Releases and Permit Basics
Lesson 4 from: Darkness in an Urban Environment: Managing Light on the StreetsJoe McNally
Releases and Permit Basics
Lesson 4 from: Darkness in an Urban Environment: Managing Light on the StreetsJoe 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
Releases and Permit Basics
For an editorial shoot, the public street of New York are the public streets of New York. In theory, you can shoot what you want. If someone's walking down the block, I can go click, click, click and I can put it in the newspaper tomorrow and say person walking down Park Avenue. No harm, no foul. Okay, if I want to use that in a commercial vein, if that person's wearing Nike sneakers and Nike sees it and says, "Hey, we want to use this." Uh-uh (negative), you know? I gotta go back and find that person, negotiate commercial rights, pay them a fee. Same thing with the environment. If I'm out here on a commercial adventure, I'm gonna have to get permits, film permits. If I have perhaps, high-priced talent, I'm gonna have to get a motor home. I'll need to get a permit to park that motor home. I'll need to get insurance. If I have somebody sort of notable out on the streets in New York, I'm gonna get security. We have a relationship here, because we're based around here we have a relationsh...
ip of long standing with a security firm that employs off-duty New York City police detectives. Plain clothes, badged, armed, two or three of them on the street sort of insures that everything stays nice and calm. Also, the beauty and benefit of having those guys, they're really good guys, and if a beat officer comes along and wants to know what you're doing, they have that relationship with them and they can help you explain what you're doing to the officer on patrol. Anyway, commercial shooting is a hugely different enterprise. Lot of money goes into commercial shooting. You can spend literally thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars an hour out here on the streets of New York to do a full-blown commercial shoot. Did one just last week. The budget was very high. Permits were very dense. Multiple permits had to be had, because there's overlapping jurisdictions. Tonight, we're not going to observe any of that. It's run-and-gun editorial-style shooting, I don't have the worry so much about the implications of my background. I can move and shoot. If someone comes along and says, "You really shouldn't "be shooting here," I'm not gonna pick that fight. You have to choose your battles, so I'm not gonna get into a standoff with somebody over a picture that I can make an equivalent sort of picture down the block. So sometimes, just a mild manner and a happy approach to things is the best ticket you can use out on the streets of New York. Be amiable, be congenial, be forgiving. Be elastic. Can't shoot here? Okay, well how about here? Rock and roll with it.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
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