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Shooting Boudoir With Natural Light

Lesson 2 from: Posing and Lighting

Bambi Cantrell

Shooting Boudoir With Natural Light

Lesson 2 from: Posing and Lighting

Bambi Cantrell

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Lesson Info

2. Shooting Boudoir With Natural Light

Lesson Info

Shooting Boudoir With Natural Light

All right okay, guys. Well, the first thing I do when I walk in any room as I start trying to identify where is my chosen location for photography? Where where is the location that's going to be the biggest bang for my book with the least amount of work? I'm not in the least bit lazy it's just that I changed my mind a lot and I get bored so I want to able to find like a variety of maybe two or three locations or environments that can give me a lot of interest without a lot of extra fluff. The other thing is this if I can avoid using flash I want to and the reason is is that I find that people forget about the camera if they're not being flashed into so I find that I get much more real and relaxed expressions and experiences from them if I have just a natural window lie. So the three looking environments that I picked here that I absolutely love the first thing I did is I love this chair this red chair and my model christina is going to be wearing this really cute little black number an...

d so I thought the black and the opposite the red notice the quality of light that is falling on this chair if I have this subject sitting up I'll have probably set up on the top of the chair like this notice how I get a really pretty quality of light ah, huge light source from that window will fall on the face right about here, and I can treat a very interesting posed in this environment without a lot of fluff, and I can even hide the door if I want to the door knob by having my subject position in this way. Now, one of the rules that we can avoid or that I can choose to ignore is the one where she's leaning back, but I'll show you why I can get away with that in this environment. The second environment that I selected is up here, and you'll see how we photographed her there. I won't help up there yet, so I'll bring her actually right up on top of this piece right here for that second environment, and we could do a couple of things I could do some beautiful lighting of her face and do some beautiful close ups of her there. The other thing that I can do is that I can also do some beautiful silhouette because I really like these kinds of windows that they're very interesting, so we'll do some interesting silhouettes where she'll go dark, and then we'll be able to see this beautiful highlight behind, and it shows her shape in a very, very pretty way. The third environment that I selected was just using again beautiful window light and using nothing more than a black sleeveless. Now in my studio, I don't even have any black seamless is but I liked and I like really random pieces like a love these black and white are these white chairs against this and our model christina christina, come your q t if you notice what she's wearing she's got black and white in her top, so I thought this would be a nice kind of tie in to do something with her with these chairs. Now you'll notice that the chairs are placed in kind of a random way. I just think it looks more interesting to have things not be so perfect, and we're going to start with the chairs this way, but I might even take a few of the chairs and lay them down and have him fall over because it can create a bit of a surprise. My goal and capturing images for any client is to create beautiful pictures, but also interesting photographs, interesting pictures that when they look in there, go that's kind of quirky and that's kind of fun, and I don't even mind if they hate a picture that I took now, wait a minute, did you really just said? I said, I don't mind if they hate a picture I took yeah, I don't mind what I don't want is for them not to have an opinion you see if it's boring you are so screwed it's over because there's nothing that beats boring it's just like that and this is how you can tell if they don't if it's the picture is boring if they go flip, flip, flip through your pictures and they just they go ok? Yeah that's nice and they shut the book but by its over it is a snooze fest and it's boring and they don't like that so it's better to have somebody hey, a picture you took then if they find it boring so I don't like to do that. So before we start with christina though, I want I usually use my assistant as a model first to kind of get to kind of check out my scenarios. So daddio, can you come up here for a second? John john is my vanna white and as you think you can I just tell you vanna has all over him, you know, but I wouldn't mean anything to you, ok, so okay, but you're such a good sport, john so the first thing I did is I john can okay just come stand over here for second love so I could just look at the quality of light on his face bring your cameras close kids I want to show you they turn your feet this way a little bit right here but look at the quality of light that's falling in his eye see how really pretty soft it is I mean it even makes this ugly mug look good so we have a really pretty quality of light that's in about eleven o'clock position in the eye so I look at that already go yeah, that looks pretty interesting I'm liking it and I'm going to photograph on this shadow side see this shadow on his face right there that's important then the next thing terry let me borrow you for a second. Q t um and terry I wanna have you let me have you go first of all, I want you to sit in that chair in the red chair for me. Okay? Now the way terri is going to sit is going to be important there's gonna be a couple of ways we're going to do this the first thing I'm gonna do something across one like this one over this one good job and I want you to know lead back on your shoulders beautiful. I want to lean into this shoulder a little bit right here now in this case I would just go in later on and photo shop and nuke out the deadbolt lock and the and the door handle and that's a stupid easy like a whisper of a moment fix for me. It's so easy, it's. Not even funny. You might wonder, why did I select this environment for two reasons? Number one, I find doorways interesting. I like the framing because it can frame your subject. It's really interesting. And I just forget about you know, I'm not gonna worry about this little thing a little door and I think it's I know that's an easy, easy things would get rid of the other thing that I like is I really like the quality of light on terri's face. If she has turned in about this direction with the face, see what that does to her cheek right here. We're getting a beautiful quality of light on her face again. A beautiful soft light source. So we could create some very pretty images of her sitting in this chair. Now, the next thing I want to do, terry, I want you two to scoot towards me on your bottom. This way. Good job. Excellent. Very good. And now lean into the shoulder right here. Beautiful. Very nice. I want this elbow back and we should stretch that arm across this way because I want to show context that she has a waistline. And if she brings that arm close to her body then it's going to make her look like she doesn't have a waste so now I would do something a bit more editorial so maybe she's going to turn her face in this direction right about here with your eyes terry who is your daddy now oh yeah look at her you go girlfriend okay? Now the next thing I want to do is I'm have you hop out of that chair so let's let's get our model christina all right um cristina the first thing I want to do let me get you I want to start by putting you at higher I want you to sit not on the bottom here I want you to sit up here on the back end right here it says it right there for me and the next thing I want you to do is hear to scooch your booty over this way a little bit and I want you with this shoulder to lean into this door right here beautiful. Keep your back real tall lovely very, very nice. And now the next thing I want to do is going to be kind of critical I want to separate her legs now when you have people separate their legs we do not say spread your legs it is so inappropriate it sounds nasty doesn't it's not good terminology so we say separate your feet so I want you to take this foot right here leave ernie where it's at but bring your split up here and I want to have your earlier hell right there love it take this knee and your foot right here and bring your foot right about here for me love it see, I want to bring those legs and make it just a bit more sassy will put the knees together and then the next thing I want to do is I need to move this arms away from her body a little bit. So let me have a let's bring these chairs I want this to be kind of an element of composition I don't know if I'll use them, but I thought they were kind of interesting and they're kind of quirky, so the green is an opposite of the red and so we'll just play with it and I'm a crop it out I don't know you I haven't decided how I feel about this ship so just take this hand right here and bring it right up here and just yes oh ok got it so ok, so I actually really like that I think that's actually cute, but the only thing I want to do to change this up a little bit is with your chest I want you lean towards me a little bit beautiful good notice how she arch your back a little bit so now take this hand back here and just kind of bring it up to your pearls like stretch out this pearls a little bit let's try that let's bring his throat and just like you're gonna lean into this shoulder lean that shoulder towards me this way a little bit this one right here yeah and now lean back into that love and but I want her face has to go up towards a light source do you notice how important it is? Your eyes cannot be downcast they can't be down like this because we don't get light in those eyes okay? And we want light in those eyes so let me grab a camera. Yes, good question if if I have if she's looking at me I need to have a catch light in the eyes now it's not always you don't always have to have them looking in the camera to give an example if you look at her face as she turns her face this way and christina bring your chin down no whole bunch right here on eyes about right there eyes down right here see now she's got she's not looking in the camera and the light is passing down her face but we have that nice highlight here and we also have it on her I her I live so it's quite pretty so my rule of thumb is is if I can't get the light in the eyes to give me a nice catch light then I'm gonna have them either look down or look away and then it's ok because there are times when the light isn't going to be perfect but that doesn't mean you can't use that environment it just means at that moment you can't have them looking in the camera does that make sense so for instance in my environment here if you were standing right here there's not a lot of light on the front of my face is there on the front right here so if I wanted to use this particular spot let's say this I just had my heart set on this environment then I would need to do something where I had my subject look away draw the face toward the light source or just look down and then we don't expect to see the light in the eyes okay so ok so let's just say we're going to do a couple things with her let me go and grab a camera will take a couple of pictures um ok hang on a second here and michael I might need you to move baby okay ok beautiful with that shoulder roll it this way a little bit beautiful that's actually really cute I'm going back up a little bit more and I need to have appointed yes uh oh good so ok so ok so yes I'm going to kill myself on this core jet um one of the things that you want to do when we're photographing are subject if you look at the light on our face you can see where the catch lights are in her eyes if the light is too high and we don't have a catch like in those eyes that doesn't mean that we can't use this environment it just means we can't use it to have her look in the camera because if you are looking in the camera you expect to see those eyes illuminated and if there's darkness there the eyes go dead and we kind of look for and it makes us feel uncomfortable so if that were the case the light is too high we still wanted to use this environment we just have to find a way to play towards a light source and have or not look at us so we would just basically have you turn your face this way missy beautiful and let me have you tilt your head that way a little bit and then just look down with your eyes right about here see how we're still getting that nice highlight on her cheeks right here so we're still getting a nice highlight on that cheek but we don't expect to look in her eyes so it's ok so there are times when if you have a really cool environment, but the lights may be coming from overhead and you're not, if you obviously can't do a hi mom picture of the life strike overhead, you could do one of two things you could turn their face up to the light so that you could like the mask of the face just don't have a look in the camera that can look away, look down things like that. Great question, then you can add light and that's where we might, you know, we could use a couple of different things. Well, you can add flash if you wanted to, what I would do if I needed if I really want to use this environment and I want to make it look more natural there's a couple of things you could do, you could take an ad, a flash to your camera and bounce it off a white card over here into her face, which would illuminate her on the second thing you could do is use a reflector to pop in the light a little bit more or use a video like video lights, a really cool tool that you can have your assistant standing up here adding a bit of video like, yes, bambi, could you just could the students who aren't miked, could you guys make sure you use the mike so that people can hear the great questions you're asking am beyond if you could repeat the question. Okay, okay, great. Thank you. So maybe we just give you guys those mikes. Okay, so, michael, what was your question again? I was just wondering if you didn't wantto, you know, move on and change the composition and the lighting's not working for you to shoot what I'm looking into your camera, if you can, if you use like, a reflector to bounce to get that light in that and I there's a couple of things that you could do, you might want to use a video like you could have an assistant stand right off camera over here, and then, like the mask of the face, that would be one thing. Another thing you could do is use a flash, and I would take a white a large white card over here on that wall, and then turn my flash towards that, and then it would bounce and bounce the light back into her face again. So there's a couple of things you khun dio or you can use this environment and just have or not look in the camera all so let's see what we've got with christina, so, christina, I'm gonna have you the first thing when she was maybe scripture, but this way a little bit right there. Good job now with that shoulder lean back into the right there love and let me stretch this arm out a little bit right here put it on the love it that's nice right there love it very, very sauce sassy okay, chin back a little bit beautiful love it. I'm going to start with a couple of close ups on her face just so I can see where I'm at and christina look at me a second that's where I want your eyes right there look at me with the eyes like oh, yeah? Who should daddy now love and chin up like this? Come on, girlfriend oh, yeah like you and who? Good job lovinit that's beautiful chin up a little bit beautiful. Look this shoulder on this side lean towards me on the shoulder beautiful see how that changed her attitude chin up a little bit beautiful. Eleven. In fact, now I think I'm gonna go for a full a little bit more full like shot of her. I'm actually really like in this love it, kristie a lean towards me on the shoulder a little bit right here love and now I'm gonna turn her face more towards the light love and this backhand bring it like upon your face like this and tilt your head back that love it. Awesome lovinit. Oh, christina that's adorable. You know, I might even add a bit of camera chilled right here. Uh, we come in a little tighter. Hey, christine, on this hand right here. Put it up on the red cushions. Much better. Return your face this way. See, I really want to get a little bit of light up in her face and real soft on this hand right here. Look at me a second missing and tilt your head this way and not turn your face that way. Love it. Beautiful. And point your toe. Of course. Now, not what? You juggle a couple of balls while you're doing that blood. Gore just looked right here. Look at me with your eyes. Nice, beautiful. Ok, now let me try something different. I'm gonna have you sit down in the chair, not in the potty pose. Um, I want you to sit on the very edge of the seat, you know, and I want you to put your knees together and then stretch your ankle. Your likes out like this. Beautiful there. Oh, this is going to work for you, kiddo. Yeah, I like this. Now, you might wonder, why did I get her to sit on the edge of the seat? Well, let me show you what happens. The first thing that you want to do, kristie, to just sit back to sit back all the way. This is kind of like potty posts it straight up for just set up towards me. Case we could do that. How looks party poses not very graceful, but notice what happens. You want your subject barely parking their dukes on the edge of that chair. And for those of you that are sitting at your computers right now, watching this online, I want you to stand up for second. And now when you sit back down, I want youto barely park those dogs off the end of that. That chair. Okay, barely park your cheeks on the edge of the sea. And I want you to notice what happens. Okay. So standard for second and parker. Yes, it very much on the very edge. Beautiful. And now let's. Separate those feet. A little bit beautiful and that's. Very nice. See how now by having her sit on the edge of the seat? We're showing context to her waist when you have someone sit on the edge of the seat. What happens is it makes them sit up a little straighter and it arches the back so it's a very, very flattering look and now the next thing I might want to do is I want to have your arms stretch out a little bit sideways but growing your elbows a little bit more good bring your elbows the local city your tummy right? They're lovely, lovely, lovely and then turn your face a little bit this way, love love let me see your face with your eyes. Awesome. Relax those shoulders much better. Much, much better let's see how we're looking here? Oh, good. Okay, we're doing all right here. Love actually that's very cute, but on the pose is nice and sassy. Look at me she's got because of her clothing. I want to have a little bit more of a sassy look to her, hang on and get my exposure here pull up my exposure just a little bit right here with your eyes. Christina love it. Nice, very nice. Excellent man, I'm telling you, if she were pretty, this would be awesome. Man. If she were just on ly pretty then we would have such a great time chin down a little bit beautiful who is that girl? Oh, yeah, I love it she is looking good awesome! Awesome. Awesome. Okay, let's, just have a little bit of fun with her. They now christina, let me kill myself on this to regard just for fun. And I don't know if this is gonna look good, but I'm going to try it. Part of my job is if I break it up a bit, even if the next pose I get her into isn't the right one, that moment of breaking it up, it breaks that that static, and it makes her much more it keeps her engaged and keeps the experience fun because I'll tell you right now, the key to success in photography is breaking it up and letting them have fun. If they don't have fun, it is over. I don't care how great a photographer you are if they aren't enjoying the experience of going to hate you and hit your pictures, you must and let them enjoy the experience. So do a few and then give him a break and break it up and have him do something different and you're gonna get that image is all the way around. So let's, try something different here, okay? Qd I'm gonna have you come and I want your your feet, just cross him over that means throwem over that of the tear right there. One like you just like that love and you gonna lean into this shoulder love it like that and now I'm gonna change out on a high camera position. This can I have the other length? Scooter, you want this? Yeah. Let me see how this is looking for you. And again, I'm not worried about the door knob back there because what I do is I would just nuke it out photo shop and get rid of it. So the one thing I want, christina that back knee bend it towards me. This way. Much better. That's important. Did you notice how, ben? That me inward that's important? Because we don't want to see the inside of her thigh it's gonna make her legs look heavier and it's not real flattering for her. So let's, take this arm right here. We're gonna bring this back like that. Why did I do that? Why did you do that? Can you do that? It pulls the angle of the camera onto the side of her arm instead of the broad side of her. See? Look what happened. Where is the light on that arm? Now you see how there's a lot of light here, right? That's gonna compete with her face and I don't want that I don't want anything competing with the face, but I needed to be there. So notice what happens by me bringing that arm back and dropping the arm down? You see, we brought it into shadow now and it's going to give me a much prettier image makes sense. Okay, so let me grab my ladder. Daddio and let's do a couple of images here should know what a big ladder. Excellent. And then we're going to do this. I'm gonna move to one more environment, and then I'm going to select one of you lucky students to take a few pictures. And, uh, I want you to shoot a bit. Excellent now. Ah, higher camera angle I got to tell you, is such a fun fun angle on any face. Higher camera angles like this are phenomenal for mature women because they get rid of all this she's a tiny, tiny girl. But we're going to have some fun with her. So tilt your head this way for me and then turn your face that way a little bit love it. And again, I'm just gonna nuke out that that that thing in the photo shop oh, I love this. Love it lean your head back like this and I want you to turn your face this way a little bit and on the campaign I want you to bust out laughing for no reason one two three laugh that was the biggest laugh that's so you have to laugh with your what? You have to really laugh so what I do is I'll go on I'm giving okay, I know I just took a picture that was really something very weird but the whole life if you if you just have them that they think if they go and there's nothing coming out it's so bad and you're not gonna get in that you're not gonna get a great smile ok love it tilt your head this way a little bit beautiful turn your face that way mrs what two three give me laugh unite awesome your doll I just love her okay, now hang on a second you come down and I'm gonna bring her up here. Um okay qd let's move this ladder over here and I'm gonna put you right up here and I think I'm not sure I might shoot from up there myself, but I don't know yeah, we can ask you a question absolutely what does the higher camera angle de emphasize bob like question excellent question the higher camera angle a cute camera guy turn this way for a second okay here, come over here from whichever one of you camera guys anyone you camera dudes ok, take a picture ok? You got my mike my gorgeous mud right here. Okay, now what I want you to do is I want you can you go up higher so you can see my face from up here notice how much better law is gonna look yeah, I see yes what is eliminated this right here I know that I have a double chin does it looks great so what there's two things that does first of all it'll minimize this underneath here and if you have a subject that has small eyes it'll make the eyes look bigger when you dropped the chin for mature women like me again another really powerful thing because you see by me dropping my chin you see how to make in my eyes of bigger so moral of the story higher camera angles for me from now on by the way that's the camera angle I want okay does that did that answer the question good let's go on to all right um okay, john john I'm gonna want you to grab my camera for me I'll keep that one on for a second, okay? You come over here by the wall, I can't know we're using a single light source just a single light source for right now but it's very, very clean and any you could do this in your house and this anywhere just find out on the bathroom if you need to open a door in your home and use the front door because that's all this is is a front door. This is from front somebody's front door this is somebody's of this to be in front of your garage it could be anywhere so you don't have to have perfect locations. You have to have a fancy studio just start looking at the way the light falls on your subject space and find a neutral background maybe all of fantastic over there just so you know this's really good. I gotta get such a hero. Okay, so hand me camera, dad, let me check my exposure first, okay? Let me look at that right about here, okay? We're gonna be intact. I can reduce my aya so here to about two hundred now. Beautiful. Let me just look at her face, okay? That's gonna be about where I wanted to go and actually I like this is fun hey, john, can I get rid of this thing right here? Okay? If not, don't worry about I'm not it's not a big deal to me, okay, so but I want you to notice what happens with christina and the way that I posed her shape the first thing that I want to do is what carrie what's my first concept imposing that I want to do with her that's right front leg wait I was on it that's right I want those feet you have to start with the feet so the first thing I'm gonna do is christine which you separate your feet about shoulder's length good job and your hip on this I just push it towards my hand that way lovely. Excellent. So did you see what happened when you push it and see this is a cool thing if you learn to communicate effectively with your subject you can get it right now in her case I can photograph her straight into the camera. I'm going to set this down here for second. I can photograph for straight into her body like this if I wanted to she's a tiny little girl so we could do that if we need to otherwise I might want to turn her shape this way a little bit so christina, turn your feet towards me right here a little bit good job x a little more excellent. Now do you notice what started to happen to her body? The more she's turned in that direction now with your shoulder on this like turn your shoulders back just a little bit beautiful and put your hand on your hip notice the difference in the way that her shape looks look leave it then she's got her her her breasts look perky er it gives her bus line shape now I would turn her face back towards my light source like this lovely with your eyes right about here and with your chest lean towards me a little bit beautiful see how we really maximize her and I cannot tell you if you for a big girl she's a tiny girl but if we had a bigger girl that was like a twelve or fourteen size fourteen oh my lord, you can make her look so much more slender by pushing those assets and away from the camera and then having earlene sought towards camera michael maybe I noticed you know most of your talk about short lighting um I got, um I, um the short lighting um do you ever have shoot it broad lighting? Like if she wasn't turning towards the window dr turner towards the window? Yeah, tio to get the that would be broad lighting, right? Well, not necessarily. It depends on where the camera position is. Excellent question, michael. You see, braun lightning is not about whether you turn the subject towards the light or not it's where your camera is in relation to that subject, so if I photographed christina, jill moved to stay right there if I photographed her right here on this side of her face, I'm broad lighting her because I'm shooting right into that side of her face. However, if I turned her face this way a little bit and then my camera position is here you see him now I'm shooting on the short side of her face. Got it? So right about there, christine, let me see how that's looking for you love it with your eyes only right here. Excellent, but I need some sassy you girl in love turn your face that way a little bit. Love it one, two, three excellent love this hand on this side you go oh, I want just like in your hair yeah turn your face that way play towards a light love it lean towards me a little bit like oh, me when you face that way love and awesome with your eyes right here gorgeous. You are doing awesome, right there. Rules real quiet, real quiet. Look, not what you'd take. Put your hands behind you beautiful and pressure, but against that wall right there and I want you lean towards me like you're peering into a pool. U oh, my god! I think I don't know if this is so key right there, turn your face tiny bit this way with your eyes right your chin up a little bit except put your hands on your hip right here love it love it love it but I want that elbow back that way yeah and the other elbow back love it just a little chin up a little bit lovett gorgeous kiddo you know what I'll tell you why I'm liking this a lot on my exposures. Okay, rise notice what happens to stand up straight? I want you to pay specific attention to this part of her shape when you have somebody leaned towards the camera this was just no lean towards me right here see how when you pull it because your leave their leading forward it pulls that waistline bad and it creates a very strong diagonal line which makes anyone look more slender is just beautiful. Hey dad, can I have the can you put the one thirty five on here? Q t hey baby it's curious like what are you shooting at? I'm too I'm almost for these kinds of pictures I'm almost always at two eight or as closed toe wide open as possible and it's because I don't care I don't want the wall to be sharp, it does need to be in focus now in this case if I wanted to even make that wall blur out more, I could move forward it without any trouble at all let me show you what it also looks like if we turn her body towards the light see she couldn't do that but it's just that in relation to the camera watch what happens so christina turn your feet this way more but I had about half of that right there good job and I want you push your hips towards my hand right here and point this toe right here towards me and bend your knee just a little bit like this beautiful don't put the weight on it just been that me and bring it bring it that's a girl love it now with your chest I want you lean towards me right here beautiful keep your back tall and then tilt your head that way excellent see she could easily easily easily go either way she can turn towards a light I can't be there though I can't be on that same side I want that light to skim across her I personally that have found that for christina her better side is on the same side as the part he relaxed I just find for her I think it looks a little better for her I think her face looks better if we shoot ron facing this direction because of the part of her hair so let's see what this looks like I'm gonna try to shoot this about two point oh let me change my aperture to two o do what are we doing girls? Am I ok? Do I need evidence? I don't have a question while I'm getting my exposure correct sure thing somebody was asking ryan ryan's and photo was asking does bambi care about the shadows on the wall or does she use those twitter bandage lots of people say to stay away from the walls when not leaning was this a different situation? Well, first of all that's an excellent question the reason in this scenario I'm not worried about the shadows on the wall or why because the light source is a very soft light coming through the wall and so it's very amused if you know if I were concerned about the shadows and I would absolutely move her forward that that's exactly what I would do I'd have her move forward so that I could eliminate because if you walk towards me christina see how we got rid of it already it's gone so I don't know I don't have to you know if you want to eliminate that you can. However if the sun was streaming through this window I love using um shadows to my advantage it's very editorial it's a really fun way to photograph and you can create some very strong cool dynamic rule some really cool images by letting by using those that strong light source to your advantage and letting it be they're letting it be part of your composition so I don't have a whole of fast rule about that again this is where the rules of profession if you were being judged and photographic competition they may dock isam points if you could see the shadow in my entire career I've never had a client asked me two things number one I've never had him ask me if I'm a master photographer and I've never had them asking never had them go well can I see that little rembrandt tribal trying on that she knows they want to know does the image have impact and I'm not advocating sloppy photography but what I am saying is that there are times when you can bend the rules to your advantage if you know what they are if you know what they are ok so let's look the next thing I want to do is I'm just gonna have you turn your feet this way a little bit good and I want you to really bring this but towards me a lot right here beautiful and then push your but away from me right here and again you're gonna lead into that pool this way and turn your face this way more and I want to do a beautiful tight oh this is stunning chin up a little bit oh my gods for more tension up a little bit lovely and with your eyes only I want your eyes like right about here for me love it beautiful, beautiful, beautiful love it awesome. But the only thing see now in this I've lost her soul right here. One, two through your eyes look at me and nice love chin up a little bit you tickle I just roll that shoulder this way oh, turn your face that way they'll love it love it and I look over there at that ugly let wall right there. Nice one, two, three chin down and look down at your shoulder right there. Lovely, beautiful. So I think I'm going to do a variety of images that are really, really tight of her here. However, I have to tell you, I keep getting distracted because the light over there is so screaming hot. Can we bring the ladder over for a second? I want to have you sit right in a chair again. Yes, baby. I just noticed, like even on your tight shots of her head just now, you're still like having her do that full post. Do you always do that? Absolutely. Great question, michael. You have got really good questions today. Yes, because even though I can't see them, they affect the picture. Let me give you an example if I have her look down and her feeder together, look at my body language. If you should, if you look for your lens of your camera, you'll see exactly where see how that just like static it looks static, you don't have to see the feet to know that it's wrong, whereas now if my kid was pushed away from the camera and then I'm looking, see how I can look down and look forward this way see how it just feels better because the whole bodies on through and you want all of the language to be one needs to speak to get duty have a seat in that chair again. I want to see it looks like from this, hank, this high camera angle for you lean back in that chair and just curl into yourself. Can you bring your fears? You just crossed one like over just like that getting cozy right there, but I want to more on this side this time so you can throw your legs and you know what you did to me favor for your legs over that way and you can almost look over your shoulder, you this way lovely, they lean back and bring this arm down, turn your face this way, chin up a little bit gorgeous night awesome just studying I'm telling you being a she were pretty this would use amazing love it right there, this hand right here, I'm not seeing this arm but I want to bring it up to her to her pearls I think right about their love it turn your face this way a little bit though because if I don't turn her face this way towards the camera than what I'm not gonna be doing broad lighting her gorgeous that is so incredible love it beautiful that's my girl love it love it love it downing thing I want to be really tight on your face it's important that she looked up at the camera with her face not her eyes do you see why? Because this is what you do and then see if you say look up and you don't say look up with your face this is what? The loot they recalled her forehead unless you had bo talks not that I have and you'll get that wrinkle appear in their forehead okay, we don't want to do that so ok, let me move you now, judy um so let me grab my ladder. Dad, can you help me down? Hey, baby, yes? Do you get, like exact on how much you're asking her to move her head up? Because you're looking at how the shadow is where it is on the other side or I'm once I have once I have my found yeah, thank you big once I have the foundation laid as far as you know, the light on her face is right then I could bring her face up or down the environment is going to go a long way two dictating where you're going to go I'll tell you right now like this spot right here once I have that look that environment set up I'm home free I could do anything I want and in fact we're going to come over there next so let me get down and as soon as I'm done shooting this little environment michael you had the question of the moment somebody let you take a shot after this ok? Ok okay so come on over here, cuties oh, and you know what can we do? Can we do the little uh no, we don't either pearls you know you know what I want yeah, bambi yes, the internet loves that you're tethered and that they can see the shots that you're doing are those just coming up straight out of cameras there? Is there a preset going? Oh, no priest that's nothing. This is just what you see is what right out awesome and I can tell you this is the one thing I hate doing well people because to me the picture isn't finished yet because you see for me when I click that sugar it's only the beginning because I know where I'm going and it's not that I use photo shop is a tool that I use but there are certain elements to photo shop like in the way of the enhancements that I'll want to enhance certain features of her face but I want more like a bird's nest like right around her like real real random right right in here like right up her face almost like above her head this is what we do for all the ugly girls just so you know, so we're gonna try this I don't know if we're gonna go here yet just hold it right here for me ah perfect with love okay precious come right over here like that I think that's such a fun thing okay, I want you to start doing it right now this is going to be triple noticed the way I'm gonna have her seat oh, I love this already I knew this was going to be fun for her yeah this is going already man I'm telling this is good okay? But then I don't want her sitting again on the potty I don't want that sitting like she's going to back so I think the first thing I'm gonna do is cross that like over this one now scooter but this way in the chair beautiful and then the next step is critical I want her roll onto this thigh you say you want your subjects sitting on the thigh not on the back side so roll your hips this way a little bit and you're gonna put that arm over the other the arm of the chair roll your hips this way more love that nice. Very, very cool. And I love this is my photograph. My vision here is a tight head shot it's a very, very tight shot of her face. Yeah, I'm gonna stick with one thirty five, but I think I might want to let's see? Thiss actually looks. This looks really good. Chin up a little bit and real soft and your fingertips I want hold it with these two fingers. Not that not that finger the middle finger. There you go. Just like that. Love it. Nice. Really nice. Chin up a little bit. I need a little more attitude out of you. Yeah. That's my girls love it dot. Okay, you are just you better love it. Roll that shoulder, etc. It has to work with nice chin down a little bit nice. Oh, yeah, I love it. I mean, she's, just so thank you for coming. Okay, now my exposure is a little off. I'm gonna bring change my exposure a little bit. You're hold on a second. Let me change my truth an automatic automatic right balance excellent question yes, I'm using auto white balance right? They will be to check my exposure so I tend to get a little carried away yeah, this is about where I wanted to be chin up a little bit beautiful that is what I'm talking about you know, just working a lot of love in john do me a favor take that this of the fabric right here the love of law and put it across her face this way I want and I want to rule that shoulder this way a whole bunch you and I think I want my ladder this time let's get a little higher camera nice oh that's nice john can you cover her whole blocked over it oh yes, yes yes, yes, yes, yes. Chin down a little bit scooter by beautiful hang on a minute. The whole thing I want to do yes. Fifteen minutes till bride. Okay. Gotcha. Just getting started. Okay, let me grab my ladder cause I want to change my camera angle, get a higher view on the base ah higher camera and will completely change introspective oh that's just gorgeous right there bring your hands down beautiful role that shoulder this way a little bit darlin beautiful chin together a little bit right there let me just check my exposure on this chin up a little bit nice nice nice no that's beautiful champ a little bit more beautiful no smile that were too bad we don't even care jump a little bit gorgeous that is tilt your head this way a little bit and turn your face that way nice nice nice right? They're awesome let's get rid of that netting on her and before you before we go I want to have michael shoot but I also want to do one of the thing here I need to have switch lenses john john can I have the twenty four to seventy and as soon as I'm finished with this photograph john I want you to you'll be able to shoot give me two minutes and you're gonna get to shoot christina you're going to really roll onto that ship this way and I want you to bend this knee a little bit more beautiful very nice just like that love it now what I want you folks to notice see the shadow on the side of her leg right there that shadow right here is very, very important this is what I'm looking for something else they're going to take my shot here and then I'm going I'm gonna get oh I like this this actually looks way better than I thought christie to turn your face a little bit that way towards the windows right there chin up a little bit love you tilt your head that way a tad more stunning darling, let me see how we're doing exposure why I'm gonna increase my exposure just a little bit I love it and with this shoulder lean towards me a little bit gorgeous see how much difference that made right there osem that's really nice right there turn your face a little bit towards john that love it love it absolutely gorgeous and then last one I'm just going to change my camera position and I want you can you stand on that chair, missy? But hang on before you do them sorry I'm getting carried away here cross your legs like you didn't want to show one thing what's important what we want to see, I want to see this shadow right here that is so critical because if I don't see it, then it's going to make her legs look heavy so my position this leg and crossing it over that's one thing the second thing I want is I want to be able to see a little bit of highlight right there. Why? Well, I don't want to see that highlight back there because I need to see that there's a separation between this leg in this one, otherwise it just looks like she's got one big blob right when you want that okay, so let me grab a real quick shot and then john john are seeming michael, I want youto okay, stand upon the chair. Scooter man, we have a quick question for you from the internet from alexandra hon. If you are on location outdoors, would you bring that full ladder with you? Great class? Sometimes she takes a step stool by the large ladders quite larger, and most of the time I'll just bring my step stool. I have a four foot step letter that goes with me everywhere. My assistants know that their butts are in big trouble if they don't bring that thing. Plus I'm only five foot one, and so I need to usually get up a little higher, but you'd be surprised how much of a difference the perspective is when you raise your camera angle or lower your camera angle under subject, this could be this is a really fun experience right here, so what I'm going to do is turn your feet this way, missy, and I want to create something that's just a bit more editorial, so bring this nie forward like this good, and I went to that can you cross your legs like we're like right in front like this, john, can you help her? I want to make sure she doesn't fall of that year beautiful love it love it love it just like that love and that joe is perfect right there and now tall with your back and you're gonna bring this arm down this way love and turn your shoulders towards me a little bit this way more and pick up your skirt on the side right here love it oh it's adorable and that later on I might crop this picture let me see how we're doing here oh, this is really cute. Lean towards me with your shoulder just a little bit and then turn your face towards john a little bit love it right there. Look right there, missy and this elbow, right your turn it the other way. Nice. Can you pull that skirt up like this? Yes, but more real soft, like a very nice, nice, beautiful love it down a little bit more love it. Excellent! Really nice this armor here, bring it back this way behind you now just gonna bring it behind your beauty. This this arm right here, lovett nights very, very nice that's just gorgeous right there. Stunning darling, leave no smile this time were too bad mean towards me just right in here beautiful wow, what a huge difference that made for her I love love, love, love, love, love this gorgeous absolutely phenomenal. Very, very good. Okay. All right. Okay. Michael okay, let me get you down. Qd bambi the internet says your personality is much larger than five one what was that? You know they say saving right? Always trying to compensate. Okay, michael, I want you to give me a seated pose. Christine okay, um cristina I'm like so are you going for like briana? You look like rhianna it's really good. There you go. Um ok, so can you sit on the chair and just come off that a little bit and that's ok for right now that's okay, um and christine, I can I have you kind of, uh can you cross your legs kind of like that and then try to roll on on this night. So good job. Nice job, michael that's good that's good, perfect and let's get the other shoulder best shoulder over here to pop out, lean forward a little bit perfect and actually put your hand on that chair. Beautiful and kind of laid out. Perfect. You look great. Nice job, sweetie. And how about actually you know what? That looks pretty good. Nice job. Very nice. Take a shot at a second. I'm just gonna get my reading real quick look right, I'm actually she's shooting you from about torso right now because I have a long latin so her actually can you lift your chin just a little bit perfect looks good and actually look at me right here say but hang on a second michael what is missing? What is missing in this photograph? Catch light no, not the actual ites know what's missing the most important element that picture has to have and it's not you did an outstanding job hard on you know you're going to be good but the one thing that's missing is this is where when you have your environment fine you're environments ready to go you got to engage her so I want to see you working she's nothing in here there's no magic here on the end of the day once you've got because you've got to pose down that's when you got to turn on michael's you know michael's wild side and just you know I want to get her I want her to feel the picture she needs to feel it so let me have you do one more picture here and then I'm gonna turn that I'm gonna turn it over tio q t over here ok, ok, let me on the spot um you know what? I like your skirt so can you like uh actually with both of your hands kind of just wish it for me so on three things get some of the action real quick. Okay, on three ready? One, two, three so awesome looks good. Can you get a little bit more? Get a little bit more feisty and just like displaying it on three. Awesome. That was awesome. You look great. Want to plant beautiful. Nice job. Can we get michael hand? That was absolutely phenomenal. Great job. Ok, come on. Duty. All right, relax. Now don't make it easy for him, okay? Because you you have to act like you're a nerd and we know you're beautiful everything to just like you're completely unnerved. You've never done this before a game. Okay, so come on, baby. Working for me and give me a shot. Wait, hang on a second. Now we gotta fix it. Okay? Don't move. Stay right there. I want you all to squint, shut your eyes and just squint and look at her. And what are the first things that you're seeing that are a lot of her arm? We see a lot of her arm because she's rolling it forward. The other thing that we're seeing a lot of that's not gonna be a good thing she's not gonna like it mohr important that her arm is that fine that's exactly why you got to roll that guy we need to have her seeking reelection second q t now scoot your butt back that way a little bit that's good that way a little bit more and I want you to roll on I'm sitting on that part of your five so ruled this way more see, you know how we got rid of that sea by having her lean in this direction now we won't have a cross that leg across the dark side over to the light side rusher like talk right here and now roll towards me with your shoulders towards me this way with your shoulders more this way beautiful and roll towards me more good with your hips not your bust there you got a good job I see that now you've got more from your camera position and even this knee right here ben journey a little bit more this way yeah there you go that's beautiful. So now you've rolled her hips away so now we're not seeing so much of that arm or her like ben this knee back a little bit right there beautiful that's how much more that looks better to have her that way than it does that ever, ever like a sober last did not make it happen much better, sweetie very nice beautiful by the way we can't hear the student right now so I don't know if there's anyone can hold him like my room or something can you turn your face towards the windows a little bit chin down some and then looked right at me that's beautiful giving a big smile he remembers your way don't want to tell them to smile we want to give a reason for that smile because if you just tell her to small she gets that fake smile that we all put on for people so one last shot and then we're going we're going to move on okay so don't don't then be the nerd that she said you were yeah excellent good job very good excellent job okay we give these guys can you did really really good ok so I know we're about to switch out we're gonna have a bride in a moment but one last thing let's just try one other thing with you let me have you just scoot over in the chair this way a little bit see you can we could even turn her body this direction let me have you bring your knees together and now the next thing I want you to do is let's have you lean into your knees a little bit right there like that and roll this shoulder this way more beautiful see we could do you could do I know where you were going was you want to do something a bit more editorial with her and you could do that you just have to be careful where your camera position is in relationship to the light source. Ok, relax for a second. And let me just get you to stand up for a minute. Actually doing great. The last thing we want to do is we might just want to do some stuff for just being a little bit kristie here, just playing with their skirts. So on account three, you gotta bend your knee it's really important for him one way or the other. Beautiful. And then you're gonna lean into this shoulder a little bit lovely. And now the last thing I want to do is on a catholic is gonna bring your skirts up like this and just go like that and just play a little bit ready, guys. Okay, ready? One, two, three go love it. Let me have you lean forward to us this way. And now do that click, click, click, click, click, click. Right there you go. Beautiful. Excellent, good job you start. Really you're doing where and poor thing has no personality, but if she did, ok, good job. Thank you so much for cnn. Can we give way?

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to lean from this course. This is such a fantastic value. Thank you, Bambi, for your time and talent. Thanks to Creative Live for making this resource available to us. I'm very, very thankful.

a Creativelive Student
 

I discovered CreativeLIVE this weekend. I am so glad that I did. This workshop was fabulous! I watched as much of the live broadcasts as I could. Then I kept my computer on throught the night so I could watch the rebroadcasts. I was compelled by all that I learned to purchase the course. Bambi is an incredible, down to earth, informative and funny woman. Her insights will have already helped me shape my future as a professional photographer. Thanks for a fine, influential weekend.

user-dae64a
 

WOW BAMBI!!! Thanks so much for your generosity and love in the abundant information you gave us during this posing and lighting course. I have had dozens of aha moments throughout the course and your practical tips have changed my photography forever. I see the direction of light and know exactly where to place myself and my subject confidently and swiftly. I still have a ton of practicing to do but this class gave me a great start . I plan on re-watching the classes and give myself some mini exercises to practice what you taught....Oh...and i wish I can remarry my husband of 15 and a half years so you can be my wedding photographer :)

Student Work

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