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Shoot: Euro Fashion Forward

Lesson 14 from: Lighting for Boudoir and Glamour

Lou Freeman

Shoot: Euro Fashion Forward

Lesson 14 from: Lighting for Boudoir and Glamour

Lou Freeman

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Lesson Info

14. Shoot: Euro Fashion Forward

Lesson Info

Shoot: Euro Fashion Forward

Both of these backgrounds have been really good for me, and I've changed the way they look in post one hundred million times take it black, white, warmed it up, hold it down on this one, especially, and this one I've been able to make it look like I was really outside by using tungsten lines on it and putting a little speculum sunlight streams like it came in through the window. I've shot it with gold with rusted metal gates in front of it and things like that because of where we are. I asked for furniture and to look like it was in a moving scene, and what I did to bring them photo background into reality has put something in front of that kind of related to it, but yet really didn't exactly fit, but the colors were we use the tour in paper, and the roofing fabric is a background it's like, who cares if it gets torn up? You know I can use it, shoot on it all day and when we're done because in trash, you don't have to buy same with paper if you don't want to, you could do other things.

Eso almost everything you see here was found, I believe, except for the plastic rap, so, um, tori, you want to come on out and the outfit she's wearing was all found as well. Hi, torrey. How are you, sweetie? This is a beautiful young lady I photographed when I was here for photo week. So what was I thinking when I put this whole thing together? How pretty is that right? I bought the broad the day before I came here for dollar fifty. This was two dollars. This was mine from nineteen. Seventy two for. And I bought this when I was in on vacation a couple of weeks ago in florida, and we've coloring colorized it with coffee and we did it actually. What? We were here this week. I own this. I've used it a million times and I'm the fish net she hirsch use and this is a christmas ornament we made into a wreath. So how fun, right? And then I just spoke to the make up artist about what to deliver with the whole vintage feel. So my inspiration on dh this came from editorials I saw in european fashion magazines, but it's still under rain these fashion and it's everywhere it's a tran. So what do I do when I'm writing those mind nodes in the outlines? I'm looking at everything I get my hands on from the history of vogue all the way through to current magazines I see in europe. I like modern, edgy, gritty things, but my personal draw eyes in this sort of like, whimsical thing. We've done two versions of it yesterday we did one on the bed set and all of the stuff was she that we created. We sort of made right here on the set in front of you so you can make things special without going teo hotel room, you know, to me sometimes that's kind of gross if you think about they all look the same no matter how much you pay for the room it's the same hotel furniture, I want something rich and interesting to photograph on dh love to make people look beautiful in their fantasy photograph. Lindsay and I oppose talked about lighting when we were on the tour and how to use light manipulate light and she told me she said, working with you is like being on fantasy and you kind of bring the fantasy everywhere you go and to me that's special if I could make that person feel like they're in a little fantasy even for the day, not every part of the shoot needs to be this out there, but you you may want to just like this young lady if she came to me that when we just shot in the black dress, if she has the potential to do it, why not when I interviewed them, would you like to do something fresh in like we did yesterday on the white set and do something little vintage unless maybe do something way over the top fashion that's how I presented we can do a bunch of cool things do you have access to close? What do you like? What do you like to do what you know? And then I start gathering all that stuff writing down their stuff I'm writing down my stuff and then it kind of goes like this it lines up, then eliminate and then suddenly I have a vision from that so you follow me on that so this is going to be just as beautiful as the last one but in a soft, soft, pretty way the way we've lived this eyes we have another the same lock to self box on top for a fashion lining this is kind of a go to when I do something edgy dramatic, but we're going to fill in an onside with these two boxes one there one by threes they use centimeters for their measurements, but I'm stacking them up with a grid so that the light goes on her and doesn't touch the background and it doesn't spill off and give me linds flair we've set this one it to point to this is that one oh and one and a half we're probably going to have to come up this one's probably gonna have to be it too and that's going to have to be at one and a half because what I'm doing here is I'm looking at how far this light is from her and how far those lights there and I'd ask them to set up a wall I call this my name is lighting because this is something I would have done for a fashion editorial for that what will happen is her face is going to be this soft, beautiful light and it's going to have a much softer, more romantic feel than basically what we did right here with not too far of a stretch on the lighting so it'll be fun for me to show you that I'm sorry you'll have to people around to see the actual screen thank you so much I might try can I have an apple box on end right here so I'm gonna shoot three quarters first and I'm gonna sit so that my camera is at her belly button so standing is going to be right into her eyes sitting there ll be a belly button um let's have you just I think I just want you to kind of slouch and act like you just don't care and you could do interesting things with your hands you can look around the room but keep your chin up beautiful awesome already stunning lady kenna so how pretty right see what I would do now I'm looking at that image going is there anything that's too heavy and too dark and I'm thinking everything I think everything is pretty good do you see anything that we would move maybe have a little more plastic down on the floor we use the plastic to help tie the foreground to the background on be pulled in a little reality with the newspaper tie everything in I'm looking when I create something to keep a visual loop of your interest back into the frame when there's a set you follow me on that anything is going to lead my eye out and be cropped out it's probably not going to be the very best for me but she's placed perfectly if I say anything they want to change I think I'd probably move the black cord that's going over the back box because it looks feels like a part of a cell and it may be a chair a little sight I always had a light court in the frank that's a good point that could be fixed on the chairs a little tangent don't you think maybe in the frame so let's just lay behind the box back there and maybe pull that paper that's piled up there into the frame does the shadow on her nose bother you at all deaths? Ok it's soft ok it's soft so if she just asked a very good question when you get into the more fashionable, artful things, you can have some shadows, but you don't want to have the light pushing a force shadow like pie shape here, it's all right to have a little shadow that might come down here as long as it doesn't touch into the mouth. Typically, the rembrandt is for the soft triangle, and I traditionally love that if I'm going to shoot a beauty shot, I'm going to zoom in with my phil underneath her face. Anyone you like put light in her face. I personally love line in eyes because it puts me in connection with them. In fact, why don't we just jump in and shoot a little beauty shot right off the bat again? We have same f stop, we set everything up and I'll just move the set through when I was shooting catalogs and did hundreds of pictures in a week, we have twenty pictures in a day, twenty five pictures in the day, changing sets about every third time. Every time we would do that, we would keep everything kind of consistent and move the set was easier to do than to re route the light recess, the light we change everything, repack everything up moved to a new location. You would know immediately I gotta stand still never has to come to me and again, if you ask, they'll do it. If you don't, you're going to be running around like a crazy person trying to hold your shoot together, so we're following may. I hate to say it, but you deserve to have it easier on yourself. Then it can be if you're not in control. So you just want to be is nice as you possibly can be and asks for things and people will help you do what you need to make it all so all right let's, jump right in and shoot beauty. Alright, beautiful. You could bring your head towards me. Just a touch often beautiful let's turn you to the side and look back over your shoulder. Beautiful, awesome little bit hot on the face there, let's, close down to about seven. Beautiful. Roll your head around toward me, gorgeous, and then come back in carefully in this way for me and for head this way just to touch. Awesome. So when I'm asking people what to do for me did you notice how directed here by bringing your forehead toward me? What a strange thing to say to somebody, but they all know what that means if I say forehead toward me. Turning the hips to the side I use words to talk about body parts that aren't abrasive and I say it really soft turn your hips toward the camera turned him to the side lift your chest up that's a nice way to say pull yourself up and be sophisticated you know without saying could just stand up straight you know you have to be so careful what you say because one bad word could ruin somebody's entire photoshoot and they walk away going you won't believe what he said or she said you can never let anybody get you upset or get on your nerves or say anything if they come there and I'm like I had a terrible time getting here and I'm angry I want so sorry can I get you something but don't go into the conversation and definitely you should never do that ever it's all about that person on your photoshoot to stay involved with that whole thing and you'll thank me later you'll just watch the whole mood and whole trend goto happy happy every time the shape so actually read along those lines a question that we've been getting a lot throughout this is from male photographers who are wondering if there's anything that you suggest they do differently as men who are shooting you know scantily clad women or you no ways to speak things to avoid saying things to say you have any thoughts on dude shooters do tutors I would say the most important thing I can say is to dress nice if you show up wearing like a t shirt that says, you know, some bar on it and you got, you know, your flip flops on and you've got just a casual attitude. If you turn this into a fantasy and you're super sophisticated and awesome to be around, the fear factor goes away. If you show up like a creeper, you're going to be perceived is one and you should never say things like while I look at her butt or a while. Look at her body. Oh my god, have you seen her she's hot? Even though that's not that unknown. Tasteful. You have to be careful, and I have another funny thing to say when women are shooting men in their underwear. They're far more wild about what they say. Then the men are to the women and the men get chewed up about it. So whatever you're doing, just say, wow, you look awesome, you don't have to say, well, look, that they your hot. Are you married? Would you like to go on a date now? No alcohol, don't you know? Don't let your parents be hanging down, have yourself. Sophisticate e a pro photographer. You know, I'm going to talk to you about that tonight they put out there what you want to be perceived as if you show up late and you know, you know, I had a hamburger on the way here. How you cool girl, nice body. You just can't do that. You've got a plan ahead. It's always a good idea to have a woman around if you're worried. If you're married, you have kids and you want to this type of tire if they have the woman help, you put the shoot together if you don't have ah consistent person in your life like that, that can help. You are a studio manager, the makeup artist, this next person that you go to and it's worth it to pay them a few dollars to help, to get them to help you deliver what you need. It has to be awkward to call up a girl and say, do you see your broad panting that you can you bring me a matching bra and panties? I know that's got to be an awkward has to be so write it down on a beautifully done sheet, make a pdf or something like that, give it to the make up artist. Have the makeup artist called the night before and say I don't have to talk to you about how to prepare your hair for tomorrow? By the way did you read the pdf? Do you need any help or suggestions with your clothes and then that takes all the pressure off feet just don't go there is what I would suggest keep it super chic and super cool I'm saying you need to wear a suit and tie but you go wear khakis and a dress shirt and you know, look cute look nice like career presentable like you want to be perceived as you can wear a t shirt jeans when you're shooting you know your senior portrait or something, but in this environment I would just take it to that next level you also want to try to meet with them a week before the more meeting you have, the more you break the eyes and the more confident they will feel and if you speak to them about clothes and the whole thing and not get too far off the subject and start talking about greedy edgy photos, then you're goingto you know what I'm saying, you have to just be very poison very direct about what you want to shoot and how you want to be perceived and it will it'll stay there so everything you are is a photographer and everything you say is whatthe shoot becomes every single word if you speak badly about somebody on your set or you're having across time with your makeup artist or your assistant guess what that comes guess where goes and they see it and they walk out the door like, well, I don't know if I want to be with that person again they were kind of creepy and I've been on photo shoots jobs where all the models are going o if you shot with bob he's a creeper all he talks about his baba baba, baba, baba block and his girlfriend and you see what I'm saying that stuff shouldn't be going on it should be about the fantasy that you're creating wow look at the outfit looking at you oh my gosh focus all of your positivity right there when you're done, she leaves and then it's just magic from their forward and she tells everybody how magic you are and shows pictures so that's what we want right and it's interesting, I totally agree, and I think one other thing is that paying attention to what people are doing, what the makeup artist is doing, what the stylist is doing and learning that so that you can speak educated lee and confidently about it again it's about being perceived as a professional life thanks and so the more you can speak correctly and educated lee uncomfortably about those subjects the more you're perceived is oh, this is a guy who knows what he's doing and not somebody who's doing it for the wrong do you know what is another amazing thing that I started doing this year as I started trusting that everyone khun do what I asked him to do if I teach them how to do it for me, for example, I could not assume that when I came here that make up in here, people or the stylist would know what I want unless I completely showed them and shared with them and then we talk about that, and then I want them to be confident when they get to the chute that they can deliver what I've asked them to dio and then if there's any questions or are they? They might have thought I said I wanted green and it was really purple. I want to make sure that we're all on the same page because there's nothing worse than going to do the chute and there's one thing that got lost in the shuffle, but the more you talk, the market communicated eliminates any error in the process. The other last thing I was going to suggest is now that we've gotten into this crazy, beautiful over the top things you want to be respectful of the model's hair and the makeup artist as you're asking him to do the thing so we talked about doing some having somebody coming doing a three look boudoir glamorous sheet with you start with the fresh face first and the relax wavy hair billed to the next and then this would be somewhere in the middle to go into the last shot because the first thing they make up artist is going to say is well her hair is pink is it going to be picking the last one we can't do anything but take all that often take a shower and start all over and you just added two hours to your day so you want to think about how you're going to proceed to make the most use of your time and the most use of her hair too you want to have to stress about that stuff right someone in the audience has a question I think how about one more before we continue shooting yeah my question is about alcohol you tell nor alcohol for photographers I understand that but some of the ladies the one they have issues with the body they asked me if they can have like a tampon or something like that yeah we should know about everybody told me they were better with like at this relaxing thing what do you think I have a mixed thought about that I understand it I would probably want to do it but the first thing you could do is take a picture of yourself with no alcohol and then two glasses of wine later and look at your eyes and they're going to drop color will shift you have glossy your eyes I just don't think you've looks pretty after you've had that um what you can suggest to them is on the last shot let's do the beauty shots and everything first and let's use that as the celebrations I'm okay with it but let's do it toward the end I have had circumstances where I allowed it and it turned into the girl couldn't sit on the edge of the bed and she hasn't eaten do you know that's the other thing they're going to be in their underwear so they're not going to eat I just think it's not worth risking the job over but you're gonna have to be very delicate how you say that no to them because you don't want to be perceived women can be grumpy and bossy so easy to be perceiving it starts this tension you don't want that to happen so I would suggest maybe it's a find a way to present it before you ever start sandal mind if we have it but can we do it on the very last shot so you could at least when the makeup is being touched up offer the glass then then you get the and then russia mountains shoot them before you have a chance to let her totally indulge in all of that. Not to mention if they drink a lot and then they have to drive and they've left your space you're responsible somehow someway to that I just avoid it if I could keep from it we're totally done we're looking at the images and I'm in a happy place and they're like, wow, this was so awesome that's when I want to have the champagne with with um you know, so that's how I look at it so I actually want to shoot a few shots of this if you guys don't mind, I just love it I think it's absolutely beautiful so this is very similar to what we did over here yesterday with the speed lights set up but with studio settings and I can't tell you enough how important the grids are on the front of soft boxes as well as of grids on the hot lights on excuse me, the reflectors when you're doing the spotlight shot like we did yesterday on the provocateur controlling that spread of light, trying to make things as beautiful as possible and still dark and moody so we're on a chi qi set this would probably also ps be beautiful with natural light and if I were working here with natural light I would turn the whole set around here if I thought in the morning I was going to do that, I would set it up that way from the get go use the lights first turn lights off open the shades continue shooting so when I'm shooting also looked down the outfit and make sure everything's perfect and both straight and seems air straight hoser straight so I'm going to just drop down just a tiny bit lower just to hear beautiful you could just be very whimsical and dramatic and fun with us beautiful awesome bring your chin down for me beautiful would you put the firm? I'd be over your arms again like you had it originally great and there's a little string hanging on the end can you just tuck that up and maybe your hand on both sides the colors look so pretty on you beautiful wrap your arms around yourself good beautiful saying post just bring your head around for me and bring your head down your chin with me a little bit beautiful awesome you could look off to the audience a little bit awesome four you look like something out of a world war two movie beautiful but you had around like this I mean left let's do a little k pop in with the reflector are actually just for fun once you bring one of the ice lights over maybe too, so my little surgery tray here has all of my might that turned out so pretty so her legs were in the vanishing point the crops right at the narrowest point of the body that has a slimming effect. Head shoulders are a little more square to the camera so you have that whole curvy thing happening she's positioned with the windows evenly on the side the fabric from the back lead you right to her head. Those are things I look at, what? I'm composing it, making it a half nice balance when you turn toward me a little bit great, beautiful gonna pop out and do some beauty with that. Um, do the little clam shell with walk right up to our both hands on one side you can't cross your arms. Beautiful, right? Sorry. Let your eyes get used to that. All right? I'm actually going to do no strobe uh pretty turned your pinky toward me on that hand. I'm good. I'm used my camera people close your mouth for me beautiful tip your head around this way straight up for head down toward me beautiful and then drop your hand great close your mouth completely. Let air three year left good, just a little twinkle happily in your eye beautiful hadn't body here chin down really loud, really loud, really loud, beautiful, awesome right now just one from the bottom awesome was at it with the speed life hang on one second hello lift it up a little higher the reflector go up a little higher with eyesight sorry good beautiful bring it out in front of her a little bit and down more beautiful chin up chin up good beautiful you could relax the hair pink hair is really pretty I think that might be one of my favorites I like that angle can we see several of those in a row again so we can kind of make a decision about what we like have you ever had pink hair? Do you guys mind showing them to me in a row? Great it's interesting right so warm in the natural light so you could see the difference it's about fifty six hundred and they strives for fifty two but that can be easily corrected and warmed up you know? Cool down and lightened up a little bit I love that whole kind of maryland post thing we have and the next to the bottom row in the dead center that very kind of leaning with head up very edgy do you want to just try to focus on a little bit of a fashion pose with that stunning who's a feather on your leg so was I you know just then scanning and a scrape that's a string hanging wildly awesome beautiful thank you guys can you take the hand that squeeze in your arm here maybe bring it up by your chin here just lightly touch your face bring your shoulders around toward me lay this on your right hand right on your leg beautiful. Maybe the other side of your cheek beautiful close your lips for me beautiful stay right there beautiful was take it a little different angle when your head around for me let me put your hand on your head on the left and keep your right hand down shoulders wide shoulders down head forward gen down lift up a little bit just a little beautiful no, just kind of look over toward the front door lift up a little bit that's so pretty right there let me get a little closer close your mouth again beautiful blossom has it looking strings air hanging I think we'll just clean those at the post it's stunning it's a grilling nice feel to it, doesn't it? I feel good about this. Are we in a place we can stop? You think way have any questions? We did have some folks who were curious about what the actual effect of the lights on the side were. Could we talk about that and maybe even demonstrated by turning them off or trying to see it without it? Okay, that's a great idea, all right, why don't we just turn those off and let me take a couple shots? What is happening is this light is putting the drama here these lights air filling out the rest of her outfit very subtly there toned down this is a two point two and I think these were at one and a half and one on the reason these air so we're set the way where is this one slightly further back so we've got about the same amount of light just filling in the side of her body so let me take one shot of the full length and we'll put it actually do it just there so you can see it on what'll happen is the clothes will not have the life to them that you see there beautiful elbows back a little bit beautiful is nice but not as nice can we see those side by side can you see it's subtle but it's there just enough yesterday when we were rimming the sides of the body with the sidelights on either side on the black dress we had to bring the power up to show on the black dress but the white just a hint of it even though it's a half a stop down um and in one case a whole stop down it's enough to bring the life back in the fabric and the warmth in the fabric the shadows don't fall down to total darkness and I can see a little bit of it filling in under face to a swell help thank you saturating how many questions from anyone in the audience you said that the octo bucks says fashion to you and I was wondering what is the position of the light paramount meaning high into the centre you can shoot you in the end anything I'm suggesting to you is for you to help develop your own art so there's no like hard fast rules so I'm going to show you what I think works for me but the fun for you is going to be when you say oh like that like right here when we were doing beauty shots we actually move some of the light way above the head here like wow that's so high at the end of the day it's art and it's in your you know direction of how you want to send it but you want to put light and life into the photo and make the artistic statement with a light but paramount is the position of high and center like that it can sit right on top of the camera that's going to make it flatter but the more dramatic for fashions when it goes up in the air like that because you immediately want to do these poses so if you've got a dramatic outfit what does that mean? You wanna highlight high drama so the modifier choice is going to be up to you you could put in the silver umbrella there in your speed light spread it on everywhere if you don't want the light to make it to the background what we to do small soft boxes create on it you could make the background almost go dark by putting the second modifier with the grid on it just direct that light straight down so if you want lightning I you're gonna have to find a wayto come back from the bottom he could put a grid you know, little narrow cove of light to fill in the bottom of the face I personally like the drama on this outfit I think the subtlety and the whimsy of it lets it all be ok to have that dark mood tio so when you have a line on top and there's no feel light on the bottom here's your choice on the face it's gotta work in to light because you have nothing play light in it so like a moth to the light okay, so you'll hear that again I hope someday that you know she's looking down and her eyes have gone to darkness this part of the reason why I pulled everything away to show you different options even on the last option is still pretty interesting and you could read touch that to be pretty but she's going to have a kind of a darker distance from you as you move light from the eyes the model pulls away becomes more arrogant novel guard so how does that make everyone feel confident with that explanation? Okay, got one more question from just all right. This is from teeny wolf is wondering how much collaboration do except from your models. In terms of the vision of the shoot and even clothing, the first thing I do is go see what the half I picked up the phone when we were coming here. And I called all the girls and said, what do you have? Do you have? Can you bring me? This was what I asked them for. I need a bra and panty that matches in white. Every black and any unusual colors like burnt orange lavender have avoid red. But yesterday we wanted that tomato red to go with the dress I think to read is kind of one of those colors has done so much it's kind of like wearing red lips once in a while is great, but not every day, you know, I think it's great on the perfect situation. We're going to see red lips today, but I have a tendency to do something more unusual in that purple black. So if there's, a problem that I have in anything I do, is having too many things that I want to do, I like it changing constantly like that, it makes the person look different if they if I back to your question, I didn't completely answer let's say let's say it does person tells me I'm going to their house on a different note and I get to their house if if I won't let them come to the interview process with a bag of clothes, I'm going to get these very things they pull out the drawer, I might not see that they've got an evening dress top or beaded top that could go with a pair of underwear that might have in the door you if you go to their house in a quiet time, they might take you in because it lets you see the tops, the dresses then you'll see that pair of floyd baton choose or whatever it is that's going to make you go while we got a bill to shoot around that, so I try to do the go see at their house and write from there I get ninety of what they want if I'm doing on art concept like some of the things we're doing today, I might come up with the concept and then call the person and asked him for the underpinnings I usually never buy underwear first I don't want to win the money, yes, and then I think it's better if they don't know what fits if I get to their house and have nothing which happens on occasion and two usually girls between seventeen and twenty five now have nice underwear yet there gets put out on let's just go you know they're not looking into that I think you have to be thirty really before you start buying nice expensive laundering appreciating those things depends on person I can usually tell what I'm walking into just by that experience alone if they have ideas like sometimes some of the models that are really successful that I know that want to keep doing pictures they will have stuff there like oh, I want to do a shot with my body painted like a snake or whatever that concept is and that's when it's fun for me and I love that but it doesn't always happen a lot of people that I photographed they're getting in the modeling industry they're still trying to figure out what the great photos are there not is tuned into photography is we are so they're counting on us to bring something amazing so I ask questions first and try to interview everybody and then sometimes even after I tell him and they say yes, I've got that they show up was mismatched whatever it isthe so you just have to think positive thank you that was absolutely stunning both of those who did such a great job so much as you could participate in your own destiny before it all starts the better

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Canon 600EX RT Flash Set Up.pdf
Lighting for Boudoir and Glamour Slides.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Lou is one of the most inspiring photographers Ive seen on Creative live. When I watch her, its like watching a great guitar player... in that, she hears the music before she ever plays it. Lighting and posing flows out of her with incredible ease. She inspires me so much! No fluff here, just pure maximum quality info and inspiration. Id love to meet her some day just to thank her for what she has given.

Francie Fillatti
 

Lou is one of my favorites. Although I shoot primarily woman, I don't do Boudoir. I love her calm, methodical style, and attention to detail. I respect that she always makes her women look elegant and empowered instead of objectifying them. Her images are sensitive and beautiful and I can't wait to watch her again today! I learned so much from her..

Bridget Murphy
 

I am amazed at how much information Lou gives away here. Her knowledge of the craft is extremely apparent and the end product is always stunning. I could watch this over and over for its ideas and inspiration.

Student Work

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