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Beaty and Fashion with Matthew Jordan Smith
MJS: a big name himself, but also a bit of a name dropper, sponsored by Profoto, Sony, Microsoft. He is always look for best gear, evolution: canon, nikon, minolta, sony.
“Different cameras have a different native ISO for best images” ?
SKIN is TEXTURE beauty shooting - want flat light to make texture look smooth light off to the side and the texture/contrast becomes greater Light directly over the model for clean skin and texture, 2” is diff
C-stand avenger with boom, beauty dish and grid and sock see affect with bare/grid/sock/both on model and background white beauty for face, silver beauty for hair need to test the lights! helps you immensely!!!
dark and fair complexion couple? dark skin closer to light
vflats for bouncing light!
white background set up background light first and get even meter all around f/16 background should be 1/2-3/4 stop brighter than main light not any brighter than 3/4-1 stop!! else you get a rearlight back-lit source bouncing back on the model and a “milky” look. main @ f/11.5 basic: set the background light first, then meter main light 3/4 less
beauty dish lighting moving up/down forward and back by inches makes a difference! find ‘your fingerprint’ for what you like about lighting, your style!
Paid for the Talent, not the Time... don’t wear out the client/customer get the coverage shot then move on (MJ family portraits all day) don’t think about it as “giving them their moneys worth”
How do you get work from personal work? Entered in top photo contest around the world find the best contests around the world magazines, editors, art directors, museum directors/curators show work to most talented creatives in the world place and the image gets printed and wide publicity got magazine cover image and interview, then museum gallery show 2x Italy people identify with your personal work, inspiration to feel alive show that as well as the images you think will get you work
deal with hotspots on faces testing important! - find right angle/soft light
preproduction = most important part thinking of what you need before the shoot, all items needed call sheet: people with phones and emails, schedule, directions everyone involved in the shoot has a copy of this call sheet to sync diet coke, M&Ms, etc
TEAM stands for Together Each Achieves More
Carnet for import/export (serial numbers and value of each item)
Solstice retouch: how do you find a good producer? word of mouth. online websites. lebook.com (producers, talent, scout)
my time/time for self in the morning workout, meditate, relax - before the day starts/is busy
Shooting Tethered - the way now for digital assistance/light testing, the client sees all of it these days
Flowers to model “here’s to a great day” music picked out just for the model, influence the environment
Photography is not about talent, it’s about the relationships
MUAs touch the models - generally not the photographer
photographer (all art, relationship, good cop) agent (bad cop, business, rates, rights, etc knows the schedule) digital tech: hard drive work, copies, raw conversion, etc images go right to press sometimes instantly 2 hard drives for photographer (backup), 1 hard drive for client images advertisers look through photogs books/websites and agents give estimates the advertisers then decide which photog they want to use, with producers client advertisers may do their own post production depends on negotiation advertisign estimate: client calls each photog for conversation for vision, plan for shoot, how you feel, need to be 100% dedicated to that call and not distracted/multitasking. that phone call is extremely important. sell your vision to the client from the sketch. rare occasions where you can’t add the photos to your own portfolio
Homework assignment - http://www.flickr.com/groups/mjslive/ Show your vision, your style and life into your images
KNOW THE CLIENT / CUSTOMER magazine, articles, opinions, speak their language assistant want to be? know the photogs style, work, history, personality
Shoot overview 830 model in makeup, etc - first 2 hours in prep work test lights, meter reading, shoot color checker, shoot assistants
Value of interning, being an assistant - learn so much Experience every-day working under-pressure to make it happen The processes becomes second nature, don’t think about it later Learn problem solving, how to work around issues that happen ALL THE TIME
Portfolio print book (extra copy for editors, gets handed around and many see) ipad also great to see but not high quality, though more quantity
Define your own style... recognized by others not technique/gear/light - it comes from you and why you shoot photos
“don’t be afraid to say how you feel, it’s your vision”
Story boards / sketches, often black and white in pencil, basic Get the IDEA / VISION on paper!!! Day 1: beauty - based on face, not hair Day 2: fashion - action, expression Stylists and makeup will tell you whats in style/new to use in photo Find the HERO - make it sing - every successful picture has one Need “hero” defined - hair or makeup - not both else have conflict?! Magazine cover ONE photo - face image - only one image to make magazine sell - need space for coverlines, eye contact, etc. what sells!? Fashion - need to tell a story, have several sketches as a guideline. - Great to have a guideline of the “shots” you want to create The world only sees 1 image, though hundreds shot Keep on Track - storyboards change the game - not “winging it” Have intent and vision and everyone around can see it Images don’t have to be shot “in order”, it depends on the light/etc If sketch doesn’t work in real life, just move on! Dont’ spend 2 hrs! 2 page sketches - visualize/think/shoot in spreads
Editorial is low paying, but best showcase for your work/name out there then you get the advertising $100 - free printed advertising! hired to push out your work vs. yourself Who is new out there? what’s their vision/style?
Pick 5 magazines you want to work for you - push to get work all of them Study the magazine know the people: mast head: all the ditors, editor in chief, fashion, beauty, photo editor Start with local magazines, or the Top-Down?
Scared of the business - don’t understand it? knees shaking? GOOD! “can’t get the fruit until go out on a limb” grow by taking chances don’t let the fear stifle you from going out and making things happen Fear is a part of it - accept it and go ahead. inspiration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Parks
Stuff happens from enjoying life... think about what you like Going out and bring that inspiration into your photos Stay aware of current events and stories “Occupy wallstreet” turned into a fashion story, hero is woman in gown “From here to eternity movie” redone with a new spin Look at magazines from other countries, old movies, etc other “normal” How do you see the world?
Locations - scout out on your own or hire a scout, find the best beach how does the light look? 6am,6pm the tide, TPE, tide app, full moon
lebook.com - based in paris producers, hair, makeup, agencies, scouts, etc
Creative plagarism vs inspiration - copying someone elses idea exactly tear sheets from magazines for inspiration
Now everyone has a DSLR, the photographer and the client have the same! How do you stand out? It’s just a brush, YOU are the artist/vision/concept
Producer - is one that makes sure everything gets done, photog partner critical for a beginning photographer, all the logistics/small things
Creative director - client side
Client - they don’t care about the gear, only your results They care about how you paint, your talent and style
Greatest Challenge - Getting to the next level! Assistant, first job, next job, a career and living out of it, magazine?! Think beyond “whats been done before”
Models - get a photo of what they look like now, via their phone Headshot, body, etc - talk and hear their personality over the phone
Building the Crew/Staff - whose hungry/drive/passionate about it or not? Email vs. Personally Written letter and paper - showed it off to staff! Penmanship showed everything, very special people/best elevate your game MJS called that applicant directly to speak with her
Inspiration - magazines - study the back/editorial (not the advertising) look for the title of the stories - how do they want you to feel? think? as a photographer - what do you want to tell your viewers?
Get ideas and sketch them out on paper, share it with others/your team “Stars and Stripes” - after Obama innaguration, makeup/beauty “Yin and Yang” - makeup/beauty “From Here to Eternity” - project from 40s film, famous kiss on beach books, movies, current events Have tear sheets from magazines, list of “opposites”, future project ideas Inspiration may come when you are not looking for it INSPIRATION COMES WHEN YOU GET OUT AND EXPLORE LIFE Shoot what you LOVE - not what you like - are passionate about / MOVES YOU Put your love in your work and be surprised that others love it as well Inspiration/sketches in a book and you get to see ideas evolve over time! watch your OWN WORK EVOLVE over time WRITE IT DOWN - ACT ON IT - Else you’ll talk yourself out of it later!!!
Irving Penn - crisp Vogue fashion photographer
Portfolio - open the page and each page is OPPOSITE for an impact don’t put same images back to back - they compete/fight against each other, look at magazines, POWERFUL. even polar bears! opposites = contrast = create attentino portrait/full lengh, still/motion, color/blackwhite, landscape/portrait 2 faces side by side fight and compete against each other
Read your GOALS every day! 1. speak to thousands of people - finally doing it for Creative Live 2. Go out and Get your work!! You’ve got to make your dreams come true. Pitch your ideas and concepts to editors - they want to learn your POV and your approach to a concept, light/models/setting/etc - goals
Communicate idea in SIGHT/SHOW - SOUND - TOUCH/HOLD (sketch/concept)
NOTHING LIKE EXPERIENCE - EXPERIMENT on your own - NOT with CLIENT
Day 1 Beauty dish shot - light center falls on models face, not chest even fall of light all around face: cheeks, forehead, nose, chin soft light and skin with even light fall off for men: light higher angle to give more texture in the skin TODO: test the lighting and review images in lightroom use silver on a man for more punch and texture use white on women for softer look (test the light)
Set the lights up at f/16.3 all around face for 1/3 overexposure shoot f/16 with 1/3 exposure over softens the skin out meter readings to see how the light falls off around the model light meter tells you full fstops 11 to 16 (11 10×0.1 = 16) new cameras tell you f 13/15 and not tenth stops like the light meter 11.3 is f13, 11.7 is f/16 can’t judge image by the back of the camera
Preshoot Sony A900: 1/125, ISO200, f/16 (metered 16.3) model test shot with grey card and color checker pro (profile camera/etc) 2400 watt profoto light with white beauty dish
small reflector for fill light below model (top down beauty dish) big reflectors cannot get in close to model and throw too much light get reflection up into the eyes with silver reflection (white not enough) want the reflector light to be a “fill” and not another “light source”
does the large window have an impact on the shoot? lol – not when shooting at f16, ambient a 1/125 is f/2.8
catchlights - does natural (but flashlight to reduce pupil)
color checker - to get all of the images “neutral” shoots in auto white balance? (new environment doing custom anyways) in post, will make all images warmer or colder to preference
Rapport - Lots of praise for MUA/beauty: fantastic, this looks so good, so beautiful.... incredible, so incredibly amazing, that’s magic i’m so excited, this is going to be great your eyes are the hero
talk to model, soft voices, will ask for small movements looking away and back up is ok dance and the model leading?
first shots - not looking at the back of the camera! just shooting, already know what it looks like from testing when looking at back of camera – then LOOSE the model!
soft talk “that’s nice”, soft “that’s beautiful” vs loud want to keep a cool energy, quiet set and whisper to model intimate and cosy and personal relationship with model whisper intensity of voice chances.. que model of what is working or not when she moves subtly and his voice changes, she knows what’s working “turn a tad to me” “lovely, lovely - just like that - very soft - nice” you did great, absolutely great!
shoot beauty at eye level, or just a tad higher
shoot tethered and images only viewable by client - not model/distract everyone sees the images of the model differently than she does models like to review though too beware of “intensity of your eyes” so have a fierce stare tell model: attitude, vibe (bust of nephateri
comfort level with photog: first impressions, initial conversation get personal and connect with the person, find the “moment” for magic modelmayhem.com/laurasam make her feel lucky and you picked “just her” out of hundreds was looking for the ‘spark in her eyes’, energy, great skin
don’t wear the model out and loose them stop if you’ve got the shot – take a break to relax and recharge!
every aspect reflects on the photographer - model, assistants, image, makeup artist team be picky and choose wisely... stick with the best and your likes
don’t look down at the camera when shooting!
Day 3 fashion
5 lights/heads today for background 1 main light - magnum reflector shoot at f/22 to allow the model to move around and always be in focus model will constantly move - not pose and sit still or hold a pose magnum reflector gives f/22 and standard reflector is f/8 (3 stops diff) increase texture of the clothing with a high angle of main light mimic the sun at a high beautiful angle and not directly overhead, 4pm sun focus on the garmet and f/22 all should be good even with motion strong fan can dry out models eyes, move the fan around (hit her chest)
platform for model: apple, milk, beer crates to create the stage the model stands up higher so the photog can sit down vs. kneel down shoot fasion at waist height, about 1 foot high platform PRACTICE - take the feel of the model to be on stage as well put yourself in their place and see their light, how THEY FEEL floor tileboard/melamine 4×8’ MDF - home depot: http://goo.gl/CTLQK
http://www.basslinedigital.com/tutorials/diy-appleboxes/
http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-next-post-this-afternoon/
white background: lighting it with v-flats and lights TODO: create black/white vflats
fans: seabreeze turbo, leaf blowers, bowens jet stream http://www.dyson.com/fans/ http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/3108
old magazine style, to have model look into the binder
stop and shoot, then stop again to keep energy moving but flow f/22 may cause diffraction and soft focus
pose: keep it long and tall for fashion different expression in the face, one step over and over again “put yourself in their (model) place and see how they feel, it will make you a better photographer” model felt “right at home” - drives off of insanity and passion don’t pose too much, I want to make it “real”
communication: be as LOUD and CHARISMATIC as possible talk pose variations, walk through what you want to see “this looks wicked”, “we have that”, “beautiful” poses like michael jackson, dance with the model “She’s leading the dance, photog/click/strobe to the timing down” model has to feel beautiful first, before they look beautiful compliment models, hair, makeup – prepare them – to get better images SMILE A LOT - ALL THE TIME only changes from neck up - keep the same pose, etc specific
http://www.flickr.com/groups/mjslive/
lesson learned: * be prepared to pick the models * lights go out and no one elses is paying attention * always be postive - complimentary - help drive more creativity! * more open communication, feel inspired and encouraged to do their best * everyone needs to feel appreciated, feel good and enjoy the process * pekking order: photographer, art team, assistants * less micromanaging on a high level is great, everyone does their part * TEAM there to collab and make the most beautiful image, sing together
“don’t get lost in the beauty of the model, focus on everything - her lines, sillhoutte, accessories, pose” - very small movements, very very tiny, very slowly moving
books: Buffetology, win friends & influence people,