Original subtitles

So I'm going to demonstrate here how we

start off our shoots and usually we start

all our shoots off like this because the

tone that we set at the beginning of

the shoot is really really important and all

that energy that we build at the beginning

of the shoot is all that residual energy

is going to carry through the rest of

the shoot so it's really important.

I'm going to give them lots of fun

energetic prompts and you'll notice that I'm going

to start really really energetic and fun and

I'm going to go a little bit deeper

throughout the session.

It'll probably only take about 10 minutes but

this is really going to set the tone

for the shoot.

Some of the prompts that I've that I'm

giving them I've got from these guides here

these are called the Superfeel Guides.

They were made by Jesh DeRox and actually

I don't even know if I'm using any

actual prompts from these books but these books

have inspired a lot of the prompts that

I've come up with with our couples just

to get that real genuine emotion and to

get them into that part of their brain

where they're having fun and they're feeling and

they're connected with each other.

So let's give it a shot.

You guys ready?

Okay so for the first shot we're going

to go super energetic we're going to go

super fun.

So Jenny I'm going to have you stand

over here and Jesse you're going to stand

over here and once I say go actually

you're going to meet right about here in

the middle.

You're going to spin around in a circle

three times really fast and then you're going

to go in for a hug.

Okay ready?

Okay so three times really fast then in

for a hug.

One, two, three, go.

Oh you didn't spin.

You didn't spin.

I guess I did need to.

No you gotta go like this.

Okay so you go one, two, three, hug.

Yeah sorry I should explain better.

Okay three, two, one, go.

One, two, three, and go in for a

hug.

Awesome.

Great.

Okay and stay in the hug there whenever

I sit.

Unless I tell you to get out of

a hug.

Just stay in it.

Okay now what I want you guys to

do, I've never tried this one before but

I just thought of it.

I think it could be fun.

So you're going to start far apart again

and this time I want you to really

do a dramatic slow motion run like to

chariot safari to each other and then once

you meet in the middle you'll go in

for a big hug.

Okay three, two, one, go.

Okay awesome.

Great job.

Okay that's great.

And very rarely do I actually get any

usable shots from these moments especially the spinning

around and hugging because they're always facing the

wrong way and but it doesn't matter.

At this point I don't care.

I'm really just getting their energy up and

that's and often I do get some good

shots as well but it's not the point

within this section of the shoot.

Okay so for this one I'm going to

get you guys to go arm and arm

like you can yeah and what you're going

to do is I put on a wider

lens for the shot because I want to

get nice and close and fill the frame

with them and I'm using my eye detect

continuous focus.

This shot would be really hard without it.

Okay so now what I'm going to get

you guys to do is walk towards me

and I want you to you're a little

tipsy.

Okay so you're or you could be drunk

but I don't want your faces to be

drunk.

So your faces are sober and happy but

your bodies are like completely drunk.

Okay had too many margaritas.

Okay see okay three, two, one, walk towards

me and yeah don't look at me.

Oh yes perfect, perfect, perfect.

Awesome.

Okay that's good.

Okay I'm going to try one more lap

so go back.

I'm going to just put a different lens

on.

Best night of your lives.

But tomorrow morning's going to suck.

Three, two, one, go.

Okay give her a big like wet drunk

smooch on the cheek.

Oh that's good too and then on the

cheek.

Drunky, slobbery.

Okay we're going to do one more, just

one more.

I'm going to get you to start a

little further back and maybe I rarely say

this but I want you to take one

margarita off.

Okay just because I'm having problems focusing that's

it.

So five margaritas instead of six.

You only had five.

Yeah and I like it.

I love it when you like smooch her

in the cheek for sure.

Like a drunk smooch on the cheek and

then both hands on her.

That's perfect.

Okay one, two, three, go.

Okay.

That's good.

Okay other cheek.

Smooch on the other cheek.

Yeah okay awesome.

We're good.

Okay good.

Awesome.

So we're going to start in penguin pose

here.

So together at the hips.

Perfect and then perpendicular to me.

Perfect and then stand on your tiptoes there.

Perfect and now what I want you guys

to do is just pretend you're chickens and

you're pecking each other's noses.

Like in and out.

Like a little harder, a little more aggressive

with the pecking.

Yeah perfect and a little faster.

Okay and now Jenny look towards me.

More like right up in this area and

then Jesse like really aggressively peck her cheek.

Like her temple.

Harder.

Harder.

Perfect.

Okay that's good.

Okay and I'm gonna get you to look

almost up to the sky there Jenny and

then you're gonna sort of just peck right

at her cheek there.

Awesome and can you move your hands up

her back a little bit?

I just want to move his hands up

because I'm I'm quite tight in here and

his hands show everything.

Awesome.

Great.

Okay perfect.

Okay now what we're gonna do is a

little bit of a so I want you

guys to stand there and hold hands for

me and we'll do a little bit of

a mind meld.

So you guys have to try and read

each other's minds.

So I'm going to say like name a

vegetable or and then you guys on the

count of three have to try naming the

same vegetable.

Okay.

Okay a color.

One, two, three.

So you see that?

You see how she just like looked at

him and she's like oh my god we've

got the same we've got the same color

like I can't really pose that but I

can direct it right?

Actually we'll go in like that T position.

So fruit.

One, two, three.

Apple.

Oh my gosh.

You guys are good at this.

Okay color.

One, two, three.

Red.

Oh you see how she just looked up

at him there?

Like I can't I can't pose her to

look at him like that but I can

create scenarios to get her to look at

him like that.

Okay we'll do one more.

Movie.

One, two, three.

So good.

So many good moments in there.

Let's get you guys right where you are.

I'm going to get you guys to trade

nicknames for each other.

Okay so nicknames that you've never given each

other.

So you're just gonna take turns saying nicknames

to each other.

Okay.

Okay.

That we've never used?

Yeah new ones.

New ones.

Like like I don't know like Chia Pet.

Twinkly eyes.

You've used Chia Pet.

No I haven't actually called him Chia Pet

before but I should.

All right okay.

Okay so Jenny you go first.

All right um Munchkin.

You know me?

Yeah.

J-Bomb.

Oh I like that.

Uh the Jester.

Steely.

Bum Bum.

Goldilocks.

Oh that's great guys.

Okay just how you are there.

I love their position there and they've gotten

to this position all by themselves just with

the way their arms are and Jenny's hand

holding her arm.

It's perfect.

So I'm going to use this.

Can I just say also because we're observing

like so many good little moments in there

but also I was observing Jenny like the

way she was just just kind of gently

um scratching the back of uh uh Jesse's

back there.

Yeah yeah.

His mom was back with his fingers.

It was something I'm going to keep an

eye on now.

Yeah for sure yeah.

Okay so Jesse you're going to take the

tip of your nose very very tip hopefully

it's not wet and you're going to uh

just very gently rub it on on Jenny's

Jenny's temple.

Maybe you could stand up on your tiptoes

a bit Jenny and then I want you

to spell out a word that she has

to guess.

Well not guess.

What?

Do it again.

Oh yeah.

One four three.

One four three.

Okay none of us know what that means.

I love you.

Oh in what?

One four three?

Yeah because one is uh like I, four

for L-O-V-E and then U.

That's how we text.

Oh that's so cute.

Nice.

Okay while you're there I'm going to keep

you guys and you'll notice here I started

really energetic right and this may be a

little bit faster to normal but I started

really energetic.

I'm starting to bring it a little bit

more quiet and and more intimate.

Is that the 50?

Yeah.

Can I borrow that?

Can I use the 85?

Um yes but I need it back.

Okay so this one um I want you

to try and fit your faces together like

a puzzle.

So so so you're gonna try and fit

this part of your face Jesse.

This like crook right into into Jenny's cheek

bone there.

More like yeah yeah just like that and

and I don't want there to be any

atoms in between.

Oh okay perfect and yeah and just close

your eyes there and then blow blow softly

into her ear there.

Tickle her with your breath.

There we go and Jenny can you put

your your hands up on his?

Yeah just like that.

That's great.

Hands make all the difference and let's get

your sleeve back just a little bit.

Perfect.

Maybe towards the back of his head now.

That's right and I'm gonna get you to

bring your other hand up and over the

top of his head.

Yeah yeah.

Oh that's good.

That's perfect and just really calm in there

so that there's no space and let me

see your teeth a little bit.

Now what I'm gonna get you guys to

do is just stand um facing each other

and you could hold hands to start with

but really do whatever you want with your

hands once you get started.

Okay so nice and close together though.

You want 85 or 50?

Yeah uh I think I'll try the 50

for a bit.

Okay and this time what I want you

guys to do is just take turns and

you can whisper we don't have to hear

it just take turns um saying I fell

in love with you because.

Finishing that sentence.

Finishing that sentence.

Yeah just

give each other a hug there.

Yeah just a nice hug guys.

Okay now now I still love you because.

Just just give each other a hug and

put your put your hands like this.

And your hands up there too.

Jesse.

Your hands up Jesse.

On her face there.

Yeah.

And just just rub each other's noses really

lightly.

Jesse can you bring your hands back a

little bit.

Perfect and you guys can just finish with

a hug.

Just a nice hug guys.

Thank you guys.

So you can see how uh I mean

that was what 15 minutes 10 minutes uh

we started really energetic and we got sort

of deeper and deeper into that that um

that place of feeling right you could tell

towards the end of the shoot they were

not I mean they were still aware of

the cameras but they didn't so much care

about the cameras and uh we always start

off with that because this is the this

is the energy and this is what we're

looking for in the rest of the shoot

so we always make sure we start off

with that and how was that for how

did that feel for you guys like honestly

like not scripted just improvised like how how

was that experience oh it was an emotional

mess because it was so special yeah so

meaningful and yeah it was great yeah so

when Lani and I started posing this way

we realized that like when our couples look

at these photos if they if these photos

are hanging on their walls at their home

every time they look at that photo it's

going to remind them of this experience and

it's going to remind them not of the

specifics of the experience but of the feeling

of the experience so we can really we

can strengthen people's relationships with these with these

sessions and that's um that gives a lot

more meaning to what we do with our

cameras I really struggle with finding meaning in

photography but since especially in portraits I've always

struggled with finding meaning in portraits I find

tons of meaning in documentary work and you

know family dramas and little kids and quirks

and all that sort of stuff I've always

struggled with finding meaning in portraits but since

we started posing this way it's it's uh

it's become a lot more meaningful and and

um as a result uh easier to shoot