Live Shoot: Hard Light
Lesson 6 from: Lighting Styles: Working with Soft, Medium and Hard LightMatthew Jordan Smith
Live Shoot: Hard Light
Lesson 6 from: Lighting Styles: Working with Soft, Medium and Hard LightMatthew Jordan Smith
Lesson Info
6. Live Shoot: Hard Light
Lessons
Lesson Info
Live Shoot: Hard Light
It's very easy now to see how the angle light changes using ah, hard light source. So I say this the last to show you guys this difference now look at the shadows under her chin is very easy to see the hard light source. We're using a soft box. It does the same thing. We're using a medium light source. It does the same thing. You train your eye to see it though. So here I have my light again. I'm going to go and go from being Mawr angled. You can very see easy. See how this no 12 inch difference makes a huge difference. This is your son. You make the distinction where it will be. You have total control. It doesn't matter what type of modifier using You've got to know exactly where you want to be, how you want to look. So you have that same stamp on each and every picture Whether you're shooting l A one day or New York one day or Paris one day you said that same feeling with issuing a man or a woman or Children? No portrait sor fashion and beauty. Your image has that same feeling. No ma...
tter what you're shooting because it's you. The trick is you putting you in every single image. It will make a huge difference. Now, I love this kind of life because this feels like that. End of the day, sunlight. Now you see these little small difference of half an inch. Can you see that every little increment makes a big difference? Are I adjust very easily in the picture. However, from here to here, you really see it. You've got to make the distinction. Now this is a hard light source is easy to see the same thing again with your soft box. If your umbrella with your beautician every small increment makes a difference. What? I have my team, my crew I really hammer down testing lights and we do it a lot because I want make sure all about engines had that same feeling. What I'm shooting, you know in L. A or New York. I will make sure that they all had that same feeling year after year after year. That's what comebacks you over and over and over again because your pictures have that distinction of being different. The difference is you have made a clear decision on what you want to do, the feeling you want to give if you want really crisp, sharp images. You know that this hard light source will give you exactly that and feel like that into the days sunlight. This will give you that. I can also take this light and make it even mawr intense. By taking my modify and zooming in or pulling it out and make it softer. I have all these options available to me. So when I'm testing my lights, we test every single thing. I want to know exactly what being at five or being at six. Something at seven on my zoom will do my test everything to the degree and you should too. So you can look at all those tests and see what you want. What you like, what you love. Then state that one thing all your career. It will give you a great career. Let's shoot like this cleverly love this life every spring down a little bit like my This is my end of the day sunlight also think about what it does to the eyes, the color of the eyes. This looks really beautiful. All right. Beautiful. Just like that. Now I want you guys to this notice. She has beautiful eyes already, But notice the images. They go off the flesh. Because where would you mind? Yes, there we are past Nice. Beautiful. That's nice. Beautiful. So I'm now using a constant lights. Was an 80 mile beautiful. I love using constant light sources for a lot of reasons. Remember how you felt when that stroke was going off? I can wear you out. Sometimes clients blink a lot like that with a constant light source. You don't get that. I use constant lights a lot. I can shoot fast and get more of a feeling as they move a lot. So give me version When you're just playing around and moving, you're looking around. Come back me actually turn this way for May Look away and come back to me and that's nice. Do that again, but faster. That's nice. Beautiful. I can't shoot that fast with strobe light, but getting all those little increments of personality in there with this light. It's fun for her. It's fun for me. It feels great again. I haven't looked at this at all. All my energy is based on her. I won't put everything into her every single move. Everything I do is based on making sure that I stay connected to her throughout the entire ship. Thank you so much for all your time has been great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bring it back later on. I can shoot her all day long. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. I love photography. I love shooting. I love using every time light out there. But you've got to make a decision on what you want your lights to say So I can use in kind of light. I want out there by state my entire career. Especially having the same maybe three or four modifiers my entire career. years. That's that same feeling throughout your career. That style that's you. Making a clear decision on what you want. Safe your lights simple and easy. I love this stuff way. Take a question that you're going back, you know. But, uh, do you ever use, uh, filters in your look and feel? I think we saw an image earlier that maybe had to do I ever used filters in my photography. Absolutely. In the days of shooting film. I did a lot more because I want have control over the color. So I use a color meter to be around 4700 to 4900. Cult impure wise. We have no control over it. Do that in digital now by doing on the back end of the film I used. Jails are used CTO jails or CTB jails, which is co attempt orange or color temperature, blue eyed. Use those increments toe. Make it cooler or warmer based on what I was doing. And I love that even the shots I did for the stuff outside of the kids for my book project. I was still using CTO jails out there to have that warmer glow of light. Thanks for that question about the jails and the time of day, the whole quality of light, that look of light. I love warm light. I have one more question. So you've mentioned finding something where you can really put your thumbprint on it and sticking with it. Now here's my question. Does do you ever feel that limited by that? Where do you think you know? I just wanna mix it up a bit. Or maybe trying something a little different and see how I grow. Do you feel that it limits any type of growth? Four. Do you feel like right now you like kind of perfect? No expects that they always evolving. I think we're always evolving as photographers and artists, and the evolution means changing your lighting style. You're just changing your vision of that, Um, I want that lighting stay consistent and always experiment with different lights. If there's another, Modify comes out that's new. Play around and see if I like it or not, is a matter of fact. Even Monday, I used a different modifier them used to using. We've been testing it fight the last four months. We're testing this one light music on a job until Monday, and I loved it. I still like my assistant this morning when the phone like I really love that modifier. There's a small tweet what I've been doing, but I loved it. It's a small tweak, but it made a big difference exactly still, within the realm of what I've been using. Thank you. So stay true to yourself. Make sure you find your style and stay with that, you can still evolve as an artist because you will think about Matisse. Matisse. Throughout his life as an artist, he evolved. It was the same feeling, though, when he was in his twenties, is the same feeling as he was in his eighties. At his end of his life. He's doing cutouts, his cut out said, the same feeling as his painting. It's the same feeling, a different tool, but the same feeling. It's the same with us. It's you that stays consistent. Putting you into all your shots makes a big difference. But Harvey is not just about lighting and cameras. We all need that. But we also need inspiration. So before I leave, I want to be guys. My top three recommended books to read My top three recommended books to read for photographers. They are number one. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I know what you're thinking, not a photography book, but it kind of is how to win friends, how to win clients and fluids, people and influence people. We look at your work, they're being influenced when they hire you and meet you for the first time and have that experience of working with you. They're being influenced how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie is going to give you an amazing career. If I have a downturn in my career. They always goes ups and downs. That's life. I put this book and I read it. I try to read it like once a year. It always helps. Second book selling the Invisible because you're not just selling photography, it's different. This book is definite going to help you today, tomorrow and in the future in terms of your your marketing, how you see yourself and How you Sell Yourself. Selling Invisible by Harry Beck with an amazing book and the third book is one of my favorites, the Alchemist, Because guys, we are all on a journey. You had this vision of how you think your life is going to go, where you gonna go? But then life takes over. The alchemist always dreamed big, put your heart and so into each and every image and have fun being a photographer. That will do you a long life, a long career as a photographer doing what you love, thank you guys for this time. Thank you for being here. Thank you, guys. Let me share the joy photography. I'm at the Julien Smith. Have a great day. Great weekend. Go out and take great pictures. All right. Thank you so much.
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
Matthew Jordan has such a warmth and charisma. Listening to the guy talk and praising everyone for asking questions makes one sincerely engaged. I can see why people pick him to work with. He's a talented and personable man. Though this is not a hold your hand kind of class, it's really about the options and making your own choices. For someone who has lighting A.D.D. I like that! :)
Gene Tolan
Matthew Jordan Smith is excellent at his craft and also a great teacher. Very clear and concise information wrapped in a passionate presentation. Thank you very much Mr. Jordan!
Shoot2Thrill
A fantastic class which gets you thinking about your own lighting style, interaction with models, branding, marketing and gaining a sustainable career. I bought this on a sale and was pleased with the investment.
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