tight corner telling back tight corner tight quarters all right corner but you know you don't fall okay um I know what's even getting closer getting closer closer closer there you go okay cool now go back in the quarter but skip back like with your foot so put your foot back keep dillinger keep going keep going mr put your other foot man go back even further in the game like that right now don't lean back though into somebody like hold this in the background okay well thank you all right wait what are my son in a way one sixteenth of a second oh yeah yeah area oh yes sir. Oh, you just have the there we go a little bit like that let's check it out that's the one I just you know now what's your name that's what diagnose a lot turn your head this way and kind of look that way. There's garth look at me as your lead singer you guys turn don't do the whole imposing but just given the background and it's like no but don't don't pose just kind of turn straight and looks to take your hand put it behind you and just like look this way like kind of create angles like look over here for cars looked right at me and that's good just like that and what I'm going to do is I'll extend this black because I want to get her foot doing some stuff like this let's get a little closer ever actually read it on the ground let's get you will need to lower the light just a little bit but now we've got queen so s so actually scoot scoot back like push your butt right back into him like really getting that corner like it's your life depends on it get in that corner we back go get the front you're there you're there you because that's kind of cool I like that so he did something lean back I'm going adaptive I kind of like that so I'm going to shoot kind of like this let's see what happens three to one here we go throwing the horns all right like that chin up just a tiny bit ok everybody look at me three, two one okay everybody don't look at me they really don't look the same way don't laugh there's no laughing in rock and roll I'm waiting for loving cousin c stad no more that's kind of cool, you know and we're just kind of getting this imagery that's, you know, kind of classic um no shadows really ok stina like put your heads together, get it gets a clean back again there you are right here and this kind of don't look but just kind of like that good let me see what might be getting a shadow on his face no that's actually pretty cool you remember that kind of the cover shots back in the sixties of those bands that kind of a look you know it's that kind of stuff sometimes I think about this there you sometimes I think about this where you shoot like this and you're thinking about posters so is this one pops up you know in covering that line but you've got the text you know that kind of stuff um all right shoot right here we're going to split like him now I'm gonna move the light but I just changed my position so now we're getting this totally split lining right like that three two on good I've got the car turned this way just a little bit worth your head perfectly implants back of me also all right so that's kind of cool really moody there I can bring this around just a tiny bit maybe like that let's dio a little yeah let's clean for a second no one knows I'm that got this whole problem cable it is like it's held together with wrap him up chuck the internet would like to know you do you shoot tethered at all when you're working on ly what I'm teaching and I do it wirelessly with the sixty but now I know I'm never in a position to really she tell her I'm not going and I'm really just nothing I rue the day that I have a client we shoot tethered and like oh my gosh I guess one of these days we'll what have I done I have no idea it's just like let's just see what happens you know I out of the cords just for excitement you know there we go here awesome okay what this way actually keep looking like it but can you come sit up a little bit you know you skip forward it like that perfect in right there but I didn't see him you got lost in the shot no laughing and rachael actually looked at leaving only only only like trickster smiles you know his trickster south king which walker they're together you do this is kind of a tell me what can we do this like that all right we're just doing different stuff just trying after stuff so let's put everybody get up I know a tripod I never asked that I'm going to need a later but just it was just can occur to me okay let's just do a standing kind of thing and do the you know just kind of end out in type of ah look we're gonna get really high with it dangle it so delighting radio I've moved in where is my meter? This is a little bit three point five that's where I don't know we should play a game okay don't look so serious or don't look so like not you're staying in the race cars gotta going on to this video well, joe, what effect is that clip having? You know, it's just that I'm looking you know, just kind of narrowing the light source so it isn't so flashed I'm kind of just more spotting them a little bit in a I'm basically taking this and make him too like little lights out of it, you know, big how you got to do it you got it there you she'll look out much brighter this is I didn't change the settings now it looks like okay, which is fine, but I'm just trying to make that's the typical shot I want to make it a little, you know, like that and maybe we had this like this maybe like this I don't know we'll see what happens it was very precise check okay it's a little darker so I can either turn the power up is what I'll do and maybe have been changed by aperture down like a five point six I kind of liked which again you're doing you're grabbing each other and yeah, like like a poor woman does well, you know, one more like that getting close, good right there awesome ok so we're just getting one light this kind of this fun stuff like that let's add a second light where is my this must be like uh where's my speed lycos on the sticks its long ways it's probably right behind me right behind me yeah area no all right there's always something to do want something to come and do this he wants to be my valve london well get on up here way don't step on the crazy like so it's kind of like this or he's gonna point it down I'm almost like pointing right down yeah I don't know let's see what happens I've got it turn it down a little bit now I just I'm swedish it's just natural something yes, I know you're like what's going on you're sweating so much okay pointed like straight down on him like angle it over the top of it keep going like yeah there you go three to one checking bright light okay, turn it down susan where I can jump a little bit I should use the this isn't professional I forget where my meter went ok now we're getting a little bit of a glow not that one but no get uh gil way back like making feet sort of yeah no no no like stand up like like this and we're going to try to get this even tighter now like you guys face this way face me good stand this way and we're going to try to make this title come in come in coming to me so it's a really weird so really really really were even tighter okay wide up above I am bad a tethering threw him back against the wall even with guys I'm gonna make him look thinner by not putting their arms so even if I'm not shooting it like he looks ridiculous right there but I'm only getting right here so it's just giving him the you know a little bit of like light up yeah since the shower getting yes sir are we pulling the sides into just keep them as a tight group are creating radiant just kind of creating a little bit of a weird look I'm not even come back here and do this words and now you kind of put your hand back in a little bit right there you know and it's kind of interesting that when you get the floor hand there there's just kind of weird um trying different stuff yeah okay let's do something else you guys take a break for just a second all right let's do it right wall I'll see the amps let's turn the amps a little bit like maybe face the pv that way kind of make it look so not so uniform you're just goingto they're gonna have you guys maybe take that rack off so we can climb on it yes uh no yeah for right now we might use it again will be here all right it's not going anywhere let's do something completely different grabbing guitar grab grab something I'm gonna have you just get more on the like jumping up there like he's like a slide you know you're kind of like this I have someone up there someone sitting like right here cool come on in, guys all right where is the calvin klein desperate eyeliners wait what's going to happen if I put this way up hit it from back here and blasting what color is the wall going to be right and it's going to kind of almost looked like probably like bright sun or something I'd have some texture to it you got it right it's not in the box and I think that's just the way it is you know that's a little thing that works for sure I want to make your flesh chief don't pose don't play you guys that's like thiss isn't yours or a wedding band on here like you said get up you know I'm going to say I'm standing on that thing you see that's way too nice of a guitar to be like yes you know there's a thing here a nice guitar it looks like that when I'm on stage it's like you're gonna you gonna play unlike you know yes I can take that and like bash it throw my lescol you know for some reason les paul's even though expensive instruments I feel like I can throw him exactly ok get in like this I'm just you know like rock and roll you want to stay in black and white yeah you know let's go color um where's the guy you know their regards go go there to set up for a second okay cool well we can get lighting setup just think it's just stand back there it's like this just come back ready wes is it go back back is lean yeah like that okay ready channel joan jett oh I think it was jones also other ok is this fun I mean just well hello don't look at the light I want it we need it even higher but would kill higher thank gosh I can control the power level with my camera thank you ready if I don't have to jump they were in full it is a little bit like this maybe give it a little bit of shave off to the side that kind of looking at you guys yeah way we'll get one eventually their networks hello? Yes you love it it's that starkness that I'm looking for this next one should be a little bit better that's right? Yeah ok, now we're just waiting for the other guys come on in you know it in here because somebody go stand on the e m t v somebody maybe like this in this kind of like you get up and coming here like this in this kind of you know maybe spread the legs or back over your your skinny enough to do that yes but not not so fashioning actually just kind of you know just like your kind of children all right what way I am number nine you are eleven point two and trying to sound like a dude from logan's run but her name happening right okay here you go yes I love it guys look at the camera here you just kind of chill there it is there it is there let's do something different switch it up yep spread the legs out man like wide there does yet rock n roll got it three to one love it okay let's do bring it right around here well I got well shoot right underneath it given that straight on what is that looking at you guys is it too far down let's see let's see we got now we're getting michael and this is that street on this is the what american apparel looks right here oh that's cool experience things that look that way yeah area awesome till just turn just a little bit like stand up straight yeah just right like that good. So chuck just as an f y I think after this shot we're going to be losing garth unfortunately we are yeah, ok, cool what's that gonna rock being man what happened that they just call you in all right and one more like those three to one got it ok so that's the american apparel look of lighting you know it's just kind of this harsh kind of cool you know almost journalistic kind of thing black and white that will look really cool you know what some of the smiles man he's like we're rock n roll and he's like no no we're going to play a little polka dude thank you thank you thank you so much guys way will treat you guys well so let's do more individual type stuff they're cool so um let's do something a little different bring it on let's pull this out on I'm gonna where's the speed light cool I was grabbing stuff let's just take this off of the thirty er I don't have any right bread beer cups they gotta read party cubs and where is my bag? I'm going to go this way you guys following I know you hate it you showing insides the innards of creative live oh what am I looking for where to go where to go I'm looking for the silver thing think there it is hello mr gary far and now back to you you know if this works well for beer in it and it filters that yeah it's still here throwing stable of photography is kind of cool right I think it's cool what I'm going to do with it you get a red cup oh yeah let's try that ok we'll do this in a second wait let's see what happens I'm just I'm just gonna test it really quick now we're going to stand in front of it now just one of you yeah well let's let's use uh I love it right there let's see we got going on here um turn this way down I'm telling I'm just guessing yeah okay we get a little red we might need to raise that up just a tiny bit yeah yeah we're putting landfill boxes I'm gonna get some head and shoulders have they're just gonna oh ok we're doing something weird yep that's kind of cool is giving us some red to blue generation z all right cool now let's just try to see what this looks like a little little bright now here's the thing what happens if I get that way back there that it's gonna right so I'm going to do this look at me see it's kind of killing what I'm doing you know I've been trying to get this kind of glow thing so let's do this first let's bring this down and let's take this off let's put uh my reflector girl wait there it is in that silver thing it's somewhere ok cool then of course he got up in shipping get in the rock n roll oh boy it was a good do it really focuses light now I should be ableto closer this is and then it will turn it down so it's not going to overpower the background I'm winging all this I've no idea this was gonna working he kind of looks like a star trek so anything remember it's not logical none of this is logical I don't know what I'm doing yes we just need tio restart the computer to restart the tether ok so we could take maybe a question or if you want to talk for a little bit but I love questions wait do we have any questions from anyone here in the audience first we always loved to go to you guys anything ok interesting way with the beer cup idea ok how did come with your cup idea? Uh I'm shooting this girl in a old abandoned house and there is gorgeous like you shoot it's like there's this weird hallway right? Okay when we set the scene weird hallway and it's got like a weird weird everything alright it's just this hallway with doors and there wasn't any ambient light at all it coming and I thought there was going to be so I flashed her from the front and it just was kind of going black and dull back there well it's also abandoned house so you intimacy people play the go out with her pink guns in the drink alive so there's there's paintball gun splatters all over the walls and there's beer cup slandering so this is like sort of beer a couple of minutes a red jell they're flashback there popped it again it's just play play with stuff that's you know I mean I needed rajel there was a haircut yesterday tony carville used a baby bell from the seven eleven for his red jell yeah, packaging lacks pretty good hey along the same lines chuck j t s photography asked do you consider yourself do dupri visualization do you think about these things before with the mayor or is it like because I'm feeling is very spontaneous can you tell me more about that? Okay it's ah great great question I prevent like I'll sit down with I don't care who it was a band a model senior and we'll talk a little bit about what we're going to shoot sometimes it's even sketched out like I've got some album cover ideas or I'll listen to the lyrics of the song and I wish I brought these with me you know, maybe I can pull him up in the next segment we can show him at the very beginning but extremely planned out photographs um the concept and everything and we drawn are journals and sketch it and even sketch out everything they're going to shoot and within that sometimes we make spontaneous pictures one of my favorite pictures actually won third place in group or second place just like that bp p I a few years ago it was a shot that even forgot I entered and they call it was I was sitting the audience like truck are linger I'm like you're kidding me I'm like wow and it was a completely spontaneous shot where we were walking back from the photo shoot and I saw everybody that that the band was walking and I saw him in the reflection of ah all the barbecue joint in nashville and something is look cool I was like guys stop and so and I do this a lot there's a photographer named saul leiter that is a street photographer that does lots of like reflection images of stuff three reflections and I'm really influenced by that style of street photography, so I stopped him we flashed him shot into the restaurant so I'm like right up on the glass of the restaurant so you see the inside of the restaurant but you're also seeing because I'm flashing the ban they're getting lit so I'm focused on the banned yet it's this weird focusing because I'm you're seeing both planes of things and so stuff like that becomes really spontaneous because I'm always you know, two of the things that I and this is this is totally on track where and my photography school that I went, tio there's, a wall, and we had the axioms of photography and number four is be fearless. Behold, wonder. And I always look. You always have to look and behold, wonder. And sometimes you see things that I just things that have to be spontaneous. But, yes, I always have a plan also. So it's, a little bit of both. But just be open to things happening.

Ratings and Reviews

SunSoBright
 

I just watched the rebroadcast of Hack Your Light with Chuck Arlund and at first wondered if I would get anything out of the class as he seemed ADD (he warns you he's scattered and a "blond"...LOL) but I stuck with class and by the end was sad it was over. I have a few years experience in photography so I could perhaps understand what he was teaching better than a true beginner. He gave some fabulous points and even demonstrated how you could overpower the sun with one speedlight something I've only seen others do with a strobe or multiple speedlights. He took some awesome pictures without thousands of dollars in camera and lighting equipment. He explained the difference between the portrait and the fashion look. He showed you could potentially go above your camera sync and still get a decently exposed pictured without high speed sync. Best of all he reminded me of the principles that it's the photographer not the camera/equipment that makes the difference, it's all about the light and most of all photography should be FUN! This was one of the most awesome demonstrations of lighting. I would love take a workshop from Mr. Arlund as he is obviously very talented and passionate about photography and knows his subject even is his explanations aren't practiced. Some found him frustrating; I found him refreshing. If you like experimental you will probably appreciate Chuck Arlund.

DeniseWinters
 

I have been a pro photographer for 30 years, and I loved watching Chuck and even learned quite a few things. He is creative and enthusiastic, and reminds you to think outside the box and get back to the enthusiasm you had when you first picked up your camera. He certainly knows what he is doing, and he has fun doing it...

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