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Dance Floor Shooting

Lesson 15 from: Think Like a 10K Wedding Photographer

Scott Robert Lim

Dance Floor Shooting

Lesson 15 from: Think Like a 10K Wedding Photographer

Scott Robert Lim

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Lesson Info

15. Dance Floor Shooting

Lesson Info

Dance Floor Shooting

Group table shots big beautiful light works indoors that we got about fifteen minutes he said okay, so we want to save aboutthe last seven minutes to the s a little get going on some it slides we got here I'm thirty out of fifty okay, so this is what I kind of like to achieve this nice, beautiful light during the reception and some dyes your you have anybody do outdoor receptions when you do outdoor receptions it's very difficult to get great light because normally what typical photographers do is they bounced there, flash off the ceiling are awful wall to get that big light, but when you're outdoors you've got nothing to bounce it against we're going to bounce it against the moon and have it reflect back down there's just no way. So what I do is I just take a flash and I've put it on that umbrella stand here, right? And then I use this as my big light source and that's how I did these pictures here. So what I do is I take the bride and I take the table and I take half the people to pu...

t him on the other side so you got a table take half the people, put a mother side, put the bride and groom in there and then uh let's see, do I do the settings here? Yes put your eyes so at eight hundred. Put it at five. Six. Why five six? Because that way I can sure everybody's in focus. Okay. If I do a lower f stop, it'll be let less light in. I mean, it will be more sensitive to light, but everybody might not be in focus. So put it in five six to make sure everybody's and focus and then justice. Just your shutter speed to that background that you want. If there's a lot of ambient light in the room like it's light like this, this is a lot of light. Then you're going to have to raise your shutter speed because light's going to leak back into their sensor. Okay, so that just set it for that. Try it there and go from there. You're gonna get these beautiful table shots. Okay, outdoors. We talked about this before. Now you understand why I was at one sixth of a second? Because I was getting the background in and then taking that shot there with that. Okay, so I went over. Yes. And that shot you using it as a reflector rather than shooting through it right now. Do you choose? It was just because position if I turned it around the other way of being might, in my view oh, and so it would be she would have to hold it back like this more versus this way it's easier for her to hold does it affect the amount of light that it reflects really it's about the same you khun try it on dh it makes a subtle difference but mostly is for positioning that's the reason why I ok so and so this is how you do a cake shot, right? So what I do is I set two flashes on the side one flash with the gel in the background whatever it is so in this case I was trying to match the the theme of the wedding which was orange so I put orange gel on there to give it that orange feel to it and to sidelights and so I created very nice lighting and I put it on the table there now if you don't a lot of times if the table's not big enough what I recommend is actually not doing this method now because you could do it another method like this where I put it on to light stance uh like this and so I used the gel in the background to fire it and so how the set up was when this would see how far their part and I lit the cake like that it looked like that but now when I throw the couple in there I've got some nice light for them already I've got some backlight and I use a little front fill to fill them in on the front in this particular case here I didn't have any feel I don't think and I just using all back light and you get that cool look to it okay? So two flashes on the side you like your cake and then they're ready to cut it and everything you already set up with your lighting okay here's, how you do this is what we're going to get to know ok, so we're going to do this set up on the dance floor and this is my set up I do two flashes on the side pointing towards the dance floor in this case I have it at sixteenth power because there's a lot of ambient light in the room because usually when you shoot a reception it's going to be a lot darker than in here is that correct his assistance at the moon but let's see what I set these flashes that I know I'm probably not in camera right now but I am going to set it at sixteen power okay, so here again you get your assistant to do this and let's diss pretend this is the real thing you want to be my assistant stand in the middle of the dance floor there and I'm asking you is this pointing at you he's coming with just a touch of the other just like ok so there right in the middle of the dance floor then I've got my other one I put a yellow gel on that okay? I would like to use complementary colors a lot just if I want to give it that night that that kind of nightclub field this one I'm going to sit at that one's that sixteenth power I'm goingto prove this to quarter power because it's got a darker gel on it just going to make this a little bit brighter, ok? And I'm gonna put this over here and this one's gonna be a little bit more and then I asked my assistant is it about the same height or is it lower this probably lower much lower about now about that ok is in the middle I'm needs to spend a little bit towards me just a little bit. I'm going right there. Yeah, okay, turn it on. Yeah. Okay, so then I do some test shots I do take my transmitter and I fire it just to see that it's going off. Okay, good. Now what I do is I have another flash um what I used to do I used to have a flash on the camera yeah, thank you. I used to have a flash of my camera so I have got this backlight coming in this way and I need a little bit of fill light coming in this way, so I used to put a flashing my camera, but I'm getting old and the less stuff on my camera, I just like it. So I have said, you know what? Why don't I just make that off camera? So what you could do you could do to think some people don't even use any front light, and they just use all this backlight to come through and do it that way for me, it's safer because I'm having people face the camera and I'm doing cheese shots and stuff like that. I like a little bit of light this way, but when they're dancing, you know, you don't really need it a lot of times if you're not looking at the face and you're doing more silhouette shots and stuff like that that's really cool. So I'm going to set this flash over here, firing in the middle, okay? And I'm setting this at one sixteenth power just to fill it in. I'm making this a little bit brighter than normal because for camera and for you to see it's gonna show a little bit better and then I do a test shot, okay? Okay, I do test shots, so come on out assistant and I stand him right there for her and I just see what it's like if they were going to dance. All right, we'll wait. I got my white balance that, uh, something we're crazy. Ridiculous. I gotta change it over to, um I can change it if flash where's my flash at so I said to the little flash icon and see if I can get it I can't see your son. Let me try, son. Okay, I'm gonna try saying it it, son, because this is emma set one, two, three oh, shoot! I got two and a half seconds, okay? That's not gonna work. Okay, let me change my shutter. Dak down too. Uh, I like putting it at one twenty five. Let's put it at a one twenty five and my f stop. I usually like to do it at a low low um shutter speed, but because in hee I'm low f stop, but because there's so much ambient light I have to make a black box to simulate the reception right reception would not be this bright. You would never have a reception this bright, but I have to simulate it, so I'm making it darker. I would normally shoot a two point eight some point times two point oh, but because I need to make it a little bit darker and more contrast I'm going to try doing this at five point six o r and see what it looks like okay but I normally would shoot at two point eight but in here I'm going to try to make it darker but we'll see oops it's not going off now that's not good okay one two three okay this go off now did alright something's going on here all right let me get it toe let me get it tio preview take the preview off so I can see exactly what I'm shooting okay let's say a year um for some reason that's not going off not sure why, but we'll figure it out this is really world situation here, folks. It is the name of live television yeah that's right uh okay, maybe this is a slave mode there some good obviously lizzy let's go about here live I got to set it it uh maybe it's because this thing is encased in turning on it's going this is going off. Okay? It's going off okay great. Great for telling me I thought it wasn't going off. Yeah it's probably too high, so uh just it little bit lower house that shooting over said let's say well, sometimes I kind of like that but because I just want to use the edge of the flash sometimes it's a little bit softer but let's try right here right because that that's weird way and that's okay what what's going on there can you guys bump that up one can somebody come over there and just bump that up like two stops to lights and then try it on then we'll see because this going off it is going off noon in f six right fire oh yeah get a job thank you oh man that's why you have assistance I usually have it at eight hundred no wonder why eyes assistant gets stay the big bucks now okay that's a little bit better now it's too much light okay got it that's it some like I am putting a lot of juice on this dude it shouldn't be like that okay so ana I want so that's wait stay out there buddy ivan got it right so I want that that see how it's not dark enough now right and so I might have to go up tio may I'm trying to make a dark box and it doesn't help it that's also white back there too so it's bouncing back and making it more white so this is not the ideal situation but what I'm trying to demonstrate like okay so let's try to make it darker this is great all right here we go it's darker now that f ate okay so it's getting kind of a night field lt's loading right? So that's kind of like what we want and then I'm gonna fill this in and I pointed that up because it was way too much but I'm going point it straight down at him and now we should get what we kind of want finally it was the I s o eight hundred oh my gosh. Okay, great. Ok, now it's starting to fill in ah little bit mohr and so I do this all before the first dance takes about five minutes if you have a good assistant to tell you what s so to put it at um and then okay, so you get this kind of uh I feel you can create more contrast in light room but I think that's kind of the field that is at right so the that's how you get that light coming back through I'm wondering if I actually can you step back some um I'm wondering if we opened up that light back there more did you actually turn it back up where she left it? You ok? So wait keep that one there let's turn it up one can you turn that one up over there to and so I'm just wanting and like my taste is a little bit more light in this particular situation let's just take that purple jail off because it's not a nighttime situation so I'm not getting that contrast of light so I just wanted brighter to create that contrast did you could you pick up it up? They're just leave it there let's stay there and I'm going to take what I'm trying to do is create more of a contrast light now, okay let's just go with that, okay? And it gives you an idea of what it is and if it was a lot darker it would look awesome but now it's kind of that's a lot hotter over there. Okay, so let's do that alright? So want you guys come in and here, right? And I'm going to show you what I do before we kind of came on kind of a lot of everybody find a dance partner or whatever okay and so what I'm doing is now let's just pretend like you guys are okay now just find just like pretend that you're dancing we're just gonna talk through this. Okay? So what I do I'm on wide and I'm shooting these people right? And I'm getting them to look at the motion and I'm not looking through the camera I'm just pointing and shooting at this particular point right what's that I'm at f ate now, but I normally wouldn't be enough sometimes I like to get this backlight in behind them this way even if I right on and here's me give you something, maybe something look here, uh, itself and I'm walking around and I'm doing that type of thing, okay, so you guys ready to do it for real way music, way need tohave, jim, you're turned out, you're going to be scott robert right now, because I need to dance, too, right? Isn't that. Do you want me to dance it? Okay, so we'll practice a little bit, no fear it's already set up for you. Go for it, jim, okay, and you just look through here, I got it and keep it on wide and just walk around and start shooting. You could come up, watch up with a cord. I mean, you could come on. I got you. I got I've been watching the class like, yeah, right, okay, I'm ready. And, um, is the music ready to go? Wait, wait, wait yourself.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Master Flash Guide.pdf
Day 1 Segment 1 Best Job in the World.pdf
Day 1 Segment 2 Headshot & Posing the Groom.pdf
Day 1 Segment 3 Posing the Bride.pdf
Day 1 Segment 4 Posing the Bride & Groom.pdf
Day 2 Segment 1 Crazy Stupid Wedding Light.pdf
Day 2 Segment 2 Lighting Review Group & Dancefloor.pdf
Day 2 Segment 3 Wedding Workflow & Money Shots.pdf
Day 2 Segment 4 Starting from Scratch.pdf
Day 3 Segment 1 From 0 to 5K.pdf
Day 3 Segment 2 5K and Beyond.pdf
Day 3 Segment 3 Creating a Luxury Brand.pdf
Day 3 Segment 4 Seventeen Ideas to Change Your life.pdf

bonus material with enrollment

10 Percent Discount.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

mc
 

There are a few courses in CL that just keep giving - they exceed expectations - on numerous levels. This is one of those courses. For context: I am not a wedding photographer; i do not aspire to be a wedding photographer, but i saw a re-broadcast of this course and thought i have got to put the pennies together to order this as someone aspiring to be a better photographer. Here's why: The title: think like... In a lot of business and coaching approaches, the way to get better we're told is to be around people who are further ahead than we are - who are as close to where we aspire to be as we can get. Think Like a 10k wedding photographer is an invitation to get insight into how i'm already thinking in this headspace or where i'm not. is this course for you: If you're not already a 10k/wedding (or gig) photographer, there is likely something of value here for you. THE COURSE the course is v.grounded - from the ttitle again - that this is a course about photography as a business - and how to get to a place where one is thriving in that business. It's clear there are steps to getting up the ladder towards 10k, and Scott Robert puts all the milestones in to understand when to up prices, how to pace gigs, how to schedule weddings, how to start. But this course also excels at covering off what's included in creating an excellent wedding photography experience for a particular type of shoot: luxury, glamour, style. This is not documentary wedding photography - though the skills learned here can be applied in that space. Here - just take a look at the photos - people who want what Scott Robert Delivers want to be glamourous, exciting. And Scott makes the point - that looks "natural" but it's constructed, and so we have to know how to engage with people in order to construct these results. Thus the course offers Posing and Shooting techniques for photography - using natural and flash light using flash and video light posing men; posint women; posing groups how to get the checklist of wedding shots from dress to cake. And how to get the business. This course is worth the money just to get the tips for posing - you'll use them right away whether you're doing corporate shoots or what in the us is "seniors" portraits. THE KIT A particularly inspiring element of Scott's work is how minimalist the kit seems to be. No strobes; just speedlights. Lightstands and umbrellas. And small video light(s). Considering the shots he gets that seem so constructed, it's fantastic to see that they are constructed fundamentally with a set of modelling principles about the human form that work work and work. The BUSINESS As said the progressions for the business side to move from a starting photographer to a 10k photographer are clear. The detail is good. The motivation, unflagging. Participants who want to get there need to do the hours of practice. There are a couple people who have used Scott's methods to get from starter to 10k shooter so it's possible to see their path. - One who was a videographer mayn't be as inspiring because already pro etc, but it is cool to see a pro in video testify to the value even for him of scott's approach. LESSON the best advertisement is word of mouth you have to have the work to get that endorsement. Scott is the one person on CL where you'll hear him say he's not working on his social network particularly, but on the quality of his portfolio and referals within jobs to get the jobs - it's plainly working for him. For him, it's clear he wants to be regarded as the best photographer - not the best customer service that trumps adequate photography. THE INSTRUCTOR As other reviewers have commented, scott's attitude is amazing. He has a burning entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to be successful to support his family - which means getting to a point where he's shooting fewer weddings for more money in order to have more time with his people. Nice. No matter what area of photography you're in, there are insights to be gained from this course. Related Courses There are a lot of wedding photography courses on CL. The others i've seen are Wedding Cinematography, Doug Gordon Wedding Project, Master the Business of Photography (which turns out to be based in a wedding business) and Start and Grow your Photography Business (also based around weddings). These all have good things to teach. The biggest contrast to Scott's is Sal Cincotta's Business of Photography - in that course while there is a goal for his teams / shooters to be professional and get all their shots at the wedding and deal with the unexpected well - and there are great tips for how to cover your butt if there's conflict about being able to take a shot or who wants what shot - the focus seems to be way way WAY more on the sale in the studio and selling all kinds of prints. This is v.much the flip side of Scott's work where the focus is on getting the wedding (and why he actually likes 5k weddings more than 10k weddings - fascinating). For scott, it seems the 10k is about figuring out what the package is in terms of what's the difference between 10k vs 5k - and what you promise to deliver in that experience vs SC's focus on what are the materials produced that are worth that charge. And how the wedding can be used to hook people in for life - for portraits, baby photos, seniors etc. Kevin Kebota's class similarly has some nice stuff around bonuses vs discounts. I can see a very interesting panel discussion on pricing btwn sal, scott and kevin... For scott, it's not about shooting the lifecycle and getting money off prints: he does weddings - some engagement and boud. around that, but it's the Wedding that is the star - the quality and amazingness of the images - not the number and size of prints. Perhaps this is a weakness in the course not to go into that part of the deal - but i didn't find it so. What's great is that he has a dropdead line in the sand too: if you're doing X and you're not getting to Y by Z, do something else! fantastic. he even has a part time shooter plan. COol. He also knows how and what to outsource: so will you. He's also cool about how long it will to take to start making a real income. (and what's the difference between a 3k and 5k wedding?? you'll learn). Why would you buy this course? If you're a WEDDING photographer, shooting under 10k /wedding then this will be interesting - lots to learn about what's possible in a wedding context, and seeing examples about how "natural" can be constructed. If you're just considering weddings and want to understand what it would take to make a living or part time living as a photographer here IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT POSING -- there are lots of CL classes involving posing and philosophies of posing so why this one? 1: Robert is v.good. that simple: the way he's translated everything he's learned about posing into heuristics - in other words rather than memorising poses, you learn heuristics about what to set up for any shot to get more from it. Fantastic. 2. Posing in the context of a live wedding under pressure is a litle different than in studio 3. We see posing for different lighting conditions/contexts for an event - in this case a wedding. Powerful stuff. What's also cool in the demos is that you don't have him doing tethered shooting, but focusing on teaching posing and having the class learn it. That's cool too. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN LIGHTING - and not spend much on lighting kit and get great results this course is inspiring. INSTRUCTOR - v.engaging - doesn't suffer fools, i'm betting; expects committment to do the work to get to aspirations. EXCELLENT. heck i watched most of this with a friend who just found Scott so compelling, in particular how the posing section worked, it was just that engaging. hope that helps. good luck on your mission.

Kerry Sleeman
 

This is the best Creative Live Course I have purchased, well worth the Money! Scott is fantastic and has a lot of great advice! Even though I am not a wedding photographer I am a Boudoir Photographer and has given me a lot of ideas to help my business. ! Thanks Creative Live Amazing!

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