Original subtitles

Awesome.

So the section we're getting into right now

is addressing the best lenses to shoot a

wedding.

Now, a side note.

They're best for me, right?

Like, I don't want anybody to walk away

thinking, like, either, oh, I need that lens,

because you don't if it's not applicable to

your shooting style.

Or you might walk away being like, she's

totally missing this lens.

That's true, but I have found what's worked

for me by a series of trial and

error.

But before we get into what I think

are the best weddings to shoot a wedding,

I want to first show what is in

my bag.

So I'm going to start off by just

kind of outlining how it works for myself

and JD.

We carry our gear in a think tank

airport bag.

That is how it's listed on the website,

because this is sizable enough to be checked

in above, and that's very important.

We do not ever check any of our

bags.

We do not check our clothing bags or

our gear bags when we're traveling for a

wedding, because if we lost either one of

those two things, we're completely off our game,

and it will affect how we work.

So on a wedding day, if we're just

working locally, this is the bag that carries

the majority of our gear.

And then we have satellite bags.

So this is the Brixton bag by Ona,

O-N-A.

And I absolutely love how these work for

us.

Now, they are on the pricier end, but

they're on the pricier end because they are

made of genuine leather, and they last forever.

Now, it looks like a side bag, which

is what I find appealing, because we do

a lot of personal travel and a lot

of business travel.

I stay away from camera bags that look

like camera bags, because they're kind of like

blurring advertisements to steal thousands of dollars worth

of gear.

Now, JD uses the Brixton bag, and I

use the Brooklyn bag.

I love both those bags.

I will take this bag on an engagement

session, because I just love the look and

feel of it.

But on a wedding day, I have found

that it's a little too big for me.

The Brooklyn bag is smaller.

But I'll walk through what the gear that

I use.

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III.

Excuse me.

This camera has changed the way that I

approach weddings.

I first started shooting with a Canon 20D,

which is what is referred to as a

prosumer lens, a prosumer camera.

So it's a slightly professional camera for a

consumer.

I then, after that, upgraded to the 5D,

and it changed my life, because I went

from a crop sensor to a full sensor

on the 5D.

And it was fantastic, and the color files

were different.

I stayed with the 5D through the transitions.

I got the 5D Mark II, even though

the color files kind of were a little

bit tweaked.

But it had video capability and higher ISO

capabilities, which I really loved.

The 5D was like the perfect unicorn child,

because the focusing system increased.

It went to a 64-point focusing system,

which was fantastic.

In my early days with CreativeLive, people would

always ask, why are you dipping your camera?

Why are you dipping your camera?

And I didn't understand what I was doing

until I had seen a few-second clip.

And I realized that I was finding the

focal point closest to my subject, and then

shifting and recomposing.

And I was shifting and recomposing in between

every single frame.

And so with this, to find one of

64 points really makes it so much easier.

And I find that my photos are a

lot more in focus as a result.

So I shoot.

This is how I keep all my cards.

And I keep it in my bag.

Now, how we indicate that a card is

fresh, we have it facing up, fresh meaning

that it has been reformatted and has been

backed up on another source.

When we are done shooting with it, or

it is to indicate that it should not

be touched for the rest of the day,

it is flipped upside down and placed face

out, so that we know if I'm working

with an assistant or if JD picks up,

he knows where I am at any given

point in the day.

Although he should never be touching this, because

he has a whole set of his own.

But just in any given case, if I'm

like, hey, can you grab me a card,

he knows what I am referring to.

Now, this is a Lowepro bag.

I've gone through different bags where there's Velcro

along the side.

I have done where all the cards, all

the clean cards are in one pocket and

all the used cards are in another.

I just felt that for some reason, this

worked for me a lot better over the

years.

So we're gonna go to my most favorite

lens and the lens that I use the

absolute most, because for my style, it is

the most diverse.

It is the Canon 50 millimeter 1.2.

I use this so often.

As you see in lessons of me doing

the shoots and as you will see, I'm

guessing highly on the wedding day with the

knot.

This is my go-to lens.

This is what I travel with.

This is what I use.

This is how I curate personal aspects of

my life.

I love it because of its versatility and

I can use it at every single time

of the day.

Every single time.

The 50 millimeter never leaves my bag because

I need it at some point or another.

The fact that it's a 1.2 gives

me a lot of option when it comes

to varying available light.

I can be in a dark room during

prep and I can just shoot at an

800 ISO and at a 1.2 and

produce images that I'm still really proud of

and that truly reflect my style without having

to use flash.

My second most used and favorite camera is

the Canon 35 1.4. This lens was

such a great lens and I didn't get

it up until later on in the game

because I had stylistically, earlier in my career,

had purchased other L series lenses thinking that

that was what I needed.

But truth be told, up until I think

this was three, four years ago that I

got this lens, this was the lens that

I needed.

Because of my style, I'm a lifestyle photographer,

I should be staying away from really wide

photos because I can't curate width to such

a large degree but I can curate depth

to a degree.

And when you use a lens like the

24, the 16 to 35, both lenses that

I own, I was getting far too much

in the frame to actually convey the fact

that I was a lifestyle photographer.

I use the 35 for couples portraits and

landscape pictures but the beauty of the 35

is that it's measured closely to what the

eye naturally sees from periphery to periphery.

So what you're looking at is what you're

going to get when shooting a full frame

camera.

Third most used lens would be the 85

1.2. This lens is so heavy but

it's beautiful and it works so well and

you get creamy, buttery skin tones.

When shooting a bride specifically at a distance,

there's something about the compression of this lens

that produces such a beautiful photo and you

can really see bokeh so magnified by using

this lens.

I understand that there are very few photographers

who like, not few, but there are fewer

photographers who like using this lens because it

does take a longer time to focus.

We're gonna get into the differences between the

85 1.8 and the 1.2, both

lenses that I used and loved.

But for some reason, that 1.2, the

creaminess of skin tones when you lock into

a bride's eye and there's light flickering off

a tree in the background, it's stunning.

So we're gonna move into other gear that

I use on a wedding day.

So the fourth lens that I use the

most would be the 70-200 IS 2

.8. Now, this lens is the lens that

every wedding photographer needs, not wants, you need

it.

Now, it's also expensive and I don't really

use this lens at any other point besides

the ceremony.

Because of this, if you're kind of figuring

out what lenses you need to buy and

when, I would heavily suggest that you rent

this lens for every wedding that you shoot

without the pressure of having to buy it.

But you need it because in shooting in

a dark church or shooting at a ceremony

and you have to shoot at a distance

by request from family members, by a priest,

by a church lady, this is the only

lens that's gonna get you close enough to

yield the type of results that you need

and you want.

There is a 70-200 without IS image

stability.

Image stability has been a life changer in

really dark situations.

It really is clutch.

Now, if you're more of a photojournalistic photographer,

this lens is amazing.

That's definitely what you want to use.

Now, this lens is the 100 millimeter macro

IS.

This is a great lens and I love

it.

I wish I used it more for different

parts of the day, but quite honestly, I

use it just to shoot the ring.

If the bodice of the dress has jewels

on it, I will shoot it then.

And maybe, just maybe, I might use it

during the reception if I feel like there's

a lot of dangling jewels that I need

to get detail shots of.

But this comes out of this bag maybe

once a day.

But I have invested in it because I

know that I could not get the ring

shots that I want without this lens.

So now what we're gonna move into is

what I call my lazy girl lens.

I love it, but I don't use it

as much as I did.

This was the very first lens that I

ever bought in my career.

And I say I, and I really mean

JD, because I didn't believe in myself enough,

so he bought me this lens.

And it was such a great lens to

learn from because you were able to see

width and depth.

It ranges from a 24 to 70.

It's a zoom lens, and I thought it

was great because I thought that photographers, if

you had a zoom lens, you were just

legit.

I mean, little did I know.

And so this was such a great lens

in that I was able to get diversity

without having to change lenses on my camera.

But I could not get the results that

I wanted without shooting prime.

The fact that it shoots widest at a

2.8, which is beautiful and which is

lovely, was wonderful, but it wasn't what I

was looking for stylistically.

I really like what you can shoot at

an F2, at an F1.2. Those types

of results are only yielded with wider apertures

that I couldn't get here.

I still use this lens often.

I might bring it out on a wedding

day, but it's more traditionally for family photos.

If I feel family photos are gonna range

really quick between four people and all of

a sudden we have 20, I don't wanna

keep on having to swap lenses, so this

is a great clutch lens for that.

Now what I wanna get into a little

quickly are these two lenses.

This is the 50 millimeter 1.4. This

is the 85 millimeter 1.8. These are

the lenses that I started with.

10 years later, they are still kicking.

10 years later, these are what J.D.

shoots with exclusively.

They're our wedding guests who have nicer cameras

and lenses, maybe not nicer cameras, nicer lenses

than J.D., and he doesn't care.

We had business discussions about, we can get

a write-off if you want a new

lens, and he said no.

He does not like shooting the 85 1

.2 because it focuses far too slowly for

him.

He is a slower, methodical photographer.

I am the spearhead.

My style is lifestyle, but J.D. within

the lifestyle spectrum shoots a lot more photojournalistic.

He does no posing.

He captures moments as they happen.

So you'll see him a lot more at

a distance with the 85, and because these

types of moments happen so quickly, he does

not like the gee, gee, that this camera

produces.

This right here is golden, and it's amazing,

and both of these lenses independent, or each

one is less than $400.

These are such great lenses to start with

if you're trying to build your portfolio and

starting off with prime lenses.

I love them, and you get the most

bang for your buck with them.

I have a backup camera that I take

to every engagement session and wedding, and it

stays in the bag, but before we shoot

a wedding, we are always syncing our cameras

to make sure that all the shooters who

are shooting have the same timestamp.

So all three, four of our cameras are

backed up at the same time before every

wedding.

Now, what we're gonna get into is this

lens.

This is the 16 to 35, and you

might be thinking, what is she doing with

that?

I will say that this was the third

lens that I got in my business, and

this is the third lens that I got

in my business because I saw my wedding

photographer use it, so I thought I needed

it.

16 millimeters is so long.

It's like a, wide, it's like a hair

away from like a fish eye lens.

I mean, it is wide, and what I

thought was really important, this lens is somewhere

in the ballpark of $1,200 or $1

,300, and I bent over backwards.

I saved and I saved and I saved

to get this lens, and then I used

it for maybe a couple weddings.

I can't let go of it for sentimental

reasons, although I did think that maybe after

this course, I haven't, about to stop by

JD, I thought that I would, because I

have not used it, I used it for

a few weddings 10 years ago, I thought

maybe I should auction it on eBay and

then donate all the money to charity because

I don't use it.

I don't use it, I think it should

be given to, not given, sold to the

highest bidder for a goodwill.

So this other winner wins, a charity wins,

and then it's not on my hands and

I don't feel guilty for not using it

as much.

Although, this would be so fantastic and really

wide, like if you wanna shoot all the

guests at once, if you wanna stand at

a distance and shoot down to the guests,

that works, but the problem with shooting at

like a six, like so wide at 16

millimeters, is that there's so much distortion along

the sides that if somebody is standing on

the end, you know, and they're this way,

it's like their booty got like five inches

deep, that's probably not the thing that you

want.

One last lens, I went a little bit

out of order, but this is the 24.

Now this was the first L-series wide

angle lens that I got because I thought

that it was something I needed, but in

true reality, what reflects more of my style

would be the 35.

But I still am so happy that I

shoot with the 24 because the 24 is

the lens that I use the most during

reception dancing with guests.

Because you're always in really tight areas, and

people like shooting with maybe the 50 or

the 35, you get maybe one, maybe two

people dancing in the frame, and dancing photos

aren't ever really all that complimentary of people,

right?

They're just not.

But shooting with the 24, you actually, it's

a storytelling lens.

You get more of who's dancing around them,

and then the picture becomes a story instead

of a very curated photo.

So this right here is what you will

see me day in, day out shoot with

during reception dancing.

Now let's move into light.

So this is a newer addition to my

bag.

This is the 600EX-RT.

This is the newest Canon flash.

I was shooting with multiple different types of

us, always Canon before, but this flash is

worth it.

I think that when it comes to gear,

truly lighting gear, you get what you pay

for.

This lens, you can easily get a 400

series flash, and it does not perform the

way that this does, and because we do

this professionally, and I always shoot in dark

receptions, this has paid off in gold.

So how I usually shoot is I will

bring up this, I will tuck the clear

part back, I will flip up my white

card, and now I have a bounce card.

And this is how I shoot all the

time.

I might, in difficult situations, or without something

to bounce above me, I might tip it

forward ever so slightly, but this is definitely

where it's staying.

Now, some people might wonder, well how is

she getting the light that she does, and

we're gonna get into that in a second,

and it comes in two ways.

I feel like I'm on QVC.

Okay, great.

So for those who are interested, here is

the 580EX-II.

This is what JD's flash will be.

Same white card that flips up, and that's

what he shoots with.

Now, before I show this one, tuck this

one away, I wanna show what our lighting

looks like in pinch situations.

These are dot line LED lights that videographers

normally use.

You can change the color balance and the

strength behind them.

These are about, if my memory serves me

correct, about $119 a piece, but they are

worth their weight in gold.

We will get into really dark situations, and

a client may or may not have, okay,

so when I first started shooting, I didn't

have the luxury of clients lighting up their

receptions.

Now, the bigger the budget gets, the more

type of lighting that they can afford.

They might pay for, first and foremost, lighting

on the dance floor, which is helpful, but

what's helpful from an ambient perspective is a

client can pay for up lighting along the

wall.

Even better is if they have what we

call up lighting, and then they have pin

lighting.

Up lighting is against the wall, putting up,

illuminating the walls to create a sensation of

depth, and pin lighting is pointing down at

certain aspects of the room, say, like centerpieces

that should be noted.

It really makes the biggest difference.

However, I have shot a ton, and still,

to this day, shoot weddings that do not

have pin lighting and up lighting.

Most of the weddings now, you can get

really great up lighting options at an effective

price, so more brides are adding it, but

not everybody will add the pin lighting.

So, JD will hold a light as a

pin light about four feet from the table,

and then hold another light as a side

light.

So, we are illuminating about one table at

a time, but it actually looks like it's

professionally lit, and that's what I'll take, because

that's setting my work already apart from others.

And so, these are really helpful.

Also, in situations where we're at the reception,

and it's sometimes dark, and I'm in a

dark corner, I'll have JD hold the light

off to the side, or from behind them,

and then I will shoot them with my

flash.

And so, now we get a little bit

of rim light around their hair, so it

just doesn't look like that traditional poof picture.

That's a very big description, right?

Like, poof.

Okay, now let's get into, we'll get into

my off-camera lighting setup.

So, this is what we take to every

wedding anywhere in the world.

This is a very simple, standard tripod.

People have asked me what the tripod was,

but I bought it like eight years ago,

and it's almost 100% something generic.

It doesn't even have a label on it.

So, just know that you can get a

very simple, basic tripod.

This flash is I can't get it off,

oh, here it is.

This flash is a really old school, you

can't find these anymore, which is why I'm

not going to endorse them officially.

It's a SunPak Auto 383 Super.

I mean, you guys, this is just laughable.

But the beauty of this flash is that

at the time I bought it, it was

$100, and I can manually set the power

of the flash to 116.

I need a tiny bit of pop of

light, and I also need the batteries to

recycle quickly.

Shooting this at 116, it was firing every

time that I needed it.

So, this is a Westcott Rapidbox.

It's an Octo Mini.

I have shot with bigger.

I used to shoot with the Photoflex, and

it was about, I think, 20, 22 inches

in diameter.

It was pretty big, but what I realized

was I didn't need it to be diffused

in such a capacity.

In fact, in a pinch, I could just

shoot with this flash off in a corner

by a speaker, and we would be okay.

But I just like the soft appeal that

we get with the small diffuser.

And the beauty of this is that this

folds down to be really thin, and then

this breaks down to be really thin, and

we pack it at the bottom of our

suitcase.

Great.

So, what we're using now on that flash

is a Canon 580EX.

So, we're gonna set this manually to 116

power.

It'll be the same thing, and we're gonna

set it up on the dance floor.

And how does this get fired?

Well, this gets fired, and this is a

question that I get so often from photographers.

How do we fire the flash if the

flash is on my camera?

Okay.

So, usually, when you shoot with a pocket

wizard, which is what I have to fire

my flashes.

Now, I understand that there are gonna be

photographers who say, well, the 600EX-RT have

sensors that you could be chatting to your

other matchable flashes with.

Yes, I know, and I heard they work

great, but on a wedding, I need a

clear view between my, my sense, like, why

am I getting caught up?

My flashes need to be facing each other.

With this, it's a surefire thing.

And when my clients are paying me for

what I need, the trigger system works so

much better for me.

So, pocket wizards are great, but usually, they

are put on top of your camera.

But I needed a two light source.

So, I went into a photo shop in

Orange County called Sammy's, and I said, I

need a pocket wizard because I don't shoot

with a battery pack.

I think it's just more weight on my

hand that I don't need, and I'm okay

switching out a battery because it takes me

about two seconds.

So, I usually think of a battery pack.

It takes in the screw up in the

area, but because I don't have a battery

pack, I have the screw available.

I walked in, I said, I shoot with

a flash.

I need to mount something to the bottom.

So, this little genius of a guy went,

and they sold pieces to cameras, and I

don't know what he did.

He just walked behind, and he picked out

four different pieces.

Okay, this right here is what he made.

I don't know what these pieces are called.

I have no idea.

I actually told JD that we could probably

try to replicate it and then sell it

to photographers, but it was a joke, and

I wouldn't do that.

I don't know exactly what he did, but

he was a genius.

So, what we do is we screw this

into the bottom of our camera, and these

always stay connected.

Here we go, now we're cooking a fire.

Okay, so then now it's plugged into the

bottom, and I simply plug it in to

here.

That's my setup.

So, every time I click, this fires here,

and then wherever I am in the room,

this right here, we just simply tie it

here.

We slip it in.

We like a slipknot right there.

The flash is here.

Wherever I am in the room, this off

-camera light setup does not move.

We want to make sure that the money

our clients have spent to decorate the room

isn't degraded by our lighting gear.

So, we put this next to a speaker.

The light is black, and in a dark

room next to a black speaker, it's not

very noticeable.

So, people ask if I move this around

for optimal light.

No, but I find ways to position myself

to actually leverage that light.

I love shooting with this behind any subjects

on the dance floor, but sometimes even if

they're side-lit, you can get a really

cool photo.

If I happen to be moving on the

dance floor, and I'm standing anywhere close to

where this thing is illuminating my subjects, I

turn off my camera light and just use

this.

So, during a first dance, we're gonna get

to that in a second, we're gonna get

to that in a second, but during a

first dance, I have become accustomed of shooting

with two light sources, one light source, one

or one or none if we're working with

a videographer, and I can shoot at like

1600 ISO at a 1.2 and produce

photos that I really like.

So, now what we're gonna do is we're

going to go through what it looks like

at each portion of the day.

So, now we're actually into the section of

what are the best lenses to use at

different portions of the day.

So, with preparation, JD is with the guys,

and I am with the girls.

JD's setup, when he shoots the guys, this

for wide, 24 to 70 for guys, the

50 1.4, the 85 1.2, and

we have 100 millimeter macro, but not the

IS, the original model, that's what he uses

for the guys, and he'll use that to

shoot like tie clips or cuff links.

Now, when I'm with the girls, the lenses

I carry with me are the 35 millimeter

1.4 to get wide shots as she's

preparing.

I get the 85 1.2. I will

use this as she's getting her makeup if

I stand in a corner.

I don't wanna be right next to the

makeup artist.

If I was shooting with the 35 or

the 50, I might be too much in

their space, but the 85 1.2, because

my subject is sitting, and she's usually sitting

in good light because makeup artists need good

light, I can shoot at a 1.2

and just blur out all of like the

messiness of the room behind her.

That's what I absolutely love.

I will shoot with the 50 millimeter 1

.2. This is the lens I primarily use

when she's getting dressed.

Again, it's about carefully positioning yourself to crop

out things that are undesirable elements in the

room.

Shooting with the 35 has a tendency of

getting a lot more of the unmade bed,

the shoes on the floor, things of that

nature, so I'm definitely sticking in that 50

to 85 range.

Lastly, the thing that comes with me is

the 100 millimeter macro IS.

I request that the bride has her wedding

rings, her band, her wedding ring, and his

ring there in the room when I arrive.

Because I will know, I'm being strategic about

the lenses that I'm carrying, is that I

wanna shoot the wedding ring at the beginning

of the day and then be done with

that.

So, I wanna move now to what I

use to shoot the ceremony.

The ceremony lenses that I take.

Now, I have mentioned in a previous lesson

that we arrive to the ceremony about 30

minutes in advance.

So, people often ask, well, where is this

bag and when are you carrying this bag?

During prep, when we arrive to the venue,

we unload our bag, I take the lenses

that I need, the 50, the 85, the

35, and the 100.

I put three lenses in my bag and

one in my camera.

JD will then take this bag and his

lenses to the groom suite.

He will leave the bag in a corner

of the room so that it's not in

anybody's way.

Then, when it's time to leave, he gets

this bag and his side bag and we

meet at the ceremony.

When we are at the ceremony, there are

usually some sort of amplification system by way

of a band or a DJ.

We do not wanna leave this bag exposed

in any way, shape, or form, so we

introduce ourselves to whoever is by the amplification

system because they're not gonna leave their amplification

system alone.

That system is more expensive than our camera

gear.

So, we're in good hands if we could

slip our bag underneath the table and that's

usually what happens because they don't have an

exposed table like this.

We usually have a tablecloth over it.

We slip our bag underneath and we're always

within viewing distance of where our bag is

at the time, but we just don't want

it out for people to actually see.

So, the lens that I'm usually shooting a

wide shot for the ceremony is not the

24, it's the 35.

I will use the 50 millimeter 1.2.

That is what I'll flip to at various

points of the ceremony, but the lens I

will use the most will be the 70

to 200.

That is what I shoot when the people

are walking down the aisle to me, unless

we have a really short aisle.

If we have a really short aisle, I

might flip to the 24 to 70, but

that's a decision that I make a day

of once I know how many guests are

going to be there.

JD is at the opposite end of the

aisle shooting with either the 70 to 200

or the 24 to 70 at that time.

Now, the reason why I wanna focus on

the 70 to 200 is I don't want

guests noticing me.

I don't wanna have to be walking in

and out.

Yes, I will.

I will walk down the middle aisle once,

and that's usually for the exchanging of rings,

but then I usually stay behind in the

wings or towards the back.

Now, we're gonna move into portraits.

Portraits are broken up into family portraits, bridal

party portraits, and bride and groom portraits.

Now, a family picture can range anywhere quickly

from 35 people to four people, so I

need to stay on my toes in that

regard.

When it comes to shooting the bride and

groom, I use the same three lenses that

I use on an engagement session.

I call these my three amigos.

This is what I use on the wedding

day for bride and groom.

This is what I use on an engagement

session.

50, 35, 85.

Now, I will shoot most, if possible, bridal

party portraits with a 35.

That's kind of just definitely where I go,

and if I need more width, I simply

walk back.

So instead of a zoom lens, I use

my legs as a result.

Now, the 24 millimeter, I do carry on

me in case the bridal party is just

so big and we're in an area that

I cannot walk back.

So in the back of my mind, because

I know Samantha and Taylor have 12 bridesmaids

and 12 groomsmen, I will absolutely keep the

24 because I don't know what lighting situations

or spatial conditions I will be working with.

The 50 millimeter, I will keep on hand

because I swap out my lenses.

If I want to shoot a family photo

and then I quickly wanna shoot the bride

and her mom, I'm not gonna shoot it

with the 35 because I think, for my

preference, it's a little too wide.

I'll simply swap out my lens and shoot

it with the 50.

Lastly, the 85 millimeter.

I am not using this so much for

portraits during this time, but JD is.

We have kind of, we have creafted, created

and crafted a system that he knows what

I'm gonna do when I'm gonna do it.

So I'm positioning the family, and JD's in

the wings shooting a side angle.

So just in case the bride's like, dad,

he's there waiting for it.

And oftentimes, what happens for my more like,

kind of like, creative clients, what they wanna

use instead of the traditional family portrait of

all of them on their Christmas card, what

they'll use is the side angle of them

just kind of like smiling.

They're looking at camera one, but the angle

is from camera two.

That's the one they prefer.

And actually, that's what editors really like the

most.

They won't post a traditional family portrait, but

they might post it from the side, especially

if everybody's kind of like leaning in and

laughing.

That one really works.

So he's using the 85 tremendously during that

point.

Now we're gonna go into reception.

This is the last part of the day.

Now, I will shoot with prime lenses because

I'm afforded that luxury of shooting wide open

in dark spaces, and it gives me so

much latitude.

I absolutely love it.

Now, you will see through my portfolio, now

for those who are downloading the course, you

are going to see a full gallery from

the Knot Wedding.

What the client gets outside of her prep

photos, the prep photos will be carefully curated

because I know that Samantha will be dressing.

Anything before or after her dressing will be

included in the gallery.

She will have her own separate gallery for

that.

So what you're going to see in the

gallery when you see it after the wedding,

you're going to see a mix.

You're gonna see ambient lit photos.

You will see flash.

You will see video light.

You will see off camera, depending on the

needs.

But because the wedding is during the day,

I may not have to use flash at

all.

So I'm just gonna kind of prepare you

for, well, actually, I'm quite certain.

Who am I kidding?

Like the reception's at one o'clock in

the afternoon.

If I'm using flash, like it's definitely not

my style whatsoever.

But I kind of want to let you

know if you happen to come across another,

I post a wedding day shot list online

through the store, and you can actually view

a gallery, a wedding gallery of mine also,

and it'll walk you through.

So you can see the variation of light

sources that I have.

During this time, I am shooting with the

35 1.4. I usually use this when

they're walking in for the grand entrance, because

I kind of want to set the tone

without it being too wide.

And sometimes with the 50 millimeter, I only

get to walk within one or two steps

before they've walked out of my frame.

The 35 gives me a range of four

to five steps.

The 50 millimeter, I keep this in my

bag in case there are guests who are

like, can you take a photo of us?

I could use the 35, but you know,

if I want a decent photo, I would

definitely defer to the 50.

The 85 millimeter is kept in my bag

because the 85 is what I use exclusively

for speeches.

The 85 1.2 is so amazing at

getting light in really dark situations, and because

my subjects are listening, and they're sitting, and

they're not moving much, once I dial in

that focus, it's really, really, really great.

I can leverage the ambient light so well

that I don't have to keep on firing,

poof, poof, poof, during these really emotional speeches.

So you'll see me also leverage that in

that capacity.

And like I mentioned before, I use the

24 for dancing photos.

That's kind of like my go-to lens.

The minute the dancing starts, all my gear

is put away with the exception of the

24 that's on my camera, and the 50

in case I need it at any other

point in time.

So we're gonna get into the last part

of this, which is just lenses, odds, and

ends.

These are a few things that I've gotten

asked over the years.

People ask if I shoot with two bodies,

and the answer is no.

I shoot with one body, and I swap

out my lenses rather quickly.

I think that for streamlining my workflow, shooting

with one camera has been so helpful for

me.

I do have a spare, and I keep

the spare nearby.

I keep the spare camera on engagement shoot

in my car.

But you'll see how I shoot, you'll see

me how I swap out my lenses rather

quickly on shoots during the pre-shoots.

And people wanna know why I don't shoot

with a strap.

It's a personal preference.

When I first started, everybody in my life,

not in yours, but when I would go

to Disneyland, everybody had a strap on their

camera, but they're nice cameras.

When I would go to a ballpark, everybody

had a strap on their camera.

And then when I started seeing fashion photographers

didn't have a strap on their camera, I

was like, I'm going strapless.

And it was just a personal decision.

People say, well, aren't you worried that you're

gonna drop it?

And I was like, I see photographers with

their straps dangling all the time.

And I'm like, well, aren't you afraid of

dropping it?

I mean, if you have a strap and

you use it, then fine, that's fantastic, but

it's not a necessity.

And I personally feel like I view my

cameras almost like a gun, right?

I wanna be in shooting, I wanna be

shooting ready.

I don't wanna rest around my neck and

then forget, oh, am I at a 2

.8?

I really should be at a 1.2.

I feel like my camera's now appendage.

I know where I am, where I can

dial in at all times, and I want

to be careful of how I'm using it.

Also is to bear in mind when you

do take a rather large set of gear

to get insurance for your gear.

I've heard so many awful stories of photographers

having their gear stolen at a wedding.

It is part and parcel of what we

do.

But get insurance and then hide the bag.

When we get to the reception, the DJ

or the band also has a sound booth.

We make sure that they're hydrated.

JD is so good at being, hey, how's

it going?

Great, awesome, my name's Judy, I'm the photographer.

Can I get you something to drink?

His lead-in is, can I get you

something to drink?

And you're just like, no, or hey, some

water.

JD will go get the water.

He's like, I'm the photographer.

Would you mind if I kept my bag

right here?

They always let us.

And then we know that somebody will be

by it 100% of the time.

We never leave our gear.

If the DJ is by a door, which

they're usually not, but if he happens to

be by a door, then we will put

our stuff underneath the cake table on the

opposite side of the room.

Because what we hear often is that photographers

who leave their stuff by doors, people who

aren't a part of the wedding but pass

by the room, they'll see a bag and

just snatch it because it looks like a

large bag at a wedding.

Having said that, on that happy note, are

there any questions in regards to view?

Yes, we'll pass the mic right back there.

Hi.

Hi.

Do you use ND filters or what type

of filters?

I think I see filters on all of

your lenses up there.

What do you use and why do you

use them and what brands do you use

and everything filter?

People give me a really hard time.

Like I buy a really nice lens and

then I put like a cheap UV filter.

This filter was like 40 bucks.

It's just to protect the lens.

But if you can believe it, I don't

have one on my 35 because I couldn't,

I found like it was, for some reason

I couldn't focus it the way that I

wanted.

And maybe it was just me being me

but I'm like, I'm taking this thing off.

But you'll see that all my other lenses,

with the exception, I don't have it in

the macro either because I felt like I

couldn't get the type of focusing that I

wanted.

Again, probably just me, but I don't bring

this lens out enough for me to feel

like I'm gonna risk dropping it.

I use B and W filters but I

don't have, I'm not gonna fight for how

great they are.

I know they're German made, so I'm sure

they're very efficient.

Other than that, that's it.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I know that you seem to prefer mostly

shooting available light.

Yes.

And you've obviously dealt with some challenging lighting

situations.

Have you turned to filters to deal with

that ever?

Like a variable density filter?

I have not.

I know, I think that for me, I

have streamlined my process in such a way

that I value simplicity and ease over trying

to navigate what I should be doing and

when.

So if I am in a difficult lighting

situation, say like bright light, which is gonna

be a great segue for a future lesson

because we're gonna talk about how I shoot

in bright light, I do not change any

filters, I do not rely on flash, reflectors,

fill light.

I really just try to find what I

call natural reflectors and show visually how that

really changes the dynamic of the photo.

I was just wondering, I know you don't

use flash a lot, but I know you

have.

In certain lighting circumstances, the ambient lighting can

be, the colors cause like really nasty color

casts.

How do you deal with that and tackle

that?

Because I find in low lighting circumstances, especially

when you bump up the ISO and you

have to work with the color cast, when

you edit them, even the colors end up

all funny and distorted.

Are you talking about a color cast from

uplighting or just color cast from like the

- From the ambient lighting.

If it's like, let's say fluorescent light, or

something like that, that just gives you really

green or orange tones?

I shoot auto white balance 100% of

the day because we have technology that really,

really, really helps us in that regard in

post.

So in Lightroom, all of that is addressed.

I can sit there and like try to

figure out what Kelvin I should be at,

but either way, it's going to be addressed

in post.

And I know that there are gonna be

other people who are a lot more concerned

about color cast and tonality.

I seem to attract a client who really

wants the idea and experience.

And so if the picture is pleasant enough,

now, if there are pink lights uplighting, it

has a tendency to cast pink skin tones

on my subjects.

But the minute that you get the dropper

in Lightroom and you find out what the

white is in that room, every skin seems

to look very close to skin in such

a way that I'm not worried.

Now, there are times where they have a

mix of lights.

There's a green light, and this is like

the most irksome.

The dance floor.

When you have a DJ or a light

company, they're like, this is what all the

clubs are doing.

And you're like, oh God.

And then there are times where I have

to say, if you look pink and the

whole picture is pink, and I have done

my best, that that is what you hired

that company to do.

I'm not gonna sit here and try to

get it down to a science because that

was what the room looked like.

The room was pink in that moment.

Now, 98% of the photos, 99%

of the photos all look like skin tones,

but then there's every so often where there's

dancing photos and you're like, I have done

my best, but this is how the room

looked.

And I've never had a client come back

and be like, why is there a blue

hint to my dress ever?

Cool.

Thank you.

And somebody else got a...

Yeah.

I was just gonna ask, how often do

you get your gear serviced and how often

do you buy new memory cards?

That is fantastic.

I am a Canon Protection Services, CPS member.

I'm very fortunate in that Canon is based.

They have a few facilities.

One of them happened to be in Orange

County.

So I get my gear serviced three to

four times a year.

I take them to clean my sensors because

it is local, but the CPS program is

so amazing in that I needed to get

my 50 kind of calibrated.

Like this little thing is dialed in all

the time.

I love it.

But about a month ago, I started noticing

something.

It's not talking to me the way that

it does.

And yes, white lenses talk to me.

I was like, it's not talking to me

this way.

So JD took it in and because I'm

a platinum member for CPS, anybody can pay

to be a platinum member.

There's silver, gold and platinum.

They gave JD a 50 millimeter before he

walked out and we were able to shoot

a destination wedding.

The reason why I pay extra for it

is I never want there to be a

blip in any of my services in regards

to our gear.

So they get sensors cleaned about four times

a year.

Service only as needed.

And what was the last question?

The other question was just about your memory

cards.

Like how often do you buy new ones

and like dispose of them?

I buy new memory cards about every year

and a half.

I used to shoot.

Now because these file sizes are getting so

large.

Now Canon released the 5DS recently and I've

seen a couple of photographers on social media

like get sneak peeks and I'm just like,

oh, that's amazing.

I hear it's more of a studio camera,

as opposed to what we do, which is

a lot of outdoor stuff.

So I don't feel too tempted, but I

used to shoot with four gig cards, right?

This is during like the 20D days.

And then I kind of stayed with four

because I was so worried about losing, you

know, how this is gonna affect things.

And then I upgraded to eight gig.

And now I'm shooting with 16 gig.

And part of the reason why I'm shooting

with 16 gigs is because the Canon 5D

Mark III has a CF card slot and

an SD.

So I'm shooting with an SD.

So worst case scenario, worst case.

And on the SD card, I'm shooting large

JPEG.

It's just a backup, just a backup.

So a majority of my images, and I've

never had a problem where I had to

use the SD card, but a worst case

scenario, let's say a card gets corrupted.

At least I have the large JPEG files

so that I can turn something over.

And then if the client wanted to get

it printed at a 24 by 36, we

would have the conversation then.

I wouldn't be like, I lost some pictures

and now they're no longer at a 16

by 24, 300 DPI.

They're actually like, no, let's see what you

wanna do with the images.

Let's kind of go through it.

But at least I know I will deliver

on my services front to end, front to

back.

Thank you.

We're gonna pass the mic back there.

So I know you mentioned you have the

off camera at 116th power.

Yes.

For the on camera during the reception, are

you TTL or manual?

And what's your go-to?

I am TTL.

I mean, I rock auto white balance and

TTL and I own it.

You know, I know that there are some

great, amazing flash photographers who will teach you

all the tips and tricks, but I have

found ways to, I know it's not a

technical term, but I heard like foof.

Like I foof my light quite often, which

is basically, this is not technical.

I'm gonna get questions about this.

I turn my camera, I turn my flash

back and I tilt it.

These walls wouldn't work, but that white wall

would.

But let's just say this wall is white.

If my off camera flash is here, or

it could be anywhere, but I'll just say

here, these people are gonna be side lit,

right?

And side lit or front lit, depending on

where I'm gonna shoot it.

Right now, let's see.

Okay, it's gonna light her here.

Now if I wanted to light somebody back

here, I would just turn my flash, tilt

it back towards this white wall, and now

I have a big white reflector.

We find ourselves doing this quite a bit.

And in reception areas that have white pillars,

and it's a tough lighting situation, I park

it, I park it by a pillar for

a while.

And I turn my flash back towards the

white pillar, use this light, and those pictures

end up being some of the ones that

are strongest from the set.

Cool, yeah.

Great, so I think that this is a

great, did you have a question?

Okay, you were just scratching?

Okay, good.

No, I wanna make sure.

This is a good place to end it

right about now.

If you guys have questions, I'd be more

than willing to ask them later, but I

always know that if you're anything like me,

the tech is important, and it's valuable, but

it's probably not our favorite thing.

And I know this rubs a lot of

specifically male photographers the wrong way.

There are, oh, I have seen dirty threads.

She doesn't know what she's talking about.

She doesn't know this.

And I was like, I am so busy

traveling, I can't even have time, I don't

have time to read what you're doing.

I know, mean, mean.

But on the real, the gear matters, but

the person holding the gear matters more.

Thank you guys so much, I appreciate it.