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Bride and Groom Flow Posing Part 2

Lesson 18 from: The Wedding Project

Doug Gordon

Bride and Groom Flow Posing Part 2

Lesson 18 from: The Wedding Project

Doug Gordon

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Lesson Info

18. Bride and Groom Flow Posing Part 2

Next Lesson: The Reception

Lesson Info

Bride and Groom Flow Posing Part 2

Flo posing is not what put me on the map with my bride and groom it helped, but we'll put me on the map was that I was willing to push the envelope with them so let's bring them right over here. I love to lay the bride and groom on the ground. You ok? You're doing terrific. So one of the things I look, I want to bring them here. I don't want him here, I want them on the grass, so I have to make cook. I feel good that I'm not going to ruin her address, so I make sure it's not wet, and I make sure that when I ask you to sit, look at what I d'oh this is how you play a train out generally, isn't it? I'm going to bring it up and ask you to sit right on the back side. You're gonna put your legs out in front of you beautiful, and we're gonna bring the dress behind her, right? They're excellent. Now what I want you to do is you were going to roll over on your right elbow for me. Can we bring your legs out this way a little bit? Make sure we're hiding all the kremlin now, do I care if her backs...

ide is getting wet, as one is, I don't get the dress sweat does it matter? Matt you're going to come away right behind her he is going to lay on his right hand. This is called spooning if you don't know what sporting is go back to high school you will figure it out in a hurry lean in close hand here on the key here is look at what he did with his hand where does it need to go? Right here to cover it up now he's leaning over they're looking at each other looking up how you holding up? Okay looking right here do I need to add any light whatsoever? Nope. They're looking at each other I got great light I'm simple I'm easy on now from here I start to make it come together looking at each other guys, you're doing absolutely terrific. Turn your head to him beautiful just like that staying right there you're smiling nice and happy lean and close excellent just like that. Wonderful give her a kiss close your eyes just pressure lips touch excellent bring your head back beautiful I'm going to change my angle by going to the ground head back all the way you're going to kiss her on the neck just like that you are doing terrific wonderful I'm now going to add the element of camera to let me get to strap out of my hair is good just like that, I'm tilting towards him. I got three shots without even moving. I think that last one sounded a little bit slow, so I just want to see that eye over exposed that one real quick. Nope. I got it. Look at the color. Look at it. It isn't the ideal background, but this is kind of what I'm stucked on base being tether and moving. Now we're going to ask matt, can you step out one second? But I want you to roll over on your back side beautiful and look at what I do know you're gonna win your elbow stuff on your backside on both elbows and can you just pull the wife part of her kremlin underneath? Just like that? Head back, take a look. Close your eyes. Beautiful, not bring that front leg down. Actually bring it back like down. I want to curve the body by using the front leg if I need the back leg open it's going to get wide head back, beautiful, stay right in there you are doing terrific, just like that. Hold on I'm locking in and exposing on the face excellent take a look beautiful soft image now normally what I would do is rotate to the other side apart I'm gonna ask her to spin her body with her back to me can you do that for me keeps spinning and you're going no I don't want to see your backside I want you to sit on it hold on one second so yeah you're going to spin all the way around all the way around keep you and keep going and make sure that we're lifting her up that's one of the reasons that I don't have her move when she's down on the ground I'll move too hard because I don't want her gown to get dirty so now from here she's going to open iran's why creating a wide base her head back all the way and let's take a look a veil came out a little bit off one side can we bring a veil over the other side for me matt excellent push that right in on the top wonderful head back beautiful close your eyes wonderful stare right there let's take a look at what we're getting I lock in on my exposure there right on a face take a look and now we have a beautiful profile image beautiful profile light take a look right in here soon I'm gonna pull forward now watch what we do here this one is going to be one of my favorite sequence shots with a bride and groom I'm going to ask for her till they flat on her back and most cases she'll have a full train now I know you're sitting us and oh my god oh my god she's going to get dirty she's not going to get dirty I'm not rolling her in a mud pie okay matt you're going to come away right next store your head back I'm gonna ask matt to come right over here and they flat on his white on so he's right here on the arm he's going to bring his nose to her cheek we're gonna bring her hand up now here's the question that I'm always asked the question is very very simple would you do this with a puss cy subject what do you think? You bet I would it's the best pose ever to do it a plus size subject because I can shoot from any angle and what can I do razor up you have to stop thinking that way when I was learning people used to say to me well she has a big nose don't take a profile if she's heavy don't lay her down what are you talking about? Nobody came to me and said listen, I'm huge I don't want my pictures to look like the other people what do they want they want their images to look the same they don't care about their weight that's my job this pose allows me to do it she could be five hundred pounds and I could make a look great because I could bring her head back and it's all based on what camera angle turning your head to me beautiful just like that looking up at me gorgeous smiling all right there you are doing terrific head back a little bit faking it smiling t excellent don't move so I'm helping the camera tihar to him so it's raising it up look at how beautiful that looks that's not so bad is it coveted up nice and soft now, matt you come out bring your hands to both shoulders and covering up the veil beautiful matt you're gonna hop back a little bit, head back to me gorgeous turn your head to may excellent looking right here you doing terrific still right there smiling beautiful, excellent head back a little bit wonderful. Make sure that the eyes aren't rolling up far enough because she's got a stretch up because a head's not far back enough that you see the white in the bottom not come right over here you were going to lay with your left on that you're gonna lay what your feet this way and you're gonna put your nose underneath her chin your head back beautiful day on your left on this time and bring your head back beautiful not bring your nose underneath the chin I'm hiding him watch what I do I'm gonna come right in here head back beautiful bring that right hand behind his head close your eyes and your head back beautiful close good stretch that chin out man relax before had mac getting close toe heiden ostro's behind to chant why do I hide the nostrils ah hide in oslo because nobody wants to see up the nose take a look that's a pretty cool image isn't it now you see all that white back there I'm gonna crop that out of the image now turn your head to me up here beautiful mac getting close to a looking down and you are smiling beautiful head back a little bit and don't look like you're in pain that xanax excellent don't move mac turn your head to may mohr mohr and lead to close the harbor turn your head to your right I'm turning his head to get the perfect light thanks go good looking right here guy smiling nice and happy excellent don't move not turn their heads towards each other like they're about to kiss opened them out a little bit open stretch chen close your eyes stay right in there take a look way just created ah whole bunch mohr of images of them just sitting there on the ground didn't we on a pretty great images you're going to hop right up handsome good you're gonna grab the other side of her you're going to take my hand his hand ready back support up did I get a dirty I didn't did I? You see you don't worry about those things now I'm going to switch lenses up for one second because I'm going to start to go into some of my fake shots what do I mean by fake shots? I'm going to create things because I like stories I like things that look unique so this is where it's fun I didn't bring much fourteen to twenty four that's what I would have used in this scenario but I don't have it so I'm going to go there twenty four to seventy it's not what I want, but I got to make deal right? So here we go. This is one of my favorite favorite shots to dio I absolutely love it in every way shape before I'm going to turn them towards each other on what I want them to do is spread their arms wide and now I'm going to take this big body and I'm going to bring it right underneath them watch what we dio so I'm gonna go right in here and bring them spread out a little bit excellent now bringing arms wide faces together in the middle real tight closer closer so here's the thing either way this works out good doesn't matter where a meter if I meet her on the sky I get a dark sky and beautiful clouds if I meet her underneath the chin the sky blows out they look great is this the ideal spot? I have the building here but I'll deal with it I want to know the location one looking at each other and then give a kiss close your eyes just like that and now look at the difference we're going to meet her underneath the chin and not open it up just a little bit let the sky soften up on the kiss see the difference so I have two completely different looking images that's not so bad, is it? So now let's change this up just a little bit you guys are going to come out of there for a second because every bride and groom all the favorite images boiled out to they want the love story every bride wants a shot of her husband lifting her up right so you guys come right over here for a second. Can you lift her up in like a fireman's carry? You know what I'm saying? No, not that what we're gonna do that in a second no, grab her and lift her up with the legs up everybody does this shot it cannot be any more ridiculous and it cannot be any more unflattering look at what he's doing to a back side he's making it look huge he is not going to like it now the other one that they love dropper getting everybody wants the dirty dancing post so I want you to pretend you're lifting her up take your aunts and lift her up go do they look comfortable and he looks like he's breastfeeding excellent how could I fake it I want to fake this image I want to fake it to look at what we do we're going to pull them off just a little bit come to may right now what I want him to do it if he can't lift her up that way because it's not comfortable watch what we do them I want you to come no you know when he'll come underneath the back side right down here she is going to push off the shoulder listen to what's going to do because I don't have the camera yet so don't you get stuck holding the too long okay so she's going to push off the shoulder he's gonna lift their up from here the legs they're going to go up in the air she's going to turn her head looking out towards here what's going to make this work do I want to see the parking lot do I want to see you so cameras I camera tilt everything's going to come and cool, so I'm going to tilt the camera to him with my wider lens on let's see what we get. I want to get that sky go for it turn your bodies to make a little bit turn open up a little bit now looking at her you look up in him stare right there you doing terrific stay there and I even if I'm lucky I'm going to get some flare, I spot me to run them I expose your lock on them I get the top of the building it looks like he's looking her up hook lifting her up works pretty good, doesn't it not so bad now watch how we change it up dropper good, here we go now. One of the things that happens is saying he can't lift her up because she's a plus size subject saying, can't let their up because he has a bad back does that mean they don't deserve to have this image? So the great thing about life is most things can be faked so let's see how to fake this? We're going to bring him right here you're going to kneel right in front of her? No, you're going to kneel in front of her, turn a little sideways, but look at how he's kneeling he's known short neil like you would in little league one day and all the way up and now bring your hands here but she needs to create a base so open and I kicked the other leg in I want you to push in you look like you're doing it and your head back and you're looking up but bring the body into him accent you see the difference the mo mentum right in here and I'm even looking at my posing principles stop looking at her boobs good he's always does that heart you're gonna get me in trouble good. Look right there. Here we go. Just like that looking up and now the key here is cropping. I'm going to come down to the ground again. Sorry you have to keep going seeing this big guy go down looking up, smiling, laughing just like that and look at our cropping we're going to crop in real tight most times but used to seventy two, two hundred here smiling beautiful head back, head back laughing, laughing excellent got it now I focus on them because I'm tilting towards him. Body up, everything's terrific. Look at what it looks like can you tell that he's not lifting her up you can isn't that awesome let's talk about the thing that everything photographer says naturally happens I love it when I have the conversation would a photojournalist who says, oh yes, this is natural can you walk over there and spin for me and go woo so it doesn't happen, we got to make it happen when I teach my in studio classes what happens is I tell the photographer this we're going to make a spin and it sounds like machine gun fire because I got two thousand shots there one of them's got to be good, you don't need two thousand shots, you need to find views to find views are a profile defined views are looking up, the fun views are the back, so let's bring her right over here and all I'm going to ask you to do is kind of holding her dress back up a little bit. I just want you to hold up your dress and starts spinning. I don't even need to have the camera yet because I want her to keep spinning and spinning and spinning when she gets dizzy that's when the magic happens when she said, whoa, all of that so we let her spend we let a left, we've gotta have fun keeps spinning girl make it for me on I shoot into the trees just like that, you are doing terrific, excellent, you keep going, stay right in there, hold it there excellent. Go head back, head back. Beautiful. Excellent. One more. Change it up. Excellent. Now I got a profile. I gotta back a meeting on the face that this one didn't come out right because of the things I could see. Look at the shot, she's spending she's laughing, having a great time. I love the ones where the photographers like you know what? Can you guys hold hands for a second and walk away? Walk away that way the good. This is corny it's corny there's. Nothing great about it. Anybody who has ever seen a wedding thinks this could be done. Come back to me a little bit. Let's make it more realistic. What's realistic. Realistic is hard pulling him along and being like that's more realistic, getting it over the shoulder. So turn around you're going to pull him okay, when I tell you what, we'll stop right that walker this way. A little bit. Good. Move over this way a little bit, rachel. No, not you met. You come back to may. Good. When I tell you to you, we're going to turn around. You're gonna whip your hair and look at him. All I do is just wait, start walking, go good smiling, go whip it back now just take a profile and that's it you get a shot of her looking back creating a natural look over the shoulder now let's switch it up because we're running out of time it's a real wedding day you guys get out of here come to me chop chop we're moving along we want to eat we only have five minutes to the cocktail hour we've got to get it done we got to get it done you guys want to eat? You gonna absolutely love me let's created to make it look a little bit more sexy you come right over here beautiful young lady, you're going to come right in here what I want you to do with being your back up against the wall here you're gonna cross your feet you're going to come right in here big boy look at what I'm doing I'm bringing him up and down to lower him and get the height I want we're moving along right in here hand here you know, if the war little bits once you get the veil there you're going to lean out beautiful and turn your head to me gorgeous and you're gonna look down turn your head just like that stay right there then I grabbed my camera wherever I left it right on the bag we're moving along because we never have enough time so the idea is hustle because people like hustle and normally I'm not tethered so I don't have to worry about catching onto things looking down you are doing terrific stay right there absolutely great wonderful lock in on the exposure there take a look look up at me beautiful first when she's looking down next when she's looking up smiling gorgeous happy excellent look at each other just like that we change the angle you are doing terrific wonderful looking right there stay there excellent it could not x for better hold it right there excellent take a look I've got three shots never moved now we change it up just a little bit we're working to set this up so that's unique and his power you're going to come down matt and what I want you to do is you're gonna come right to hip wring your hands on the wall no you're right there bring your hands on the wall back to it bring that leg in front pants back looking down good but in the battle and cover up the arms just like that step out how much thought processes in this we just shoot because it's fun we shoot because we have a story we shoot because that's what it's about we don't need to take a thousand images if I miss any of these is it a big deal no just like that hands on the wall looking down beautiful good just like that stay right there you are doing terrific wonderful! Perfect! Excellent come right over here guys so let's take a look can I have my fourteen to twenty four out of there? If someone can grab it? This is awesome, isn't it? But the fact is I have every why you're a bad thing here remember it's not about taking it and saying oh no I can't do it this too many wires it's about finding a way to create it so let's take a look see what we do saying I want to get a traditional image to show their beautiful place the landmark this is where they came to get married I need to show it so now what you do is you take them you put him up here and you back up all the way over there, you know, getting which want what you need to do come to me just a little bit you're going to give a hug right in here I want to get us much out of their head is possible. I don't worry about him I don't worry about him it is what it isthe we'll look in right here because you know those video guys you know how they get good bringing your hand in here just like that turn your head now heads together look, it may can I get the regular reflector because I can use that leaning forward I want you to look at how I'm leaning them forward leaning forward is really essential here for what I want to accomplish so I'm gonna pop that underneath michael but I can't get you to close come back to me a little bit right there michael good excellent now I need to hide everything there's no way I'm going to be able to do this especially hide him but let's see let's make magic looking right here leaning forward just like that you're looking at me turn your head a little bit to the left lean forward the reason they're leaning forward is to get them on the plane I'm conscious of the unconscious off the handicap sign I'm conscious of the microphone leaning forward turn you head to the left good looking right here you are doing terrific stay right there unconscious in a white painted lines smiling guy's teeth look in here now look at each other you doing terrific look at each other stay there. Excellent now put your nose on her cheek look down goto her neck lean forward roll out your shoulder go behind! I don't want to see you push and go behind goto a neck talk whisper sweet nothings store about may just like that stay there smiling beautiful yes got it take a look and if you look you can tell that there's a cameraman you can't tell that this wire has come take a look, because even I'm impressed, the exposure's good, the lights clean, they look great, I got the hotel, I got them at the forefront power definition. We got everything just where we want it. We created a story, we took a ton of bride and groom pitches. I'm so fired up right now because this is what makes it fun right here this minute, it's. Not about thinking, oh, my god, what's the stop! Oh, my god, what's the show. Too sweet. What flash, though I need to add jump, have fun, they're excited. I'm excited, that's, how we make it happen.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Bride Alone Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Bride her family and BP Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Doug_Gorden_Wedding_Album.pdf
Doug_Gordon_Posing_Guide.pdf
Full Family and BP Photo Editing Video-HD.mov
Groom his family BP and the Ceremony Photo Editing Video HD.mov
Doug Gordon Creative Live Shot list.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Doug is one of those teachers who combines the right blend of humor with knowledge to keep the learning process inviting. Doug's heart is what draws me in...his passion for photography as an industry not to mention his personal desire to see those around him excel in their new-found skills. I have witnessed first-hand Doug's ability to transform an ordinary environment into an extra-ordinary work of art. Don't miss an opportunity to learn from someone who studied with the great Monty Zucker and who offers a system for integrating posing with an understanding of classical lighting. Don't miss a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of the best!

a Creativelive Student
 

Highly recommend to any wedding photographer, be you experienced or new. Although based in the Uk, most of what doug taught is relevant and has helped boost my confidence when posing and making adjustments to peoples pose. amazing depth to the way an image is created and lovely to see the images then used in an album to tie everything up from start to finish.

Sherry Callahan
 

Loved and bought Dougs first Creative live workshop and learned so much from it that I intend to watch and learn from this one as well! Just from watching the first creative live workshop I can see a big improvement in my work, so I am looking forward to this workshop and learning more from Doug. This one looks very interesting and more real to what us as wedding photographer encounter in real life. Cant wait!

Student Work

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