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Light Modifiers for Your Survival Kit

Lesson 4 from: Wedding Photographer Survival Kit

Susan Stripling

Light Modifiers for Your Survival Kit

Lesson 4 from: Wedding Photographer Survival Kit

Susan Stripling

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Lesson Info

4. Light Modifiers for Your Survival Kit

Lessons

Class Trailer

DAY 1

1

Class Introduction

09:27
2

The Gear That Will Save You in Tough Situations

09:19
3

How Lenses Shape the Image and Help Tell Your Story

29:39
4

Light Modifiers for Your Survival Kit

04:47
5

Gear to Spice Up Bland Images: Prisms, Mist and More

10:48
6

Walkthrough of a Difficult Venue

11:46
7

Why Each Room Works and Why It Doesn't

07:14
8

Wedding Day Details in a Difficult Situation: Dress

25:34
9

Wedding Day Details in a Difficult Situation: Rings

19:39
10

Wedding Day Details in a Difficult Situation: Shoes

23:28
11

Photographing the Bride Getting Ready in Difficult Scenarios

20:12
12

Photographing the Bride Getting Ready in a Small, Cluttered Room

14:21
13

Photographing the Bride Getting Ready in a Dark Hallway

30:07
14

Photographing the Bride Getting Ready in a Doorway

13:28
15

Portraits of the Bride in a Small Room

07:38
16

Removing the Surrounding Space for a Bridal Portrait

07:36
17

Window Lit Bridal Portrait in a Tough Space

12:55
18

How to Shoot a Quick and Simple Bridal Portrait

23:18
19

Photographing Guys, Complaining Brides and "Helpful" Bridesmaids

26:58

DAY 2

20

Portraits of Bride and Groom: Ideal Situations

25:33
21

Portraits of Bride and Groom: When Things Go Wrong

13:25
22

Bride and Groom Portraits: What to Do If You're Indoors

20:21
23

Bride and Groom Portraits: How to Pose an Awkward Couple

19:39
24

Family Formals: How to Achieve Your Ideal Situations

16:16
25

Family Formals: When Things are Less Than Ideal

09:55
26

Family Formals in an Awful Space

15:50
27

Family Formals Recap and Questions

30:14
28

Photographing the Reception

23:17
29

Reception Q&A

24:42
30

What Can You Do to Safeguard Your Business?

26:34
31

Contracts Q&A

09:14
32

Dealing with Social Media as a Wedding Photographer

15:45
33

What if Advertising Isn't Working?

05:34
34

What to do When Everyone Just Wants More

07:35
35

When Everyone Says I Am Too Expensive

16:08
36

When You Hate Your Job as a Wedding Photographer

11:54

Lesson Info

Light Modifiers for Your Survival Kit

So light modifiers when you are totally in trouble and places or dark and there's not a lot you khun dio you're going tohave to modify the light and you're going to see me do this a lot on dh so how do I do it the ice light duh I've mentioned this before it is awesome this image right here is actually one of the images that I shot you're gonna get to see me actually shooting it it's my own wedding rings because it just is because the ice light has a beautiful color balance that's part of what makes it super special yes you can buy knockoff of knock offs of it on the internet of course you can I would be an idiot if I did not think that there were tons and tons of cheaper alternatives out there of course they are I have found however the eyesight is the only one that gets me the color balance that I want it's the only one that doesn't break after I use it ten times it is easy lightweight and simple to use you look like a ninja when you carry it around because it comes with a carrying ca...

se does anybody have it out there the carrying case and you sling it across your back I was shooting it an engagement session in manhattan and I never bring an assistant to engagement sessions that they wanted to shoot in grand central station is a very dark location I said I need to bring a lighting assistant for this so my lighting assistant is meeting me at grand central I'm riding the train to go into the city and I've got my little bag of gear and I've got my eye slight strapped across my back the looks people give you when they don't know what it is they look at you like you're like the number of people that said you're like that lady from the walking dead which means nothing to me because that shows dumb on and I don't watch it I just realized like half the people just close their internet browser when I just said that but they're like is that a sword I'm like dude no stoutest sword everyone wants to play with it they want to wave it around and make the light saber noise and it mimics the look of window light that's why it's important to me so you're going to get me get to see me shoot this in a very dark 00:01:57.468 --> 00:02:00. very horrifying basement speakeasy me 00:02:01.12 --> 00:02:03. and I will use it for things like that which are also 00:02:03.11 --> 00:02:04. going to get the scene you shoot 00:02:05.88 --> 00:02:08. I will use it for portrait's of the bride and groom 00:02:08.62 --> 00:02:11. I will use it to light reception tables when the room 00:02:11.31 --> 00:02:14. is super super dark I will use it to light details 00:02:14.86 --> 00:02:17. when I have nothing to give any dimension to the light 00:02:17.38 --> 00:02:21. whatsoever I will use it when it is pouring snow and 00:02:21.55 --> 00:02:24. we're dying outside and everybody's wet and it's crazy 00:02:24.16 --> 00:02:26. and it's dark, but I've got to separate my subject 00:02:26.96 --> 00:02:27. from the background. 00:02:29.27 --> 00:02:31. Nikon speed lights I love 00:02:32.46 --> 00:02:36. they're simple and easy to use them using shooting 00:02:36.01 --> 00:02:38. them in manual allows you to control the light in 00:02:38.3 --> 00:02:41. a constant, steady way, and you can shoot at lower 00:02:41.87 --> 00:02:44. isos and lower shutter speeds than with a hand held 00:02:44.64 --> 00:02:48. video light. Because your flash is freezing your subject 00:02:48.03 --> 00:02:52. and to me that's, a very key point, I use my speed 00:02:52.04 --> 00:02:53. lights for family formals. 00:02:54.42 --> 00:02:56. I will also use it for portrait 00:02:58.92 --> 00:02:59. first dances, 00:03:01.02 --> 00:03:02. pear and dances, 00:03:03.52 --> 00:03:05. weird games, 00:03:07.02 --> 00:03:07. kate cuttings 00:03:09.12 --> 00:03:13. so great we all know we need a flash no matter if 00:03:13.19 --> 00:03:15. you brand yourself a natural light photographer or 00:03:15.2 --> 00:03:17. not, there is going to come a time where you're going 00:03:17.55 --> 00:03:20. to really need a flash. So what about other options? 00:03:20.61 --> 00:03:23. Because let's, be honest, those sb nine tens or five 00:03:23.44 --> 00:03:26. hundred fifty bucks each that hurts because you need 00:03:26.6 --> 00:03:28. two of them and then you do the math and that's kind 00:03:28.77 --> 00:03:29. of painful 00:03:30.42 --> 00:03:33. so I could buy use nikon, sb nine hundred from k th 00:03:33.77 --> 00:03:35. for three hundred dollars that's not bad. 00:03:38.38 --> 00:03:38. Um, 00:03:40.02 --> 00:03:43. I think it's actually spelled newer in e e w e r but 00:03:43.38 --> 00:03:46. auto correct did not want to accept that at all. So 00:03:46.91 --> 00:03:50. it's the newer speed light in e w e r it's one hundred 00:03:50.76 --> 00:03:51. and seven dollars. 00:03:53.02 --> 00:03:55. But I have found most ofthe brands to not be super 00:03:55.62 --> 00:04:00. reliable. I've bought cheap lashes. They you get through 00:04:00.62 --> 00:04:03. a wedding season and they're great, they're not super 00:04:03.28 --> 00:04:05. consistent. Now, listen, I know everybody out there 00:04:05.09 --> 00:04:08. is gonna be like, but I have a this type of flash 00:04:08.19 --> 00:04:11. and it's. Awesome. I'm sure it iss and there are great 00:04:11.44 --> 00:04:14. other alternatives out there. I have just found that 00:04:14.46 --> 00:04:16. the only one that has been actually consistent and 00:04:16.85 --> 00:04:19. reliable for me are the nikon brand street speed lights. 00:04:19.84 --> 00:04:22. I am not in any way affiliated with an icon. I am 00:04:22.65 --> 00:04:25. not here selling for them. I own every single piece 00:04:25.22 --> 00:04:28. of gear that I have. I just really like it. I know 00:04:28.79 --> 00:04:32. that. If eventually kid around a sending those three 00:04:32.03 --> 00:04:33. broken speed lights that are sitting on my dining 00:04:33.8 --> 00:04:36. room table into nikon, I can get them serviced by 00:04:36.71 --> 00:04:38. an icon. I trust them.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Wedding Photographer Survival Kit Slides

Ratings and Reviews

loveashg
 

I found this course extremely helpful. I own Susan's 30 day bootcamp class and I think that this course is a great supplement to that course. I don't work with an assistant so it was very helpful to see how she would approach a scenario without an assistant. It was also great to see her point of view and thought process when scouting locations for portraits and witness her ability to make something beautiful out of "not so pretty" or difficult locations. It helped me to take a better approach to finding the light, and really paying attention to all of the different details throughout a room. Her business tips were awesome too. I could go on and on but maybe you should just get the course. It's worth it.

Kamera
 

Good and useful course as typical of Susan Stripling; I also own Creative Wedding Photography. However, all the class materials should reside on the Creative Live website -- not just the Power Point presentation. I understand Susan's desire to drive people to her website to increase visibility and sales of her own products, but the strategy isn't very customer-centric for CreativeLive customers. People shouldn't have to "google" the name of her company to find the information that she references in this course; and then once on the website scroll through outdated or unwanted information to find, as she states at her website, "Below is the list of gear (as promised) that I've mentioned on Creative Live." If people are smart enough to find CreativeLive, they'll be smart enough to find on the web any presenter that they like or want to know more about. The folks at CreativeLive ought to address this type of behavior before it sets a bad precedent for future presenters.

Jill
 

I love Susan. She will give it to you straight! I own her "30 days" class and it's amazing but one thing I took away from this course was when she said something along the lines of, "Those photographers who tell you they hand pick their clients are lying to you!" Haha. There are TOO MANY young and arrogant wedding photographers who think they are rock stars. They really get me down. And that's why I like Susan. She's honest.

Student Work

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