3 and 5 Day Location Fashion Class Schedule

SCHEDULE

Day 1 
09.00 until 10.00: Introductions and Tea/Coffee
Getting to know each other.  The next five days will be a great creative and learning experience! During this introductory session, you will get to know Bruce and the people that you will be enjoying this week with and finding out why we’re all here.  Some want to shoot fashion for a living, some want to bring fashion into their social photography, others just want to learn something new. Whatever the reason, we all want you to get the most from the next five days!

10.00 until 12.00: Briefing
Bruce will outline the format for the week and break down the key learning objectives for the Master Class.  Below is a summary of what we will cover during the three or five days of the class.

! Location finding
! Lighting techniques
! Setting up
! Directing your models
! Learn how to generate a flow of positive energy into your own pictures
! You will also learn how to compose your images
! Work your images to fit layouts and pages of magazines
! Learn how to manage your digital workflow
! Clear up the mysteries surrounding colour balance
! Management of your image files
! Learn how to make the most out of available and artificial lighting
! Find out how to use your meter to control image contrast and exposure
! Get the answers to all of those questions you can never find the answers
to
! Have a lot of fun and go home with some great images for your own
portfolio or website
 
12.00 until 13.00: Research for the shoot
Finding the right location for your fashion shoot can be one of the most challenging parts of the process, with most locations we use for class, some of these particular challenges have been overcome!  We have stunning locations. 

Your task is to peruse your magazines and ‘tear sheets’ to find your ideas and inspiration.  When reviewing these images, ask yourself, ‘how has this shot been set up?’  Look at the effects of the styling and hair/make up.  Look at the lighting and think how you might create a similar effect.  Each of these elements goes into making your shoot a success.

13.00 until 14.00: Break for Lunch

14.00 until 17.30: Recce locations/planning for shoot.
Having established the location, Bruce will talk you through some of the ideas that will help you decide how best to create your shots.  He will encourage you to think how your pictures will look in magazine spreads.  Bruce will show you how to create your images as left hand or right hand pages or double page spreads.  You will also see examples of the angles you might use and consider whether you mix close up with full length, wide angle or cropped.  As these factors will establish how your images will look on the page and are a vitally important part of the creative process, you will be able to use the information from this session to aid your shooting over the following three days.

17.30 until 18.00 The Wrap
Bruce will recap on the key learning points from the day and preview the next three days of shooting.
 
Day 2, 3 and 4 ( or 2 and 3 for 3 day location class )
Days 2, 3 and 4 will follow the structure laid out below.  Each shooting session will feature a different look with hair, make up, outfit and the model combining to help you create your own fashion story.  As you progress and develop over days 2,3 and 4 you will put your own interpretation and style into your shooting, creating a story that is unique to you.
 
Time on set will fly by!!  With this in mind, it is vitally important that you have an effective method of managing your workflow.  The next section is a guide that is designed to help you manage your images, maximize the time available to you and finish with the best output from your shooting.
  
Each day, you will create a selection of 3 images from each shoot that can be used either in conjunction with each other as a two page spread or as individual pages.  These will form part of the Image Review, an opportunity to gain that all- important feedback on your images of the day.
 
Before we begin shooting, 

1. Create a folder for the class, call it ( example )BSLFMCHCHAPRIL2010 
2. Create a folder for the each of the 3 shooting days 
3. Within each shooting days folder, create a folder for each outfit, 
4. Within each outfit folder create 2 folders folders, 
5. One folder for RAW files and one folder for JPegs.  
6. In the jpgs folder, create a 1st edit folder
7. Within the 1st Edit folder create a 2nd  Edit folder
8. Within the 2nd Edit folder create a Final Edit folder.  

Before you begin shooting, set your frame counter to continuous, your white balance to daylight, your exposure mode to manual, the colour space to adobe 1998.  The only ‘auto’ setting allowed during class is ‘auto focus’!!
 
Composition When Shooting

Bruce will be talking you through the fundamentals of shooting for a ‘spread’ or fashion story.  We should always aim to shoot each outfit as full-length shots, three quarters shots and close up shots, ensuring a bias to the left and a bias to the right.  This is so that the final edited images can be balanced as two images side by side or as double page spreads.
 
08.30 until 10.30 Hair, make up and styling. 
While your model is in hair and make up, Bruce will explain the key roles of hair stylist, make up artist and costume stylist and their importance to a successful fashion shoot.  You will learn how these key roles influence the look and feel of a shoot and the importance of the collaboration between the photographer and these key members of the team.
 
In this session, Bruce will also outline the sub editing process and the importance of simplifying your workflow to ensure the best use of your time whilst on set.  This will enable you to understand the shooting/sub editing process and maximize your time on set.

10.30 until 12.00: Shooting
We will shoot 2 to 3 outfits. Bruce will lead with a demonstration of his unique style of shooting which will enable you to see first hand how energy, communication and work rate combine to capture great fashion shots.  You will then work with the model and develop your style of shooting to produce great fashion images.
 
Following your initial shoot, you will then sub edit your images to produce your selection for a spread.

13.00 until 13.15 Morning Wrap
Bruce will summarise the morning session, highlighting key learning points from your first shoot with the model.

13.15 until 14.30: Break for Lunch
 
14.30 until 16.30: Shooting
The afternoon shoot will feature a different look and style.  Again, Bruce will lead by demonstrating how the direction given by the photographer reflects the change in the look and the theme of the story.
 
You will be able to observe Bruce and your colleagues as well as practise your own ideas with the model.  Following your shooting session, you will sub edit your images for the end of day image
review and feedback session.

16.30 until 17.00: Sub editing your day's images – Managing your Workflow
Edit your images as follows as follows: 
 
1st edit images down to as many as will work, then label red, 2nd edit images down to 20 / 30, label them label blue, 3rd edit to final 4 to 6, label them green.  Process these as bellow.
 
For each outfit we shoot, select a full-length image for a left and a right hand page and a close up for a left and a right hand page and a three quarter image for a left and a right hand page. This should be done during the time in between your shoot and the end of the session for that particular look.
 
Keep in mind as you edit that you are looking for images from each outfit that will work together, showing some thing different about the outfit in each shot chosen for a double page spread.
 
When you have finished your 3rd and final outfit edit, copy the final edited images into your raw images folder, this will highlight the raw files of your final choice images, process these images to useable tiff format images with -4ret at the end of the file name ready for photoshop retouching.   
 
Also save as a jpg with -4ret at the end of the filename. i.e. you will have for each images you
process...
 
DSC9621.jpg
DSC9621.neff
DSC9621-4ret.tiff
DSC9621-4ret.jpg 

Managing Your Workflow – Continued
 
Create a folder with your name and the shoot day within this folder create a folder for each outfit. Place a copy of each final processed image (file names ending in   -4ret.jpg ) into the outfit folder for each of the outfits for each day of the shooting, etc etc..  Load this folder onto the toggle provided to you on day 1 of class.
 
NB: Do not do any photoshop retouching to your images during shooting days of class, leave this until the evening or the photoshop session on the final day.
 
This process will enable you to efficiently organize and select the final images that you are going to work on and allow you to maximize your time on set.

17.00 until 17.30 Image review
Bruce will review the image selection of all course members and offer insights and feedback on composition and layout.  This is a particularly valuable feedback session as it will provide essential guidance that you will be able to use during the following days and beyond.  

17.30 until 17.45 The Wrap
Bruce will summarise the learning from the key aspects of the day, giving individual feedback and answering your questions.   
 
As days 2,3 and 4 follow this format, The Wrap from each morning and afternoon will enable you to review your progress and development from session to session.  By the end of day 4, your collection of images will illustrate the progress that you have made in just a few days. 

Shooting on Day 3 and Day 4
On Day 3 we will shoot 3 to 4 outfits and on Day 4 we will shoot 4 to 5 outfits, all outfits to be shot as full length three quarters and close up.
 
By the third day of shooting, you will be feeling much more confident working with the models, giving direction and picking your shots to fit your layouts.  This is the time for you to ‘let it all hang out’ and
really make the most of the experience that you have gained over the previous days.
 
You will have already seen that the more energy you put into your shooting and directing your model, the more you will see in your shots.  With more outfits to shoot than in the previous days, it is imperative that you are prepared for your shooting session when it comes around.
 
Sub-edit your shots as efficiently as possible following your shoots and ensure that you are prepared for your next session.

13.00 until 13.15 Morning Wrap
Bruce will summarise the morning session, highlighting key learning points from your first shoot with the model.

13.15 until 14.30: Break for lunch

17.00 until 17.30 Image review
Bruce will review the image selection of all course members and offer insights and feedback on composition and layout.  This is a particularly valuable feedback session as it will provide essential guidance that you will be able to use during the following days and beyond.  

17.30 until 17.45 The Wrap
Bruce will summarise the learning from the key aspects of the day, giving individual feedback and answering your questions.   


Day 5 

09.30 until 13.00: Editing of your images
During this session, Bruce will take you through the process of selecting and using your final images to make them work as a fashion story.  This is the process that all fashion stories go through whether for Vogue, Harpers Bazaar or any of the less well known fashion publications.  Bruce will help you establish how certain images work together on the page, how to allow for text and what to avoid.
 
13.00 until 14.00: Break for Lunch

14.00 until 17.30: Photoshop instruction
This session is not intended to teach you how to use Photoshop!  Bruce has a range of tried and tested editing processes which guarantee that he will be able to make his final images ‘magazine ready’.  This session is all about making your final images ready for publication and like all of the previous sessions,
will be highly interactive.

17.30 until 18.00:THE WRAP!
We are sure that, by this stage, there will be a lot of information running around in your mind and the previous Monday morning will seem like an age away!  Bruce will summarize the week’s learning and events and provide an opportunity for questions from you that will round off a great week.  This is the time to have those last minute, ‘burning questions’ at the ready!
 
NB.  We feel it important that you achieve a range of high quality images from this Master Class, however, images from the Master Class may only be used for your portfolio’s, websites and comp cards and may not, under any circumstances, be sold to or used by any third parties. 
 
As course provider, Bruce Smith respectfully reserves the right to retain copies of finished images taken by photographers on the course for the purpose of promoting further courses.