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Shoot: Small Spaces with Michelle

Lesson 7 from: Shooting in Small Spaces

Jeff Rojas

Shoot: Small Spaces with Michelle

Lesson 7 from: Shooting in Small Spaces

Jeff Rojas

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Lesson Info

7. Shoot: Small Spaces with Michelle

Lesson Info

Shoot: Small Spaces with Michelle

I'm gonna show you guys how I photograph a subject and how it actually works. So I'm gonna borrow our wonderful subject here who is ready to help you out? Hi. Do you wanna introduce yourself? You've been running around like a magic. Have she works a lot it's about a week. She is an amazing employees. I've seen her running. She there's a first time interacting just kind of awkward. So you actually get to see your first interaction together, some putting somebody on the spot. So what do you do, what you do for fun? Um, you know, I do photography too, and I work in video also, I run, she runs? Yes. I'm actually scheduled to run a marathon. Um, this sunday yeah, your legs down a little unprepared, but we'll see how it goes. So all the running around I've seen you guys do I think you're going with that very first and foremost power. I know I'm gonna get this question power of light. I'm always ate one on the specific like, I don't want that much power is going to bounce around everywhere it...

's gonna make everything just explode into that little room jump this up, I'm gonna bounces up to four stake her camera I'm going to take a couple photos I want to take it within the parameters of this room so I discussed before the maximum viewing distance towards the side we're gonna take one that's directly in front of her see how that works in the background figure out how to hide that corner if we're going to photograph the subject the subject michelle in that corner one twenty fifth I start two thousand something tells me I still have my setup from yesterday thank you very, very much and make sure it's on the right you test perfect it's really really overexposed and there's a point to this so I haven't switched anything it's now eight six it's really overpowered so are we seeing with the light even though it's over exposed it's right behind there right that's not what we want we don't want to see the background if I was trying to shoot something it's rembrandt like I'm getting the light on the background itself I'm gonna lower the power of this again I'm basically a chef just to make sure that we have the correct exposure and those of you they're going to ask me about my life choice I'm currently photographing with a sigma heartlands the thirty five when try one more time it's a fun lends perfect very, very contrast delight I'm all the way it won twenty fifth thirteen aiso of one hundred okay very very contrast informed light but you can still salads overexposed is a point to this like I don't like I don't like whatever I saw them perfect used totally blanked but you know I think you know because I feel bad you blink you may have power if it's gorgeous to the point of this is so you guys see how my mind works in order for it you know get into the set so now that it's decently exposed they're still highly on the face I still see that background because that's the way the beauties nish works it's a little dark of a center I can see the form of light so gonna throw that grid on there I want to direct flight at michelle if this knocks here the head because I've done that to people before I'm sorry so the only thing I've I've put on there is our grid take this same photograph perfect all they're doing is that we're directing light towards that background right suit I've done nothing aside from through a grate on there there's no light on the background on directing controlling light right? I'm currently using a thirty five if I thought it needs to be a little brighter a little more exposed because it's change exposure I think moving forward I can change my exposure to paying what I'm trying to photograph remember my angle of view I'm using a thirty five millimetre lands she's very, very pretty she's not going to have issues with thirty five millimetre lens but a lot of clients will know a lot of clients I spoke during the during the men's portion workshop about face shapes thirty five for people with wider faces that are self conscious about their face ages thirty five and portrait style in order to thin that out because of lens compression so use it to my advantage in a case like hers where she's very pretty I can photograph of thirty five and I shouldn't have too much issues with distortion she may not care she's like I'm a photographer I know that's not not correct perfect that light over that side of it is they're perfect beautiful I told you guys before I have direct control over everything that's happening that room we're not having white to bounce back okay very pretty portrait if I were to take if I was if I didn't like this portrait I wanted to fill do we have a white folk art anywhere yeah thank you appreciate it you being my assistant for five seconds afterwards thank you. Get in the meanwhile can I have a new assistant from what if you just help me for something for a second whoever's entertained you want to come with me? Come with me I can't see that where you guys will block it out I was going to say that you know the movie with one of those governors come here that became a governor and come with me if you want to can't finish that can you walk in twenty seconds? So let's say I'm shooting my subject in a blue room talk about color cast before you wanna go closer right there we're gonna have any specific martin keep going closer, it's all right there. Thank you very, very much it let's see if we have any color cast here see if it's bouncing off enough perfect if you could bring down the thank you. Okay, let's, look at that last one it's not a very reflective material, but you'll start to see this is a color calibrated moderates it's going to say anything is a very thin blue frame and the cheekbones here can I have the white phil card? You're my best friend see, I only use people telling my friends when I need them come with me I'm gonna have you stand there so I'm going quickly discuss this because I know that you're not a photographer as a photographer there's something called the angle of incidence he goes to the angle of reflection for those of you that don't know what that means in layman's terms when this bounce here bounces too that it's gonna bounce in the exact angle that it hit you guys play pool same thing hits here it'll bounce exactly where it is off so if you're going to use that as a fill card and you want to fill in those dark shadows you wantto make sure that your face towards the light so you want to hold it towards her side let's say here writes if I take this and I wanted to bounce it around I'm thinking about the way that that light's going to travel to her face so if I wanted to remove the black shadows that are on the side of her face I could move in parallel because that's what I'm trying to remove I could move it towards aside because I don't see anything that's behind her head but ultimately I just want this side of her face to be in reflection so I'm gonna have you hold it perfectly they're perfect thank you perfect awesome! I never thought I would have to say that out loud I told you guys I'm not a technical person height of that form a technical person and refused to the minute what have I done? I have full control of light that thing I think that the pizza box on everything that's a but we can start using that to create reflections and able to move things around in the room and it doesn't really cost any money I have full control over that's what we use a grid and a reflector and I can still take a portrait but I mean shooting into thirty five very wide lens doesn't go with every specific photograph so if I was going to shoot my subject from this close it's not gonna work so what happens? I need toe change my lens to correct for the fact that my subject may not look as best as possible so I'm going to grab a lens I don't want to grab this unless I'm shooting towards the seventy side and even then you may not have enough distance we're going to try it going to go to seventy on a full from camera can't when it goes seventy now perfect I'm eight feet perfect this's seventy millimeters which is it's still what telephoto made but it's not completely two hundred perfect okay but if I'm using let's say an eighty five for example you're gonna hate me for this how close it is my focus distance is exactly where I'm standing so I'm literally plant pressing back in focus and I can't even focus on her so what I do I can't move back because I'm supposed to be in this small space I'm gonna ask you can you step can you move back about six to eight inches? Thank you put that down for two seconds your arm was hurt I could move my light now relative to her and think about what I'm doing if I change this to her and I move it closer towards that background. The angle of light is going to start getting closer to that wall, so I need to make sure I'm compensating interning, it's horse aside so I don't hit that wall and again shooting a small spaces that's how my new detail you have to think as you're moving the light's perfect, I could move it over. I shouldn't have so think about the way that the great works it should be blocking off just behind her, moving it over just side. But I pretended that was like a giant weight, so I'm gonna take that same photograph of eighty five perfect now focus on hardly heard the focus beautiful and if you could bring in that reflector so you want to bounce off on towards the side of her face. Perfect parallel residents like right there, perfect, beautiful and you can drop it and there you go. I was able to focus it in eighty five I moved her back. I thought about if I can see that image compared to the seventy photograph that we shot two frames ago. Please compared side, thank you very, very much. I feel like I haven't imaginary mouse, some where the light is really no different delight in the background this because the subject move soon I said the subject and I hate doing that um I'm going to say it just for the form of this class moving that light towards the background is gonna put light behind that subject because I'm getting closer to the background is more difficult to turn my light as a turning my light know that I'm getting I'm putting like just on the side of her face because of the fact that this is now grid I don't have any falloff of light on this side of you guys that example again this works with any modifier this is how you have to think about it doesn't matter if is it soft box or a soft box with a grid it all works the same same with e this off fox, the doctor box that lets you ok, so if I would've compensate and put it on her because I don't want to see the background you know it's but that in just yet after this friend perfect any five awesome have split light let's say right away I'm gonna take that same thing and what I want to do is fill in the opposite half so instead of just putting it on this side I'll have a nice, thin dark spot here if you do that move it more so towards the side of her face different because I want to fill in all of that so have you take this and bring it here? Thank you and have a closer right there. So what am I doing? Is a point to this we would even closer. I'm gonna have you bring it right that you talked about angle of view, right what's happening? Well, if you might, can you overexpose that image from a thank you? You put that down for two seconds. Every little change that I make on set is going to manipulate what happens in the final image and it's more so apparent in a smaller space I'm shooting in eighty five. What am I getting in france? Because I'm trying to expose for that side I'm bringing in that that reflector let's say and now they're fuckers in my shop because I chose to use that folk alike it's that minute change that I wanted to just for background I don't want to see light in the background so I said, you know what? Let me move it over. Let me bring it that bringing that reflector ok, have the reflector and now ok, so now what I do, let me take the same photograph. I mean, in eighty five angle of you changed everything so I can shoot let's, say at a closer distance to her, but now I get back to compression and it's all those different variables that you need to consider sometimes you have to be realistic with your expectations and just realize that you know what I need to choose one or the other and that's that's evident. So what's easier for me as a photographer, uh, cropping this image or sitting here in adjusting for this all day cropping that's how my head goes is like, I would rather just sit there and crop if I had to for that specific image and the point of this it's, we're looking at that really overexposed because I was like, can you fix exposure for may just for those purposes? Perfect. So if we were to crop that it would be a terrible photograph because compressions, nice right second opted can opt to use a thirty five, but at the end of the day, the thirty five going to go ahead and distort her face, so I'm choosing to use us so again angle a few lighting, lighting position, color, caste all those things play a huge role in the way that we want to photograph are subject those small minute details and changes work regardless, if you're using studio lighting or these small speed lights same same thing, same ordeal the difference between the small speed lights to smaller form of light I could direct control more so towards our subject, you saw the difference between using the soft box and using your beauty dish it's still a smaller light as I get smaller, more, I'm able to control my life. So if you're if you investing in a studio for the first time, if you want to up to these, if you're just shooting in a small space and that's all you have, maybe anyone up for larger forms of life, these may be a good solution for you guys. Thank you very much for your help. Thank you very much for your health. Thank you kindly. Any questions, it's. Okay, maybe wall. No, we have time for questions. That was a lot of really, really awesome content. Thank you. So thank you, jeff. Thank you, everyone for participating and being a part of this class. I hope that it was useful for you. I know I got some ideas stuff that I can do in my home.

Ratings and Reviews

Bill Bistak
 

I'm not sure why so many rip on this class. This is exactly what I needed to know (after I pulled my head out of my rear about wanting highly technical explanations). I do have an unusually small studio and really listening to him taught me loads of goodness, which I immediately applied and earned several awards by doing so. Thank you! Although a very calm video (which I also appreciated), it paved the way for deeper understanding of small locations and how to use them for great portraits.

a Creativelive Student
 

He had some good ideas like using corners, light modifiers that emit focused/directional light, and dealing with color casts. Showed some excellent fashion portraits shot in really small spaces. Wish he had gone more into shooting in a room with average ceiling height.

Amber Tolbert
 

I was at a shoot the other day, lugging in so much equipment, and found myself crawling on tables to get the shot I needed. Jeff's course shows exactly what you really need for effective and impressive portraits in small areas, a huge help and my next shoot will be much more efficient and powerful.

Student Work

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