Contrary to many comments below I actually enjoyed watching Brian talking about the personal connection instead of gear, I mean, gear is not the problem these days, it is how you interact with people to get the shot, and he explains it in a kind way, thumbs up for videos like this.
Funny this comment is 9 years old, and the gear discussion still dominates photography communities despite having better cameras, software, and lenses while also publishing smaller and lower resolution.
Hey Brian. I worked with you at The Register back in 1982. I was with the start-up community editions. I have always loved your work. I just retired from the news business and started a photography business to pursue my lifelong passion. I'm concentrating on ballroom dancers and portraits. I found this video helpful. Thank you.
I can go on listening to him forever. Wow what a brilliant photographer- and in just one video I got to learn so many nuances of photography and especially portraits, me being an amateur trying to find my voice at the age of 53! I love the way he explains stuff, and so humble.
I had the opportunity to attend this presentation in Denver (Mike's Camera was the host) and it was a great presentation. Of course, the presentation *I* attended was two and a half to three hours. :)
Excellent suggestion for a follow-up talk! I've did a half-hour talk about that for Sony at WPPI and there was a lot that I couldn't fit into that time frame. I will try to make it happen.
The Cool thing about the Hockey Player is that Both Flags were captured, and thus breaking the superstition of uniform. He is an NHL player, and was going into the Canadian Olympics. Brilliant. I wished you had touched on that little detail
This is so awesome!!! Thank you so much to B&H and Brian Smith (and of course Sony) for doing this! I love these videos, they are so helpful and in depth! I will definitely be thinking B&H when I go to make my next equipment purchase!
I can understand why people do not find this video very gratifying. He spoke to much about everything but gave off nothing to take away.For the HDR like shots, I am sure I can tell you how to do it. Get your pocket wizard for high speed sync, get your strobe or speedlights about 8-10ft above subject @ 45 degree angle, shoot @ ISO 400, f8.0, shutter 1/800 of a second, adjust your settings until you are satisfied. You can push up your shutter speed to maybe even 1/2000 to see if you get what you want. Keep shooting folks, I can't give anymore time to this video
Contrary to all the naysayers, I thought this was a great presentation. There were a few more technical explanations on camera set up and lighting configuration nearer the end where he felt it was pertinent to the shot, but the take home that I got out of this is that great photos are NOT the result of an equation for certain iso, aperture, ss, lighting etc. Those things matter, but what makes the photo "great" is building a connection with the subject, planning, being adaptable, and taking advantage of unique opportunities when they arise. This is why it was more important to tell the story behind the photo than to simply give the technical recipe and move on.
Just love love love, your presentation, but could only watch a small section of it, because of your rocking to and fro, it made it impossible for me to continue watching as I suffer motion sickness. You are an amazing photographer andI can only dream of take one image like yours. Thanks you for your presentation. I will try to watch again later.
Wow. I learned a lot in such a relatively brief video. I recently went to BH when I was in NYC- overwhelming, but it’s got everything. Like a city block in size.
Awesome presentation Brian. Waiting for that call too :) I think what's just as important as the connection to the people who you photograph is the connections that will get you assignments like these... Plenty of awesome photogs all over the country/world nowadays... I'd be interested hearing more on the building of those connections to editors, magazines, tv, movie celebs..etc..
You naysayers are missing the point of this presentation. He has some great photos. First of all, you need to keep in mind what his job is, what he get's paid to do. You only get so much artistic license with the people he shoots and the assignments he is given if you want to keep getting paid work. I'm sure he could go do all kinds of artsy stuff, then someone else can take his job doing the shots the magazines want while he fritters around with his artsy photos that make him no money. If you want technique and gear info go study your owners manual or the other thousands of videos online that show you how to set up portrait shots or buy a book. What he talks about is just as important as the technical side of photography if not more so. I for one appreciated him talking about the behind the scenes stories and how he connects with his subjects. And if you want more details on his secrets looks like you can buy his book. For a free video this is great, and B&H put's up plenty of great instructional videos for free.
Most of the people I photograph for magazines are the subject of articles written about them. My goal is to capture their personality so the reader can feel a connection with them.
20:25 Maybe the chess pieces appear larger than normal because they really are larger than normal? Not necessarily because you were shooting at a lower angle.
What a great video, thank you. I have been learning a lot from trial and error, just using what happens to be around me as inspiration and discovering techniques you spoke about by happy accident. This was very encouraging and informative.
Very interesting points about adhering strictly (or not) to histogram range and amplitude. I developed a bad habit (IMO) a while back of unclipping whites and blacks until they were safely contained within the histogram, probably at the expense of the end result, and no doubt let that determine the image rather than my own perception of what *I* wanted the image to be.
beautiful work, the picture of the Hockey Player Vincent LaCavalle (apologies for mispelling) actually looks a bit strange, at first glance his left (viewers left) foot seems like its hovering because the skate brace is white and does not have the contrast to seperate it from the snow drift, other then that again, amazing work
I just got the Zeiss Batis 85mm F1.8 for portraits. Just wondering why would you use the 35mm for portraits as you mentioned at the beginning. Should I have bought the Zeiss 55mm F1.8 instead? Thank you. Great video
The lens that Brian Smith mentions at the beginning of his talk is actually the Sony 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss T* Telephoto Prime Lens. This is a lovely Sony Alpha/Minolta Maxxum mount lens, and is a great focal length for portraits. That being said, it would be hard to go wrong with the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8. This would be a great option for portraits as well. *Christina* AskUA-cam@bhphoto.com bhpho.to/1pH7v8g
I knew I should have sprung for the $49.99 Laugh Track Package. Actually the audience was in stitches the whole time I spoke...literally, since we had a lot of recently discharged patients from a nearby hospital.
Here's my take away. Although I'm thankful that B&H shared this with the community, I stopped watching after 10-15 minutes. This presentation is short on technique and art and heavy on story. I don't really care about the stories behind the images. After giving up on the video, I left the experience with a thought: his photos don't stand on the merit of his exceptional photography, but on his access to recognizable public figures. With that said, he does have a few photographic gems in this presentation and on his website, but the majority of his photos are unremarkable. Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, this is a pattern that reliably repeats itself among "celebrity photographers".
Excuse my ignorance. I'm not much of a photographer, but I do some post-production in Photoshop, including digital manipulation. The images in this video look very painterly, almost like an HDR toning. I'm wondering how much of these images are camera clean and how much of it have been digitally alerted? I ask because I've seen photographers take very artistic images without any alterations at all! It was all in the lighting.
+Redbird The days of shooting clean are over. Technology has made it much easier for photographers to shoot clean. Because of this, most photographers try to edit to set them self apart. HDR use to be a way but now everyone does HDR.
+Slidell Photog I use film for my portraits and while I scan the color negs I do skin enhancement and vignetting but that is it. More often than not, high end photographers of portraits get it right in camera and use PS to enhance not fix things. Much like we used to do custom printing instead of package printing.
Mark Quiram Did I say anything about fixing anything? The fact is shooting clean is only 50% of the job editing is the other 50%. Most photographers shoot raw and only get the key factors correct in camera. Editing is done to make the image pop. The camera is stupid it tries to make everything 18% grey. The fine tuning is always done in post. You will not see one competition winner that was done straight out of camera. That is not done anymore. All of your images should come out of the camera correct but you are only half way done. Image competition requires great composition and great editing skills.
the first minute of his video you suggested ‘’That portrait photography separates from landscape and still photography is a living breathing subject’’ Well my reply / response is If it’s a SUBJECT- then why don’t i know or have information about the ‘subject’ (their name, age etc) I know who the photographer is- i know what the article is about via the text byline in the ,magazine But what about the subject? (apart from seeing the physical trace)? Is the subject NOW an OBJECT?
Honestly, I get a tad bit annoyed at people trying to find out other people's "secrets" to their photography - like they would actually want to give that out for free... But, that's not the point. Instead of criticizing, take all the advice you can get from others, choose which works for you, and eliminate everything else. Find your own niche. I believe photography is, and always should be, about the art. And, since art has no rules, you should not follow guidelines set by anyone else. For me, it's all about telling a story and expressing yourself, or someone/something else's perspective. I believe 'that' is what makes art (in this case, photography) valuable. #2cents
Duvetyne, or duvetyn, is a twill fabric with a velvet-like nap on one side. Duvetyne has a matte finish and its high opacity makes it ideal for blocking light. Commonly used in the motion picture industry, fire-retardant black duvetyne is commonly used for curtains, for scenery, and to control light spill. Many commercial lighting flags are made from duvetyne.When used in film applications, duvetyne is also known as "commando cloth".
In the first season of the original Star Trek television series, the exterior shots of "space" were created by gluing glitter onto black duvetyne. TRP WORLDWIDE Duvetyne / Commando Cloth (8 x 8') B&H # TRS8: bhpho.to/2Zhv40G >Mark
looks like one softbox almost straight in front of her with a fan to move her hair. Don't think there is a grid because i don't see the grid in the catchlight.
![[FRAMED] Jeremy Cowart: Celebrity Photographer and Founder of Help-Portrait](/img/n.gif)
Contrary to many comments below I actually enjoyed watching Brian talking about the personal connection instead of gear, I mean, gear is not the problem these days, it is how you interact with people to get the shot, and he explains it in a kind way, thumbs up for videos like this.
Funny this comment is 9 years old, and the gear discussion still dominates photography communities despite having better cameras, software, and lenses while also publishing smaller and lower resolution.
Hey Brian. I worked with you at The Register back in 1982. I was with the start-up community editions. I have always loved your work. I just retired from the news business and started a photography business to pursue my lifelong passion. I'm concentrating on ballroom dancers and portraits. I found this video helpful. Thank you.
I can go on listening to him forever. Wow what a brilliant photographer- and in just one video I got to learn so many nuances of photography and especially portraits, me being an amateur trying to find my voice at the age of 53! I love the way he explains stuff, and so humble.
Lots of great tips in the way he dealt with less than ideal lighting situations on location.
i have never sat through a video this long on youtube.. thank you!!
Most welcome and thank you for watching and participating in the discussion.
I had the opportunity to attend this presentation in Denver (Mike's Camera was the host) and it was a great presentation. Of course, the presentation *I* attended was two and a half to three hours. :)
Very well done mate! Thank you and thank you to B&H for having this seminar...you guys ROCK!!!
Excellent suggestion for a follow-up talk! I've did a half-hour talk about that for Sony at WPPI and there was a lot that I couldn't fit into that time frame. I will try to make it happen.
Quite welcome and thank you for watching.
Excuse me guys, but this is great stuff! Thanks to Brian Smith!
Most welcome and thanks for watching.
Very bold and expressive portraits that are distintive and beautiful.
The Cool thing about the Hockey Player is that Both Flags were captured, and thus breaking the superstition of uniform. He is an NHL player, and was going into the Canadian Olympics. Brilliant. I wished you had touched on that little detail
This is so awesome!!! Thank you so much to B&H and Brian Smith (and of course Sony) for doing this! I love these videos, they are so helpful and in depth! I will definitely be thinking B&H when I go to make my next equipment purchase!
Absolutely correct, Ryan. The camera is a tool, but your vision is the key.
Glad you liked it. Thank you for watching.
I can understand why people do not find this video very gratifying. He spoke to much about everything but gave off nothing to take away.For the HDR like shots, I am sure I can tell you how to do it. Get your pocket wizard for high speed sync, get your strobe or speedlights about 8-10ft above subject @ 45 degree angle, shoot @ ISO 400, f8.0, shutter 1/800 of a second, adjust your settings until you are satisfied. You can push up your shutter speed to maybe even 1/2000 to see if you get what you want. Keep shooting folks, I can't give anymore time to this video
Thanks Robert. Was great to meet you at Imaging USA and WPPI. Keep making that connection with the folks you photograph!
The Gates/ turtleneck story is great
Contrary to all the naysayers, I thought this was a great presentation. There were a few more technical explanations on camera set up and lighting configuration nearer the end where he felt it was pertinent to the shot, but the take home that I got out of this is that great photos are NOT the result of an equation for certain iso, aperture, ss, lighting etc.
Those things matter, but what makes the photo "great" is building a connection with the subject, planning, being adaptable, and taking advantage of unique opportunities when they arise. This is why it was more important to tell the story behind the photo than to simply give the technical recipe and move on.
Good! Thank you for showing your thinking.
This is so much more interesting and helpful than most portrait photography videos. Thanks!
Thanks Ray! Glad you enjoyed it.
I enjoyed this session. I am technically good but still have a hard time connecting sometimes so thanks for this.
Welcome Ana and thank you for watching
Thanks Brian great inspiration
1.13.35. What a beautiful set of photographs! My favourite of yours. Very well done, i enjoyed this seminar immensely.
Thanks! Glad I could fast-track your education!
"And I'm not saying it's all this photograph " @ 44:00 hahahah sweet :)
Many thanks for the useful tips.
Nice interesting presentation.
Thoroughly enjoyable presentation!! Thank you so much for uploading this.. Full of guidance and ideas gently suggested....
I think I learned more from this video than the last 3 books on portraits I read. Thanks.
Just love love love, your presentation, but could only watch a small section of it, because of your rocking to and fro, it made it impossible for me to continue watching as I suffer motion sickness. You are an amazing photographer andI can only dream of take one image like yours. Thanks you for your presentation. I will try to watch again later.
Thanks for the world class presentation B&H!
It was so much fun to watch the entire presentation! Thank you.
That was brilliant. Thank you Brian and thanks B & H / Sony
Wow. I learned a lot in such a relatively brief video. I recently went to BH when I was in NYC- overwhelming, but it’s got everything. Like a city block in size.
the entire presentation has been a colossal self perpetuated pat on the back,did not learn a single new yhing
Your post made me reconsider my tentative plans for going to school for photography.
learning, learning, learning. :D
Thanks useful info. That Jason photo though. the chain is in his beer.
Awesome presentation Brian.
Waiting for that call too :) I think what's just as important as the connection to the people who you photograph is the connections that will get you assignments like these... Plenty of awesome photogs all over the country/world nowadays... I'd be interested hearing more on the building of those connections to editors, magazines, tv, movie celebs..etc..
A fantastic presentation, both helpful and a pleasure to watch, thank you Brian & thank you B&H!
Inspirational!
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing this informative video BHPhotoVideoProAudio. Cheers
Thanks Tommy, glad you liked it!
This was awesome! Best conceptuals too!
Uau the newest fan in Germany! Very good! Congratulations Brian and B&H!
Very informative. I even learned things I didn't know I didn't know.
Awesome video!
Fantastic creativity
he is very very inspirational! thanks B&H for putting up such an fascinating channel!!!
Cheers from Ziqi Zhang Photography
You naysayers are missing the point of this presentation. He has some great photos. First of all, you need to keep in mind what his job is, what he get's paid to do. You only get so much artistic license with the people he shoots and the assignments he is given if you want to keep getting paid work. I'm sure he could go do all kinds of artsy stuff, then someone else can take his job doing the shots the magazines want while he fritters around with his artsy photos that make him no money. If you want technique and gear info go study your owners manual or the other thousands of videos online that show you how to set up portrait shots or buy a book. What he talks about is just as important as the technical side of photography if not more so. I for one appreciated him talking about the behind the scenes stories and how he connects with his subjects. And if you want more details on his secrets looks like you can buy his book. For a free video this is great, and B&H put's up plenty of great instructional videos for free.
Quite true!
Most of the people I photograph for magazines are the subject of articles written about them. My goal is to capture their personality so the reader can feel a connection with them.
"Thanks to Sony..." - Mac Book on the table! ahahahahah
Sorry, the video is actually very interesting and I use a Mac too, but I find that hilarious!
20:25 Maybe the chess pieces appear larger than normal because they really are larger than normal? Not necessarily because you were shooting at a lower angle.
What a great video, thank you. I have been learning a lot from trial and error, just using what happens to be around me as inspiration and discovering techniques you spoke about by happy accident. This was very encouraging and informative.
Very interesting points about adhering strictly (or not) to histogram range and amplitude. I developed a bad habit (IMO) a while back of unclipping whites and blacks until they were safely contained within the histogram, probably at the expense of the end result, and no doubt let that determine the image rather than my own perception of what *I* wanted the image to be.
Another cool video, thank you for your stories Mr. Smith
I was on the same side of the glass block as Antonio.The light was on the other side.
thanks for putting such best notes
beautiful work, the picture of the Hockey Player Vincent LaCavalle (apologies for mispelling) actually looks a bit strange, at first glance his left (viewers left) foot seems like its hovering because the skate brace is white and does not have the contrast to seperate it from the snow drift, other then that again, amazing work
This is a fantastic insight!
Thank you
Awesome lecture! Thanks so much :)
Thank you for the presentation. Every picture and its corresponding explanation always brought an 'Aahh' expression on my face! Really great topic! :)
Thank you so much for great advice. Even though long, it really held my interest.
Good stuff! Thank you Brian!
Thanks for the video. really inspiring!
Excellent !
Thanks, I learn a lot with this video
I just got the Zeiss Batis 85mm F1.8 for portraits. Just wondering why would you use the 35mm for portraits as you mentioned at the beginning. Should I have bought the Zeiss 55mm F1.8 instead? Thank you. Great video
The lens that Brian Smith mentions at the beginning of his talk is actually the Sony 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss T* Telephoto Prime Lens. This is a lovely Sony Alpha/Minolta Maxxum mount lens, and is a great focal length for portraits. That being said, it would be hard to go wrong with the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8. This would be a great option for portraits as well. *Christina* AskUA-cam@bhphoto.com
bhpho.to/1pH7v8g
Thanks great presentation very informative
Interesting talk - thanks for sharing.
I knew I should have sprung for the $49.99 Laugh Track Package. Actually the audience was in stitches the whole time I spoke...literally, since we had a lot of recently discharged patients from a nearby hospital.
Was the Antonia Bandaras shot at 1:13 shot from behind him or through the glass?
Here's my take away. Although I'm thankful that B&H shared this with the community, I stopped watching after 10-15 minutes. This presentation is short on technique and art and heavy on story. I don't really care about the stories behind the images. After giving up on the video, I left the experience with a thought: his photos don't stand on the merit of his exceptional photography, but on his access to recognizable public figures. With that said, he does have a few photographic gems in this presentation and on his website, but the majority of his photos are unremarkable. Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, this is a pattern that reliably repeats itself among "celebrity photographers".
not all about fancy gear -> shot the picture with f/1.4
Excuse my ignorance. I'm not much of a photographer, but I do some post-production in Photoshop, including digital manipulation. The images in this video look very painterly, almost like an HDR toning. I'm wondering how much of these images are camera clean and how much of it have been digitally alerted? I ask because I've seen photographers take very artistic images without any alterations at all! It was all in the lighting.
+Redbird The days of shooting clean are over. Technology has made it much easier for photographers to shoot clean. Because of this, most photographers try to edit to set them self apart. HDR use to be a way but now everyone does HDR.
+Slidell Photog I use film for my portraits and while I scan the color negs I do skin enhancement and vignetting but that is it. More often than not, high end photographers of portraits get it right in camera and use PS to enhance not fix things. Much like we used to do custom printing instead of package printing.
Mark Quiram
Did I say anything about fixing anything? The fact is shooting clean is only 50% of the job editing is the other 50%. Most photographers shoot raw and only get the key factors correct in camera. Editing is done to make the image pop. The camera is stupid it tries to make everything 18% grey. The fine tuning is always done in post. You will not see one competition winner that was done straight out of camera. That is not done anymore. All of your images should come out of the camera correct but you are only half way done. Image competition requires great composition and great editing skills.
Slidell Photog I can shoot without editing and still get that pop.
Show me your international awards of your unedited photos.
B kintariah
Thanks for the insight
the first minute of his video you suggested
‘’That portrait photography separates from landscape and still photography is a living breathing subject’’
Well my reply / response is
If it’s a SUBJECT- then why don’t i know or have information about the ‘subject’ (their name, age etc)
I know who the photographer is- i know what the article is about via the text byline in the ,magazine
But what about the subject? (apart from seeing the physical trace)?
Is the subject NOW an OBJECT?
Stephen stills teaches lighting!
1:23:54 LOL THAT NECK
It's the Tampa Bay Lightning, not Thunder. Great video!
great! thank you
Honestly, I get a tad bit annoyed at people trying to find out other people's "secrets" to their photography - like they would actually want to give that out for free... But, that's not the point. Instead of criticizing, take all the advice you can get from others, choose which works for you, and eliminate everything else. Find your own niche. I believe photography is, and always should be, about the art. And, since art has no rules, you should not follow guidelines set by anyone else. For me, it's all about telling a story and expressing yourself, or someone/something else's perspective. I believe 'that' is what makes art (in this case, photography) valuable. #2cents
...and why are you watching this video then?
"...take all the advice you can get from others, choose which works for you, and eliminate everything else" - I'm simply doing just that.
like your stuff Brian
What lens is he shooting, most of the pictures looks to separated from background almost looks like it is just photoshopped into the background
Where can I find printable chapters of this lesson?
Right near the end, Brian mentioned a black material that gave rich blacks. Could you name and advise on sources?
Duvetyne, or duvetyn, is a twill fabric with a velvet-like nap on one side. Duvetyne has a matte finish and its high opacity makes it ideal for blocking light.
Commonly used in the motion picture industry, fire-retardant black duvetyne is commonly used for curtains, for scenery, and to control light spill. Many commercial lighting flags are made from duvetyne.When used in film applications, duvetyne is also known as "commando cloth".
In the first season of the original Star Trek television series, the exterior shots of "space" were created by gluing glitter onto black duvetyne.
TRP WORLDWIDE Duvetyne / Commando Cloth (8 x 8')
B&H # TRS8: bhpho.to/2Zhv40G >Mark
i like it!
Please make a vedio like this with jhon free he is a great photographer
15:10 soooo her name is Elaine LaLanne... wow, that's a good one.
The intro sounded like Rev Digital TV
thank u very much
thanks!
Thank you. You rock...just get used to the idea! No need to reply, just keep it up or...we'll hurt cha bad!
For the photo at 53:22 isn't one light used with just a HoneyComb grid on a softbox ?
looks like one softbox almost straight in front of her with a fan to move her hair. Don't think there is a grid because i don't see the grid in the catchlight.
Can somebody summarize this?
Stop being lazy and watch the video.
***** How informative, thank you so much.
Get to know your subject...
Buda Dangol Thank you! See ***** how easy that was instead of being a bitch about it?
***** Oh please... can't you handle it ?