Hot Topic 01

Hot Topic - Good Light!
Mag - The New Way of Portrait Photography
Hot Topic - Good Light! Mag - The New Way of Portrait Photography
GoodLightMag.com
Hot
Topic:
Dont
Forget...
Planning!
How you plan your successful
photo shoot in 30 minutes
Free
Download
Your Professional
Production Book
Contents
FEATURES
Your Production Book

(free template)
Make your photo shoot run on
autopilot
Photo Efficiency
Customizing and tailoring the

template for your kind of photo
shoots
The Leverage Trick

Using your production book
template
Look Inside
Use this template as your starting point for customizations

The videos and the template in this issue of Good Light! Magazine are taken
from one of the lessons of my high end
photography coaching program The Productive Photographer. In the videos I will
sometimes refer to other lessons which
are not part of this magazine, but which
are also not essential for the content
featured in this mag.

3

By MICHAEL ZELBEL
Make your photo shoot run on autopilot
Video from my high end photography coaching program The Productive Photographer.
Photographers want results. Quite

often I can provide beginning
photographers with results by giving
them a ready-to-shoot recipe for a
particular scene including a lighting
diagram. However, when it comes to
more advanced photographers, then
they want outstanding results in their
own shooting situation. And if there is
one group of people who are even more
concerned about the outcome than the
photographers are, then these are their
clients. They want excellent results,
too, and they want them guaranteed.
Thats why in my high end coaching

program, The Productive Photographer,
I had to care to make my students
set up their shootings for guaranteed
success. Zero tolerance for failure. The
key for this is the right type of planning.
As you certainly like to have fruitful
photo shoots as will, Id like to share
this particular lesson of The Productive
Photographer with you today. Let me
introduce you to a type of planning,
which will put you ahead of 95% of all
professional photographers. Coming
up with a professional production book

4
for your next photo shoot will absolutely

give you the edge.
Photo shoots tend to depend on a
number of people. Theres not only
the photographer, but there are also
models, stylists, makeup artists,
second shooters, assistants and many
more. They all have to work in a team
towards the result, which you desire.
Enable them by giving them guidance.
Give them the predictability they need
in order to function. Base it on a solid
planning.
The outcome of your photo shoot can
either depend on luck, or it can depend
on good preparation. Choose the latter
one. From experience I can tell, that it

is much easier and also much faster,
to plan something in advance, than it
is to figure it out under pressure and
time constraints at the day of shooting.
The tool of choice for planning your
shoot is your production book. You
dont need to come up with a new book
from scratch every time you prepare a
shoot. Its the opposite, the power of
this book is that it is based on a solid
template which takes care of a lot of
lists and information which otherwise
might be forgotten during planning.
The outcome is a slick, complete
Production Book which not only makes
Making the model falling into the light was not much effort. But it required giving the scene a bit of thought in
advance during the planning phase. Michael did not photograph the model falling down, but actually jumping
forward.

5
your team working so much better, but

it also gives your client so much more
confidence in your work. Preparing this
book pays of big time.
Fancy some inspiration for coming
up with your own template for your
production book? This is what this
magazine is about. It shows you
exactly the template, which I use when
planning my next photo shoot. In order
to make it really convenient for your to
start with my template as a basis for
your template, I am making it available
for you as a download in Microsoft
Word format, ready to be edited in
applications like Word, Pages or Open
Office. All you have to do is subscribing
with your eMail address to the Good
Light! Newsflash and seconds later
you will find the download link to your
template right in your eMail inbox.
If you have a producer for your
photo shoot, then he should own
the production book. It should be
the outcome of his planning. If there
is no producer involved, then the
photographer can quickly come up
with a production book. Its much less
work than it seams.
In any case, the production book will
guide your workflow. The checklists
in the book will make sure you dont
leave out any important step during
the shoot. In your future shoots there
will never be such a shock moment
like OMG with forgot this important
[blank]! We are toast!
Besides that, your production book will
greatly enhance the commitment of
your team and it will make you shine

in the eyes of your client.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
in order to download your
production book template in
Microsoft Word format.

6
Wardrobe, styling, custume,

makeup and lighting must
be well coordinated in order
to depict a geisha in a shiny
latex outfit. Its really not as
simple as it might look.
Model: Sarathustra
Styling: Emily
Shooting by Blende666 and
Michael Zelbel
Studio: Fotomagic
A Cookbook for Improving

Your Boudoir Photography
This eBook features 74 pages full of recipes for awesome photography in any
bedroom
use simple and absolutely reliable lighting setups
return from your shoot with posh professional photos
make your boudoir models really proud
Packed with actionable tips and tricks

In the ebook I walk you through
the way that I perform my boudoir photo shoots. All you need
to do is follow the 6-step approach that I provide you with:
1. basics like the right lighting
gear and lenses for a bedroom
2. lingerie and clothes which
work vs. things that do not
work
3. the lighting setups which
deliver the best results
4. poses for every model, from
standard to creative
5. how to find the best camera
angle the common mistakes to
avoid
Findout about this book at Boudoir.cc
Photo Efficiency
8
Photo Efficiency
Customizing and tailoring the template
for your kind of photo shoots
In any given photo production there

are a gazillion of things which you have
to do as a photographer in order to
finally get the result which you want to
achieve. Often times it all starts with
a briefing and it ends with Photoshop.
In between there are a huge number
of steps which are all part of your
workflow. You can produce a lot of good
photos in a lot of good photo shoots if
your workflow is very efficient. On the
other hand, if it is not efficient, then the
inefficiencies will steal so much time

from you, that you simply wont have
time to produce a lot of good stuff,
even if your skills are excellent. A slow
workflow is killing you in photography.
One aspect of efficiency is that we want
to do work only once and not many
times. For example, we dont want to
write our production book from scratch
every time we plan a shoot, we want
to reuse it as much as possible.
Photo Efficiency
9
The degree to which you will be able to

reuse your particular planning template
depends very much on how well you
tailor it for your needs. If you reuse the
downloadable template I referenced in
the previous article, then I suggest you
tailor it in two passes:
1) Add all the standard information
like for example your name, details
and your studio address, then save the
template naming it Production Book
Complete.doc.
2) Now in a 2nd pass walk through it
and remove all the sections, which you
typically do not need for your type of
photography. Save this version under a

name like Production Book Standard.
doc.
This stripped down version is a perfect
starting point for your typical photo
shoots. Just in case you break out of
your standard way and you need some
sections which you already removed
from your template, then you can
always go back and use the Production
Book Complete.doc instead.
Now take a couple of minutes to tailor
your template. It will pay off big time
in the years ahead of you.
An outdoor shoot in the prairie of Beijing. My classic example for usage of the production book. Even though
this shoot involves only a handful of team members, it must be planned very well. By the time the shooting
happens every team member needs to know exactly what to do.
Photo Efficiency
10
Shooting fashion in a bar. This

shoot needed to happen very
fast. Nevertheless everything
had to be perfect: Location,
colors, styling, light... Without
proper planning, this would be
close to impossible.
Back Issues?
Have all of them!
Make Ultra-Soft
Beauty Light
The Quick Portrait

Lighting Trick
Onelight vs Two and

Three Light Setups
The Leverage Trick

12
The Leverage Trick

Using your production book template
This video sometimes refers to other lessons of The Productive Photographer, but you dont really need
these lessons in order boost the leverage given you by your production book.
How do you leverage your production

book best? If you are able to integrate
your production book smoothly into
your workflow, then you will reap huge
rewards. You enjoy lots of benefits
of solid planning while having very
little extra work during planning and
a significant amount of time saved
during your production.
If you use your template correctly,

it enables you to plan a big shoot,
properly, on paper, in like 30 minutes.
This is really powerful stuff. This makes
you more powerful than 95% of the
professional photographers out there.
The Leverage Trick

13
Even a very simple photo shoot in a hotel room benefits greatly from using a production book template
for very fast, but very efficient planning.
Look Inside
Look Inside
15
Use this template as your starting point for customizations

The following pages show the empty
template, as I would use it for my work.
It is filled with lists for my kind of photo
shoots. I feature it here in order to give
you a good idea of how the template is
looking like. However, I highly suggest
downloading the MS Word version of
the template. You can open and edit it
not only in MS Word, but also in Apple
Pages and Open Office.
Subscribe to our Newsletter

in order to download your
production book template in
Microsoft Word format.
Model: Jennifer Hill

Shooting hair for Toni and Guy. Not in a well controlled photo studio, but rather in a hair saloon with multiple models and hair stylists preparing one creation after another. If I had not planned well for this shoot, then
I would have been toast in that situation.
THE ORIGINAL PLANNING DOCUMENTS OF

A S U C C E S S F U L F A N T A S Y S H O O T I N G

Your Name
Photographer
Title of
Your
Shooting
Confidential:
This document must not
be shared with 3rd parties
Confidential
This document is absolutely confidential. It may not be shared with anyone
other than individuals granted permission by the photographer. In case you
received this document from anyone other than the photographer then you
have received illegal materials.

-2-

by Photographer All Rights Reserved
Table Of Contents
The Holy Shooting Schedule ............................................................................................... 5
The Great Photo Idea ......................................................................................................... 6
The Story ........................................................................................................................... 7
Location ............................................................................................................................. 8
Location Details .......................................................................................................................... 8
Weather Forecast ....................................................................................................................... 8
Location Checklist ...................................................................................................................... 9
Scenes .............................................................................................................................. 10
Lighting Setups ......................................................................................................................... 10
List Of Frames To Produce per Scene ........................................................................................ 10
The Team Tasks and Contact Details .............................................................................. 11
Producer .................................................................................................................................. 11
Photographer ........................................................................................................................... 11
First Assistant ........................................................................................................................... 11
Digital Tech .............................................................................................................................. 12
Videographer ........................................................................................................................... 12
Model(s) .................................................................................................................................. 12
Hair Care & MUA ...................................................................................................................... 12
Stylist ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Location Scout .......................................................................................................................... 13
Drivers / Assistants .................................................................................................................. 13
Translator ................................................................................................................................ 14
Addresses ......................................................................................................................... 15
Hair, Makeup and Styling .................................................................................................. 16

Scene #1 ................................................................................................................................... 16
Scene #2 ................................................................................................................................... 16
Scene #3 ................................................................................................................................... 17
Scene #4 ................................................................................................................................... 17
Gear and Papers Checklist ................................................................................................. 19
Papers ...................................................................................................................................... 19
Essential Photo Gear ................................................................................................................ 19
Additional Photo Gear .............................................................................................................. 19
Styling and props for the shooting ............................................................................................ 20
Other items .............................................................................................................................. 20
Day Before Shooting Checklist .......................................................................................... 21
Takeoff Checklist .............................................................................................................. 22
Ramp Up Step By Step List ................................................................................................ 23
Postproduction ................................................................................................................. 24
Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................... 25
-3-

-4-

The Holy Shooting Schedule

We absolutely MUST stick to the following schedule on the day of the shooting
Shedule
[Date]
aa:00

aa:00 bb:00

bb:00 cc:00

cc:00 dd:00

dd:00 ee:00

ee:00 ff:00

ff:00

Meet at Meetingpoint
Drive to location
Prepare Scene #1, Makeup
Shoot Scene #1
Shoot Scene #2
Shoot Scene #3
Pack up the stuff an leave Location
-5-

The Great Photo Idea

This shooting is about
The key statement that the photos make is
I imagine the following scenes
Some examples for photos like this are

-6-

The Story
We will think of the shooting as taking photos of scenes from the following
little story. This will help us to express a common mood and expression when it
comes to setting up the scene, clothing and makeup, posting, lighting and all
the other creative elements.
The main characters of our story is.
She is living in
One day she

-7-

Location

Location Details
Name

Photos

Map and Driving Instructions

Weather Forecast
The weather on location at the scheduled day of the shooting will be like this:
Temperatures:
Felt Temperature:
Wind:
Clouds / Rain:
Sunrise / Sunset:

-8-

Location Checklist
This list is considered during location scouting and approved by the producer.
Parking Space? Distance to set?
Electric power 220V available?
Restrooms?
Changingroom?
Retreat in case of rain?
Place to store gear?
Drinks, food, snacks available?
Where is the sun at the time of shooting? Where is it going to set?
Can the models pose conveniantly?
Mosquitoes, bugs?
Temperature at location?
Is it a public place? Viewers / spectators expected?
What permits are required? Do we already any of them?
Can we play music?
Can we get in conflict with somebody?
What are the exact position for your shooting!
Make sample photos! Good exposures of sky, greenery, rocks, other
elements of the compositions!
Is the location really suitable?

-9-

Scenes
The photo shoot is going to be structures in various scenes.
Scene Details
These are the various scenes which are planned:
Scene #1
Scene #2
Scene #3
Scene #4 (fallback or extra)
Lighting Setups
Here are some scribbles or descriptions of the lighting setup of the different
scenes:
.
List Of Frames To Produce per Scene
Image #1
Image #2
Image #3
...
-10-

The Team Tasks and Contact Details
Each team member is responsible for their tasks and for overcoming their
challenges. In case any of the tasks might be in danger please immediately
inform the producer.
Producer
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

Tasks and Responsibilities:
1. Keep all team members on track according to their tasks and schedule
2. Arrange all logistics
3.

Photographer
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Care about lighting
2. Produce all planned photographs
3.

First Assistant
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Watch out for any mistakes in the shoot
2. Help with gear handling
3.

-11-

Digital Tech
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Setup and maintain camera connectivity
2. Manage and backup all files (photo and video)
3.

Videographer
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. List all necessary scenes for
2. Capture all scenes for making of video + extra footage
3.

Model(s)
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Have top body condition on day of shooting, good nails
2. Sign release with complete transfer of all image rights incl. commercial
3.

Hair Care & MUA
Name
Mobile:
eMail:
-12-


1. Prepare Hair and Makeup according to plan
2. During shoot check for any imperfections and remove them immediately
3.

Stylist
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Supply the clothes and accessories
2. Closely align with hair and makeup stylist
3.

Location Scout
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Care for a suiteable location
2. Align with producer on permits and remove all impediments on location
3.

Drivers / Assistants
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Be prepared with checked and filled up cars on day of shooting
2. Know exactly the route to the location
3.

-13-

Translator
Name
Mobile:
eMail:

1. Be capable of translation photoshooting related terms;

2. Stay on side of photographer all the time, and proactively translates his
directives
3.

-14-

Addresses
Location or Studio
Address
Map / Driving instruction

Fallback Location or Studio
Address

Restaurant for dinner after the shooting
Address

Hotel or Meeting Point
Address
-15-

Hair, Makeup and Styling

Scene #1
Hair style

Makeup style

Eyes

Lashes

Cheeks

Lips

Others

Fashion

Accessories

Props

Examples (photos)

Scene #2
Hair style

Makeup style

Eyes

Lashes

Cheeks

Lips

Others

Fashion
-16-


Accessories

Props

Examples (photos)

Scene #3
Hair style

Makeup style

Eyes

Lashes

Cheeks

Lips

Others

Fashion

Accessories

Props

Examples (photos)

Scene #4
Hair style

Makeup style

Eyes

Lashes

Cheeks

-17-

Lips

Others

Fashion

Accessories

Props

Examples (photos)

-18-

Gear and Papers Checklist

Sort this checklist according to boxes and bags you use during travel and
transit. For every item list in which box it is going to be. For airtravel indicate if
bags are check in or carry on luggage.
Papers
o
o
o
passport incl. visa

production book
location permit
Essential Photo Gear

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
camera body
camera fallback body
camera battery chargers
lenses
memory cards
strobes / speedlights
laptop + charger
Additional Photo Gear

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
camera tripod
laptop holder
guerilla pod
angle view finder
speedlight cables
snoot
color filters
light stands
umbrella swivels
umbrellas
reflectors
greycard
lens cleaning kit
gaffer tape
USB cable
GPS tracker
velcro
a piece of aluminum wrap
-19-

o
o
card reader
compass

Styling and props for the shooting

fashion / costumes
o wigs and similar
o jewelry
o accessories, sunglasses etc
o music for the shooting
o special effects (smoke, fire, ...)

Other items
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
bugspray
sunscreen
drinks
snacks
fruit
toilet items
luggage strap
-20-

Day Before Shooting Checklist

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
camera batteries charged

memory cards clean

speedlight batteries charged

laptop battery charged

external battery charged

laptop hard drive got 100GB space

got music for the shooting

all participants have address

releases are ready to sign

weather forecast is OK

drinks and food for the shooting
-21-

Takeoff Checklist

Things to check before start driving to location

o
o
o
o
Gear and papers checklist checked

Clocks in cameras and laptop aligned and on local time

Cameras zerod out and working

Batteries are charged
-22-

Ramp Up Step By Step List

List of activities to be done directly after arriving on location
1.
Mark the exact spot where we shoot the first scene by putting a bucket
there
2.
Park the cars as close as possible
3.
Model(s) get prepared and styled
4.
Videographer start documenting
5.
Everybody use bugspray
6.
Setup the camera tripod for the first scene
7.
Setup camera, check the main settings
8.
Tether camera
9.
Setup first scene (assistant standing in for model)
10.
Setup lighting
11.
Test shoot and color calibration
12.
Pose model

Ready to go for first scene

-23-

Postproduction

For postproduction the following is planned

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Stretch image by 5%

Make eyes 5% bigger

Rubberstamp pimples and spots

Make skin smoother

Recover detail in hair and clothes

Sharpen

-24-

Lessons Learned
In our shooting the following thing went wrong, or can be improved.
Checkpoints and planning steps will be addes to the production book of the
NEXT shooting, so that these things cannot come up again:
Issue 1

Issue 2

-25-

Publisher
ProPortfolioClub.com
Zelbel Ltd. & Co.KG
2013, all rights reserved
Editor
Sebastian Stelter
Text
Michael Zelbel
Photos / Video
Michael Zelbel
Postproduction
Renzy Memije
Cover
Model: HeMin
Styling: Emily Wei
MUA: MaoMao
Photo: Michael Zelbel
SmokingStrobes.com
Graphic Design
Renzy Memije
Alex Zlatev
Contact
Edtitorial / Commercial /
Advertising
Helpdesk@GoodLightMag.com
http://www.GoodLightMag.com

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Hot Topic - Good Light!

Mag - The New Way of Portrait Photography

Your Production Book

Customizing and tailoring the

The Leverage Trick

Use this template as your starting point for customizations

Your Production Book

Your Production Book

Make your photo shoot run on autopilot

Photographers want results. Quite

Thats why in my high end coaching

Your Production Book

for your next photo shoot will absolutely

one. From experience I can tell, that it

Your Production Book

your team working so much better, but

your team and it will make you shine

Your Production Book

Wardrobe, styling, custume,

A Cookbook for Improving

Packed with actionable tips and tricks

Findout about this book at Boudoir.cc

In any given photo production there

inefficiencies will steal so much time

The degree to which you will be able to

photography. Save this version under a

Shooting fashion in a bar. This

The Quick Portrait

Onelight vs Two and

The Leverage Trick

The Leverage Trick

How do you leverage your production

If you use your template correctly,

The Leverage Trick

Use this template as your starting point for customizations

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Model: Jennifer Hill

THE ORIGINAL PLANNING DOCUMENTS OF

Hair, Makeup and Styling .................................................................................................. 16

The Holy Shooting Schedule

The Great Photo Idea

The photo shoot is going to be structures in various scenes.

The Team Tasks and Contact Details

1. Be capable of translation photoshooting related terms;

Hair, Makeup and Styling

Gear and Papers Checklist

passport incl. visa

Essential Photo Gear

Additional Photo Gear

Day Before Shooting Checklist

camera batteries charged

Things to check before start driving to location

Gear and papers checklist checked

Ramp Up Step By Step List

Park the cars as close as possible

Model(s) get prepared and styled

Videographer start documenting

Everybody use bugspray

Setup the camera tripod for the first scene

Setup camera, check the main settings

Setup first scene (assistant standing in for model)

Test shoot and color calibration

Ready to go for first scene

For postproduction the following is planned