Original subtitles

I am so happy to be here talking

today about how I shoot an engagement session.

Now, I'm excited because in a future lesson,

I'm going to talk about why and how

I structure my business to book about half

my clients online.

So most of our email transactions are what

set us up for the engagement session.

And this is exactly and precisely what happened

today with Samantha and Taylor.

The lesson I'm going to be focusing on

is how I shoot their engagement session.

But before I get there, I want to

introduce again, Samantha and Taylor to you guys.

Now, you at this point may or may

not know that they were the Knot Magazine's

dream wedding couple.

They were voted by the audience, and at

a later point in time, I was chosen

as a lucky wedding photographer.

Now, to make things even better, CreativeLive joined

me for this engagement session, because they wanted

to give photographers a behind-the-scenes look

at my approach and what I do.

Now, we're going to get into those things,

and yes, I will be talking about my

posing.

And yes, I will be talking about different

aspects of it.

But what I want to focus on specifically

is getting a lay of the land when

it comes to creating engagement session and walking

your clients through, and at the end, making

them confident as a result.

Now, I want to talk a little bit

about what an engagement session outline looks like

from my perspective.

And this video, we'll talk about posing, yes.

But we're going to get into actually the

theories and my approaches in regards to posing.

We addressed this in a future lesson, and

that was how to shoot with intention.

So if you've been with us for the

30 days, you will now see the words

that I choose and how I implement them.

But the things I want to focus on

today will be, one, finding the best place

to start the shoot based on the location

that you're given.

Secondly, I want to teach you and show

you how to create a photo map.

Now, a photo map is just a way

in your mind, not to share with your

clients, but for you to know where I'm

going, how I'm going to get there, and

where am I going to end the session.

Now, myself, I usually create these maps based

on where I think light is going to

be the most favorable at any given point

in time.

Thirdly, I'm going to talk about how to

deal with a difficult location and or difficult

weather considerations.

Now, I was not planning on talking about

this, but when I got to the session,

I realized that two things had happened.

It was so much brighter than I had

anticipated, because there wasn't any trees to cast

any sort of shade.

And also, it was so inordinately windy.

We were shooting along the coast, and everyone's

hair was flying everywhere.

And I kind of had to take these

into consideration as we headed into the shoot.

Fourthly, what it looks like to actually meet

the client for the first time at the

engagement session.

This could be slightly disconcerting for photographers, so

you're going to see how I do it.

And I'm not saying that the way I

meet clients is the best way.

I'm simply showing how I do it so

that maybe you can take the things that

you like and omit the things that you

might not.

Fifthly, I want to explain what the client

should expect from that session.

Up until this point, you know how I

prepare my clients, and you know that I

have set those expectations via email.

But now I will set those expectations as

a reminder in person.

Lastly, I'm going to be outlining the shoot.

And once I outline the shoot, outline the

shoot that I want them to have a

good time, that I want them to have

fun, that I want them to relax, that

I want them to get great photos as

a result, then I better deliver on that

promise.

Right now I'm going to show you the

video and how exactly all this shoot has

unfolded.

Hi guys, I'm extra amped today because we

are in Los Angeles, California.

I'm here to be shooting an engagement session,

but not just any engagement session, a very

special engagement session.

I'm excited because I'm going to be working

with Samantha and Taylor.

And Samantha and Taylor are going to be

the couple that's getting married for the Not

Dream wedding that's going to be filmed as

part of this course.

This is going to be the first time

that I'm meeting them.

And meeting them in person, we've corresponded only

via email, so that's going to be a

little bit, it's a little nerve wracking, it's

a little exciting, it's a little new, and

I'm excited to get it all captured on

camera.

But before we get there, I want to

bring us up to pace.

This particular engagement session won't be so much

about posing, I don't think.

I think what I'm really going to focus

on is the logistics behind planning for the

engagement session.

Yes, I will be going through poses, yes,

I'll be showing what I'm doing.

But let's start at the beginning and kind

of build the building blocks to get to

ultimately where we're going to be.

Now, I request that all of my couples

choose a location for their engagement session.

Today, we're at Abalone Cove in Rancho Palos

Verdes, California, which is Los Angeles.

And what we're going to do is walk

you through where I'm going to shoot the

couple.

Now, I'm going to be really honest and

let you know that I had a minor

panic freak out attack.

Because it's so bright right now, it's so

bright, it's so windy.

And when I arrived to this park and

cove that I've never shot it before, I

realized there are no trees or there's like

one tree in a big massive field.

And you're going to see what I'm talking

about.

So I'm going to kind of walk this

way and talk about the things I'm going

to avoid.

And then we're going to walk back and

talk about where I think I should start

the session based on light.

My first and foremost consideration would be light.

So kind of let's take a look at

what we're given and then how I'm going

to map things out.

As I'm walking, what I'm thinking is I

have to take wind into consideration.

The wind is blowing in this direction.

And so I know that if I shoot

backlit for my subjects, that her hair will

likely come into her face.

The minute I got here, I emailed, I

texted her, and I asked her to bring

bobby pins and a rubber band if it

was all possible, because it is so darn

windy.

So as I'm walking, I'm squinting, which indicates

to me, it's far too bright to have

my subjects be looking in this direction.

And that's okay.

Knowing this, I think in the back of

my mind, I'm going to start the session

a little bit slower.

And I'm going to start the session slower

so that I can buy myself time to

let the sun drop.

Now, I'm going to come over here and

I'm going to kind of take a look

about what I've been given.

So we're actually on a cliff, which is

very common in California.

And then it descends down onto the beach.

Now, traditionally, I like to save the beach

photos till the end.

I like to save the parts that I'm

really excited to shoot in at the end

of the shoot, because by then, my clients

are warmed up, and they feel confident, and

they feel great, and they've had a little

bit of experience.

But given my light options, so she had

said there was two locations.

One location was going to be here in

this upper area, kind of like a park

area.

And then another part of the session would

be down towards the beach.

Well, I assumed that when she had said

park, that there would be some trees and

we don't have that luxury.

So what I'm going to do is I'm

going to ask, I'm going to take charge.

I'm going to say, I think that we

should start down by the water.

And part of the reason why I think

we should start by the water is because

I can have, I can use some rocks

and some shrubbery to actually kind of create

more softer light.

Hopefully, I'll be able, once I get down

there, to see the light diffused in a

different way.

So instead of walking all the way down

the cove with the cameras, I'm going to

wait until my clients get here.

We're going to talk about a few things.

And then I'm going to ask if we

could shoot the session down by the water

first.

I'll kind of sell that idea, make sure,

let her know why I think those reasons

are and why I think they would work.

And then secondly, I'm going to ask if

we can end the session up here, which

I think would actually work really well.

Because since we're going to be elevated, I

could shoot at a distance.

And what I can get is, since we're

elevated, I can get the ocean, the endless

ocean off in the background.

And then hopefully, sunset will work in our

favor so that they can be walking and

then we get some nice shrubbery up here

in the park area.

So just initially looking at what I've been

given, the photo map would consist of probably

three main locations.

The three main locations would be this park

area that I've already discussed, I will probably

save for the end due to light and

limited areas to create open shade.

The second location will be the trail leading

us down to Abalone Cove, which is the

beach.

So there's areas that have like switchbacks along

the mountainside.

So I'll probably be shooting them there.

It'll probably be the area that I could

leverage as much kind of shaded light as

possible, which is my number one priority.

And then the third location on my photo

map would be the beach.

Once I actually shoot through the switchbacks, I'm

gonna get down to the beach.

I'm gonna place them in very basic poses.

And as I'm putting them basic poses, I'm

keeping in the back of my mind light

and location.

And then once I have those two things

down, I'm then going to move into what

the poses will look like.

So knowing where you want to start and

where you wanna go in the middle always

relieves stress in a very big way.

And so I'm gonna talk you through what

I've been doing that.

So I'm gonna have somebody off camera reminding

me where I'm going in the photo map

and why I'm choosing those locations.

And we're gonna outline it later on, points

one, two, and three, and then fill in

the gaps with the poses in between.

I hope that helps.

Okay, so right now we're just gonna kind

of just chill, hang out.

You guys are gonna be looking at each

other.

And I'm gonna be adjusting the light at

this point in time, so you guys can

just like relax, enjoy.

I'm shooting at 2.0, 800th of a

second, 125 ISO.

Ooh, this light is pretty.

Now Taylor and Sam, can you, so Taylor,

can you come down and Sam, can you

get up on your tippy toes and you

guys gonna bring your foreheads together?

Yes, yes, that's so cute, that was great.

That was fantastic, that was beautiful, beautiful, good.

Now peel away from each other, relax, come

down on your, relax your calves, yes.

Good, good, good.

Now this time what I'm gonna do is

I'm gonna have you guys come back together,

bring your foreheads in nice and close.

You're gonna take a deep breath.

And then Samantha, I want you to look

at the floor right in front of you.

And then Taylor, wherever your lips land on

her temple, on the crest of her head,

wherever they land, a light, light, light kiss.

Not yet, I'm gonna count you down in

three, two, and one, come up, beautiful.

Good, beautiful.

That's exactly what you do, but Sam, your

bangs got caught behind.

No, that's it, they're good now.

So Taylor, you just land your lips, yes,

yes, beautiful.

Sam, relax that front shoulder, eyes here, beautiful.

Eyes here, Sam, good, good, relax, good.

I'm gonna change to 1.2, 2,000th

of a second, I'm gonna shoot horizontal.

I've never done anything like this before.

You guys look like pros, like you guys,

you guys look like pros.

I'm not, you guys, I mean, the fact

that I don't have to talk too much,

I mean, I am a talker though, just

naturally, this is great, beautiful.

Now what I want you to do is,

yeah, Sam, you just relax.

Now can you bring your head to Taylor's

chest?

Yes, beautiful.

Now relax that front shoulder, good, beautiful.

Can I have you guys both look here

at me?

I'm shooting instead of 2.8, good, and

it was all part of the plan.

Beautiful, this is nice, beautiful.

We have a very small walkway, but what

I'm going to do is, you guys are

just gonna take your time as you guys

walk, and you guys are gonna be enjoying

each other, not paying attention to me.

And Taylor, you're gonna have your hand in

your pocket.

You actually have really long arms, so why

don't we take your thumb outside, yeah, there

we go.

So now instead of your hand just kind

of dangling, now we have just kind of

connection to your body.

And Sam, you are going to be looking

at Taylor, nice, this is beautiful.

So I'm gonna be using this area right

here, but you guys are gonna be taking

your time.

You guys are just gonna be, yes, you

have to take time, yes, you do.

Beautiful, beautiful, Sam, look in front of you,

beautiful, yes.

And then eyes back at each other, nice,

beautiful, good, perfect.

You guys, that was great, that was our

first stop, like that was amazing.

No, no, like I mean, that was such

a great start, like you know it takes

people a while to like warm up, but

you guys just kind of fell right into

it.

Okay, the light right here is really pretty.

So let's see, Taylor, I'm gonna have you

here, and I'm just gonna be looking at

the way, nice.

Now, if you could shift your shoulders towards

me a little bit, and with your feet

pointing at me too, nice, nice, that's nice.

And then, I agree, and I'm happily married.

You can stand right here, Sam, nice.

And I'm sorry, your back is in his

chest.

And so for these right, yeah, this is

just, exactly, this is so pretty.

Can you guys look out towards the ocean?

Nice, beautiful.

And then, let's see, so Samantha, can you

just kind of like look down a little?

Yes, and then shift your chin this way,

and then look down, beautiful.

And Taylor, can you look down maybe at

her ring hand?

Nice, and then Taylor, can you lean down

and give her a nice big bear hug?

That, that, thank you, friends, beautiful.

Now, peel away, that was so, so, so

beautiful.

But as he came down, everything was perfect,

Sam, and then you brought your shoulders up.

So this time when he comes down, just

be conscious of just relaxing, just enjoy it.

And then as you tip your head that

way, I love that too.

So every kind of pose you come into,

feel free to hold it, and if I

feel like it's not working, I'll let you

know.

But the way your body just laid was

perfect, perfect, perfect.

Yes, thank you, friends, that's it, beautiful, okay,

good.

Now, what I want you to do is

I want to create a little bit of

movement so that we don't get too many

pictures that are all just like very posey.

So, you're going to be holding, you're going

to be on this side, I like to

this side, because the sun, the light, you

guys are going to be holding hands.

Now, exactly, you have such petite hands compared

to him.

Oh my gosh, that's so beautiful.

Okay, so as you guys are walking, I

kind of want to create a little bit

of tension, and you're going to be leading

him by like maybe one step, and then

every so often you're going to get both

hands, can you hold this in this hand?

Great, and so, forgive me, I'm just going

to hold your hand.

Great, you're going to hold hands, you're going

to turn, and you're going to bring him

this way, and you're going to kind of

create a little bit of tension, you're going

to pull some body weight so that she

has to kind of pull you, and then

you're going to look back at me and

kind of have like a cutesy, so if

your hands, his hands, you're going to look

back, kind of smile, look back at him,

kind of smile.

And we might do this one or two

times, if we get one shot from this,

I will be so, so, so happy.

Great, so right now my settings are 2

.5, 3 20th of a second, 125 ISO,

my focal point will be on Sam's eye.

And I'm ready for you in three, two,

and one.

Turn back, Sam.

Atta girl, atta girl, atta girl.

Pull, pull, pull, turn back.

Woohoo!

Okay, that was fabulous.

Now, it was so good.

Now this time, can we do it?

Be positive.

I'm not, well, I'm very honest too, so.

Okay, good.

I'm going to have you guys do that

one more time.

As you guys walk, Taylor, can you have

your thumb in your pocket?

Not that, yes, yes, yes, yes.

I'm, and I'm ready for you in three,

two, and one.

Turn, baby, turn.

Nice, nice.

Turn back to, yes, good.

Now turn back at me.

Turn back at me.

Cute, cute.

Ooh, we have good options.

Oh, this is so good.

Go team.

Okay, let's head down.

So what I'm going to do now is

I'm going to stop in this area because

it is, it's really bright light, but I

want to see if I can leverage an

entirely different lighting scenario to kind of get

the background really blown out.

It's nice and golden at this time of

day, and also we're on this like dirt

path that it has just tiny, tiny, tiny

bits of like clayish or terracotta that I

really think is going to be beautiful.

We have some people walking behind our subject,

so I'm going to set them off to

the side, and then I'm going to set

them up with the focus to be on

her ring and just slight portrait.

So I'm going to crop this like pretty

tight just so that I get this general

idea of just maybe the bottoms of their

faces and her ring.

So you can just relax, take a deep

breath.

Always make sure that this shoulder is beautiful,

beautiful.

Then bring your bodies closer together.

I'm going to shoot this at a 2

.0. Great, so my settings are 2.0,

1250th of a second, 125 ISO.

Sam, can you look at the floor?

Can you look at my hand right here?

Beautiful.

Now just relax.

Can I smile when you have me look

down?

I want you to give me a couple

looks.

I want you to be completely confident in

yourself.

I want you to smile.

But if you do smile and you're looking

down, it seems a little inauthentic to be,

right?

So it's like a slight smile, pleasant face.

And I'll let you know when I want

those like kind of nice, big smiles.

Nice, right about there.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

It's okay, yeah, take your time.

We'll get that hair back.

Yes, Taylor, yes.

Relax that front shoulder.

Beautiful.

And then squeeze her in nice and tight,

Taylor.

Yes.

So we're going to get your hands back

to where they were.

Bring those torsos in.

Actually, Sam, you stay up.

Taylor, you come in to Sam.

Boom, yes.

And then Sam, can I get your, yes.

Can you still look down?

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Beautiful.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you.

Woo, good.

This is so cool.

Okay, guys, let's hang out here.

So depending on where your body lands in

relation to this, just kind of lean.

And then as you lean, kind of fall

into the weight of your like thighs and

knees.

It'll bring your body down a tiny bit

and we'll get Sam in nice and close.

It is a little cold, I know.

Is your second outfit a little bit warmer?

So what I'm looking at right now is

that she's really cold or in the shade.

And I don't really have a really awesome

natural reflector in front of them.

So I'm just trying to buy some time

right now.

It's really stinking bright.

And I'm putting him in the little bit

of shade that I can find.

I'm going to do a test shot.

I'm placing them within the frame of the

palm tree.

She's leaning into Taylor.

Now what I'm doing is the sun is

behind them, but there's this palm tree that's

actually blocking the center, or the nucleus of

the sun, which is allowing me to shoot

backlit without too much sun flare, which is

fantastic.

I just need to make sure that this

is my position so that I don't have

to use my hand as a lens hood.

Which means I'm going to go in and

I'm going to switch her position ever so

slightly.

This is fantastic, guys.

So Sam, actually that right there was exactly

what I was going to ask you to

do.

So what we're basically doing is just opening

your profiles because I'll be shooting it from

that direction.

So this is great.

Now I love your hands here, and then

if after a while you want to rest

them here or rest them here, you totally

do that and I'll be talking to you

guys from a distance.

I'm at 2.5, I'm at 1,000th

of a second, I'm at 125 ISO.

This is where I'm going to kind of

stay because I don't want to blow out

too much of the background.

Beautiful.

Can you guys bring your foreheads in nice

and close to touch?

There we go.

So I'm switching, but I'm going to keep

my body in such a way that the

tree will then block the nucleus of the

sun.

I'm going to put my subjects hopefully in

the last third of the frame.

Can you guys both look here?

Bring your faces in a little bit closer.

Oh, that.

Relax that shoulder, relax the smile, Sam.

Atta girl.

Beautiful.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

So now what we're basically going to do

is just have you guys walk with the

palm tree behind you guys, but I'm going

to start with Taylor here so that I

get some nice beautiful sun behind him.

Beautiful.

And yes, let's see.

Actually, Sam, let's get you on that side.

Let me see how that looks.

Okay, so guys, what I'm going to do

is I love the position that you guys

are in right now.

I love it.

So Sam, you're a tiny bit behind Taylor.

That's fantastic.

I'm going to shoot this two ways.

I'm going to shoot it one from that

perspective so I get the sides with everything

behind you guys and then I'm going to

come in the front and shoot it this

way.

So just make sure that you guys kind

of keep that...

Great question.

You're going to be walking this way, but

I understand that you guys are going to

take a few steps and then kind of

go around there.

That's okay.

So hang on one second.

I'm shooting at a 2.5, 1,000th

of a second, 125 ISO.

My focal point is on Sam.

So Taylor, can I get your thumb in

your pocket?

And you guys are going to start walking

nice and slow and you're going to be

looking out.

You're going to be looking at Sam.

Sam, you're going to be looking at Taylor

on the ground in front of you or

at the ocean.

If you have to hold your hair as

you look out, totally fine.

Work with it.

We're just going to let the wind go

and however you feel great is exactly what

I want.

Exactly.

Your hair is good.

Still looking good, Taylor.

Fantastic.

I'm ready for you guys.

Take your time, Sam.

Take your time.

Actually, I want her to take my time.

The sun is way too bright.

The slower she moves, the better I feel.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Beautiful, Sam.

Look out towards the ocean, Sam.

Heck yes.

Great.

I'm going to have you guys peel back.

Beautiful.

Looking out towards the ocean, Sam.

Nice.

My focal point is on her and I'm

switching my focal point as she walks or

I'm just going to stand with them.

Awesome.

I love it.

Sam, I'm going to take you here and

I'm going to do throughout the shoot maybe

just some shots of Samantha and some shots

of you.

Samantha, I know it's going to feel weird

and these are a little prickly.

I'm just going to have you stand right

about let me try to open this up

a bit.

I can have you right about here.

Wedges in the wild?

I know.

Good.

I placed Samantha up on an incline which

means I would because I'm so short and

she's on the incline I would be shooting

up at her and I don't want to

shoot up at a girl.

I kind of want to be eye level.

So I just kind of looked around and

thankfully there was a rock here.

So I'm going to stand on the rock

which is going to give me about four

to five inches which is fantastic.

Now I asked Sam to stand in the

weeds and I'm going to be using the

weeds and the fence in the background to

kind of create a horizontal line.

I'm going to be shooting this really on

the wider side.

I'm going to just do a test shot

real quick.

There it is.

Hang out.

Beautiful.

And you'll let me know if I need

anything.

Oh no, you are no, you're flawless right

now.

I mean, I know you guys have been

kind of kissing a little so that's going

to that's kind of going to maybe before

we go to the next spot but right

now it's just going to kind of be

like a beauty shot.

Just the wind's going to be going we're

just going to get a nice so just

relax a smile because we have this like

like lots of wind going on I kind

of just want you to well one feel

beautiful behind the camera I'm behind the camera

not thinking oh what is she doing why

is she doing that I'm behind the camera

thinking I want you just to like let

go right now and get a beautiful shot

that Taylor will put on his desk keep

on his phone just like a nice beautiful

portrait the sun is behind you we have

this nice beautiful wind coming around if the

hair whips across your face I'm going to

let it roll with it until I stop

it and we pat it back down but

right now it's fine so I like the

way your hands are here okay in a

couple in a couple seconds in a couple

minutes whatever you want you can cross them

yes beautiful and then once you cross them

you can hold a bit of the hair

oh yes that I love that and then

as you do it you commit you hold

it here then bring it on down because

we're working the ring finger beautiful and then

just kind of hold the edges and then

you're going to kind of tilt your head

a little bit this way and then bring

the chin to me yeah I'm going to

be talking you through all of this there's

not going to be a right or wrong

so cool so I'm standing on a rock

that is off off kilter so so we're

going to try to do the best we

can given what we're given there we go

beautiful relax the smile can you look down

at your hands take a deep breath oh

then just bring your bring your eyes to

me thank you this is it beautiful eyes

down at your hands again eyes here yes

ah good oh that face is good oh

no I'm so used to smiling of course

so weird of course but when's the last

time you really had like a professional photo

session exactly so now that we have that

nice solid look that I absolutely love now

we're going to be moving the hands this

time beautiful eyes here adjust the hair with

your hand beautiful now this time as you

adjust your hair there was a slight change

in light the sun the clouds came in

front of the sun but I think so

far we're still okay beautiful yes now look

down beautiful eyes here well now let's yeah

good yeah yes yes yes yes and then

can you just bring down the back yeah

bring all bring all your hair yeah that's

beautiful that's beautiful that's beautiful relax and smile

beautiful eyes down good this light right now

is so stinking beautiful now I'm going to

shoot this vertical eyes here can you get

the back of your hair and just come

back this way just beautiful yes yes hang

out one second my focal point is on

the eye closest to me good eyes down

take a deep breath good eyes here good

yes so JD took Samantha and Taylor off

to a different location real quick just to

give me a few seconds to bring us

up to speed with what's happening so far

so I started this session I'm going to

be completely honest I had a complete freak

out moment of this is too bright this

is too windy I think that the odds

are stacked against me but so far so

good I'm taking the very limited space that

I have and trying to make it work

but more than anything what I feel like

I'm trying to do is make them really

comfortable and give them the confidence that I

think they need to really shine we just

came off the session of watching Samantha really

bloom in front of the camera I absolutely

love the portrait that I got of her

and I think it will look fantastic in

black and white now my goal for this

next part of the session is to focus

a little bit more on Taylor we'll do

a couple more movement shots with them but

up to date so far on our shooting

map our shooting map has just been the

trail back down to this area that's point

one now we're going to head out a

little bit more towards point two which is

by the ocean so that's kind of where

we're going to head right now we'll do

Taylor we're going to do an alpha change

we're going to be by the beach and

that will kind of work us through the

second part of our photo map so let's

go let's just try this first I kind

of like it kind of going up so

you can scoot as far back as close

however you yeah yeah that's nice so I

love the way that your hands are crossed

right now and then in a few seconds

I might have you just open them so

that they dip down in between your legs

just no still with the hands on the

knees but instead of so like that kind

of just exactly but first here second here

and then just have you like look out

so we're thinking of like kind of sitting

court side but extra pensive because you're at

the beach but don't worry I'll make it

look cool you gotta trust me on this

okay I'm at a no I'm going to

have you rotate yeah right now I'm just

going to test the light exactly and then

if I want you to look at me

I'll let you know but right now we're

just going to chill I'm going to test

the light so right now I'm overexposed and

it's still really the sun is really high

in the sky so it's going to be

competing behind Taylor's head what I want to

do now is just kind of compensate for

the light I'll be using my hand as

a lens hood yeah this light is now

fantastic I'm at 2.0 2000th of a

second 125 ISO nice so kind of like

a slight smile nice can you look out

towards towards the cliff yep there we go

so because the sun is behind him it's

getting a little harder to focus but now

once I lock in great can you release

your hands but then less kink in the

there we go but just kind of there

we go there we go now I like

the way that your right hand is placed

on your with your left hand can you

maybe put it up on your arm or

your knee what's more yeah that's good that's

good this is nice can you look here

at me chin down a tiny bit nice

yeah okay so now by me shifting this

way I'm not gonna have to use my

lens hood so much or my lens hood

my wannabe lens hood switch my settings to

1600th of a second it's slightly a bit

darker look out towards the ocean yeah nice

nice this is it this is the one

I like I can already tell eyes here

slight smile nice thank you fantastic I'm gonna

come back to this spot because I really

like what's going on with it but I'm

going to bring Taylor and Sam into this

little nearby area it's called Portuguese Bend Nursery

School but it looks like it's been abandoned

so we're just gonna kind of take a

walk and see what's in there I'm going

to place my subjects in an illuminated area

and then the things around them are going

to be underexposed but I'm going to try

to do it in such a way that

it conveys like a candid voyeuristic kind of

appeal so let's see how this works Sam

can you back up and then all the

way put your back and then Taylor you

come in come in to Sam let me

see if I like that better okay let's

I like point one first so this is

what just happened is that Taylor his body

in the middle was bisected in such a

way because I have his leg up to

level up their heights a bit he just

looked like he was stuck in the middle

now that I have him resting and he's

relaxed I'm going to bring Samantha into that

frame and we're just not going to have

them pay any attention to us whatsoever I

really want this to be a candid moment

I'm going to check my settings I'm going

to keep him like this I'm at 2

.0 1600th of a second and 125 ISO

again I'm trying to build a frame within

a frame so now what I want you

guys to do is bring your bodies in

nice and close yeah yes now Sam I

like where your legs are there and then

after a while I want you to put

your hands around his neck a little bit

further back yes that and then you're going

to bring that in so that's point two

perfect so when you start off now the

light did change I'm going to do a

test shot one more time because the sun

is coming in and I have to compensate

I'm going to go down to a thousandth

of a second that's from 1600 down to

a thousandth beautiful friends this is so beautiful

I'm letting for a few shots I'm letting

the sun come in I'm going to step

in crop the sun out I'm going to

see what it's going to do later on

in post beautiful and let's see let's bring

your faces back so I can get both

your profiles now we're yes and Sam I

like working you go to pose two hands

around the neck beautiful bring him in for

a light yes whoo friends we're looking fierce

I'm going to step in a little bit

closer I'm going to do a test shot

let me see where my light is I'm

going to keep my light there now Sam

I'm actually going to drop it to 800th

of a second relax that arm yes and

then bring the elbow just slightly rest your

elbow on the lip of his arm yeah

right about there beautiful whoo good beautiful oh

I'm just so dang happy right now I'm

so dang happy okay great this is actually

a perfect spot for you guys to change

so what's going on right now is Samantha

and Taylor brought a few outfits and so

they're asking depending now that we did the

switchbacks down the hill and we're going to

be actually headed down to the beach and

they said what outfit would probably work best

in that scenario I'm going to be partial

and think just due to the light and

that it's an engagement session we have two

options or a couple options for dresses but

because it's so windy I'm going to stay

away from the shorter of the two and

kind of err on the side of maybe

going for one now because we already have

a fitted dress oh sorry I kind of

like these two are very similar but this

is cute I like the cut out from

the back yeah this is really cute let's

do this one okay yeah let's do that

one we'll keep these really casual I know

that you have a pair of flats you

can go barefoot or flats because we're going

to be walking down the beach whatever you

feel most comfortable in I'm going to stick

away from the white shirt since we're wearing

the white dress because then it would just

be too matchy match maybe go with the

black shirt if that's okay yeah great awesome

thanks guys yeah so Taylor I actually want

you to sit the way that I had

you yeah nice and then Sam I'm going

to have you right about there beautiful and

I want you to interlock your right arm

see that's beautiful now because you're so petite

I don't want you on the decline I

want you even higher yes and so due

to my angle you just make sure that

your knees are kept closed yeah and you're

fine though right now it's beautiful and it's

fine so you're going to interlock your arm

around yeah beautiful bring the hair out a

little bit from behind his arm yep there

we go beautiful oh this light I'm going

to shoot this at a 2.8 I'm

at 125 ISO I'm going to go up

to 160 ISO so I'm going to do

a test shot real quick I see that

there's a trash can in the background so

I'm going to reposition my body to crop

that out now so I don't have to

deal with it in post I'm going to

do a test shot you take your time

Sam take your time this is beautiful this

is absolutely stunning so they're laughing this is

great this is great that's cute actually can

you guys go back to looking at each

other and Taylor you fixing her hair was

adorable so you guys just own that that's

cute good now Taylor can you put your

hand underneath her chin and guide her in

for a light kiss good people this is

it good hang out there for one second

beautiful beautiful okay

so I'm going to switch my settings I'm

at a 1.2 1600th of a second

160 ISO beautiful Sam you just relax a

smile beautiful eyes down and then Taylor can

you look out towards the ocean or actually

look at my finger chin down a tiny

bit good slight smile Sam eyes here Sam

yes okay let's get down to the beach

so what I want to do is because

we're going down an incline let's see Taylor

I'm going to have you like maybe two

steps ahead because that'll even out your height

and you're going to be like it's more

of like a chivalrous shot like you're making

sure that Sam is coming down nice very

light okay good good good good good so

I'm going to position Taylor so Taylor you

go down I'm going to shoot this at

a 2.5 the focus will be on

Taylor because Samantha's back will be to me

I'm shooting this at 1000th of a second

2.5 160 ISO great okay so I'm

ready for you and then you guys are

going to slowly start walking down so start

walking yes so start walk yes yes yes

you pull her look back at her nice

good good beautiful now let's see Sam lean

back a little both hands yeah beautiful good

hang out there Taylor can I have your

thumb in your pocket yeah just like that

just like that so what I did is

I put them on steps to roughly put

them at the same height I'm shooting at

800th of a second 160 ISO 2.5

beautiful now what I want you to do

is Taylor can you come into Sam come

into her nice nice nice nice yes oh

this is cute he's just kind of looking

at her laughing beautiful good Sam can you

look over at JD yeah good and then

Taylor you're looking at Sam that's cute guys

yes take your time good okay let's walk

yes the light is changing and this is

so beautiful but I'm afraid I'm going to

lose too much of it so I want

to be extra extra extra careful about what's

happening and I know that she's getting cold

and I don't want this experience to be

ruined because of the weather so I need

to work as quickly as possible rad so

you guys just stay there for a sec

ah this is so darn pretty I'm going

to shoot back flip which ah yes okay

let's do yes yes down the rock you're

so brilliant turn towards each other get up

on your tippy toes yes let's lean down

into her Taylor yes kiss her forehead Taylor

Taylor can you yes thank you beautiful good

now for this photo ah Taylor I want

you to wrap your arms yes actually just

stay there that's really pretty just relax bring

that hair bring all the hair to one

side yes okay so the sun is coming

out so I'm going to have to fight

that I'm going to switch my ah settings

as she's fixing her hair I'm going to

get a test shot okay I'm at 1250

in a second 2.5 160 ISO so

I'm getting a lot a lot a lot

of haze which is not my friend right

now but I'm going to try to find

a focal point that's going to lock and

you guys take your time beautiful actually Sam

you just let your hair go it's fine

it's beautiful yes eyes out come in yes

there there we go there we go hang

out one second the sun is behind you

so it's making a little bit difficult so

it's nothing with you it's just how long

it's going to take my camera to focus

I'm at one thousandth of a second I'm

going to use Taylor's body to block the

sun which now I feel like I'm beautiful

there we go good now what I want

you to do is if possible I'm going

to see if it's going to work is

Taylor can you bring your legs or your

ankles a little closer together and then Sam

I want your hands around his neck and

then Taylor I want you to wrap your

arms around her and pick her pick her

up a little but don't pull her all

the way like this you just kind of

pick her up so that she's elevated a

tiny bit and then just be conscious of

your legs don't lock the knees kind of

flick your legs ever so slightly not like

half bent yes yes yes so hang out

one sec I'm going to get my settings

right okay I love this light right now

this is beautiful I'm ready good that's good

let's try that one more time and this

time he'll lift you up and then you

kind of flick your legs let's try that

let's try that good good now

this time get on the rock now Sam

I actually like that better you leaning back

we get all your hair and then Taylor

Taylor you come in to her so this

time can you guys bring your foreheads together

oh yes there we go forget the leg

flip it just didn't work beautiful oh hang

on one sec whoa the sun came out

I should have been at 1600 that was

actually at 1000th of a second no bueno

that was so pretty hang out there hang

out there Sam, can you get the little

hair that's in your face, right here?

Good.

There we go.

Now we're in the fire.

Sam, can you look in front of you?

Yes, there we go.

Okay, the light changed again.

I'm going to have to compensate tremendously.

I'm going down to a thousandth now.

Beautiful.

So now what I'm going to do, I'll

have you guys take a couple steps towards

me.

So when you guys walk, careful for your

hands not to come up.

They're just going to be nice and...

There we go.

And then Sam, you take all the time

you need.

Looking at each other.

Beautiful.

Taylor, I'm going to have you sit as

comfortable as possible.

And then Sam, you'll be right here.

So take your time, take your time.

So this is what's going on right now.

The sun keeps on coming in and out

and in and out, which is beautiful, but

I really want a cloud to come over

it because I don't have to fight so

hard for my focal point.

I feel like my camera's trying to bite

at the focus and we're going to see

what transpires right now.

Taylor, can I have you put your hand

on your right knee?

Taylor?

Yes.

And then Sam, you put your hand...

No, no, no.

No, no, no, no.

Yeah, I got that.

I got that.

I got that.

And then just relax your hand.

There we go.

Nice.

And then, yes, you guys are just looking

at each other.

Okay, now the light is exactly where I

want it.

This is exactly what I want.

I'm at 2.5, 1,000th of a

second, 160 ISO.

They're not looking at me.

They're close to the same plane of focus.

I can shoot it at 2.5 so

I can get this nice beautiful bokeh and

light behind them.

Now what I'm going to do is I'm

going to shoot at 1.2, getting reactions

from her, and then I'm going to flip

it and get reactions from him, which makes

a great story in a slideshow.

Beautiful, yes, good.

Do that one more time.

Bring the hair from this side of your...

Wrap it around.

Yes, yes.

There we go.

Good.

Good.

I'm going to flip.

Cool.

Now I'm going to get Taylor talking and

chatting with Samia.

I'm cropping you out from the waist up

so you don't have to worry about that

right now.

And so, let's see.

Taylor, you're talking to Sam.

Sam, you're talking to Taylor.

There you go.

There we go.

I'm at 2.5 hundredth of a second.

I just need one shot of him looking

at her, kind of laughing, smiling.

There we go.

They were there.

Almost.

Come on.

Sam, can you whisper something to Taylor in

his right ear?

Good.

You guys can feel away from each other?

Yes.

There it is.

Word, word.

Let's do this, friends.

Let's head out.

Actually, I'm going to just do one shot

of you guys looking out, looking out, standing

here looking out into the ocean.

I'm going to shoot it from up there.

I'm at 4.0. I'm at 2,200.

Hold on a second.

Let me get my settings.

Okay.

I'm at 4.0 five hundredth of a

second, 200 ISO.

I am getting a tiny bit of the

staircase in the lower right-hand corner.

I've dropped down to four hundredth of a

second, and I'm okay with that.

Can you guys just hold your hands?

Center.

Yes.

Beautiful.

Looking at each other.

And then lean down for a kiss, Taylor.

Lean down.

Yes.

Oh, that's great, guys.

That's fantastic.

That's fantastic.

Okay, let's head up.

So, sunset was slated for 7.30, which

we're not going to really get because the

clouds came in, but I'm thinking if you

guys are okay, maybe changing into one less

outfit and shooting up top with some nice

flat shrubbery, and then we'll get views of

you guys up top, coming down.

Sure.

There's maybe like 10 minutes left up there.

Yeah, that's perfect.

But so far, you guys, we could have

ended this session like 30 minutes ago.

We would have been good.

So, this is fantastic.

So, we just ended part two of our

shooting map, which is down on the beach.

We had some great light, but what I

noticed as I was shooting was that the

clouds and the fog are coming in really

quickly, so we're not going to get a

true sunset.

Sunset today is slated for 7.30. It's

now about 6.45, which means I won't

be able to take the shoot as far

as I wanted.

So, as a way to manage my clients'

expectations, I told them, hey, we're going to

end at sunset.

Sunset should be around 7.25. I now

know I cannot possibly end at 7.25

because it'll be far too dark.

So, as a way to kind of manage

their expectations and exceed what they're expecting, I

said, since you brought a third outfit, why

don't you guys change into the third outfit

and then we'll end up on the field.

So, in case we don't make it to

7.30, which we probably won't because of

sunset, at least they'll have a third outfit

and feel really great about having enough diversity

in their portfolio so they won't feel like

they were chinced or cheated as a result

of just what the weather is.

So, we're headed up and we'll see you

guys up there.

I'm going to shoot a little bit wide,

so you guys will be small within the

frame.

We're going to kind of just set the

scene.

So, we'll have you guys walking this way.

I'll be talking you through what that looks

like.

And then I'm going to put you guys

here in this small field and then I'll

shoot you against a tree and then we

end it.

Okay.

There's vision.

There's vision here.

Okay.

So, Taylor, I'm going to get you closest

to the railing and so Sam, you'll be

on the inside of it.

Good.

And so, yes, Taylor, both hands in your

pockets.

You guys are going to be walking alongside

the gate.

Now, I do know there's a sign in

the background right now and I'm just going

to wait for that to roll out.

Nice.

Yeah, we're going to get you.

Let's get you guys on the side of

the tree.

So, these shots are basically just going to

be to set the scene, tell a story

as part of the slideshow.

Taylor, can you look at Sam?

Sam, can you look towards the sun?

Beautiful.

Sam, can you look back at that?

Yes, there we go.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Good.

So, now what I'm going to have you

guys do, if possible, I'm just, I know

we're not supposed to climb the fence, but

if you guys can do it safely.

I just think if I get you on

this side of the fence, I can get

you right here and get all of the

ocean behind you guys, which I think would

be something to fight for.

Okay, but I don't want you, you're so

petite, I want you being extra careful.

Let's get Taylor on the other side first

and then...

Okay.

Okay, nice.

Okay, I'm going to get you guys right

over there.

Careful for the cactus, though.

Like, that's the scariest part.

And right there would be great.

I don't want you going any further.

Good.

Now, Taylor, can you get on, let's see,

Sam, scoot over to the left a tiny

bit.

And then, Taylor, you get on that side.

The sun just came out.

So, Taylor, turn your chest towards Sam.

Yeah, there we go.

So, because the sun came out, I want

to make sure that the sun is at

behind them.

And then, Taylor will be blocking the sun

from Sam.

Taylor, can you turn your right shoulder in

towards Sam a little more?

There we go.

There we go.

So, I got more of like an aerial

kind of perspective standing up on the gate.

And I'm going to pull back to get

a little bit of a wider perspective.

The problem is the gate will still be

in the way.

Can you guys look out towards the ocean?

Yes.

There we go.

Yes.

Okay, this is it.

I like it.

She's so tiny compared to him, but I

think it's working.

I'm going to, my settings are at 2

.8, 400th of a second, 200 ISO.

I'm going to switch my perspective.

I'm going to slip in through the gate.

There we go.

Okay.

I did.

I slid through the fence.

I wasn't as brave as you guys.

Now, Sam, can you have your chest in,

your back in Taylor's chest?

Yeah.

Beautiful.

And then get all the hair.

Yeah, Taylor, yes.

Yes, Taylor, yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

He is on hair, and he's so good

at it.

He's so good at it.

Good.

Sam, bring your right shoulder more towards me.

Yes.

And then put your hand, arm on the

inside.

There we go.

Yeah, there we go.

Beautiful.

Oh, this is really nice.

Bless you.

That's great.

I want to make sure and shoot through

those laughs.

These are great.

Okay, so now what I want you to

do is, Taylor, can you get the hair

that's up on top?

Just kind of pat it.

Yes, there we go.

Good.

So because there is such a height difference,

I would love, let's see, Taylor, can you

square your shoulders towards me?

There we go.

Beautiful.

Your arms are going to be around, and

then, Sam, can you just have your hands?

Yes, there we go.

So, here in this photo, I'm just going

to be using your body, Taylor, as a

frame for Sam.

Okay.

I'm going to shoot this at a 1

.4. I'm at 200 ISO, 35 millimeter, and

1 thousandth of a second.

Beautiful.

My focal point is on Sam, and actually,

I can't shoot this vertical.

I don't think I can shoot this horizontal,

because I was losing it.

Taylor, can you rest your head?

Open up your legs.

Careful for the, there we go.

Good.

We're going to let that hair whip around.

It's all good.

We're just going to let it go.

Look down before.

Relax that right shoulder.

Take a deep breath.

Shake it out.

Beautiful.

Eyes here.

Beautiful.

Now, I want you on the incline.

This is the last shot.

So, careful.

There is a cactus there.

So, you're on the incline.

You're going to turn towards Taylor.

Taylor, there's the cactus right behind you.

There we go.

Turn towards Taylor.

Thank you guys so much for doing this,

and this is our last shot.

Put your hands underneath Taylor's chin, and then

guide him in.

Hang on.

There's a person walking.

Hang on one sec.

One.

Good.

Now, you're going to guide each other's faces

in for a nice light.

Yes.

There we go, friends.

There we go.

Now, we're still shooting at a 1.4

because, oh, this light.

Beautiful.

That again, and then relax that front shoulder.

Yes.

Atta girl.

Yes.

Woo!

We're done, friends.

So, two weeks before you guys see all

the photos, but I'm going to really try

to expedite it.

I want to show you guys as soon

as possible and get a sneak peek at

minimum a week from now.

If not sooner.

You guys, thank you.

Thank you so much.

So, we just ended the engagement session.

I could not be more happy with how

things fared.

I'm going to be honest, and for the

video crew and to my amazing husband who

joined the shoot, I extend my sincerest apologies

to y'all because I wasn't the happiest

camper.

I think I had a little bit or

a lot of an attitude, and I could

say that now, but I think that the

stress that I was carmentalizing was the fact

that I felt like I was up a

creek without a paddle, and I think it

kind of goes to show that even if

the clients, there was about a 13 to

14 inch height difference, even when it's so

bright, and there's not any open shade, and

even if you really don't know exactly where

you're going or how you're going to get

there, at the end of the day, if

you set up a photo map, if you

approach a shoot with confidence, and if you

try in every situation to find some sort

of positivity, it does end up working out.

I think just kind of changing and recalibrating

where you're going with the intention.

With the intention of saying, I'm shooting up

in the field, I'm shooting down at the

beach, and I'm shooting through the switchbacks as

we go down, that's going to make the

biggest difference.

So having said that, the takeaways would be

stay positive, stay focused, have an intentional plan,

and be definitely open to how things might

re-navigate and then get recalibrated as you

go through the session.

I'm so excited for today.

I look forward to kind of delving into

the befores and afters as we get into

post-processing and what the shoot looked like

in its entirety, and I'm excited to share

the gallery soon.

Thanks guys so much for joining us.

Have a great day.

I am absolutely smitten with this couple.

Samantha and Taylor were so incredibly nice, and

they were so incredibly kind.

And even though it was very cold, and

even though it was very windy, they made

the best of it.

And because they made the best of it,

they absolutely loved their photos.

In a future lesson, I'm going to show

you how I cull the images from the

shoot.

I'm also going to show you how I

edit the images from the shoot and the

things that I use to make the photos

look the way that I want them.

And also, I will be talking about how

I use these images as marketing resources.

Yes, for my business, and yes, to make

my clients happy.

But what I want to do is, I

want to empower the creative team in advance

and give them another reason to support and

get behind this wedding.

Now, on that note, I want to share

an email that Taylor had sent after they

had seen the images from the engagement session.

As a photographer, it's easy to feel a

little worried about what their response will be.

Well, when I had released this slideshow to

my clients, I got a phone call from

Samantha, and she was in tears, and she

said, thank you.

Thank you for showing how I love Taylor

in a way that other people can see.

Which was moving, and it was lovely.

But then Taylor, being just Taylor, the wonderful

guy that he is, emailed.

He said, Jasmine, this is Taylor.

We just wanted to send you a quick

thank you note, thanking you again for your

absolutely incredible work.

The fact that you got this done this

quickly is simply amazing, and Sam and I

feel absolutely like the luckiest couple on Earth

to get to work with you.

With that said, these photos are out of

this world perfect.

I don't know how to express to you

in words how happy these make Sam and

I.

It literally brought tears to our eyes when

we had the chance to go through them

together.

We are so excited to share these with

friends and family, and we'll surely look into

purchasing some prints from the gallery.

We can't wait to work with you again.

Seeing how happy you made Sam with this

shoot is one of the best things I've

experienced so far during this journey.

So thank you from the bottom of my

heart for providing that for us.

The pictures are beautiful.

You were an absolute delight to work with,

and we couldn't be luckier to have you

as our wedding photographer.

Lastly, Sam and I feel it is only

right to extend an invitation to you and

your husband to our welcome event the evening

before the wedding.

It will be at the Blank in Sonoma

from 6 to 8 p.m., with light

snacks and drinks provided.

We would love for you just to come

as you are, get to know everyone, and

enjoy yourselves.

I'm sure we'll talk soon, but once again,

thank you for all your hard work and

providing us memories that will last a lifetime,

Taylor and Sam.

I don't know why I get a little

choked up.

I feel like it brings so much satisfaction

and gratification to actually reach to people, show

their love.

But what I think I get a little

bit moved by is that Sam and Taylor,

they share a simple love.

And the fact that they are inviting J

.D. and I into that, the fact that

the knot is covering this wedding, and otherwise

they would not be able to afford to

get married.

So the fact that they're having a small,

intimate welcome dinner with their closest friends and

family, and they invite my husband and I

to join them without any preconceived notions of

us shooting, means so much to me.

It means that they value me as a

person as much as they value me as

their photographer.

And I hope the same for every photographer.

We have prepared to get us to this

point.

We have set our expectations.

We have outlined what we wanted, and then

we deliver on that.

And because we do it so articulately, our

clients feel loved and they feel supported.

And I want the same for you.

On that note, totally had a girl moment.

Get to our homework.

I'm going to do this in a manly

voice as much as possible.

What I want you to do at your

next photo shoot, I want you to arrive

at least 30 minutes early and create a

photo map.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and completely, like

life is against you when it comes to

light and weather and maybe location.

But what I want you to do is

I want you to assess the location.

I want you to establish where you're going

to start the session, where you're going to

pause the session so that your clients will

have the opportunity to change if that's something

they want to do.

And then I want you to also know

where you're going to end the session.

Because if you could tell your clients and

keep them up to date, it lets them

know that you are prepared and then they

trust you.

Lastly, I want to remind you, if you

fail to plan, you plan to fail.

What I want you to do is I

want you to know where you're going.

And once you know where you're going, I

want you to create a mind map of

how you're going to get there.

It will make you feel more confident and

assure that you can deliver on the end

product.

Thank you guys so much.