Lessons

Lesson Info

Reception Attendees

You guys here are really going to have to work your magic you we're going to dance to know music and make things happen so at this point here what lends when I go to I'm most likely going to go to a wider lands my lens of choice is twenty four to seventy now what I'm going to do is I'm going to say that I can afford to use the pocket can afford these pocket was it's and I can't afford to get the funk spear so I'm gonna have to work with what I have here so what I'm gonna do is ask my crowd as non loud as you possibly can to kind of dance and have a good time with each other and wait for the moment okay so they're just going to go out everybody up again he had come to chance so I want you to look at the effects I can't wait to see you I don't want you to slow dance I want youto dass stance and boogie it up austin is ready to go making the magic guys right now ali good and I want you to look right here ali in austin clearly do not go out much okay, relax one second guys alley just take a...

joke I want you to look at the effects of on camera flash pointed directly at and t t it's priceless see that's facing a background so take a look do you see how harsh that on camera light is? Do you see the hot spot going directly on the fireplace? The mantle behind him there's nothing good about it everybody's having a good time which is great and mats expression makes the image ok so now as we're doing it now I have to be conscious of this because I'm bouncing it from pretty far away can you go do your business again? Good let's go good relax now here I'm using it as well collective life but I want you to look it's softer but it's under exposed because I always have to take into consideration where they are in relation to where I'm reflecting off. So at this point when I was direct on I was minus two thirds of a stop so I'm going to do is go into my exposure compensation so from here we're going to adjust ourselves and we're going to go up to a full stop making it nice and easy now start dancing again and now we're even good looking good at least working with the whole hope you can relax again now let's take a look look at the difference when I bought it up here are the three different images the first one's really harsh the second one is under exposed about two thirds to a full stop on dh then the last one's got it notice the full look at mom in the background everybody's having a good time to be honest, I probably not shoot is close up is that? But look for your reflection now, let's, look, if I come down here and you guys come out here and start dancing just a little bit you guys going to go out there now start dancing again depending where they are because I'm closer to a white wall. Start moving, stop now, let's, take a look. I'm reflecting off the other wall, which is closer in proximity on what we've learned from this is that without a doubt not clearly does not know how to dance, you're a good gets a match, so take a look now, here's one of the things I see photographers do this all the time and I bet you guys all start dancing everybody start dancing, go, they go wide a no no like you hold on if you're doing it, you better have a focus point in place and understand what you want to accomplish, you better be able to hold still, you better be able to identify where you are and all I've learned from this scenario is that I really wanna party with ali in austin, okay making it happen making it happen, so if you take a look, I have a beautiful guy because of my camera go but here's the thing I picked my focal point you have to be very accurate and very sure of where you are guys you can take a seat real quick now one of the things that becomes a challenge during the scenario is making sure I see photographers go down to the ground if I'm taking an image and she's dancing and I do this close your eyes where's the light reflecting off off it's not reflecting what I did was blind her at that point, I'm not getting the light because I need the light to reflect I you know, I just took a picture of nothing but the fact is you have to be conscious of your surrounding you are very reflective surface and I stopped ok, it's very simple. So now let's move to the cake and this environment and this room right now, the cake is the easiest thing in the entire room to shoot. Why? Because of its location to the window. So now here's one of the problems most photographers have a massive issue photographing a cake and I mean just outright massive issue. So what does that mean? The issue that occurs is they can't get the cake on dh the bride and groom to be on the same exposure, and they can't get them to be what both and focus and it's probably because of your plane that you're putting one so what I'm going to do is slide towards the cake should I pull the cake out to the center or should I leave it over there and rather leave I'm going to leave it over there and pretend we can't move it is that okay good so I'm going to go over in this direction to the cake now this is when you could start to really make things look bad you look at the cake and a photographer thinks oh look there's still light it's right on the cake so what you're going to do is shoot right here because you're looking at the light and look at what you start to get in the background you're not paying very much attention to what's going on and take a look from here you're gonna wind up starting to dock in one side of the cake because it's white and you focused on it right here it's any good I have a problem if I do this it's fake domar you're not eating it take a look do you see how one side dawkins and one side slightly overexposed you have to look at it like anything else you want the light to feather through what did we say light into into the face through the body so this is the last side I want to see if the cake isn't it I want to come around to the other side and I don't care if the rest of it blows out so now I'm focusing on here and I want to find the right angle and what I'm looking for is I want to avoid as much as I possibly can on the background so I'm gonna go right in here and this is kind of what I'm stuck with and now let's take a look that the difference what's going to happen here is from right the window is going to blow out completely and I have a beautiful soft great looking cake image donor so now it's time let's go in for a bride and groom image with the cake uh we don't have a knife let me grab one over here thank you, austin good just like that. So now let's remember what we're going to do this two different ways to look at the cake when photographing it you will probably always taught to put most people do it like this they put the bride and groom I'm sorry switch site they go here on what they dio arms around each other like let me show you two different ways let me show you because everybody does it different but most of them or it's a good they turn her here has everybody seen this one? Sorry grab your hands here take a look. Does this work at all no look at her body her body is so broad to the camera to get them both to look at me look at me matt he's behind her he's got split lighting now one of the other things you see turned towards him put your arm around each other and now put your hands together on the knife what if she is a plus size subject? Will this work? It will not because what's gonna happen and she's closer to the camera she's naturally going to appear what bigger? We don't like that doing on. The other thing is the light is broadly hitting her so I don't why would I want her in the side? Switch sides for me here now arm around each other. And now here's where the problem is where are you going to shoot? This image from this is the most logical place right there's only one problem what's closer to may the cake or the subjects can I get both of them and focus on? If I have a flash on camera going in any direction where is the light going to hit first the cake or them so naturally that's going to make the exposure a lot more difficult, isn't it so the idea is very simple you want to try to bring them forward right in here to keep them on the same plane as take a right here and now look he's here we're going to make her work harder you come to me beautiful nope turn your body towards him still come to me lean your heads together looking at may turn your head here turn your head a little bit looking forward rachel now they're on the same plane so if they're on the same plane turn your head rachel a little bit more that turn you had turned turn good open up children just attack like you can and turn right and here you lean forward because I want to try to keep that light off so now what I'm going to the only light that I'm going to add at this point will be my torch light to fill it this is whether it's a dark reception whether or not it's a light reception because I need to make sure I get some light so that I don't overexpose white I don't want to overexpose that one side of the face so I'm going to bring it in here just like that and I'm looking and I'm saying, oh my goodness I'm hitting him too hard on this side so I'm gonna bring it closer to fill that turn your head here a little bit you turn your head just a tad looking right here they're on the same plane of the cake and I'm going to try to get both and focus and if I pull it off I'm in good shape so now just like anything else I'm lighting into the face through the bodies turn your head a little bit beautiful looking at me here guys, the light now becomes a phil looking right here stay there leaning forward to me guys nice and happy smiling teeth excellent and I'm going to show you where we go wrong here because we are going to have to make an adjustment okay? This is where we go wrong do you see how the face one side is over lit that's an issue? Why did that happen? Anybody over there because you have the day like there on your balance the issue came up because one side is born out because you only have half the face so you need to light into the face through the body so watch how we change that we're going to have to make an adjustment in the easiest way to do that. I know most of you on photographers does anybody know what could make it work here when she how simple it is they need to come where over here and you're not a photographer, are you? You know why he's not a photographer and he's realizing it's really simple, which means if you're thinking is a photographer and you can't figure it out, what are you doing overthinking it. Very simple. Come around this side and now take a look now they both got beautiful light. She leans forward. I no longer need this right in here. Just like that. Hands here looking at me heads together into the light, turn your head a little bit beautiful. And now wait to see the difference between forward matt and now watch leaning to me. Beautiful. Just like that. Turn your head to your right a little bit. I's here, matt you're doing terrific. Stay right there. I want to make sure I get that door out of the background. Perfect. And I want to make sure one thing's happening come forward to me just a little bit. Guys. Perfect right there. Good. Now looking at me, here we go looking right here nice and happy you're smiling teeth and if I got it right, I'm gonna have good light on both sides of the face and I'm gonna have to kick in focus and let's take a look. I didn't get it right. So now I have to fix it again. So chances are I probably needed off the wrong spot. Do it again. I'm sorry. Oh, I left the exposure lock from last time I'm sorry lean forward to me guys, turn your head to your right good turn you had a little bit beautiful looking right here chin down just a tad you're smiling you're doing terrific excellent notice why cropped into a shoulder the first one's looking at the camera look at the light hitting the face good still a tad hot so I'm taking an accurate reading I want to make sure I see it down again so I'm gonna pull the exposure down and go with my exposure compensation here turn your head a little bit to the right excellent looking here heads together guys nice and happy smiling teeth excellent keep those eyes open beautiful just like that now looking down and the cake lean forward chin down eyes down good smiling and there's our image so we go on my burning up again good there we go I'm still a little bit hot but what I want you to notice more than anything is a good detail in here I have two thirds right here I got two thirds right there so now one looking at you one looking down then they look at each other and they go through the feeding process it's a very, very simple, easy set up you have a question I do how would you control uncle bob cameras? They I don't worry about them as long as I'm controlled and talk to them and have them on may doesn't really matter does it really matter? I just have to be loud enough looking at me, guys, nice, unhappy looking here, making sure that there are in may. So I notice that you turn them away from everyone else. And are we also going to do the cake feeding that way? Because I feel like I have to do the cake feeding that's best for the lighting. I can't be that a convenience to guess they have to do what's best for the year, miss joe, we are just taking the pictures. If I use flashes, a mean doesn't matter anymore, does it? Okay on dh, basically, as we move on from the cake and feeding the next thing, they're going to deal with what they're going to do, the parent dances and the daughter and of ok, it's the same thing. I'm going to do the same thing I did during first stance. I'm going to do the same thing with the reflective lighting on each situation. Okay, ladies, question from j b t photo deal do you always defer to the bride's parents in terms of making her look smaller? I have quite a few brides who are much slimmer than the groom. What I still put her behind him, uh, if it's really much more saying you were looking at eric who's, super tall verse rachel okay, I'm going to change it up just a little bit because what's going to happen is he will become over dominating and look too big, so I may be moving them and kind of play like that. Okay, so I will play it depending on size if she's will like it. Give you an example if it's, my wife and may my wife is four for ten, eighty nine pounds, you put me in front of her it's going to look like a waiter. Ok, so I'm probably going to move her to the front size to minimize my body. All right? So a lot of people, I mean, I know you're saying you're controlling the situation. A lot of people are saying when the cake is being cut, everybody's standing around them, I can't actually in a real life situation, pull them away. The bride just wants to get this over with. How long does that process take? Tell me takes you seconds and I'm taking three shots and where are the people who were taking it? Are they behind them or they in front of them? I'm going to get right on top of them, everybody's, free to do what they want. After I get my image, folks, no problem. If you get to stay here for one second, let me get my image. Bridegroom heads close, the other looking right here, nice and happy, smiling. Great. Terrific. Just like that looking here, guys, look right down again. We're doing the same thing that we've always done. We make excuses of why we can't do it. Oh, I'm afraid of saying anything to the guest. All right, when the guests have a better keep cutting shot than you, what you going to do? So which brings me to my next question from a cz mae matthews how do you deal with all the people that want to take pictures of them cutting the cake at the same time? And katz said, what about guests around the couple? I get that in every single wedding. Fine. Look at how tight I'm cropped. Am I showing even the full cake? I'm showing a portion of it. I'm showing a small portion of it because I don't want to see everything I need what's that area behind them that I need to control if they go behind in case folks, excuse me one second. Can you move right in here, move right in here. Did anybody ever think of having a conversation with the deejay before? Till that it the deejay? No. When you announced the cake cutting folks, please make sure you let the professional get the shot. He'll be happy to let you get in, right? F he's done. Everybody go in behind the photographer, please. That's. Proactive. Great tip it's. Proactive the djs. No, I literally have room. That is about a three foot radius behind them that I need to keep clear and that's the difference between buying and buying. And let's let's put it in perspective. Does it matter if there are people in the background? If I can't control that, I can't control it. I have one thing I need to do. I need to get the cake and focus. I need to get them and focus. And I need to have better than average fighting if I do that it's. Fine. If I get people in the background, it is what it is. So, doug, I see that we have an actual cake that can be eaten or perhaps shoved into face and no that's, not real. No, we brought in a real life. Where you going to do that as well, I'll do it, where is it it's behind the fake one? If they don't want to do it by the window because that's a very odd perspective where it's ninety nine percent time it's not gonna be that way so guys, can we bring you back to the senate? Could you bring a cake with you let's do it right here and guest can you pretend that you're about to take a photo? Everybody get up and surround them at the front let's take that cake and put it right in there and take a look at what we're doing a couple of you could go behind a couple of you in the front and now let's look at the set up of what we're doing okay, listen, if this is what you see right here right now this minute and you're like oh ok I can't do anything about it you shouldn't be at the wedding you shouldn't be there I'm sorry if you can't move all these people let me sit over here and be like can you guys I'll get out of the way hey lady in the green dress it's not all about you move woman oh she didn't move never mind good just like that what am I d'oh it's very simple here's the procedure excuse me do you guys mind stepping over the side one second two months thank you very much did I really inconvenient you that much thank you I didn't do anything I just said excuse me do you mind stepping to the side that's not hard it's not that hard I understand we go through it look at where I'm from I'm from long island new york were the rudest nastiest people in the world okay that's what people think of us it's not that hard so can you guys just cut that cake real quick and I want you to feed each other it's very simple or have to do at this point as look and say what two I want to accomplish at this point so what I want you to do is hold a played up you don't have a small one do you? Okay they hold a small one photographers tend to take the image of the bride with the fork in her mouth with the cake makes no sense you got to get it before you get it look at how easy this is so what I want you to dio is you're going to start feeding him all I need to do is make sure that their bodies to turn towards me I don't care if I get the cake innit good just like that on dh hold on we are doing terrific you could start feeding him excellent perfect got it right before the cake went in the mouth very simple it's all of this now from here look at what we do well, I'm going to do it she's now going to feed right there good he's going to feed her stay there you're doing terrific. Hold it right there. Good start feeding her just like that look she's getting all nervous. Excellent she's telling him what to do again holding she's controlling it way got tongue out way got the image there on dh it's a very simple, easy image the first when she's like you ain't doing that now we got it now from here immediately after that done lina coast guys go and give her a big kiss. Stay there. Excellent god! If the cake is done, this is the least important part of the entire day. Really years is the most important part of the entire cake thing is getting a picture of the cake by itself on dh you want me to give you another piece of advice? I didn't say this because it's not true for everywhere because I know when we do weddings and other destinations in new york they put out the cake one before the reception starts. So how many of you take the bride and groom into the room before the reception starts? Why don't you do the cake when the room is empty? Take the image on do we care if there's fifty people around while they're feeding each other? Was it this hard for me to clear a path it's? Not that hard thank you, folks. You guys could sit down one second. So theo idea behind it is just being assertive. If I have that one drunk burns should person who needs it out there that's ok, deal with it, deal with it. And if you noticed one thing, reception lighting is a lot more complicated over the course of two days. How many exposures of mine were really off? Very, very few, but in here I've had off exposures because there's variables are reflective lighting that you have to contain with. You have to know what's going on. This is one of the only times the only time I really ever look at it. I would bet that in almost every case scenario where my exposure was off, it was what I was using a flash because the flash of the camera or reading things that you don't know sometimes so. But when I was with available light and it's watch right, it was fine once, and it makes a difference.