Working with Talent on Commercial Shoots
Lesson 14 from: This Wild Idea: Landing Commercial Work through Personal ProjectsTheron Humphrey
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Working with Talent on Commercial Shoots
Lesson 14 from: This Wild Idea: Landing Commercial Work through Personal ProjectsTheron Humphrey
Lesson Info
14. Working with Talent on Commercial Shoots
Lessons
Workshop Welcome
01:42 2The Importance of Studying Photographic History
04:41 3Light, Composition, and Image Making
04:57 4Assignment: Footwear Brand
03:09 5Building A Relationship with Your Subject
07:21 6The Importance of a Personal Project
07:25 7Theron's Personal Project: This Wild Idea
13:58 8Elements of a Successful Personal Project
20:49Reviewing Previous Work
06:21 10Early Career Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
09:59 11Pushing Through Creative Burn Out
05:54 12Communicating with Brands
05:43 13Insight and Approach to Commercial Work
08:38 14Working with Talent on Commercial Shoots
02:43 15Making the Best of Bad Weather
21:10 16Directing the Hero Shots
04:52 17Talking Personal Projects with Ben Moon
31:51 18Review Session 01
1:27:01 19Review Session 02
1:36:04Lesson Info
Working with Talent on Commercial Shoots
(soft music) So when it comes to the talent portion of shooting for commercial clients, the budget's going to determine who you can hire. And if you're shooting with friends, or people that are part-time, or just kind of filling in the gaps of their income, or they enjoy doing it, whatever their reason is, you obviously need to be generous as you can, with their time, their talent, and pay them as much as you can. And also be very upfront and clear about what the usage is gonna be of those files. And you, obviously, also need to have a model release, and the brand of the agency might provide that, or there's lots of forms that you can find online that cover your bases. And the biggest difference between shooting someone who maybe models part-time, or is attractive, but doesn't have the skill set of a professional model, and modeling in itself is a craft, just like photography is a craft, as well. So when I'm shooting people that are friends, or not professional, doing it full-time, t...
he biggest approach that I take is just to activate them, to give them really clear, concise direction of something, an action that I want them to take. "Hey, grab your surfboard and pull it out of the pickup truck." Because a lot of my work is trying to capture real, authentic-feeling images, so like lifestyle brand photos, but you're doing it in a controlled way, where you're not a fly in the wall, documenting the world, you're creating these scenarios and these opportunities to make it work. And a lot of times, if someone's not a professional model, they can end up feeling a little stiff on camera, or self-conscious, just as I do when I get photographed, 'cause I don't, or I'm not in front of the lens all the time. So I'll tell the talent an action to take, "Hey, climb up that ladder, come back down and do it again," and then having them repeat that same action, helps them get a little bit looser in... When I'm shooting, there's gonna be an in-between moment that captures that essence, that feeling of loose, a free, of not aware that the camera's there. Where a professional model, you might have the budget to hire through a modeling agency, they have that gift and that innate talent to turn it on, and act, and just kind of fall into place. And you, obviously, still have to give a professional model direction, a goal, but that is the advantage of shooting someone who does it for a living.
Ratings and Reviews
Lori Rice
A really enjoyable course! I really enjoyed getting an inside look at Theron's philosophy and approach to his photography work. I picked up so many good points to help me better define the work that I do and the direction I want to go with it. I did have to go back and watch a few things because Maddie was so happily distracting. I found myself watching her and missed what he said. Ha! I felt like this course was true to how it was advertised - approach and tips for getting commercial work. Next, I'd love to see a little more technical course from Theron that shares his how and why for gear, light capture, and angles for the outdoor shoots like those shared in this course. I'm really inspired by the simplicity of his production.