Capturing Motion with City Lights
Joe McNally
Lessons
Managing Light on The Streets at Night
04:20 2Camera and Lighting Gear on Location
11:42 3Working with Models: Etiquette and Considerations
01:44 4Releases and Permit Basics
02:41 5Pre-Shoot and Scouting
19:45 6Shoot: Male Model with Dusk City Traffic Background
15:16 7Shoot: From One Light to Three Light Setups
24:44 8Capturing Motion with City Lights
06:48Lesson Info
Capturing Motion with City Lights
Ready, Joe? Yeah, lets go again. Try to go a little bit faster. Got it. She has to go now. Go, go! (camera shutter) (camera shutter) Okay. I tell you what. As you're walking, give me a fashion-y look like, at camera, just pop. Just once? Once, yup. Got it, copy that. Ready. Okay, and go! (camera shutter) Cool. Okay again. Here we go. Ready and go! (camera shutter) Nice. You gotta make your stride really wide, really defined. Got it. Okay. Ready, one, two, three go! (camera shutter) I tell you what. When you start walking, Sabina, when I say go, That's when you look at me. Got it. Okay? So, you'll just start walking, get ready, start walking and I say go. Look at me. Go! (camera shutter) Nice. What's up? No, I tried 3D again. Didn't even grab her. Did nothing. What are you doing? Continuous nine? No, now I'm back on continuous nine. Okay. Alright. Ready? When the light changes, let's try again. Got it. Go, yep. Go. (camera shutter) Nice. Alright, we'r...
e getting there. That's the mood I need. Yup. Stop right there. Turn around. Ready. Go. (camera shutter) Nice. What is going on? Fashion shoot. Ready. Go ahead. Go! (camera shutter) Nice. Gettin' better, gettin' better. Keep that stride really long. And move. Move! Okay? Got it. And be haughty. Like look at me like. Like I just gave you a wolf whistle. (high pitched huff) (laughs) I have sat on my ass on many, many a street corner in New York City. I'm not proud of it. Ready! Go! Nice. Do-to-to-do-do. You have to play with the shutter speed. Sometimes it's a little too much motion. Sometimes not enough. Sometimes I'm screwing up the camera, other times she's got high heels on so I can't really complain, you know, she's maybe not walking quite fast enough. We'll see how we do. Go ahead. Go! Nice. Long strides, here we go! Go! Nice. Ah, Jesus. Go! Nice. It's one of those things where you just say, "I just need one frame. I just need one frame that sort of works" Alright so what I'm doing here, I thought I could get away with it, I thought it would be alright, but what I need to do is prioritize my release. I was prioritizing focus and you know, all the motion and stuff so now I'm just gonna go with an absolute release command because what I'm finding is I'm just a split second behind where I should be. So, different commands on this camera, you can prioritize focus, you can prioritize release. First few frames, I was pretty good with the focus priority. Seemed to be in sync. But these last couple, it was too significant a delay between my punch at the shutter button and the actually triggering of the shutter itself. So now it's gonna go at the instant that I see her where I want her. Alright let's try again. Ready. Go! Nice. There we go. Let's go again! Go! Nice. Okay. Mighta had one on that sequence. One thing, one truism about shooting motion, you gotta shoot a bunch of 'em. Okay, gotta walk fast, here we go! Sorry. (camera shutter) Hmm. Okay, try again. Stay right there. Good. Go! And go. Nice. Good look. Okay. We're done! There we go. Thank you. Way to go, kiddo! Nice job.
Class Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Janis Shetley
This behind the scenes class is great for those that already have a solid understanding of how to use their flash off camera. I really learned a lot watching Joe work with the models, seeing where he put the flashes, where he stood, how he framed the shots, how he had the models move - especially in the "movement" segment. The three light segment was also interesting - I would have never tried putting the reflector on the pavement with a flash firing into it - so cool. If you need detailed instructions on using your flash and camera - this is not the class for you. If you want ideas on how to get the most out of your flashes on the street - this is it. Great class. Plus Joe is just a great teacher and fun to listen to for 90 minutes!
Benjamin Lehman
One of Joe's most magnificent qualities is his ability to be *real* while teaching a class: Is everything going haywire, or are there troublesome problems that are challenging to overcome? Joe doesn't shy away letting you, the student, realize that even the pros have to deal with constant, unexpected problems. His other strength is showing you how to persevere and overcome those hurdles; and one of those biggest hurdles all photographers run up against time and time again - Light! Joe will go down in modern history as the father of small (and large) flash photography. He's not afraid to use the entire US output of flash watt seconds on a single photo, but he's also quick to remind us that flash is a tool, and not a crutch. This was a great course for those photographers who want some experience out on the street before ever leaving their house. As you grow and learn more about your camera and what it means to be a photographer, you can always come back to a class like this and learn new things that may have seemed alien to you the first go-around.
fbuser 4d17acbc
I like the class. It is a good primer for getting an idea of some of the things that you need to think about when you are doing a night shoot. This is a quicky class Joe just touches on a bunch of stuff so you don't get a lot meat and potatoes on this class, but I found it helpful. Worth the cost.
Student Work
Related Classes
Lighting