One Frame Many Faces – Natural Light

ONE FRAME MANY FACES: NATURAL LIGHT

Seven moving subjects. f/1.6. Natural light. RAW to final.

This image received a LOT of attention when I shared it, and I completely understand why.

There are seven girls in the frame. They're moving. I photographed them at f/1.6 using natural light, and the image is sharp.

In this tutorial, I'm giving you a look at what actually happened.

I show you the ENTIRE series of RAW files, not just the one frame that worked. You'll be able to see the girls moving from frame to frame and what the files actually looked like straight out of camera.

I'll also break down the basic logistics behind the shot so you have context for what you're looking at before we move into the primary focus of this tutorial...the edit.

From there, you'll watch me take the RAW file through my complete hand-editing process from beginning to end.

You'll see how I approach color, contrast, skin tones and overall balance when seven different faces have to work together inside one frame. You'll also see how I refine the image without flattening the depth that was already created in-camera.

Nothing is added to manufacture sharpness. Nothing is masked to create fake depth of field. The final image is built from what was already there.

Inside the tutorial you'll see:

• The entire RAW series of the girls in motion
• The basic logistics behind the capture
• The selected RAW file before editing
• My complete hand edit from beginning to end
• How I balance color and skin tones across seven subjects
• How I maintain depth while creating consistency across the frame
• The final image and how close the foundation was already established in-camera

This tutorial is pulled directly from The Human Variable, where I go much deeper into photographing people wide open, including focus, distance, timing, subject placement and the decisions that make images like this possible.

If you want the complete capture education, that's where you'll find it. If you want to see the RAW series and exactly how I finished this image, it's all here.

Runtime: 23 minutes

Also included inside the VP Box