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Student Shoot: Tracy

Lesson 34 from: Lighting Essentials Workshop

Don Giannatti

Student Shoot: Tracy

Lesson 34 from: Lighting Essentials Workshop

Don Giannatti

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Lesson Info

34. Student Shoot: Tracy

Lesson Info

Student Shoot: Tracy

tracy is going to be shooting natalie in the same for and tell us what you've got planned well I love the texture and the first so I wanted to put a harder light on the first so that we would get some shadows in there to show the texture more but I don't want she's too pretty to put a hard light on her face so I don't want to pick put that so I want to use the soft box partly because it's a toy I don't have a home and I should play with things I don't have on dh then we're going to use this grated light here just to fall on her jacket and be very careful with how this gritted light falls across so it doesn't hit her face right okay very cool white background you want you want her up against it or how you know I just kind of thought to let it go a bit grey and not have it be anything in particular ok ok that's this part all right so let's get her into position see what you want to do here I should really look through my camera then and we're going t o start with one light first just bac...

k so it doesn't even affect our work here let's get our um so I've never used a pocket wizard before so they're scary yeah they they will electrocute you everything's very you're good but I just take a shot but first let's put her in a position where you want her now do you go on her I would like you know you're here's your life my life I think um can you just step forward a little bit and then turn um a a little this way and then your head back this way now is the light close enough for use to faraway idea okay what what's a good place to start close there you go try not to run into somebody oh yeah not come back and take a look here come back and take a look and see how much difference chase chase huh it did it did okay we need to get a meter reading okay so pop the pop the test and I'll come right under here okay and f eight eight so initially what you do before you move on anything else is to find out if if it works for you works okay and that's why it's so one hundred one hundred yeah let's turn this you make myself look better yeah well you've got some like that you know that I'm he's thes lens covers the lens notes that you have the flair covers use them even in the studio they're important because just even a little bit of tiny flare can really create a problem okay so test and then we can you can see how it comes up over here because we're tethered so let's see what it looks like ok might be just a little bit hot right yeah right on her cheek see her cheeks just kind of a little bit blown out there so we can either move the light back or have her take a half step back and remember look how close we are yeah right this distance here over here that's two stops right that's two stops right in there so if you're going to have her move she's only going to move about their okay just tiny the closer you are till the light just tiny movements let's try your second shot alright better yes thank so okay yes much better so we've lost that look look it's dramatically different we've lost that real shiny cheek part that was going to be a problem we got it in photo shop now she has some complexity on her face but she's so pretty it just works you know turned back into the light and take another test where she's coming in it might be right and then have return away so that you have as the photographer three different versions of her face she's turning this way living with face there you go too much too much greater distances now look at what she turns in the complexity goes away she turns away gets its way too much side side like right so what does that mean I'd like returned in exactly you've created a lighting situation that is her left she works to the light okay she can't do this it's not gonna work all right so this is this is what you want what your background looking like nice start gray even great way through do you want to put any phil on the side of her I don't think I do actually okay you want to leave it leave it go contrast yeah okay I'm down with that yeah that's that's hip things that's fourteen I'm down okay laughing are you all right we're going to swing this over here and we're going to bring this uh now that's on her face right we don't want to face the best way to use this tool to keep it manageable is to get it to get it as a more about office stand that reaches in then a bit of boom ok see I would open it up like this that way we can actually control where we put it and power john yoo rin with power was about even okay no that's here for this one ok let's leave it at that believe it that world will pop it up here in a second part of having an assistant is because it's uh I have to put my glasses on every time you can see with on her face right you may want to bring it right down to the jacket like yes okay now this is half assed powerful is that however this's beauty dish right so it's really pushing some light out this doesn't have anything but a grid on it doesn't have anything to stop the light okay you have your smiling you're smiling having fun yeah I can see why you're smiling very nice look at that and they're pretty it is what you're not going teo look it look at the top of her blonde hair and it's turning gray it isthe right right she's going way down in the line in the photo and the little I'm going to grab this stay right here okay and what I'm going to do now is I'm gonna take this reflector and get some of this like to come right back on that little section of her hair okay for you and this is what your assistant would do what you want me to do is to bring it in as tight as I can get it right and pull it out of your frame okay am I in this shot yes you are I'm sure I am you're not should change up that darker part of the hair that grayish partner here oh yes see now it looks blonde yep we have dimension on her face we definitely have a lit side and a shadow side so she's not flat lit great light coming down on the the jacket here now you can see a little bit of that nice speculator happening on her knuckles over there from the from this grid spot so you'll have to make a decision whether you want her hand in front of this or when to use the hand from the other side that's and that's what that's ah on aesthetic call it's not a right or wrong okay it's up to you okay and remember how what we do is we talked to our moms I'd like to take you where you're looking at the camera but your head still tilted this way a little bit and then your eyes at me and you could take your hand out of the picture altogether so I don't have to make that decision tell me from in you're not in thank you all right so we testing up this uh oh gosh even when she's looking directly at you it's really pretty isn't it yeah can we do that again where you're looking your eyes at me but you know it's just a bit more this yeah perfect what you wanted to are you in are you into shooting mode now you're ready to shoot are you still champing for your lighting no I'm ready to shoot ok then you shoot you don't take it from the eye okay and you just crank out about twenty five thirty shots okay you've got this wonderful beautiful model she's come all the way here from pakistan just to shoot with you all right you want um we'll do we'll do him all I think I would start I would start with out and then move in so she can move up so there's a rhythm to what you're doing okay okay instead of all over the place like this start down and then bring him up alright so I'm gonna bring this in and then you're looking look at the light thank you and you turned down a bit and I'll just talk I'll just talk to the internet while we're shooting here okay what we're doing is making sure that the light the photographer wants is what you get by creating the the uh the hot light with the great over here and then you can start to bring your hands in if you like thank you and yes thank you sally sorry it is natalie right now you don't break your knees keep your knees locked and put him out so you're really really solid there don't break in easy twist into it to stay this that way when you turn your shoulders there's um there's different energy okay can you smile for me yes you can that's lovely nose to the light of it more thank you my guys back there in light room I know we've got some great editors back there pick out the shots is she shooting the ones that you like the best is getting a greatjob yesterday fantastic and a couple more let's get the hands right up around like she's cold okay perfect bring it right up like she's cold just like that oh and you do that hold on for a sec when you do that so this wrist is pointing forward I want you to bring that risk back down like this okay okay and can you switch your hands so that that's the other one that's up thank you are you using a primary zoom prime yes because I know your kind of dancing around there that's great I think I'm good I'm happy all right all right thank you thank you you're very welcome let's see if we can pull up some shots we'll look at that pretty shot wow I know you're you're shooting some some raw images take a little bit come up these guys back running the light room yesterday they hit everyone I liked they brought back so they will test us great eyes and ability to bring back oh that's pretty to look at that wonderful ok students uh if you're out here take a look what we did here we used I know because you guys working on other shots is back you up just a little bit to where you were we use this grid spot but we kept it down low enough that it's really not on her face on her face is soft box and then way even things out by bringing this over the top and keeping her hair light because this part of her hair right there you've got no light on her hair and this no light on her hair this part of her hair is doing what what's it doing to doing it is reflecting that dark waldo it's reflecting the dark wall we needed to bring something in for that thing to reflect light okay all right okay well we're good then were great thank you very much good job job tracy wasn't so bad was it it was a little scary the shots no I know it's hard to go wrong with her man that's nice you guys work really well together look at that great modeling on the face lights and darks nice I'll look at the great smile great smile lovely light remember what what this is a half stop sorry one stop less than this but it looks like it's almost even right because it's a different kind of light even though the same distance

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Lighting Essentials Ebook v1.pdf

bonus material with enrollment

Don Slides - Why Light Matters.pdf
Don Slides - What Is Good Light.pdf
Don Slides - Light Does the Same Thing.pdf
Don Slides - Subject Centric Light.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Cheryl
 

I just finished watching this course, and with teary eyes can say, without reserve, this class has been fantastic! Don's last session would be great to watch in the beginning and the end because it helps to understand his thoughts on being a photographer. The rest of the class is full of great information on lighting and Don is able to explain his thoughts and his processes with ease. I hope I will always think ahead and plan how I want my final results and how I want my subject to reflect light. Learning this was one of my "aha" moments during this class. I own over 30 Creative Live photography courses and this class is one of the top classes I own. I already plan on rewatching the whole class. Well worth the investment! I feel it is not a beginner course, but a intermediate to advanced one. Don has set a high standard in lighting...a goal to reach for...a goal that is possible for each person willing to take the time to learn and practice. Thanks Don and thanks CreativeLive!

Ryan Redmond
 

I am so glad I took this course. I'll be honest, it took a few lessons for me to warm up to this series but I'm glad I stuck with it. I have had a couple cheap speedlights, softboxes/umbrellas, and reflectors for many months now and was too intimidated to start using them. After going through this I am not only downright excited to use them, and confident that I can have spectacular outcomes, I'm also confident about shooting in natural light indoors and outdoors. It's also given me the tools and confidence to start shooting in manual vs aperture priority and to nail the general calculations in my head. I appreciate that Don used mostly budget or unorthodox equipment like speedlights, foam core, work lights, curtains, etc. because that's what I can afford and have been using to try to replicate expensive gear. Other classes use thousands of dollars in lighting and Don proves you don't need that for excellent shots. I also appreciate his advice for directing your "models" and insights into his overall process. This class was invaluable to me as a novice. Thank you!

Joanna
 

I thank very much CL that I could see the wonderful material on the light in photography, in fact everything became clearer, Don you are the great teacher, great stuff, very interesting and fantastic lecture, very helpful ! Thank you one more time !!!

Student Work

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