This workshop focused on posing.  Mainly, group posing and posing to tell a story.  With groups, the primary goal is to create interest and diversity.  With a large group of people in a shot, it’s important to have everyone involved to keep the viewer’s attention.  This skill is very helpful with large bridal parties.  Posing a couple is a basic skill needed by all wedding photographers.  But to create a more dynamic image, Scott teaches how to pose a couple while creating a story.   Again, a way to keep the viewer’s attention and vary from the common poses.

As in all of Scott’s workshops, we are encouraged to create drama with light.  In the last few images I used an orange gel on my strobe to create a sunset feel.  Way more interesting than the available sun at 2pm.

All the models and dancers were awesome.  The authentic costumes and Folklore Mexicana dancers were a perfect fit for the setting.  Although the images don’t seem wedding related, you can easily substitute in a bride & groom or a bridal party.  Overall,  some great tools for when you’re in the middle of a wedding day rush with only 10 minutes to do bridal portraits.

Scott Robert Lim Workshop
San Juan Capistrano Mission
Dancers: Folklore Mexicana
Model Makeup/Hair: Vivian Tran and the All Made Up Team
Dancer Makeup: Christy Stevens

The location for this workshop was at the Santa Anita Racetrack.  The Chandelier Room is a beautiful venue for any wedding.  It’s Art Deco style is elegant and very reminiscent of early Los Angeles.

Special thanks to Scott Robert Lim, Jessica Lauren Goodman, Cheri De Haro, Vivian Tran, the models, and ALL the folks that help make this workshop incredible.

Location: Santa Anita Racetrack
Makeup/Hair: Vivian Tran and the All Made Up Team
Hats: Carol Bader – Del Mar Hat Company
Styling: Dory Megaro – Marshmallow Couture
Models: Czarina Jamir, Tatyane Berrios, Chrisoula Baroudos, Karen Serrano, Matt Schermerhorn

This workshop took place at the impressive San Juan Capistrano Mission. Known for it’s beautiful historic structures it is a breathtaking location. That being said, we actually spent a lot of time in a small dark room working on posing techniques.  Scott shared with us tips and tricks on getting the most out of our clients.  Being comfortable in front of a camera is hard for most.  Getting my clients comfortable is key.  If they feel good, they look good.  Using some industry tricks to assist in overall composition can turn a good photo in to an amazing one.  The right pose for the light, thinking about diagonals, lines, and finding balance.  Most importantly we must not forget the moment. The emotion is really what it’s all about.  All those factors are just a small part of what goes into the perfect shot.

The rules for shooting at the workshop were simple. Each photog takes a turn. No one shoot over your shoulder, aka shot stealing.  When it was my turn I had 5 minutes with each model.  I had to position them, give them instruction, consider the light,  adjust my camera settings, and shoot. Again, all within that 5 minute limit.  But when you’re a wedding photographer you’re used to being rushed.  Overall it was a great exercise and once again I walked away changed.  I’d like to call it growth.

In most of my shoots I sometimes find it difficult to incorporate an off-camera strobe since it involves extra equipment and so many other factors. When I’m doing a portrait session with clients we are normally on the move and not trying to call attention to ourselves. Unless I have an assistant with me, carrying around the extra equipment, setup time, and worrying about security guards is not that fun. But, there’s no doubt that using this setup can give you some AMAZING shots. In this workshop I tried to step out of my comfort zone from using natural light and practiced using a somewhat mobile single strobe/stand setup. Using natural lighting is still my main form of shooting, but if all factors are right an off-camera strobe is a great tool to have.

Much love to Ming Chien and all the other instructors for sharing their knowledge.

Special thanks to the models, makeup artists, and stylists for sharing their talent:
Carla Hille
Karla Montero
Annaiz Rzepka
Aimee Eyre
Laura Choate
Kay Jo