(upbeat music)
Yeah.
Can you kiss him?
Perfect.
All right, what's up?
We're about to dive into another section
of me photographing grooms.
So this is an awesome section.
I love this.
We're just gonna dive right in.
When guy's getting ready, I love having this sidelight.
It's going to take a really sick shadows on his face.
And this textured back there is really cool.
The textured look of the brick.
It's super cool.
So I'm gonna use that one cause the light source is coming
in this way.
Whereas this one's a little bit darker that one's got good
light and I can actually see the shadows coming through when
I kind of take this photo right here
and that's gonna look really awesome.
When I choose a room.
So whenever I'm photographing a groom,
I generally like to pick a spot
and I will close all the blinds.
Now this location here, usually these,
like I would have some blinds and I can be able to close
here just for like either diffusion purposes or to create
really sick fall off.
So like this has three panels.
And so what I would normally do is close the first
panel and third panel and have him in the middle panel.
So then like it's all dark other than what I see with him
right in the middle.
There's just like a piece of light on him that would look
really, really cool.
That creates a little bit more of a moodier shadows,
I can really control the light,
really control the shadows exactly how I want it.
And that's how I like going with that.
But I didn't have that opportunity here.
So I had to find where the shadows felt like they fell off
the wall better.
And then this one,
I really liked it because the TV was on,
the TV was over here.
I didn't like that.
The TV's right here, all of that stuff.
And on the other side it was not, so I preferred that.
So that's where I had him sit.
And set up right in there and then
we'll go from there.
And I'm also going to clear this off,
'cause I prefer him sitting on this than that.
Yeah.
So I'm going to go with that.
Alright, so you're gonna be right here.
Awesome.
I move furniture all the time.
I moved this big A couch.
I moved that furniture all the time because I just think
it's better to be able to move the furniture,
to be able to put exactly where I want it.
And then I move it back of course,
because I respect the building
and respect that wherever I'm getting them ready at,
generally it's like a hotel,
but this was a pretty cool little loft area,
but I always respect that area, but I will move the stuff.
And for the most part, you're gonna kind of be
getting on your socks shoes right in here.
And, and then we'll kind of go from there.
So this is perfect.
So I like photographing.
So what I do when I,
whenever a groom, I go, I step into the groom's room.
I see what stage he's at.
I generally say, hey man, I'll send an email out.
And I say, hey,
you don't need to get ready until I get there.
And then also your groomsmen don't need to get ready at all.
Just you, your best man, your brother,
whoever you want to help you get ready.
That's all I really need to get ready.
Other than that, you guys are just chilling,
and I'm going to photograph all that.
For this one, he didn't really want his guys in there.
Totally cool.
I got some shots of them while they were there other stuff,
he loves the photos.
That's great.
So I will get shots of them putting their socks on.
I do step in first and I get groom's details.
You can check the other video for that
in this section,
but I do get the groom's details because I think those are
important as well.
I don't go too crazy, but I do get those.
For this, I get the socks.
I like to get really low with my angle as I shoot the socks.
And then I'll also get the shoes in this section as well.
This room is really great for getting ready and stuff.
Let me go back there for just a second.
One thing I like to do when he's getting his socks on is I
will say, go ahead and get the socks on
and then go ahead and look out
the window too, because you see that there's some really,
really nice white light that comes through here.
So this light is hitting him right in there, right?
And then you can see these shadows that come in here that
are super masculine to a man.
So I like to make sure that I am hitting him with some
really good shadows and it's awesome, so.
This room is really great for getting ready and stuff.
And it's also, I might move out this couch.
I got that way and like have them getting ready,
like right in the middle of these three huge panels.
'Cause it'd be like silhouetted really cool.
Like it's gonna be really, really cool.
So I actually might move these,
but go ahead and move this couch.
- How big is this? - This is legit.
- Yeah. - Okay.
So now I'm shooting up against the side of the wall.
So I'm kind of scraping right in here.
So scraping this wall right here,
because I don't want these light sources to be exposed,
but I love this light that's coming off him.
It's almost completely split.
And then it comes in through here and then comes down like
right through there again.
And it looks really cool.
And so you'll see some of that as he gets ready,
but I love the way the light is just falling through in here
and leaving it that, and then as I scrape against this wall,
I don't see the light source.
I see him in the light that hits him and that's always
really, really nice.
Go ahead, cool.
Yeah.
Sweet.
I know it's like, well,
you're just getting your clothes on (laughs).
Good, perfect, yeah, you just button that thing up and then,
and then we'll go from there.
We'll get some,
getting you getting the buttons on and things like that.
'Cause you have your cuffs.
He'll help you with the cuffs- - Yeah.
- Just cause that'll probably be a little bit easier to have
him down there.
What we can do is I can actually put the cuffs on you.
We can knock out some of those photos right now, so, oh,
you need this stuff. - Yeah, I need the-
And just depending on how ready the groom, groomsmens are,
I will do stuff and that's totally fine.
And then I have them come over and fake.
A lot of them don't even know how to put cuff links on.
So I'll throw the cuff links on and then have them just fake
it just for the sake of time.
And I was able to get some shots of him before the grooms
had even came to put cuff links on.
So that helps me just to save time so I can get in and out
and not waste their time or mine.
This little fellow here.
- Thank you.
- And those actually flip kinda in.
So like if you, if you don't want them in that direction,
just decide on which direction you kind of want them in.
They're almost like hinges where they flip and they stay.
So it's very, bring it like a.
(groom speaks faintly)
No, that's good right there.
Just put it in front of me.
Boom. Look out the window for a second.
Bring it like more of this up to your chin.
Like you're yeah.
I like having them bring their fist up to their chin.
So like going back this (imitates camera shutter)
looking out towards the light so
you can kind of see that light coming in.
Even though that light's behind me coming in here,
looking here, looking at me kind of thing like that.
And especially if they have a watch on,
they feel awesome like that, like it is,
they feel like they should be in an ad
and the ladies love those shots.
I mean, their wives are obsessed with those shots
all the time.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then now hand it and then now looking out, look down,
look towards me this way.
All right. Okay.
So let's go ahead and I'm gonna have him,
you guys are gonna be right here again.
So you'll always have one of your shoulders to the window.
So like, if you turn this way,
you notice it's a lot less light than if I'm this way.
So all your shoulder, the sun's right there.
So that's gonna be, I think we're all right.
So I want you guys to just right in here,
you can help him with this pretend to help him with his
cuff links kind of thing. - All right.
- So that'd be good.
So go ahead and right there where they're facing him.
Perfect. And just like that.
(groomsmen speaks faintly)
- So I have them always face a shoulder to the light
so that I never get one of them out of the light.
They're both always in the light.
And then what I ended up doing from there is I always shoot
on the light side because it's the sickest shadows.
I mean, it's split lighting again.
I'm shooting on a broad side,
but then sometimes I'll switch it up.
But I generally stay over here.
I like to go over top sometimes whenever
he's fixing up the tie,
but I generally stay on the light side because I could still
see both of them really well.
They're both well lit and I don't completely broaden up.
Like even looking here,
I don't completely go from here to like this side of them
where this window is and then shoot towards them because
then that's just like a flat light.
Whereas this one right in here to them is a, is more of a,
just like there's different depth to it.
The shadow's gonna go across the face.
I can see dark.
I can see light.
It's a much better angle to be able to shoot those at.
And so I like shooting it like that.
- Where you'd find them, that looks nice.
(groomsmen speaks faintly)
Do it one more time, sorry.
Do it more time.
You're good Tori, you can go over there.
Perfect.
You can go right here too, this is a shot right here.
Perfect.
And then now, now I want you to fix up his-
- Tighten my bow tie.
- Can we just- - Yeah, yeah,
tighten that bow tie.
- Yeah. - We'll just-
See, this is where I went over top with the bow tie.
So you can see, and then I like those shots as well,
because they're cool.
'Cause they get that.
They get those hands,
they get some different depth and then I'm like, hey,
you guys can laugh with each other, all that stuff.
And kind of make them laugh with each other.
Switch 'em on sides.
Sorry guys, this TV's right here.
Can I switch you guys around?
- Oh yeah. - Yeah man.
There you go Bob, you'll be over here now.
Perfect.
A lot of people say don't mess with the moment,
things like that, but I don't really care.
Like I'm gonna put them in a spot that looks good.
And then from there,
the moment kind of the moment just comes back and I'm still
photographing the moment,
but I'm manufacturing the location, the light,
all of that stuff.
So I make sure that the photograph looks good,
but the moment is still there.
I'm not taking away from the moment when I do that.
Come this way a little more,
come this way a little more.
Perfect face this way a little bit more.
Perfect, there it is.
Oh.
Nice.
Good, yeah, yeah,
you can pretend like you like each other.
- This is, this is cool. - Intimate.
- [Groomsman] A little bit.
- So it feels a little more awkward than it was.
It, wasn't that awkward. I promise.
And generally I'll just be like, oh yeah.
Pretend like you guys like each other are blah, blah, blah.
And then generally people kind of do a little bit more,
but there was a bunch of cameras in this guy's face because
we were filming me and all this stuff.
So just a little bit different,
but it's not usually that awkward.
Perfect guys now the, okay.
Okay, now go ahead and throw on his jacket.
- Thank you.
- Whenever I get the jacket shot like this,
I always have him throw on the jacket with the light,
splitting the guy and then like,
he'll end up fixing his jacket and then he'll come down like
this and it's sick.
It always is a really good looking photo.
The guys generally love it.
And I generally cut off, like I crop like right in here.
I don't need his whole face for that shot.
It ends up looking good.
He's gonna to fix his jacket then.
He's going to look down towards that button-
Perfect. - And he's gonna to
naturally do all that stuff.
So it's a very natural feel.
It looks good.
This guy's off to the side.
Sometimes I'll tell him to like pat him down in the back.
It's really cool.
Good. Nailed it.
Good, you're just gonna,
you don't have to cause you're going to keep on.
Now when it comes to this part,
I mean, this is like four or five,
six photos, and then I'm done.
It's like super easy.
This is the streamlined part,
but this is the part that really,
they like the most because it's just them.
These are the really cool shots.
And I do these every single time.
Super consistent.
I'll have him button up, look down, look out the window.
Look at me, you'll see that.
Then I'll have him sit down or I take my iPhone and I do a
little iPhone trick.
It's better if you have a larger thing, like a tablet.
So the larger, the phone, larger the tablet,
whatever the better it is.
And I always use a 35 when I'm shooting along that phone,
like right in here, I use a 35 that works best.
And then I'll have them face the light source.
Try to keep the background as dark as I can.
So generally I will have them in something where like I can
control the light, like two,
two shades or something like that.
And it makes it look a lot better.
Buttons.
So just pretend to button, look down, look at me,
look out what kind of, kind of go there.
So, look here.
Good.
(groom speaks faintly)
No, no, no, you're good. (mumbles)
You just do both good.
And then now out.
Look out.
Good.
Oh yeah, there it is right there.
Boom.
I want you to kind of be on the front and you're gonna
to kind of be like right in here.
I'll have you out here even kind of bring the hand in here.
Kind of looking out, looking at me.
We'll kind of go from there.
Same every time.
Generally, I like the hand on the,
on the hip a little bit more and it's more,
it's not like in the crease,
it's like a little bit more on the thigh,
leaning forward, looking out.
It's a really, really cool look.
What?
- No just.
Like I said, a guy just doesn't like to get
his picture taken.
- For a guy who doesn't like getting his picture taken,
is killing it. - Yeah.
- Come over this way.
You're gonna come all the way over the edge.
Yeah, yeah. There you go, right there.
So yeah, just chilling, just like that.
Let's see what this shot looks like.
Oh yeah. Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Okay, side kick, boom.
All right, now go ahead that right hand on the hip.
Boom. Yup.
Yup. Yup.
And you're gonna look right in here.
That's right, good, good, good.
Go ahead and look out the window.
Boom.
Good, look right here.
Boom, there it is right there.
Now a little less misery.
Good.
And I always say that I got that
from a guy named Peter Harley.
He is like the headshot guy,
but he always goes less misery.
And so people laugh every single time, every single time.
But you just say less misery.
They give you, they give you a real,
a 100% authentic laugh a 100% of the times.
It's pretty awesome.
So I use it every time.
Good.
Now then.
Alright.
And then we're done with that section.
I didn't get to show you how I shoot the iPhone
with the little lip,
but I'll show you those photos and what that looks like.
So you'll kind of get the gist of it as I show you those
photos and I'll show you those things right now.
All right, well that's all for this section.
I hope you guys enjoyed shooting the groom.
I loved the groom.
I sorry, that Instagram account
and hashtag groom pics matter because they do.
And actually brides love when I bring that up because
they're like, yeah,
no other photographer talks about the groom.
That's awesome.
And he does want those good photos and grooms,
like there's two people that make the decision.
It's not just the bride, it's also the groom.
And so if I can make the groom happy as well,
then they're gonna love that.
So I hope you guys enjoyed this section.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know.
(imitates slap) (upbeat music)