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Shoot: Mother with Teens

Lesson 12 from: Family Portraits

Michele Celentano

Shoot: Mother with Teens

Lesson 12 from: Family Portraits

Michele Celentano

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Lesson Info

12. Shoot: Mother with Teens

Next Lesson: Shoot: Whole Family

Lesson Info

Shoot: Mother with Teens

I think monica was a little bit worried like oh my gosh it's a little bit messy out there and I see this I see this area I'm like sweet this is like gold right here I love this spot right and she's like really like yeah if we just move that back a little bit leading repeating lines we have gorgeous foliage in the background we have directional light we can use either side of this we can shoot from the inside out or the outside in um we have pop in a little bit of a reflector and you know so what there's a toilet bowl there it could be opposing prop really I might surprise you all right so let's do okay we who did we fi photographed isaiah first didn't I so dre let's photograph you europe dude all right so what I want you to do is have a seat at that second pillar yeah on the ground and in order to lean on it that's good I want youto pull your tush away from it just little bit more so whenever we're gonna lean on some I think the best thing to do is have this subject move away from the ...

object that you want them to lean on so I actually have something to lean on turn your back to the pillar just a little bit more that's it much better turn your face to me just a little bit that is awesome let that need come down a little bit lower so your hand isn't quite so high now I've created a leading line let your hand comes to raid out out of that knee boom dude that is awesome okay easy easy easy let's pop a little reflector in there cause again we have this overhead light creating just a little bit of shadow underneath the skin underneath the eyes and so actually we're probably gonna want to be right there so anybody see it can have an assistant assistant ai wo see that I'm just a little bit of light in his eyes awesome I'm not a higher camera angle than where he is I'm going to take it to a vertical image oh that's good hey I'm not going to wreck my tripod today there we go huh awesome amazing amazing amazing oh dude close your eyes on me uh okay so you're in my gym n'est no you're my gymnasts can you do a hand stand for me okay later okay that's also is that a face you used to saying is that is that is there yeah trade trade jing it I'm telling you okay eye contact great okay I got it sorry makes for funny stuff that's all I'm saying kids what beats yeah exactly nice and hold on one second I just need to adjust this there we go all right like the serious look beautiful head back with me just a bit more see how his head is going to go to the low shoulder now his his left shoulder is the high shoulder his right shoulders low shoulder come down this little bit more turn your fate beautiful two thirds you keep going ah now that's the geek you look all right turn this way a little bit more chin up to me just to drop their you know notice how won't I get smaller than the other so if the camera's on my subject his left eye is a little bit smaller than his right eye right now so twenty face back to me just a little bit a bit more full face and now his eyes look about even chin up just a little bit back just to drop you just hanging out you just like you know the dude ha do you like being photographed no sea no one likes being photographed no one but you're so good at it who me o ut o all right so let's switch no stay right there which is so I don't want to have you jump right into that spot right back there so um here's what I want you to do and it's not gonna be comfortable so I'm sorry let's kick that foot out just a little bit you're gonna be one be here when you're here you can lean over your brother okay I got it this is how we can build on groups right put one person in one spot back your hips away from him just a little bit more and then dre sit up a little bit taller for me there you go move back towards the pillar just a drop so we want to heighten him up a little bit tatiana moved towards him just a bit this way now lean over press the hips back and get your jaw to his temple ah hung up a little higher just fixed that one hair um christine you back there who's back there but lisa's back there uh that hair and then the one that pops out when she gets his head close to hers so that's it perfect till your head into him just a bit more tilted in chin up come forward towards me see how I just did for the shadow on her face till this way to sit a bit more hold on his hand right there and then lose your fingers on the back of his neck back there yeah ah ha there you go uh oh my gosh this is too easy hey I love that squeeze together come on that's it lose your hand on the back there you go lift up you guys slumped on me lift up leaning squeezed together till towards each other huh oh my gosh that is gorgeous stay right there okay uh I say I got it don't if you keep reminding me I'm not gonna learn it okay so see right there isaiah let's see what's that yeah yeah that's perfect he's good he's like should I stand in front so I can see what you're doing yes please I'm just trying to figure out where I want to put you right so this is going to feel completely awkward it really is but it's gonna look so good one foot here and one foot here hips going back and you're face comes here and you might even want to come all way back this way so I don't see your hips sticking out this way so you're actually back here is better see who squeezed together go go go go that's it separate your feet a little bit more get a little bit taller and okay so you're leaning at her this way right I want you to go this way and then lean forward it's like you're sitting on a toilet there you go now leave forward a little bit more little bit more get higher get higher good hire right go towards her just little bit all your faces together little bit drop that hip drop those hips drop drop you're too tall for this that's the problem yeah squad that's it perfect but come over her shoulder lean towards her get thatjob her temple a pyre of higher lead towards her till it hey yes it's beautiful all right I say you come towards me a little bit more keep going keep going keep going yes notice I'm getting all their noses on the same piece of glass squeeze together a squeeze so that's the way we roll people is not fine so I'm seriously I you have to understand when I shoot a session I shoot it just like this any of my clients will tell you I run into kids at the supermarket and they see me at the supermarket there's hey there's michelle and I'm like oh my gosh that's funny stuff ok you three take a break oh look at this light okay uh okay lisa you're gonna be up next erin you hold the reflector I want you guys in here you're here to learn right okay so uh okay somebody let me know when I can go in that direction again anybody okay great okay so I want you to photograph um victoria and the boys together in this spot somewhere make it happen okay we got bright light coming over I'm right over here you got to see this I think I will have you kind of lean up against the wall here a little bit like this maybe try that see how that looks let's yeah that's good okay so isaiah I'll have you go over by your mom here and I'm gonna have you stand a little bit in front of her an angle your foot your toe pointing out this way and lean back a little bit towards the pillar okay and andreas have you come on this side and get back here behind your mom a little bit an angle your tow this way okay guys how do you make an egg laugh you tell it a yolk until it cracks up sorry bad joke who is okay and I get where you're going with that however that's not creating a relationship that's trying to get them to laugh with something artificial ok right so I jump in there I'm hugging him I'm squeezing I'm making him laugh right you know okay I'm screwing up their names like it I thought this whole thing with eighty percent relationship we just met these guys this morning I feel like they're family to me already right you feel like I'm part of a family like I could be your oldest sister no so that they're having a good time because I'm doing all that right I'm making them feel comfortable right I mean you guys feel comfortable is the most important thing to know how the subjects feel that's the most important thing we needed t c as a time for how's our family feeling are having a good time right are they comfortable okay so now go on okay so look see I'd isaiah know andreas I'll have you put your hand kind of around the back of your mom give her a little squeeze there you go and then um andreas will have you lean just a little bit this way kind of lean back into your mama little there you go camera position right about here okay okay now look it now okay got your subjects primarily in the place where you want them fine tune it from here make him feel great about it okay you guys are looking great so I'll have undressed I'll have uk listen look at me I'm not being a pain in the ass right but I wanted to say like you really mean it all right you guys are looking great you guys are awesome squeezing together that's it lean you've gotta be enthusiastic you've gotta make them feel like what you're saying is completely authentic like you gotta be you know I'm saying like I don't want you okay okay that's it turns up okay you guys look great they're like okay whatever on I'm going to be pushy about this because I think it is so important to teach this skill you you've got to be having a good time right now here's the thing the more you get used to doing this the easier it becomes the more of a good time you can have so that's why I am forcing you into semi uncomfortable situation so I hope you'll forgive me and not say bad things about me on the internet you say ok so now go okay so let's have andreas will turn your head a little bit towards your left fine tuned from back here okay so andreas actually I'm gonna have you scoot in closer to your mom pretend like you like her there you go vertical we hards on all we full length or we close up I was thinking vertical okay vertical vertical full length yes okay and then andreas I'll have you turned your head this way just a little sorry isaiah turn your head this way just a little bit and get closer into your mom kind of squeeze back into her okay it's all right it's good there's a couple of things aren't fine tune all right I'm just gonna back up a little bit I'm cool okay um I'd say it looks like he's just leaning back a little bit too far but he looks a little uncomfortable right are you uncomfortable so it's good isaiah take your uh left toe point out just a little bit give him a little bit more of a triangular base I want you to push your lips back and lean forward a little bit see how his body looks a bit more comfortable he was kind of doing this so we want I'm leaning forward now victoria come a little bit for lean over shoulder come out just to drop that's it now dre come out just a little bit move your foot your back foot toward your mom just little bit perfect yep turn that back the front toe out lean over her shoulder I actually see this as a vertical horizontal closer up because I'm a closeup person now we can get them to lead together what is going to lead together but isaiah you're going toe remember push those hips back and now already leaned together into the center so I'm going to shoot it vertical dre you're a little bit too much leaning over your mom that's it left huh now but look here's the problem right is the only problem I see when we talk about trying to get all of the faces on the same pane of glass I've got his nose all way out here mom's all the way back here and he's all the way here so he actually needs to come out just a little bit more leading in just a little bit more see see now where I'm bringing the bodies and then um victoria gonna lean over him just a little bit more and now you gonna lean toward your mom see how the faces are closer together and he doesn't seem so far back now we can create that tightness that makes sense I remember always thinking noses on the glass knows when there's a piece of glass here and we want them all as close as possible so all right here we go let's shoot that well see the difference yeah yeah it's minor it's minor and and and the posing is all in the details all right guys perfect I'm gonna shoot this the way I see it which is um horizontal whoa ho am and a zoom in and were popping that little bit of light right back in there right perfect all right every squeezing together just a little bit towards me that's beautiful you're on the right path totally the right path little fine adjustments dre was too far back they were starting to stack you know what we don't want to stack we wanna boom same focal plane beautiful nice job all right so this is a few see how I'm too when I'm talking about getting really comfortable with people I'm serious guys this is a people person you know thing you've got to be able to connect with people squeeze on hold him not all families will be that open to its there some families are a little bit more proper and that's ok for that I would be more like this then like this you know so but this family obviously they're you know very comfortable and that's awesome

Class Materials

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Michele Celentano.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Beckie Sibley
 

Michele is a true artist in every sense of the word. While her photography skills are exceptional, it is her ability to work with families that absolutely had me mesmerized. She is a natural with people of all ages. Her teaching style is second to none. I especially appreciate that she had the CreativeLIve attendees jump in to pose the first family. With many of these courses, I find myself feeling completely inadequate because the instructors make it look super easy. When the student photographers worked with the family, they represented ME. This was such an encouragement. I also was thrilled that the second family was more of a challenge as it showcased Michele's talents perfectly. The business section was insightful and inspirational. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this course. It was a deal at $129. Thank you CreativeLive! And thank YOU, Michele. You are the best of the best.

Beckie Sibley
 

Michele is a true artist in every sense of the word. While her photography skills are exceptional, it is her ability to connect with families that absolutely had me mesmerized. She is a natural with people of all ages. Her teaching style is second to none. I especially appreciate that she had the CreativeLIve attendees the first family. With many of these courses, I find myself feeling completely inadequate because the instructors make it look super easy. When the student photographers worked with the family, they represented ME. This was such an encouragement. I also was thrilled that the second family was more of a challenge as it showcased Michele's talents perfectly. The business section was insightful and inspirational. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this course. It was a deal at $129. Thank you CreativeLive! And thank YOU, Michele. You are the best of the best.

Courtney Zito
 

I love this class! I am transitioning from film & television to photography, specifically children and families, and this class is wonderful! I am only on Day 1, class 6 (The art of posing) and I have learned so much that I have already applied to my own photography. If you're like me, you have come across other's photos and thought "meh", and then you come across some and you are like "wow!". What is the difference? Well there are many factors that make a great portrait, but one aspect I hadn't spent as much time thinking about was posing. You don't think about how important posing is until you see it in action here. I am looking forward to the rest of this series and soaking up all of her experience and knowledge. She's cute and quirky, and very organized in her teaching. Thank you Michele, great class!

Student Work

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