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The Advantages of Tethering

Lesson 3 from: Tethering: Why It’s Important and Why You Should Do it

Clay Cook

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Lesson Info

3. The Advantages of Tethering

Lesson Info

The Advantages of Tethering

Perception is reality. The bigger the camera, the better photographer, right? Having a tethering station on location can really set the stage, and it can read that you mean business. And we all know that word of mouth can travel fast. So it gives a really high end professional perception. Tethering allows you to really slow down and shoot less. I don't know how many people have dabbled in film photography, but when I first started tethering it kinda gave me that feeling when I was shooting film. I slowed down, I shot less, which provided more of a better picture at the end of the day 'cause I could focus on none of the technical stuff, but more of the connection, more who I was photographing. More of the why than the how. So tethering provides that moment to sort of assess what you're capturing, in turn leaving you to depend on the quality, not the quantity, which, of course, will dramatically cut down on the shoot time. You have to rely more on your natural ability to direct and conne...

ct to subjects, rather than like, spraying and praying, you know. So slow, it allows you to slow down and shoot less, and it's great. So, what I tend to do, which we're gonna see here shortly, is I'll shoot a series of frames and then I'll pause, and then I'll review those frames, and then I'll come back. And sometimes I might have already had the shot. And it's very helpful. With tethering software, such as Capture One - Pro, you can add a preset color grade, which will clarify the vision to the client. So, with what I do, I always provide a very stylistic color grade to all of my images in all of my photography. That's the last step in the process before I deliver the images. And so, it can really provide a clear, sort of look to how the images are gonna be in the final stages on set, as you shoot them. So, the software nowadays provides that option, and it's great. Adding that extra contrast, or that pop of color as soon as you sort of, snap the shutter is just a winning feature. You hear a lot of that wow factor when you're tethering, and clients are seeing the images live. So, again, I often work with teams of people, which may include a producer, creative director, art director, hair stylist, wardrobe stylist, make-up artist, more. I mean, I sometimes, I've had... I know on my, when I worked with NBC and Comcast there was probably about 30 people standing behind me. It can be very nerve wracking. But I work with teams of people, and tethering allows you to really dig in to what you're shooting. Dig into the frame with your creative team and client. You can really dig into the details, and that's just something you can't do on a small screen on the back of your camera. You know, there might be stray hairs, there might be flaws that you simply can't see on a screen. So it's important to get it right in camera, which will, of course, reduce the amount of time retouching, and the amount of post processing time.

Ratings and Reviews

JennMercille
 

I have been wanting to add tethering to my workflow for quite sometime, but it seemed so daunting and expensive. Clay Cook walks you through every tiny detail and tool, in a buildable, step-by-step process. And as an added bonus, watching him shoot with a model was really cool and informative. He brings an inspiring energy with him as an instructor who has worn many hats in the creative industry. I highly recommend this course!

Gabriel Caro
 

Justin VanDyke
 

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