In this behind the scenes video shot by Cinepro Studios, we see Michael Sasser working with a High School student to shoot her senior portraits. With only a bounce card held by an assistant, he is able to capture some stunning images, and the video does a very nice job balancing shots of the location and setup, with the stills that were taken during the session to give the audience a better idea of what the photographer was working with.
Related Articles
I wonder why this kind of senior portrait sessions that seem to be so popular in the US are not usual here in Europe (at least in Spain).
Great pictures by the way.
yeah or switzerland - the whole periodical shoot is only a thing amongst american (or at least mainly english-speaking) expats here.... i find it's part of the whole lifestyle - prom isn't a thing, yearbook photos aren't a thing, school sports teams aren't a thing....
here in mexico, almost no body wants senior portraits, i think it is part of the american style of life
unfortunatelly, photography in Europe is in a very dark and small corner compared to the US.
Love it! So simple, yet great pixs.... Good job.
once again proving that the sun is the best light source.
Funny how your minimal set up includes a 6000$ camera ;)
What do you use to shoot Pat? You've got some jazzy pics on your Facebook profile. =)
Anda an assistant ...
my assistant is always my friend, i'm his when he needs me!
not so much the camera body, more like the 1.4 lenses. those certainly arent cheap
Like the 50mm 1.4 canon? It seems pretty cheap to me. Reflector is 40 bucks (maybe a little more for a bigger one than that) Doesn't seem like all that up front cost. Yes he is using that nice camera but you can get good results from any camera like that once you've got good light and good composition.
the 50mm is a cheapo, but the 85mm 1.4 is 1700 and the 35mm 1.4 is 1600. But I agree, these could have all been shot with the 1.8 versions for a fraction of the price.
Beautiful pictures, but with model like she it is hard to make bad pictures :))))
Actually I love that simple light set up, 99 percent of my work I do with natural light and even without reflectors or assistants, so it hurts for me to see wedding photogs carrying big bags and sweating in 30 degree Celcius with lots of gear and assistants. Learn to feel and use natural light and free your mind, then good pictures will come to you easy :)))
Best wishes
www.fotorumba.de
I saw your work on your website. Beautiful work!
I'm not sure about other people but the moment I open a website and I hear a music that automatically starts and cannot be stopped, I just close the window and don't care about the content anymore. Many people do that too. If you want my advice, remove the song.
Great video and superb demonstration of a single lens, camera and simple light/ relfector.......and the magic ingredient of creativity....cameras dont make images....photographers do! Thanks for sharing.
Well, he used several lenses as far as I could see.. but yeah, demonstrated great technique shooting as well as interacting with subject.
Refreshing to be reminded that simple setups like this can produce great photos. Even though there wasn't much BTS info in the video, it was nice to see how the photographer showed the model how to walk/move, and then how she used that again and again in multiple locations.
Thanks everyone! SO glad people enjoy the video. The set up was a D4, with a 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, and an 85mm f/1.4. Since it was bright outside for 95% of the shoot, this could really be done with any camera, as the ISO stayed around 200 the entire session.
For your head/shoulder shots are you shooting wide open (~f/1.4) or something slightly stopped down?
90% of this shoot was wide open.
Lovely photos!!! I assume ND filters were used in those bright daylight wide-open shots?
No ND filters! I just crank to a super high shutterspeed, around 1/4000 or 1/8000 if necessary to keep the aperture wide open.
Thanks for joining the comment thread and posting your gear setup Michael. Keep up the great work and keep the videos coming too!
I hate when people say... It's easy to take pictures of a beautiful women... Can anyone just appreciate a video of a pro doing something he/she loves well. He has great people skills and the right natural talent to capture a natural not forced smile. Its time we learn something. Who cares he is using a high end dslr.... I use a high end Nikon and Canon! All that means nothing without technique and passion for the art of photography. Not to mention he made the client happy as well. From a business point of view he gets a A+ same goes for photography.
Love natural light w/some fill in light ;)
Is the attached an example of your work, where the models right hand is awkwardly cropped?
BTW I agree that rapport with a model is critical to a relaxed session and producing more natural emotions. I'm just trying to understand the purpose of the attached image?
Yes I agree with the arm comment. Its just a image I took that I liked the lighting and all. I attached it for the purpose of natural lighting.
Awkwardly cropped? How does that detract from the image in the slightest?
I guess Patryk understood what I meant.
Great work, Michael! I love it - but you already know that!
Thanks Maria!
Yes! Nice work Michael
Thanks Jackie!
For someone who isn't from America - why do you take senior portraits? What will they be used for?
There is often a few pages dedicated in a year book to the graduating class and they use the senior portrait in that. I came from a small high school and everyone had baby photos along with their senior photos in a slideshow right before you receive your diploma. Lot of parents want good photos of their kids before they escape to Uni and are never heard from again.
Nice results and a well done video.
Thnx Michael for great video.
Gotta take a tip about how you showed that walking part to client and try that next time.
I just had my first senior portrait photoshoot about a week and a half ago. I'm usually a strobist type of photographer, but on this shoot I dragged my little sister along (she is really interested in photography) I decided that I wanted to use ALL natural light and no strobes. We picked late afternoon, I had my sister hold the reflector and went at it. I was amazed. Great photos appeared just by using natural light. I was also able to interact with the subject more too as I can get too caught up on the technical aspect when using strobes. Great video! I like the use of the reflector and it kind of showed me what I did wrong. The whole shoot I used the gold reflector and noticed some of the shots were a bit too gold/yellowish. But all in all they were real happy with them.
Nice image
Thank you sir
Cant stop hitting the PLAY button over and over again.. Simple yet very artistic..
Whats the title of the song by the way?
Thanks Ian!! So glad you are enjoying it. The song is "So Good" by B.o.B.
Thanks sir.. You really inspired me with this video, also you made me really crave for Prime lenses.. can't sleep without thinking of buying one and shooting with it soon..
Great stuff Michael. For some reason, senior portraits aren't very popular here in NYC. Go figure! Keep up the good work.
How about portrait with no setup challenge on Fstoppers?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=386592166442&set=a.132422261...
I really like the photos. The compositions are fantastic. How do you typically direct your male clients to walk?
Great question! I haven't shot any guys since I started having them walk, but I would probably go hands in front or back pockets.
Really enjoyed the video. Thanks for posting and good work, Michael!
How do you chose between your 3 Prime lenses?