Photography Masterclass for Beginners | Rose Nene | Skillshare
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Photography Masterclass for Beginners

teacher avatar Rose Nene, Photographer and Videographer

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Class Introduction

      3:13

    • 2.

      Why Photography?

      2:58

    • 3.

      Class Project

      1:12

    • 4.

      What is Photography?

      1:23

    • 5.

      What is the most important element in Photography?

      8:12

    • 6.

      Introduction to Storytelling

      1:10

    • 7.

      Storytelling

      1:51

    • 8.

      Storytelling through color and the actual story

      3:41

    • 9.

      Intro to Composition

      1:49

    • 10.

      Composition Techniques PART 1

      4:58

    • 11.

      Composition Techniques PART 2

      5:39

    • 12.

      Planning for a Photoshoot

      3:59

    • 13.

      Introduction to Portrait Photography

      0:44

    • 14.

      Portrait Photography Demo

      9:29

    • 15.

      Introduction to Food Photography

      0:30

    • 16.

      Restaurant Food Photography

      9:34

    • 17.

      Photographing Food (Pasta)

      3:51

    • 18.

      Photographing Food (Salad)

      4:21

    • 19.

      Intro to Landscape Photography

      0:41

    • 20.

      Landscape photography demo

      5:26

    • 21.

      Congratulations!

      0:40

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About This Class

Rose is a full time Photographer and Entrepreneur. She started her business with a borrowed camera and minimal gear. She did not start as an expert but was eager to learn and grow her Photography skills through books, online courses and actual gigs. Now she and her husband run a full time Photography and Videography business. During her free time Rose loves to create courses and conduct workshops on Photography. In this class she will tell you everything she learned from years of running a Photography business and doing countless Photoshoots.

The lessons include:

-WHY PHOTOGRAPHY?

-Why lighting is very important

-The art and science of Photography

-Planning and getting inspiration

-Composition

-Storytelling

-Color Theory

-Actual photoshoots and demos

This class is perfect for anyone who wants to take great photos using their DSLR, point and shoot and even smartphone, for photographers who want a refresher, For aspiring Photographers who want to turn something they love to something they can earn from and absolutely anyone who wants to discover and learn something new.

Meet Your Teacher

Teacher Profile Image

Rose Nene

Photographer and Videographer

Top Teacher

Hi there! I'm Rose, and I'm here to help you level up your photography and videography game. With a background in events, food, and product photography, I've been through it all, including those times I made mistakes and invested in gear and props that ended up collecting dust.

My mission is to share all those valuable lessons with you, so you can avoid the pitfalls and fast-track your skills. Whether you're an aspiring photographer or videographer, my experience can be your guide. In my classes, I offer you all the wisdom I've gathered, guiding you through avoiding common mistakes and mastering essential techniques to enhance your photography and videography skills. :)


Why I teach?

I believe that education makes the w... See full profile

Level: Beginner

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Transcripts

1. Class Introduction: Hi there, and welcome to photography masterclass Part 1. I am so glad that you're here and you took that very important step to taking your photography skills to the next level. My name is Rose, I am a photographer and videographer, and I will be your instructor for this course or this class. Eight years ago, my husband and I saw ourselves in a nicely edited highlights video of a team building activity that we attended. From that moment, we got obsessed with capturing moments through photos and videos. We got so into it that we ended up editing videos for our friends and family. People loved our work, and they encouraged us to turn it into a business. Four years ago, we finally did. But guess what? We started our business with a borrowed camera because we lacked gear and technical execution. We did our best in the creative part. We made sure we captured real stories and emotions, and that became our trademark. Today, we have a complete gear and our own studio. But what we learned is that lack of gear should not limit your creativity and you wanting to reach your goal and serve others. We also learned that creativity comes first. You can have the most expensive camera and not the compelling photos, if you don't know the creative part of photography. On the other hand, you can create a stunning photo even with the most basic camera, if you know and practice the fundamentals and creative part of photography. That is exactly what we will cover in this class. The art and creative side of photography. This class is especially made for aspiring photographers, for beginners, for camera owners who want to take better photos, and for anyone who wants to learn something new and exciting. By the end of this class, you will learn composition, storytelling through photos, proper lighting, plus there will be actual demos on portrait, food, and landscape photography. If you're someone who really wants to master photography, if you're like me before, who had a camera for years, but don't really know how to use it, if you're someone who loves taking pictures and wants to take it to the next level, if you want to tell stories through your photos, or you just want to learn something new and exciting, then this course is especially made for you. If you want to know the things that I've discovered in my years of events, photography, and countless food and product photoshoots, if you want to know my mistakes, so you won't have to go through them, if you want to accelerate your photography skills and career, if you want to get real results and see your photos transform, I will be honored to guide you through making it an easier journey. So head onto the next videos to get started. 2. Why Photography?: Welcome to Lesson 1. In this lesson, we're going to explore why photography. Let's be honest, photography requires a lot of studying, investing in gears, trial and error, practice, and hard work. So before we jump into the course or into the nitty-gritty of the course, let's pause and imagine what you really want. Are you a hobbyist? Are you doing this as a side hustle? Do you love photography and want to turn it into a career? Do you like capturing moments and have decided you want to go for it and go to the next level? Whatever your reason may be, I want you to really think about it and imagine yourself succeeding in photography. I want you to visualize your life one year from now. Don't think about how, just think about you being successful. What does that look like? Are you photographing famous brands and people? Are you selling your photos for thousands of dollars? Are you traveling for free to take photos of exotic places? Do you have a million Instagram followers? Whatever success looks like to you, just picture it for a minute. Close your eyes and see yourself in that scenario. Really feel it and visualize it. [MUSIC] Now, if you can write that big photography goal in your notebook or journal, that will be great. There will be times that even after you completed this course, your creative journey will have low moments. I want you to go back to your notes and imagine yourself in that magical beautiful moment of success. If you can do it every day, that's even better. Photography is a high-value skill. It can lead you to many, many opportunities. More than that, you can take beautiful photos of your life, your family, your kids, and your friends. You can take and keep memories for a lifetime. When was the last time that you saw a photo? Probably, minutes ago. That is why photographers are in demand, and photography is such a great starting point for a creative career. Photography has a lot of promise, but it requires actually doing the work. So with that, I hope that you are ready. Take one last look at your successful cell from the future, ready your notes, and let's get started. Your turn. Write down reasons why you want to learn photography and what success looks like to you in one year. [MUSIC] 3. Class Project: [MUSIC] Before we jump into the class, I encourage you to participate in the class project. A principle from the book, Ultra Learning says, test to learn. Testing isn't simply a way of assessing knowledge, but a way of creating it. Learn by doing. You will be surprised how actually doing and practicing a skill can double your rate of improvement. The biggest mistake that you will make in this class is not doing. I wouldn't be where I'm today if I did not man up and took a shot of my first food [MUSIC] photo. I took one photo, then another, then 100. The next thing I know, I was further than where I thought I would be. That is exactly how you will improve and be an expert to apply everything that you will learn here, one lesson at a time, one practice shoot at a time, one step at a time. To participate in the class project, make sure to do the activities at the end of each lesson and upload your work in the project section of this class. I guarantee you can make the most out of this class by simply doing the activities and participating in the class project. Good luck. 4. What is Photography?: Welcome to Lesson 2. What is photography? The word "photography" was created from the Greek roots, "photos", which means light, and "graphe", which is representation by means of lines or drawing. Together, it means drawing with light. As photographers, our main challenge is light. The way light touches are subject gives a different feel and composition. Photography is using light to help us create the image that we have envisioned. When you are starting out, it is more than okay to take photos of everything. That is how we learn and improve. But as you go along, you will realize that you like taking photos of a specific subject matter, a specific composition, and you edit the same way. Once you have developed your personal style, your way of taking photos will change. You will eventually make conscious decisions when you take photos. Going back to the definition of photography, drawing with light, it is safe to say that lighting is the most important element in photography. With that, let's dig deeper into lighting in the next lesson. [MUSIC] 5. What is the most important element in Photography?: We learned about the definition of photography, but how can we practically apply it in taking photos? First, let's talk about the two kinds of lighting in photography. We have natural and artificial. Natural light is light from the sun. It's the light that you see in landscape photos, travel photos, and outdoor photos. It can also be used in indoor photos by allowing light to enter through a window. Artificial light are light from flash, continuous light, lamp light, ring light, etc. I'd recommend that you try practicing using both, especially if you are doing photography commercially. To show the difference, let me show you how I shot food photos using natural light from a window of a restaurant, and artificial light in my studio. [MUSIC] If you are just starting out, it is best to practice and get better using natural lighting. This is by placing your subject near the window if shooting indoors, or shooting during golden hours if shooting outdoors. Here are five key tips when shooting using natural light. Natural light changes every hour, so observe what time of day produces the best lighting for you. It is best to shoot during golden hours. That is within one hour after sunrise and within one hour before sunset. During these hours, the light is in lateral direction, which will be discussed further in the later lesson. Noon sun is best when shooting ocean or bodies of water. If you want to achieve that blue-green watercolor, best to shoot it when the sun is out and up in the sky. You can get a blue watercolor in your photos during golden hours. This is Taal Lake near our house. Observe the color of the lake. I shot this at around 2:00 PM when the sun is bright and creating that nice reflection and color in the water. If shooting indoors, using natural light from a window, use a light diffuser such as a white blanket or a curtain to soften the light touching your subject. Additional accessories that you can use to balance the lighting in your subject, as well as to make sure your subject is well lit, is a reflector. It can be a plain white cardboard or a folder. This will reflect the light from your light source back into the subject. We are going to talk more about the tips for setting up artificial lighting in the technical part of this masterclass. Next is the four direction of light. Now that we understand and know more about the different light sources and how to use them, let's move on to the direction of light. Notice I am really building up to you lighting because skill with lighting in photography is going to be your most powerful tool. When you get lighting right, after this lesson, even if you haven't finished the entire course and you take pictures, I assure you that your photos will improve a lot. Really consider lighting the next time you take photos. Use it to your advantage. Now, let's study what are the four different directions of light that we can use in photography. We have front light, lateral, diagonal, and back light. Lateral light is light coming from the side of the subject. It could be from nine o'clock or three o'clock of the subject. It is best to create that 3D look. Photos are 2D, but with proper lighting, we can create an almost 3D looking image. Lateral lighting helps separate your subject from the background. Let's take a look at this example. [MUSIC] Back light is light coming from the back of the subject. It is best to create silhouettes. When using this direction, make sure that your subject is directly blocking the light source. Let me show you an example. Next, diagonal; this is light coming from 11 o'clock or one o'clock of the subject, creating a diagonal light effect. Our eyes naturally love diagonal, so it helps in composition. Let me show you a couple of examples. Front light is light coming from the front. This is common with built-in flashes. This is okay with portraits, or when you are in a Zoom meeting, but it's not very appealing when photographing food and other still-life subjects because it creates a flat looking image. Let me show you some examples. [MUSIC] Before we move on to my favorite photography lesson, which is composition, let's quickly go over three lighting mistakes that you should avoid the next time you take pictures. Number 1, mixed lighting. This is common when you are shooting indoors. I remember when I was just starting out and I know nothing about lighting, I would always take pictures of my cooking in our dining area. It looks awful. I was frustrated because in my eyes, my dish looks great, but why is it not being captured by my camera? My major mistake was lighting. My window light is touching the food, as well as the dining room's fluorescent light, creating an off white balance in my photo. To correct this, make sure you only have one light source. If you are shooting near a window, make sure to turn off the room light. Next is color cast or color casting. This is the reflection of a strong color or strong colors to your subject. For example, you're photographing food and you're wearing a bright colored shirt, the color of your shirt will be touched by the light and bounce to your subject, adding an off-color to your photo. To avoid this, wear something neutral when taking photos, especially indoors, and remove anything with a strong color surrounding your subject. Finally, harsh light. This is light from the light source directly touching your subject. This is okay if this is intentional and is part of your art and composition, but if you want soft light on your photos, make sure to use light diffusers, such as white curtains or white blankets if shooting near a window, or a soft box or other light diffuser when shooting using artificial light. [MUSIC] It's your turn. Are you ready to have fun while you master lighting in photography? Photograph your most favorite thing at home near a window. Photograph it with mixed lighting, then a single light, and then different light directions, then observe the difference. Choose the best light source and direction that you will use in the next activities. 6. Introduction to Storytelling: Welcome to the creative part of our Photography Masterclass. Have you experienced searching online about how to take good photos and search results kept talking about telling a story, then you are stuck there holding a boring subject and could not come up with a story to tell through your photos or through that subject? You are not alone. I have tried many times to come up with a story first, then take photos only to end up frustrated and discouraged. I have learned by experience that telling a story through photos is simple. I just over complicated the process, and that is why I ended up frustrated. What I will share with you in this lesson are tools that will help you tell stories through your photos. Now, please don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't over complicate things. You don't have to use all the tools that I will share with you. You can actually start with one, then try another, then another until you discover your favorite and build on it. Do you want to know the four story telling tools that will level up your photos? Head on to the next videos and find out. [MUSIC] 7. Storytelling: First is perspective. The way you hold your camera and position yourself helps tell a story through your photos. When you position yourself or your camera lower than your subject, you can get a child's perspective or a low angle shot, which tell a story that it's a big world out there. If you were photographing a person, it's helps for aim her to look taller and mightier. On the contrary, the high angle perspective, it gives your subject an inferior look. When you're photographing a landscape, you can make it look like you can conquer the world. You can achieve this by positioning your camera or yourself higher than the subject. You may use a stool or use anything in your surroundings to achieve this. Finally, the point of view, you can do this by an over the shoulder shot, or using the famous Instagram point of view shot. [MUSIC] Your next door is using mood and emotions. Through your photos, you can tell a story of sadness, happiness, isolation, celebration, love, friendship, warmth, miracle, excitement, confusion, courage, unity, and many more. The way you capture an edit your photos contributes to this. A single-subject can mostly tell a story of isolation and loneliness. On the contrary, a group of subject and smiling faces tell a different story. Body language when photographing people can also help create a mood and emotion. In the next video, you'll find out how color can add to this. 8. Storytelling through color and the actual story: Your third tool is colors or using colors. When you see bright colors in a photo, what do you normally feel? Your mood may change in an instant. How about when you see a black and white photo? Because there are no colors, you are more focused on the subject and their emotions. Black and white allows you to focus on the composition. You focus on the subject instead of distracting colors, bright colors are just story of happiness, excitement, energy, and celebration. Muted colors can convey a totally different story. If you are editing photos, you can also use colors to emphasize your story. Finally, your fourth tool in storytelling, the actual story. Let's say you are eating alone by yourself, you can tell that story by photographing a single serving of food. When you show multiple glasses and plates, it tells a different story. When you are in an event, capturing real-time moments as it happens is the actual story. It's your turn, choose one storytelling tool and try to use it in taking photos. It can be as simple as taking a photo of your favorite subject, the one that I told you before to take photos using different light sources. You can use the same subject and this time choose at least one storytelling tool and go tell your stories through your photos [MUSIC]. 9. Intro to Composition: [MUSIC] Now, that you have an idea on how to tell stories through your photos, the next question is, how do you arrange the subject in other elements in your photos? Do you remember being in a nice place and taking photos only to look at it and get discouraged? I've been there many times. I'm traveling, and see many beautiful places, then take photos, then I would look at my photos and say to myself, "This is really a nice place, I have good lighting, but there's something off with my photos." Then I would drool over other photographers' photos and catch myself staring at them for long periods of time. I also want to take photos like that. I want people to stop and look at my photos. Finally, I found out that I was really messing up with composition. If you want your photos to look nice and balanced, composition is [NOISE] another tool for you to get pleasant and eye-catching photos. Composition is what guides our eyes through a photograph and gives importance to the subject in relation to the rest of the photo. This is how the elements are arranged in a photo to make it balanced and pleasant. For example, for this shoot, I need to take photos of this product. I have these props. If this is my final photo, it looks messy and unappealing. But if I arrange the props and follow composition tools this is the final photo. [MUSIC] From those examples, you'll see how important it is to properly compose your photos. Let me share with you 10 composition tools I learned from years of experience. [MUSIC] 10. Composition Techniques PART 1: Please listen carefully and have a feel of which one or two will appeal to you the most. Because at the end of this lesson, I will ask you to take photos using your two favorite composition tools. Number 1, rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is dividing your frame into nine equal rectangles, then the subject should be placed along these lines or their intersections. This creates a more dynamic and pleasing composition since it gives more emphasis to your subject and their environment. Using this composition technique can make your photos more interesting than when the subject is placed in the middle of the photo. But there are times when it's good to break the rule of thirds. That is when using negative space and using symmetry. Now, this is very subjective. Other photographers prefer filling the frame with different elements, but for some, a photo is much more realistic, pleasant to look at and tells more of a story if you back up a bit and create some negative space in a picture. Next is symmetry or also known as formal balance. This is achieved when both sides of the image hold equal weight. Your skills will improve and you'll have fun trying to find symmetry in your surroundings. Symmetrical photos stand out because they're attractive to the eye. Humans are drawn to visual perfection and compositions that work in harmony. There's a certain comfort in photos that are almost perfect. This is when it makes sense to break the rule of thirds. But before you do, study the rule of thirds first and apply it in your photos. Remember to follow Picasso's advice to learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist. Number 3, layering. This technique involves using foreground, subject and background so that all layers of the images work together to help tell a comprehensive story. Taking a three-dimensional world and trying to put it into a two-dimensional photograph can be challenging. But there are many ways to this challenge and that is to layer the objects and subjects in your composition. For example, in this photo, the trees right here infront is your foreground, then the big, I think this is a rice terraces mountain is your subject. As you can see, the background in blur is your background creating an almost 3D image. Another way to use layering is by using props and other elements in your photo. For example, in this photo, your table is the first layer, the second layer is the tablecloth, and then the third layer is the plate, and then the fourth layer is the food. These layers add more texture and interest to the overall photo. Number 4, rule of odds. Our next composition technique is one of my favorites because it helps with my decision-making. I shoot a lot of food and product photos and in most cases I use props. To help me decide how many props I will be using is the rule of odds. This is using odd numbers to compose your scene. Odd numbers create a sense of balance and harmony. It also provides a resting point of our eyes. An even number of objects can divide our attention and compete with each other. The next time you go in a photoshoot, look for odd numbers and see how it will affect your composition. Number 5, leading lines and shapes. Leading lines is an image composition technique that can be used to create powerful photos. It is a composition technique that features lines shapes like a road or a river to draw the viewer's eye to the intended subject of the photo. Now this looks great in landscape photos, but in food, you have to be careful when using straight lines. Straight lines can make a photo look a bit stagnant. It interferes with the flow in a photo. The diagonal lines on the contrary, will let the viewers eyes walk through the image in a more natural way. Basically, when taking photos, maximize the lines and shapes in your surroundings if photographing landscape and people, then in props and food when photographing food and products. When shooting, always take time in examining your scene. Look for lines and shapes that you can use to lead your viewer's eyes to the subject and don't ever feel limited. When I say lines, it could be a curved line, a diagonal line, horizontal and vertical lines. Do this in every shoot and you will slowly train your eyes to automatically see lines in every scene. [MUSIC] 11. Composition Techniques PART 2: Number 6, framing and positioning of the subject. Framing refers to using elements of AC to create a frame within your frame. Look for angles that give you a window to shoot through. It can either be a natural frame that you see in your surroundings, it could be in the background elements of your subject. Whatever it is, your main goal is to draw the eye into a photograph. Positioning your subject is also a great composition tool. There are photographers who like their subject always epicenter, some at the bottom or at the bottom center, and in the corners. Wherever you position your subject, make sure to consider visual weight and balance. At the end of the day, it should be balanced looking. If not, then the story that you tell through your photo should be so strong that it compensates for the balance in other rules. Number 7, minimalist. In this composition technique, you focus solely on the smallest number of objects in the scene. This composition is distinguished by extreme simplicity. Minimalist composition shows the viewer that less is more, and challenges both the viewer and the photographer to view things in a different light. This is both exciting and challenging. You can use colors, backgrounds, texture, and strong lines to help you in doing a minimalist composition. Although it has a lot of limitations, practicing minimalist composition can really stir up your creativity. Just remember that your main goal here is to tell a story with as few elements as possible. Number 8, contrast. You can use this technique by using color, texture, and conceptual contrast. Contrast simply means difference. We love adventure and seeing unusual things. Contrast in colors and other elements are simply attractive. Before I knew about this, I would stare at a photo for a long time, not knowing what drew me to that photo. Most often, it is the contrast. It could be color contrast, texture contrast, or conceptual contrast, like old and new in a photo, big and small, etc. [MUSIC] Number 9, rule of golden triangle. In this composition technique, the frame is divided into four triangles of two different sizes. Done by drawing one diagonal from one corner to another, and then two lines from the other corners touching the first at 90-degree angles. There are a couple of ways this can be used in photography or in composition. Number 1 is feeling one of the triangles with the subject. Number 2, is aligning some diagonal subject matter with at least one of the diagonal golden triangles or triangle lines. Painters and photographers maximize the visual drama of triangular structures because they add impact and lead the eye. By incorporating triangles and the golden triangle rule into your compositions, you can create dynamic and eye-catching photos. Finally, the golden ratio, or some people call it Fibonacci spiral, golden spiral, Phi grid, or divine proportion. You may have heard about the golden ratio in art or architecture. It's a compositional principle of ordering the elements in a work in such a way that the end result is aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. However, the origin of this rule is mathematical. The golden ratio is 1.618-1, and it is based on the spirals seen in nature from DNA to ocean waves. But how do we use this in composition? First common way is using the Phi grid. It is like an improved version of the rule of thirds. This is how the grid looks like, but you still place your subject in the intersection or the third line. Another way is by using the Fibonacci spiral. Imagine placing the squares within a frame. If you draw arcs from opposite corners of each square, you will end up with a curve reassembling the shape of a spiral. This is a pattern that appears everywhere in nature and resembles the shell of a nautilus. The current flows through the frame and leads your eye around the picture. To effectively use this in your composition, position the element with the most details or the subjects in the smallest box of the coil. I intended to put this composition technique last because it can be confusing and overwhelming. My advice is to practice one composition technique at a time and find out which appeals to you the most and grow from there. If you're using Adobe Lightroom, this tool will help you recognize composition rules that you accidentally followed when creating your images, and it's your turn. [MUSIC] 12. Planning for a Photoshoot: Finally, planning. You might be wondering why is planning at the end of the creative part. Because I don't want this important step to get in the way of you taking photos first. I know I am like a broken record with, I'm I go and take picture statements, but I do it because of all the secrets and techniques in this course. Practice is the real secret. I intentionally put the planning lesson here because I don't want you to get stuck in planning. I want you to move, take pictures, and get out there. If you have done all that, then we can proceed with planning. Planning for your next photoshoot. How do we get those creative juice flowing? One great way, it's looking for inspiration, online or in photo books. This is a lifesaver in my career as a photographer. Actually not just in photography, but in almost all aspects of my life planning. In the planning stage, what I do is decide what are the final photos I want to achieve, to help me decide, for example, if I'm working with a client, I would ask them what theme or mood they want or if they have a particular request or peg in mind. If I am shooting a product, I would research the brand and their slogans. If I am shooting a landscape, I will check for photos of that landscape online or photos of it online first. Another great way to find inspiration is Instagram. You can simply type hashtag and the image that you are planning to create, or the place where you are going. Seeing other people's photos can help spark an idea and inspiration in you. Finally, make a shortlist, whatever photoshoot you will be doing, write down as many shot ideas as possible. I remember how this was a lifesaver for me. I was shooting different flavors of a pizza for a client. I prepared my props and studio, then the pizza came. I started taking pictures. Then I noticed the longer I am taking pictures, the appearance of the pizza is slowly changing. I panicked. I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know what the next shot was. Good thing, I have my shot list. That shot list literally saved that photoshoot. My client was very happy with the outcome. The next time you will be doing a photo shoot or even just a personal trip. Try making a plan and a shot list and see how it will make a happier and more relaxed experience for you. I know that was a lot. Right now I want you to sit back and relax, take a few deep breaths, [NOISE] and then smile. If you reach this point and you are still hungry for more, I want to congratulate you. You have completed the first part of this course. In the creative part, you learned about writing, storytelling, composition, color theory, and planning. If you did the activities and got your hands dirty, then you are ready to level up and move to the technical part of photography. But before we get all techie and savvy, I have prepared an actual photoshoot that will show you most of the things I talked about in the previous lesson. If you want to see how I did portrait, landscape, and food photography in one location, check out the following videos. 13. Introduction to Portrait Photography: Do you want to take better [NOISE] photos of people? Humans or people are probably the best and most exciting subject to photograph. My husband and I started our photo and video business photographing and recording people on video, on special events like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc. It's actually easier because you don't have to tell people to smile or project. They are naturally happy because they are celebrating something. With my years of interacting with subjects, I have learned a couple of techniques that will help bring out the beauty in people, in photographs. Do you want to know the four powerful techniques when photographing people? Head-on to the next video to find out. 14. Portrait Photography Demo: [MUSIC] Hi, welcome to this lesson. Today we're going to do portrait photography. These are my two models/assistant. When I'm photographing the other person, someone is holding the reflector, and the other way around. She's Cindy and she's Vanessa, they are actually my cousins who are kind enough to say yes to this lesson to do this video. I will be photographing them in different location of this beautiful hotel and restaurant. In portrait photography, one of the main thing is to make your models or your subject comfortable. Before we got here, we already hang out, we did a lot of talking, we did briefing. When you're doing portrait photography, you don't just shoot and shoot and shoot people when they're no longer relaxed. If they are no longer comfortable, you need to stop, ask them how they are, and just make sure to make them feel comfortable during the shoot. Make them enjoy the shoot, hangout with them, make them laugh. Really help them to enjoy the shoot, and bring up that unique personality that each of them has. In portrait photography, one of the main thing is light. Actually, you know this already, I say it a lot, but light is very important. When we do portrait photography, we're going to choose location that has beautiful light, that has different light effects. The key is light, how light will help our subjects stand out, how will it draw our subject, or how can we draw with light? Also, another key thing is the background. We are in a hotel and this is very beautiful, it has beautiful interior, it has beautiful gardens. It has a beautiful view, so we are going to explore different locations. I am going to take you with us as we do our portrait shoot in this beautiful hotel, so beautiful. That's another thing. Make sure to compliment your subject. If they're doing a good job, if they're doing a good pose compliment them, make them comfortable, make them happy. [MUSIC] [NOISE] I am kneeling down because I want my subject to look tall. That's one way that you can make your subject look tall and superior, is by doing a low angle perspective, so her legs will look longer, a bit thinner. Let me show you the effect if I will do it another way, if I will be on top of her or above her, giving her a high angle. Let's do that. [MUSIC] [NOISE]. We're going to move on to our next model. We'll try to do a different poses as well. Now we have Cindy to give us a different feel, a different theme. Earlier I showed you the low angle perspective and the high angle perspective, and how to interact with your subject. This time we're going to try and tell stories through our photos through different emotions. Let's see what we can get. [NOISE] With her face, she's giving me this a bit of sad emotion, so that's the good thing. You can also play around with that when your subject has different eye emotion, it gives you a different dynamic. The look that she's giving me, I think I will need to do a higher angle so she will look more inferior and look more sad or lonely. Let me just change location. [NOISE] I love the eyes, she has really beautiful eyes, so it's nice to photograph, especially with this kind of emotion. When you're photographing portrait as well, make sure that you focus your camera. Make sure that the auto focus is on the eyes. Make sure that the eyes is always crispy and in sharp focus. [NOISE] We found this beautiful spot in this hotel where and you can see the mountains, you can see the volcano, and then you have this nice balcony in here. We're going to do our portrait photography here as well. It's perfect. [NOISE]. Very good, it's perfect. [NOISE] Well, I hope you enjoyed that, and I hope you are able to get tips and techniques that you can apply on your next photoshoot. Just a reminder that this is a stage photoshoot. When you do it, expect that your subject will feel a bit uncomfortable at first. But as you start shooting and as you chat with your subject, they will eventually be relaxed and be able to show their real personality and real smile. Also, I use a 50 millimeter lens for this shoot. When photographing people, it is best to use a 50 to 85 millimeter lens, more of that in the technical part of the course. When doing a portrait photoshoot, expect to get tons of images, then just choose the best ones. The light from the sun is also a bit harsh during our photo shoot, so I had to work with what I have and use that to create good photos. It was really tiring as well, so make sure you have breaks and water to hydrate. Honestly, events photography where you can take photos of people in an event while it's happening is still my favorite. But it's nice to try portrait photography outdoors because it contributes and it cultivates my heel and helps me to learn and discover something new. Now, it is your turn. Go ahead and plan for an outdoor portrait photoshoot. Or if there is a small event happening this weekend, go ahead and photograph it. Experiment with light and background. Hang out and have fun with your subject, and remember to focus on their eyes when setting up manual or auto focus in your camera. No need to worry about the settings, you can use auto. In the meantime. Our main goal is for you to start taking photos and explore the creative elements of portrait photography. Have fun. [MUSIC] 15. Introduction to Food Photography: Did you know that according to a YouGov poll, half of Americans take photos of their food? Another survey says that 69 percent of millennials take photos of their food before eating it. That is a lot of people. Now, how can you stand out from that? Simple, by knowing the fundamentals and creative elements of food photography. In the next videos, I will show you a live demo of how I did restaurant food photography. [MUSIC] 16. Restaurant Food Photography: [MUSIC] In this lesson, we're going to do restaurant food photography [MUSIC] We are now at the Villa Ibarra, Tagaytay. This is the restaurant that we chose because it has a very ancient look to it. Everything looks so rich. It has a personality and the food here aside from, it tastes really good, it's also very photogenic. When you are doing a restaurant food photography, makes sure to research the restaurant first. Research if there are good windows that provide natural lighting. Because in food photography, especially when you're doing food photography in a restaurant, you don't want to use mixed lighting or artificial light as much as possible. If it's going to be natural light, stick to natural light. First thing that I do, of course, you do your research, you do your ocular visits. Yesterday we were here, we were trying to check the place, we checked the food as well. Of course, you want to make sure that the staff, the people are welcoming and all of that, you don't want to be disturbing anybody. Make sure to go on lean hours. It could be just you and your friends or it could be less people. Then first thing I do, I scan the restaurant. I look for, of course, the place where there is natural lighting. Then I look for patterns, I look for anything that can contribute to the composition. You know all about composition. You will understand every decision that I will be making on shooting my food. It matters where you put your food, the shapes, the colors, everything matters. Next, after I scan the room, I scanned the restaurant and I found the perfect spot to photograph my food. Next is you want to examine the table. This is a really nice looking table, so it's made of marble. When you're photographing food, let's say there are already a spoon and fork or anything on the table, make sure to clear that out, so you will really see the characteristics of the table. If it's not a good-looking table, you want to check other tables or you might want to put something in it. But for me I'm happy with how this table looks. I'm excited to see the food and start photographing. We are done ordering. Tips when ordering food. You can ask the staff, the waiters, waitress, to see which dish looks good on camera. But, of course, they need to taste good as well because we will be eating it afterwards. Now, while waiting for the food, because for most restaurants, after you order, it could take around 15 minutes before your food is ready. What I normally do is try to capture non-food items or non-food things in the restaurant to add to the vibe. Because you don't want to just photograph the food. You want to photograph the place, the things that you see in that restaurant that you may not see somewhere else. Anything that adds to the ambience to the atmosphere of the restaurant. We're going to do that. I took a photograph of this area because I love how those vertical lines. I love how this art piece contrasts with the color of the chair. Look for something like that. Thinks that contrasts or thinks that compliments. That's what photography is all about. Finding things that contrast or compliment and you make a story out of it. You use colors and lines to compose your shots. In this area, I love the symmetry between the two chairs and the centerpiece. Centerpiece it's in the middle. That's why it's called the centerpiece. Just look for something like that. I love that, when you photograph it empty, it tells a story of mystery or loneliness, isolation [NOISE] [MUSIC] Then you can also change your angle. You can move positions. You can bend down. If you have a stool, you can step on a stool to really show you different perspective. That's the thing. I think that's one of beginner mistakes. When you have your camera, you have your camera and you would just hold it like this, and then you shoot at this angle, at this perspective, at this level. But with photography, the exciting part is you can really move. You can kneel, you can even lay down. Our drinks has arrived. We are going to take photos of it. Here's our drink. I love it. It's so green. It's so exciting to photograph. I'm just trying to figure out where on the table can we place this drink. That's the good thing and that's a very helpful tip in photography. Feel free to experiment. Put your food, your drinks in different places. See how the effect or your shot will change as the light touches your food and give you different effects. I'm going to move around this drink. I'm going to put it in different places and then I will show you the effects. You'll see that changing the location, changing how the light is touching the food, changing the background, you can see how it affects a photo. I love this light [NOISE] If you will see here, I love the contrast between this, the chair. The division between the chair and the wall, and then you have your subject in the middle. To me that looks exciting. That's a good composition for me. We'll take another one [MUSIC] I'm not really happy with this in here. I'll just put it there. It's a good thing I am using a kit lens. This lens goes from 12 millimeter to 60 millimeter. That can give me flexibility. I can do wide angle shot, I can do tight shots, I can do close up. I didn't have a macro lens. I'm happy with the effect of the 16 millimeter. Let me show you [MUSIC] You can see the sunlight or the sun rays from behind our drink. You can play with that [MUSIC] I'm also using the straw to help in the composition. It's a leading line. This straw is leading your eyes to the drink [MUSIC] [NOISE] Let's see you in the change location. If there's anywhere else that we can place our drink. Of course, let's put it back before we change locations. [MUSIC] [NOISE] 17. Photographing Food (Pasta): [MUSIC] Our salad and pasta have arrived and they are picture-perfect. They look amazing, they present a different character, they have different colors, and so we're going to proceed with shooting. In shooting angles, we have overhead or top view, wherein you place your camera on top of the food. That's a famous Instagram composition. We have eye, wherein you level your camera or your lens, you level it with the food. We have 45 degrees, wherein you form a 45-degree angle from the camera and the food, and of course, we have our artistic or our details, wherein we get to really come close or we can really get up close to our food to show the details of the ingredients. Let's start shooting our pasta. I love this restaurant. The people here are so welcoming and so supportive. They provided us different place mats. The plating on this food, it's absolutely stunning, it's gorgeous, it's the best, and so, I just love it here. That's one of the bonuses when you are doing food photography in restaurants, when the people are welcoming and supportive, and they're just there for you, they're with you in all the things, all your requests. Let's start shooting. Let's begin with the pasta. [MUSIC] They provided me this white place mat and it added layer. We have our marble table, we have our place mat, we have this holder, and we have this pretty, I think this is a sizzling pot, and it's just beautiful. We have how many layers? We have the table, we have our placement, we have this holder, we have the pot, we have our food, and we have all the toppings. That gives us texture, a lot of layer. Let's start shooting. [MUSIC] I'm adjusting my lens to 60 millimeters to do the artistic or the detail shot. [MUSIC] You see how I change location, how I change angles, how I change my position, so it's very important to also wear comfortable clothes when shooting, especially outside. We're done with the pasta. Next, we're going to shoot the salad. [MUSIC] 18. Photographing Food (Salad): [MUSIC] I found in this area of the restaurant that there is this beautiful chair that gives me this frame. As you can see, there's a hole in the chair and what I did is to put the food here. I will be shooting from this direction so my light is coming here so I have lateral light so my food is well lit. At the same time when they go here and start shooting it, it will create this amazing frame for me. Let's try that. [NOISE] I also love the prints on the chair. What I want to do is to take a photo of the salad and the chair as well in the background so it gives us that nice contrast. [NOISE] I love that. Just look for all of that, work with everything that you have in the restaurant, the tables, the chairs, the food, work with the colors. I will also take the top view and other angles of our salad. [NOISE] We're done with the salad. Finally, for our food, I want to bring them all together in a table. I chose this table right here. This is a small round table, so it will look a bit cramped. That's also important with composition. You can either use negative space or the other spaces that doesn't have food and props or you can make it look cramped. That's what I'm going to do. I'm just letting a bit of natural light in there. [NOISE] Did you enjoy that? I did, especially the eating part after the shoot. Just a quick recap. When shooting food, take note of number 1, lighting, number 2, shooting angles, number 3, composition, and number 4, experiment, explore, and practice. Now, these are lessons mostly on the creative side. We're still trying to get your creative juice not just flowing, but overflowing. Our goal again is to start practicing and take it one lesson at a time. In Part 2 of this Masterclass, we will dig deep in the camera settings and the nitty-gritty of the camera lenses and exposure. In the next lesson, we will explore landscape photography. 19. Intro to Landscape Photography: Do you want to know a secret? Landscape photography is my least favorite type of photography, but that is not the real secret. The secret that I want to share with you is the three techniques I learned that will make your landscape photos standout. Imagine this, landscapes are still-life subject. They don't move and change location. Mount Everest, the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, they're there all year round. But why do professional photographers photos differ from the rest? I will tell you why. Head onto the next video to find out. [MUSIC] 20. Landscape photography demo: [MUSIC] Now for landscape photography, the key is finding light and patterns. Basically, when you're on a location, you try to find out how can you showcase the landscape on the best composition and the best life possible. To do that, find patterns and then make sure to shoot during golden hours. But of course, depending on the landscape, because earlier I shot this same view when the sun is still up, and just the reflection on the water, the blue-green effect of water, you can only get that during noon or a bit of afternoon, but you won't get that during the magic hours. It depends on what look, what is your vision. If you want warm, you can shoot at sunset, if you want the effect of the morning sun, you can do that too. If you want to shoot the ocean or water and you want that blue-green effect, you should do it noon or when the sun is out, making that reflection on the water. Let me just show you how I composed and how I shot for this location. [MUSIC] In this composition, I am using the stone railings to frame my shot. I am trying to put the volcano at the center. When you're shooting, try to find something that can be used as a natural frame for your composition. [MUSIC] If you want to get a different perspective, you can either go low or you can use a stool or a chair. You can also step on it to give you a different angle and perspective. [MUSIC] This is where I showed you, or this is what I told you about the frame. You can see the leaves is making that framing and our subject, which is [inaudible] volcano is in the rule of thirds. [MUSIC] That's how I did landscape photography or the famous [inaudible] volcano here in our town. Again, the three techniques that will make your landscape photo standout, number 1, plan and shoot when there is the best lighting. If you want warmer colors in your photos, it is best to shoot during golden hour, which is within one hour after sunrise and within one hour before sunset. But if you want the effect of noon sign, especially when getting the blue-green effect on ocean or other bodies of water, you can get that during the noon time or when the sun is up in the sky. Number 2 look for a pattern, lines, shapes, and natural frames in your surroundings. Walk around and experiment. Find out how a common landscape can be unique and remarkable through your camera lens. Finally, number 3, wait for the right moment. This will require a lot of patients, but I can tell you that this will all be worth it. Nothing is worth doing unless you're really serious about it. In landscape photography, you are paid to be lucky, to be the only person standing at the right place, at the right moment and it can only happen once. Take advantage of that. Let's say you're in front of a beautiful landscape and the clouds cover the sun, making remarkable lighting and shadows. Take that shot. For example, in this landscape photography demo, I actually got lucky. This is [inaudible] volcano. There have been countless photographs taken in this place, but it's only today that the sky looked at this way. I stand at the back of this pillar and it is dividing the scene into two and the best part is on the right, it looks like it's going to rain and it's bright and sunny on the other side. Next in this photo, I was standing for 15 minutes and a bird flew and luckily I was able to capture it with a perfect composition of the volcano. Wait and look for something similar when you do landscape photography. Be patient and wait for the perfect and once in a lifetime moment. Look for good lighting patterns, lines, shapes, and frames to compose your shots. Be creative and experiment and do the editing later, and most importantly, have lots of fun. [MUSIC] 21. Congratulations!: Well, if you have reached this point, I'd like to congratulate you. Number one, for taking that step to grow your photography skills and really take it to the next level. Number two, for sticking around and finishing what you started. But it does not end here. This is just the beginning. Actually, there is still a part 2 of this masterclass. If you enjoy the creative part of photography and you want to continually promote yourself to being an expert and professional photographer, check out Photography Masterclass Part 2 under my class, and I will see you there. [MUSIC]