Original subtitles

All right guys, so here we are now,

we're at the Lake Louise Post Hotel, and

we've come down into this little room, this

dimly lit space, because on the one-

Banquet room.

Banquet room, right.

Small banquet room.

Yeah, a space where they sometimes have some

small receptions at weddings.

And it's unique because the one wall is

a floor-to-ceiling glass-covered wine rack.

And so there's a lot of reflection potential.

So we're gonna play around with that here

and show you guys kind of what we

can do with reflections and off-camera flash.

Okay, so we're gonna use this reflective wine

rack for a reflection shot with off-camera

flash.

And in playing around here and doing some

experimenting, we've discovered a few things.

Firstly, that the reflection in this glass is

not totally sharp.

Because what's happening is the front surface and

the back surface of the glass are both

reflecting.

So it's a little bit of a kind

of a double soft reflection.

Of course, it's glass, so we can see

crystal-sharp through the glass.

But what's reflecting is a little bit off

-sharp.

Plus, the only thing that's reflecting in the

glass are anything in this room that are

as bright as the wine bottles on the

other side of the glass.

Because there's pot lights lighting up the wine

bottles.

And so when I look into through the

glass here, the only things that reflect are

the highlights.

So the windows on this side of the

room right now are big, glaring highlights.

And I'm thinking, I'm hoping possibly, if I

go smaller with my couple and silhouette them

instead of lighting them, that maybe I can

get away with it not being super sharp.

So I'm gonna try that now.

And I've got a 16 to 35 millimeter

lens.

And what I've done is I've kind of

like scoped the space and I realized that

if I come down here, and what I'm

trying to do is basically figure out a

way to place our couple so that their

reflection is going to line up with an

area of the wine rack that's not gonna

be too distracting.

So sort of like in between these white

labels.

So there won't be anything kind of cutting

through their reflection.

And I realized that if I come down

here low, there's a dark area of the

room over in that corner, right down here,

right from here, that essentially reflects in this

space between these white labels.

The obvious thing to do here would be

to try to silhouette them on one of

these natural bright spots, right?

The windows.

And if we had sheer curtains on these

windows, that would be the obvious thing to

do because I could just have a nice

big bright spot to reflect and I could

silhouette them in front of that.

And I can see that obvious silhouette now

right here just with my hands reflected.

But unfortunately, there's no sheer curtains on that

glass.

So I can see all the plants and

the awning and all those distracting elements through

the glass.

So what I'm actually gonna choose to do

is eliminate those highlights from the reflection by

closing those blinds.

Closing those blinds, because that's also reflecting.

And then the only highlights that I'm gonna

have reflecting are these lights, okay, in the

room.

And whatever highlights I add with my flash.

So I'm gonna use a flash to create

my own bright spot.

Hopefully a nice clean bright spot in this

dark part of the reflection on which to

silhouette Michelle and Phil.

So Michelle and Phil, you guys are about

where I want you, but we're gonna move

into the penguin position.

So remember the penguin pose?

Face to face, arms around each other like

that and side profiles, okay?

So you're gonna be side profile to my

camera facing each other once I get it

all sorted.

And what I'm gonna try to do is

create a nice big bright spot behind them

on which to silhouette.

So I'm gonna bring a flash on a

light stand and I'm already choosing no grid

in this case because I realized that the

position of the flash where I'm gonna put

it is quite close to the wall.

So if I put a grid on the

flash, it's gonna funnel it too narrow.

So I'm gonna keep the grid off.

So I've got a nice big circular bright

spot, but I am gonna start with a

gel, a really warm gel because the ambient

light in here is so warm.

It's gonna hopefully balance nicely with the colors

that I have in the wine rack there.

And another thing here is this is sort

of like log cabiney wall here.

It's not white, so it's not gonna reflect

and bounce as much light as it would

if it was white and a white ceiling.

So I should be able to get away

with it.

So I'm gonna turn the flash on and

I'm just eyeballing it so that the bright

spot is gonna be behind their torsos and

their faces.

And then we can adjust from there.

I've got my flash on the light stand,

it's turned on, but I'm gonna turn my

transmitter off because the first thing I wanna

dial in is the ambient exposure, okay?

And what I'm essentially exposing for are the

highlights in this wine rack.

I'm choosing one 200th of a second because

I know I'm gonna be shooting off-camera

flash.

So I gotta sync wirelessly to the flash.

And I'm gonna go about 1600 ISO.

And I'm gonna go f2.8. And right

now I'm kind of eyeballing, is just enough

light on Michelle and Phil for me to

kind of see where they are.

And I'm realizing, I think I need you

guys to move a little bit more towards

the wall.

Yes, yeah, right about there.

Okay, I'm just gonna do a test shot

right now for ambient light.

I'm on mechanical shutter so that I can

trigger the flash.

I'm gonna check that out.

So basically I'm exposed for all of the

highlights in the room, and right now what's

reflecting in the glass are these windows.

So what I'm gonna do now is I'm

gonna eliminate those highlights.

So I'm gonna close this curtain.

Now that highlight disappears from the reflection.

And I'm gonna close these curtains, which should

eliminate that highlight.

And now that you guys have moved a

bit, I'm gonna reposition this flash.

Okay, and I'm eyeballing it here.

If the bright spot is too big, I

can move it closer to the wall, or

if it's too small, I could move it

further back, okay?

All right, so I'm gonna move back into

the shooting position now.

I'll do one more test shot for the

ambient exposure.

Now I can't see Michelle and Phil at

all.

So to even eyeball it, I can just

barely make out where they are, okay?

So focus is gonna be challenging.

Got some.

Yeah, I think I can get it.

Okay, I've got an awesome ambient exposure.

Exposed for the highlights, it's nice and dark

and dramatic, okay?

Now I need to figure out how to

focus on Michelle and Phil.

So what we're gonna do, okay, a couple

things, guys.

Once we start working it with the position,

because I'm shooting you from below, I need

you to actually kind of lean over my

lens like that.

So you're still side profiles to each other,

but then just feels awkward, looks awesome.

So just like that, okay?

And I'm gonna turn my flashlight on.

And when I ask you, Phil, if you

could just kind of hold that like in

between your faces and aim it straight towards

me, or straight towards the glass, actually.

Hopefully I can focus on that, and then

you just tuck it in your pocket, okay?

Okay.

Yeah, so I can see that flashlight reflected

in the glass.

So now I can find where I need

to be.

Can you hold it up right now so

I can, yeah.

So that's where their heads are.

So here's the spot.

I'm gonna turn on my transmitter now.

Okay, I'm not even sure what the flash

power is right now.

I don't care, I'm gonna eyeball it and

then adjust from there.

So now I'm gonna try to focus.

I have to zoom in and focus on

that.

Okay, I think I got focus.

So now tuck it in your pocket there,

Phil.

Okay, and side profiles looking at each other.

I can't see them at all.

And just lean over, tilt over my lens

a bit, and test shot.

Gonna check that flash exposure now.

Okay, cool.

Yes, that gel is great.

It's nice and warm.

It balances with the color temperature in here.

The bright spot's a little bit off.

So actually, Michelle and Phil, if you back,

Michelle, if you back up like half a

step, this way, a little more.

Okay, and Phil, you go with her.

Okay, I'm not gonna even adjust my focus

because I back button focused and I'm gonna

just do another shot and see if I've

got the positioning right now.

A little bit more.

Same amount in the same direction.

Here we go.

Okay, now we're getting there.

Okay, so you guys are gonna go a

little bit further away from me.

I'm just trying to get them totally centered

on the bright spot.

I'm gonna angle this flash up a bit

more because what I was seeing was this

was the brightest spot, but their silhouettes are

up here a bit.

So I'm just angling the flash up higher

into the corner and we'll try that.

All right, and I'm gonna up the flash

power about a half a stop just so

that bright spot pops even more.

Okay, and just rotate so you're totally perpendicular

to me, yeah, right there.

And okay, and remember to tilt over each

other and let's get focused again.

So grab that flashlight, Phil, and then point

it to the glass between your noses.

Yeah, right there.

So if I zoom in and manually focus

on that flash.

Okay, got it.

Zooming back out.

Okay, ready guys?

Side profiles, almost touching noses, but not quite.

Tilting over my lens a bit.

Okay, just stay there.

Okay, we are close.

We are close.

Turn the flash up a little bit more.

And I'm just gonna tilt the flash up

just a hair.

You guys are perfect.

Okay.

Okay, ready guys?

Stay there.

Michelle, what if you drape your arm over

Phil's shoulder and just dangle your fingers?

I can't see you, so I just have

to, okay.

Michelle and Phil, just Michelle, you step back

like five inches and Phil, you go with

her.

Okay, here we go.

Yeah, try the other arm.

And back the way you just went, half

the distance.

And the other one just on the chest.

Again, I can't see you guys, so I'm

just looking at my preview.

To make these micro adjustments.

Okay, tilting over my lens a little bit

more.

And a little more separation between your noses,

but still together at the hips.

Okay, yeah, let's do, sorry, the other arm's

better.

Cause that one's cutting off Phil's chin.

Michelle, almost touching your thumb to your, yeah,

just barely, just gently.

And bend, can you have your arm bent

at the elbow a little bit so your

elbow's kind of on his shoulder?

Down less, so when, yes, like that.

And just hand out a little further away

from his shoulder, like that, and now dangle.

Okay, into each other.

Okay.

I just need to get Michelle's elbow lower.

Yeah, and chin's up a little bit, so

they clear the arm, okay.

And for this one, tilting, leaning over the

lens.

Okay, good.

And we're laughing too.

We're laughing now at each other, cause this

is ridiculous.

We're laughing.

We're laughing for reals.

Yes.

Okay, pause.

Yeah, I think we got it.

Okay, so that's kind of a cool, you

know, eye candy portrait for the couple.

And it's cool to be able to understand

the mechanics to be able to pull off

that sort of technique.

And again, in these controlled portrait scenarios, it

allows us to cut our teeth and learn

these new techniques and then hopefully get to

the point where we can apply them to

more meaningful photos in more of a documentary

context.

You know, because in order to make this

one, the more technical or kind of gimmicky

the photo is, the more of my mental

bandwidth as a photographer gets dedicated to that.

And the less I have left over to,

you know, hopefully encourage some sort of a

meaningful, authentic moment with the couple, right?

Or even movement in this case.

It's pretty hard to pull this one off

with any movement.

It has to be a static scenario.

So it's just keeping that in mind, time

and a place.

And for me, this one is like, how

do we take this to the next level?

Well, it would be, is there a way

I could bring in some movement?

Or is there a way I could bring

in some sort of a storytelling element beyond

just this cool, visually interesting photograph?