Creating a Soft Image in a Harsh Environment (Behind the Image Ep.001)

We're starting a brand new series called "Behind the Image". In this series I'm taking you behind the scenes of some of my favorite images to show you exactly how I shot them and analyzing what makes the image successful! I'd love feedback on what you think of this concept, so please leave a comment with your thoughts!
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[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching! Sign up here for a free trial of KJ All Access: geni.us/kj-all-access-trial

[@meaganwhite5276]

I’ve never been so interested in someone’s KZbin channel. I have learned so much in just the past few days of finding you. I can’t wait to be able to purchase KJ Access ❤️

[@KatelynJames]

LOVE IT!! Thanks Meagan!

[@zebnanna]

What a fabulous instructor!! Thank you 😊

[@KatelynJames]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@longliveclassicmusic]

I love how this has become the future of learning - learning from what excellent and accomplished people do WELL. Learning from what YOU do well. I was born and bred in the old school "tough love" approach of always pinpointing your mistakes and "correcting them" with the idea being no one will ever be "perfect." But it was always so unfulfilling and crippling emotionally. It always leaves someone wondering "will I EVER be good enough? All of this is wrong with my work, when will it be at least successful?" This is so much better. Instead of shooting to fail and being hard on myself, I get to see where you are absolutely *KILLING IT* with your wildly successful, top dollar work. What makes it so impactful and breathtaking? Then I can train my eye to be better and make my own POSITIVE discoveries to build on that awesomeness instead of just tinkering around in the dark and always hating what I'm doing. I just really love the new age "self-love" approach to everything, where it's less and less seen as ego and simply as a person being kind to themselves, passionate about what they do, and STANDING UP FOR THEMSELVES where other people don't appreciate them enough. Being your own biggest advocate is really so life-changing, and you are such a wonderful example of that and so empowering. 💪🏻🤩

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks so much for sharing this! It really is a powerful mindset shift!

[@KristHooghe]

Thanks for the great content, any suggestions for group shots?

[@luis79653026]

I admire your passion and dedication, your style and the brand you have created. Very inspirational, thank you. Also, you have a beautiful family, supportive partner and husband, what a blessing!

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks so much!

[@pamelaabdelnour7936]

Love this new series, Katelyn! Keep em' coming!

[@KatelynJames]

Thank you! Will do!

[@kathydubois2206]

Thanks for the new series! I love your videos. The other one you did (with the not so great locations) like this one, inspired me to think outside the box and use a beautiful dogwood tree in our neighborhood. There is a road, houses, a big metal mailbox and a utility box near it. So I put this little boy in the tree with his mom holding the back of his pants and crouched down and got some nice shots. Thank you so much!!

[@KatelynJames]

Awesome, thank you! Great job!

[@jessicalaren]

Love the idea of this series!! I'm in 100%😀 Excited to learn and apply the techniques to be a better photographer. Thank you Katelyn for sharing this.

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!!

[@jenniferpowell9940]

Love these quick, incredibly helpful tips! Looking forward to more!

[@KatelynJames]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@daniellesorum6840]

LOVE this series.

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for sharing!

[@anthonyckevlin2490]

Hi pretty How are you doing over there today!! Nice meeting you here!! What a charming eyes and lips!! My name is Anthony and you?

[@nataliecade73]

Thank you so much. Love this series. Can’t wait for more.

[@KatelynJames]

Great! Thanks for watching!!

[@jessicaturner1665]

Love this series, can't wait for more! Thank you!

[@KatelynJames]

Awesome!! I can’t wait to make more!

[@jaxmom80]

Loved this video! Thank you so much for sharing your insight. I'm really looking forward to this series!

[@KatelynJames]

Awesome! Thanks for watching!!

[@notallaboutmeministry3285]

Thank you

[@KatelynJames]

You're welcome

[@hjwazwaz]

Gorgeous!!! Awesome new series 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks Hannan!!

[@LensofAlex]

Great pieces of advice. Thank you! However, that's NOT harsh environment. I'm really curious how you'd shoot in open sun and not just another cloudy day. :)

[@LuiXrtaThickie]

Thanks for sharing! Tbh I hoping to see the raw unedited image

[@KatelynJames]

Great feedback, we can try to include that in future examples!

[@judithbrowning5376]

I love this. I do hope to learn a lot from your videos.

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@kimwood3980]

Watched a couple of your vids this morning. Think you have a new fan! Subscribed.

[@KatelynJames]

Welcome!! Thanks for watching!

[@natashahernandez2272]

This is beyond helpful.

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks so much Natasha!!

[@MaiFujii]

LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Thank you for creating this new series! Question: what I can do better when my clients keep looking at me (and relax or stop what they did) every time I give them some instructions - a bit of changing pose like Katelyn did here...just changing from looking at each other to X look over your shoulder and Y will nuzzle in...)

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@AmyLizz]

Stunning image and I know I’m going to love this series! I’m wondering, when you see something you don’t quite love about an image such as that spot on the left you wish was a bit more filled in, how do you decide whether or not to go into photoshop and fix it? I spend hours upon hours in photoshop being a perfectionist.

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@hdettore]

Love this! So excited for your vids. Also, I have a 5D MIII and mainly use the 50 prime and lately I’ve realized I’m struggling to get those sharp images. It drives me bonkers!

[@KatelynJames]

I know the feeling!

[@SJoZig]

Very excited to learn more.... thank you so much for sharing.... I’ve done a indoor shoot with my R5 and the 85mm f1.2 and the images were so beautiful and sharp that it boosted my confidence but next shoot was outdoors on a very sunny day and lots of my image weren’t so sharp... I used a reflector to try to get rid of ugly shadows but I think I should have used a diffuser instead.... how to decide between diffuser or reflector? Why did my images not turn out as sharp?

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@frankline.gonzalez-dwindt2355]

Love your ideas

[@KatelynJames]

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching!!

[@laurabattel5766]

Hi Katelyn, thank you for all the great work you share with us!! It is beyond helpful! May I ask you: why do you use such high ISO? I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and this is something that I'd like to understand better...

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@moidutoiphotography8427]

Very helpful, thank you Katelyn. This is going to be a great series methinks. Quick question, do you ever use a lens hood on your primes?

[@KatelynJames]

I very rarely use lens hoods... that being said I have been in a few situations and I look at Michael and say “we should have brought the lens hoods!!

[@schneiderkidsusa]

For your wedding photos, do you always shoot at a 4x6 ratio and then crop down for 8x10 prints or do you shoot a few shots at a 4x5 ratio so that you can make 8x10 prints?

[@KatelynJames]

Thanks for watching!

[@ashliehumphreys9769]

I recently photographed a teen with her horse. I purposely made the photos look moody. The picture doesn’t look dark on my computer but the client states when she printed off the photos at Walmart they looked too dark. What can I do to fix this problem?

[@KatelynJames]

Honestly don't get it printed at walmart. Any online gallery would be better!

[@ArtistB30]

Katelyn help!! I just got the R6 to replace my Canon 7D but I'm having workflow issues big time. Can't figure out the file process. How do you download your files to your memory drive? Maybe my software is out of date or something. But I don't see the raw files when I plug in my card reader (there but grayed out).. Please help, did I say please 🙏🏽, but please because it's driving me nuts to figure out why I can't. Maybe show a video of you after a shoot moving the files to a hard drive and then opening in Photoshop and Lightroom, please 🙏🏽🥲 Thank you...

[@StyledByAnastasia98]

can you do a video oh how you shoot from your point of view with a go-pro on your camera?

[@KatelynJames]

We have done that with for the posing course. It makes me kinda seasick watching it back haha

[@sadiesofia7605]

Why did you shoot with the Mark 4 and not the R6?

[@KatelynJames]

This was a shoot from last year before the r6!

[@itlabs2351]

let me try something new lol using that😅

[@prestonmoore9070]

Why are you not using your R6?

[@emelyann1541]

Looks like this video was from when she was still pregnant.

[@KatelynJames]

Pre r6! I use it for everything now though! Good eye!!

[@TonyGrant.]

I have the 85 1.4 IS and I must say I'm a fan. Although I use it in a different way to KJ. I used to use a 135mm 2.8 back in the dark, dark days of film and paper, which I loved. I like to take portraits with a longer lens and I use this 85 on a 7D2 - so it's a 136 1.4 which is just magic! My insta: @tonygrantpix

[@KatelynJames]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!