SILVERMAN: creating visual narratives of people, places, and spaces. Working for a variety of professional services firms, SILVERMAN creates outside the box photos for his clients. Through attentive collaboration and by using sophisticated techniques, SILVERMAN elevates brands to attract, engage and inspire. Commercial photography with an emphasis on architecture and business portraits.
OUTSIDE THE BOX. REMARKABLE. COLLABORATIVE. SOPHISTICATED.
I’ve developed a 4 foot rule: 4 feet directly in front of where the subject will stand, 4 feet to the right (or left, depending on the client specs), back to center, 4 feet further back, and 4 feet to the other side for the fill.
Thanks for the question. It’s sort of a moot point because most of the corners are cropped out in the edit. The fact of the matter is that the background is transformed to pure white 255:255:255 using replace color in Photoshop per client requirements.
Thank you Mr. Siverman for your wonderfully informative, well produced as well as entertaining video. I enjoyed it immensely. I'd love to know specifically what brand and model of light you used for the backdrop. I like that it's discreet and highly effective. Many thanks for considering my request.
@@silvermanberemarkable8402 Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are 320w/s lights (Digibee DB800). What power do you typically have them set to? Is that typically more than enough power? Debating between 300, 400, and 600w/s lights and your input would help immensely. Thank you!
Hi Steve, thanks for the video. I've been a corporate photographer for almost 20 years in Wisconsin. It was neat to see how someone else approaches the same type of photo shoot.
Hi thank you for the tutorial. Just wondering if you are shooting RAW into Lr using the Camranger? Looks like a great alternative to a long tether USB cable!
The CamRanger doesn’t shoot to LR. It downloads to its own app. The CamRanger downloads both RAW and a small JPEG but only displays the JPEG for speed. The image shows up in 1-2 seconds after the shot is taken. Technically, it doesn’t really download unless you want it to d/l to a card on the device itself. Once you disconnect it from the camera, the images go away unless you reconnect the camera. It’s much better than tether because, well, it’s not tethered. You don’t have to be close to the iPad. It can even be in another room. Especially useful for handheld lifestyle type photography and for architectural photography (my other specialty).
Thank you great to know, perhaps a little slow for fashion where there are many shots per second? Seems like it is a perfect replacement for the Tether cable for slower portrait shoots though. @@silvermanberemarkable8402
@@samsarra100 It’s pretty fast especially if you use RAW plus a small jpeg. It transfers to the iPad in about 1-2 seconds. Of course, if it’s rapid fire, like 5x or 10x then it will start to back up. So, for a fashion shoot, it will keep up with the strobes.
Probably the best production values and quality I’ve seen for a tutorial/presentation of this type. It’s like watching a documentary, but more fun. And the tutorial is great too. Thanks!
The beauty of photography is that there really isn’t a “wrong” or “right” way to do it. It’s only “right” if the client likes your work and that’s all that matters! :), I personally would’ve done things a little differently but love picking up small things here and there :)
Great tutorial! Do you meter your lightings or just go by feel? ON your fill light, does it matter if it's on axis with the camera or do you always place on the opposite side of the main light and reason for that?. I just subscribed!
Very carefully meter to f/8.0 on the Main. Fill is 8 feet from the subject and 4 feet to the right (or left) opposite the Main. I end up with almost a 1:1 ratio which is usually important for corporate portraits. Depending on the client, sometimes there is a somewhat greater ratio. Thanks for your comment and questions!
Hi Steve, great approach IMO. Simple, effective - giving the corporate customer (Mkt. Dir.) what they want , no surprises, reliability, good enough pics, happy subjects - probably client(s) delighted with, for many, results ahead of expectations. I imagine that internal feedback (up the chain) will be favourable and help ensure repeat and referral business. Overall, IMO, many wannabe pro photographers fail to grasp it's as much, or more, about marketing and business as the photography itself. Myself, I'm a keen award winning amateur who loves arty creative work, portraiture, people, sport etc. Some corporate friends and colleagues, seeing my photography, thought I could do it professionally. But I decided, for me, it was better kept as an indulgent hobby. I have shot a few well paid (on request) assignments for ad-hoc corporate or social clients and some less well paid work for friends, reportage, event, PR assignments and never wanted to do it professionally instead of my day job.
You're absolutely correct. When I advise other photographers I tell them professional photography is 80% business and 20% photography. The transition from a hobbyist to a professional can be tricky. I had to confront those issues when I made the transition. It's been very fulfilling for me but I know that it's not for everyone. When I started shooting 40 hours a week and working my day job 40 hours a week at the same time, the decision was pretty easy. @@rickymcc9072
wonderful bts of a corporate photo session. steve clearly communicates very well and his talent and joy is evident. on the 70-200mm/2.8 what is your preferred focal length? thumbs up.
A 85mm would’ve be a good choice for headshots . For some reason all pros want to shoot with the white zoom lens like if that makes you a pro lol . It’s actually an over kill zoom for indoor headshots . You don’t need a zoom nor a fast lens for head shots
@@sfelix8702 I can assure you I’m not trying to impress anyone by using a zoom lens. I owned an 85mm f/1.2 at one time. A gorgeous lens but actually not quite as useful for this type of shoot. There are continuous slight changes to the focal length for each person as they can vary considerably in height. The Canon 70-200 f/2.8 has been rated by many as the best portrait lens ever made. Also, it’s not a question of need. It’s not really overkill. Each variable in the shoot is additive. The lens is only one of those variables. They all add up, though, to achieving superior results, not just “good enough.”
It's always great to see how others work, their process and their workflow - so thank you for sharing. I'd be interested to understand why you didn't make the adjustments in posing to avoid the glare on the glasses to begin with and save you the additional editing to fix that? One of the things I do ahead of any session is ask if they are a glasses wearer; if so I ask if they have the option of removing the glass from the frames for the shoot or maybe have a second pair they can do that with (the Holy Grail of solutions to tricky little issue), otherwise I have some little tweaks to posing that usually gets around the problem.
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate that you took the time to watch the video and express your views. You're correct. There is an option to move the lights or ask the subject to turn his head to avoid glare. In the course of a photo shoot involving 18 people, it is sometimes more complicated to move the lights than address the issue in post processing.
@@silvermanberemarkable8402 understood. I often shoot theatre groups and casts - groups of 5 - 25 (or more) at a time, one after another, very similar to your corporate work. My lights never move - just like you I have a specific setup and I'm looking for continuity across the group.