Speedlight Action with Peter Hurley

In this video, Peter Hurley rocks out his signature Westcott Flexkit system to create amazing headshot portraits. He then works with Canon Speedlites and Westcott Rapid Boxes to create a simple, but effective setup to achieve a similar look.
Peter Hurley's Lighting Kit Featured in the Video:
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[@brockclement9206]

Jam that chin out, stop fooling around.... squinch the eyes, what are you doing. Hahahaha this guy is so bomb

[@hagarthehorrible1391]

There are people who will learn from this and be inspired and there are who will nitpick and be salty.

[@63nuke]

Reading the comments here is hilarious. How many photographers does it take to change a lightbulb? 10. One to change the bulb and 9 to explain how they would have done it better. The guy is one of the best headshot photogs on earth and I think his entry level rate is $1000 for a single in studio image. Nobody on this thread here makes that guaranteed...but by God they would have done it different and the pics all suck. ROFL.

[@SamirPatnaik]

Peter Hurley is a genius. One of two photographers I respect.

[@EL7NTH]

Samir Patnaik Who is the other one?

[@mhdyassini1927]

Love your work Peter.. I started Headshot photography because of you. I live in NJ and will try to meet you soon.

[@Nelz459]

Good stuff as always, Peter. Thanks for sharing your years of experience.

[@visualreasonphotography]

This is amazing. Just heard of Peter Hurley and saw some of his videos using only medium format cameras, and how he’s “never owned a dslr.” It’s very uplifting to see how someone that normally uses $20,000 bodies can show us how to get similar results using any entry level body you can buy at Walmart. All about technique and directing your client. Love this guy. Thank you Perer Hurley

[@garbygarb31]

Peter has shot canon for years what do you mean?

[@bryang4856]

@@garbygarb31 He said in the video that before he made the switch to Canon he never owned a DSLR. He started with film and jumped immediately to Medium Format. He stayed with that for a long time before he jumped to Canon a few years back.

[@bryang4856]

@@garbygarb31 And, even so, he uses a far more expensive camera and lenses than the Rebel and kit lens used in this workshop.

[@jos3zavalar3cillas]

@@bryang4856 can you identify the lenses that use here? I’ll thank you. Saludos 🇲🇽

[@nagual2335]

Great course and thank you, but shame on B&H shooting video at such a low quality. any issue for B&H to grab an a7s and cheap lens and shoot Peter Hurley ? :)

[@robertfutrell3973]

This is the realest, most honest presentation on headshots and entry level camera usage! Thank you, Peter! Shabang!!

[@HelmutWFanck]

Many thank's for this real great videos. I 've learn a lot.👍👍👍

[@Robelkinsphotography]

You really dont even need two lights. I get the same lighting with a key light and a silver reflector! Love Peter's work!

[@peekabookatt]

How do you set that up? I'f you don't mind me asking? I use a beauty dish relflector, octa softbox but I feel like I'm wrong

[@davidholyoake5256]

Shoot whatever works for you and you're client.

[@Dewabarasunderan]

Cause this is just full blown flat light. The only reason it’s not done with a single bigger light modifier, is because of those fancy catchlights.

[@Connor_Dempsey]

Love the great smiles and emotion you get out of people. (and so quickly) Great job!

[@dansaghin1]

Connor Dempsey that's easy with high self confident people with great looks...

[@josephv7899]

@@dansaghin1 which is not all paying clients....so...

[@SreelakshmiPrabhakar]

Interesting video. Good tutorial from a person who has always expensive gear plus continuous light and never used speedlites along with the smallest sized dslr in the Canon EOS lineup.

[@ValdiValdies]

Anyone knows a good video, tutorial or class on how to position 0 experience models ? I really struggle on how to position models. I'm complete beginner and I just don't how to position my friends/models. You can figure out the lights on the go.. but finding the postures is an absolute disaster. When I have session it's so disencouraging for me to continue because I have no idea what I want from models. Something like Peter said that he brings shoulder in front to make jaw line stronger, I want to understand how and why postures makes pictures look better. I'm more of an technical guy, the creative stuff gives me headaches.

[@BandH]

I would take a look at our video "Posing Everyone!" this should prove helpful. bit.ly/2fdhOEf *Andrea

[@peterjagusch]

Search for Lindsay Adler Posing 101 - and if you are struggling.... fake confidence ! If you look at the back of the camera and you see the worst picture ever the right sentence is : that's great, lets move right on to the next pose.... If your subjects see that you are struggling it freaks them out.

[@jsavak99]

there are plenty of resources at your public library. use them and teach yourself by delving into the books and applying with practice. the more you practice and make mistakes the more you will learn with good books. you wont understand lighting instruction without applying theory

[@indigokj]

Picture Perfect Posing by Roberto Valenzuela. Pretty good book, easy to understand, good examples. He touches on all aspects of posing, from faces to fingers, and after a while you start noticing every little detail of the body, what works and what doesn't. It's worth the $30.

[@reelsportrd]

Keith James I second this. I started reading this booked a month ago and it has changed my photography

[@singletrack29349]

I like how they show awesome results with all entry level gear.

[@hagarthehorrible1391]

where is that video that Peter talks about when he says he took his crew to the bahamas?

[@tmewborn1]

Neat, Encouragint to me with My Gear & Smal Home Studio - Love Your work

[@dchillman]

15 minutes in and I still don't know what he's talking about.

[@realvaughnfelix]

That was awesome Peter! I'm selling all my gear and getting that set up Thank you No no really it was dopeness

[@richarddukeshire]

What Rapid Boxes did you use for this? Was it the 10x24 strip?

[@jedi_mario]

I wish someone would answer this question!

[@bobtpapa]

looked like it

[@ACEMAN0044]

@@jedi_mario ya they are, I have two Wescott studio kits and those are definitely the ones I have

[@gregdali1011]

looks like the tripod costs more than camera))),this is the proof that gear does not matter ,everything depend on photographer skills

[@DefaultName-yq3zj]

Yeah, that's why in the real world he uses a $5000+ camera body and shoots 50MP.

[@bryang4856]

@@DefaultName-yq3zj Why wouldn't he? Of course a high-end, professional photographer is going to use expensive, high end gear. The point of this video is to show people who don't have a ton of money that they can very easily start taking really good, similar shots with inexpensive gear. The other important point is that you couldn't reverse the situation and get similar results. A novice photographer would take novice photographs with a $50,000 Hasselblad or Phase One. There are talented people out there who don't have $5,000 for a higher end pro camera. Shouldn't stop them from starting a business.

[@ninahickey7157]

love his personality!

[@Cotictimmy]

"Rebel, Rebel - your hair is mess." "When you go into a bar, you gotta go the the left side." Masterclass in handling people - love it!

[@krazyk57]

20:41 “Your earrings are enormous, your hair is a mess...” LMAO

[@roynewport5397]

To full of himself for me, bordering on rude.

[@jos3zavalar3cillas]

Do you remember what lenses use it? Could me identify lenses please!?. Saludos 🇲🇽

[@BandH]

The lens used in the presentation is most likely the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens, BH # CA1855EFS. bhpho.to/3ageKFz

[@romiemiller3093]

If I worked for a newspaper, and only used photos in the paper and on the Internet, I'd buy something like the Olympus micro 4/3 and an 18 - 300 mm zoom. The fast 9+ fps would be useful, & I wouldn't be making 40 x 48" prints.

[@dadobbs]

Gotta have modeling lights or continuous lights. Everybody “crane” for the chin line.

[@hofra01]

Salty people will never learn and their work will always suck no matter how expensive their gears are.

[@roderickwho1983]

Ambifacial ? ;-) Brilliant !

[@tubelator]

Damn that kitlens is BADDDD :)

[@oemedia98]

Well... it's a really good content, you should open one place in Warsaw that will help you reach polish pple. Awsome content is powerful and unusual here. I can easly help with that. Great job, stay in touch. Patrick.

[@Being_Joe]

Peter Hurley, I plan on being in NYC late January and February. I would love to teach you how to use a light meter =)

[@kozz1984]

I lol'd

[@bryang4856]

He's making a s***load of money doing things the way he's doing them. Pretty sure he doesn't care about light meters.

[@kelvinmugittu]

These are one of them "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" (TV SHOW) TYPE PHOTOS.

[@randyfox5317]

Seems to me that many responders here (who are criticizing PH's work here) are missing the point. He isn't doing sports photography here. Nor birding/nature shots. He is just doing "headshots" and he just showed - very well- that you don't NEED to spend a fortune on gear to get good results. The operative word in that sentence is "good". He didn't say you could duplicate his efforts. But you CAN get a high quality image with lesser gear IF you follow the rest of the plan with lighting and posing. Yes, better gear is always a bonus but his shots here showed that at least it CAN be done with lesser gear...if need be. Basically, in short, he is trying to convey the old adage: "It's the Indian, not the arrows".

[@chasem9949]

Great stuff! Very entertaining. Usually wouldn't watch videos this long but good info and good humor.

[@hakimnader6222]

+B and H I live in Algeria but you dont have a shop ther I hope you well open one in the futur

[@jedi_mario]

It seems like the description has the incorrect lighting kit linked.

[@kuunami]

Everybody relax!

[@pogolas]

I didn’t notice the rim light, in the last photos. Did the back flash even fired off?

[@Dewabarasunderan]

Look at the neck.

[@SufianAlAtrash]

that's supper SHABAAAAANG

[@dundeedolphin]

As I suspected, the rebel wasn't really up to the job.

[@aleksandarglavaski1052]

This is truly SHIBANG presentation which tells you that everything is possible only if we want to be possible. Thank you, Mr. Hurley. I enjoyed this video and I will watch it again. Great lecturer.

[@canturgan]

I had a 1ds in 2004. It was available in 2002.

[@lvlcapblue]

Hurley is the master of charismatic negging.

[@josephv7899]

pua terms nice haha

[@kochavigivoni5814]

Love you Peter, you are the best!!!

[@royottaway9434]

Excellent

[@sugashack74]

Who gave this a thumbs down??

[@kennethwilliamsinc]

sugashack74 Ikr. This was pretty good!

[@encidgl]

So do you photoshop or crop the image to get rid of the soft box captured in the photos?

[@ShaiYammanee]

Daniel Lopez - it gets photoshopped out

[@bryang4856]

He has a guy.

[@stevenmeans6873]

what size was the soft box

[@jkspinalchoice]

10 x 24

[@Jimmy_Cavallo]

So does. ANYONE know the size of the strip lights used here.??????

[@DonEvans1]

Exactly what model were those softboxes?

[@BandH]

Peter Hurley is using the Westcott Flex Daylight LED Mat 2-Light Cine Studio Kit (1 x 1') in this video, which uses the Westcott Portable Softbox for 1 x 1' Flex LED Mat. *Christina* [e-mail] bhpho.to/2gbjZMT bhpho.to/2fscboS

[@DonEvans1]

So you're saying that these softboxes, which are not even close to being square, are 1'x1'? Are you sure about that answer? I'm asking what softboxes was he using in this video.

[@peter_hurley]

I was using the Westcott Rapid box strips for the speedlite portion.

[@brockclement9206]

@@DonEvans1 Sheesh guy. Figure it out yourself.

[@DonEvans1]

@@brockclement9206 oh, okay. I'll transport myself back in time and see if I can land on site to see first hand instead of asking. Thanks for your brilliant input. Sheesh

[@glamfit1]

omg I Need his tripod. It looks very sturdy. Anyone know what brand and which one it is?

[@peter_hurley]

Feisol CT3472LV

[@dprksongmoranbongbandskito1193]

interesting

[@thewhiskeycowboy-official]

As others point out, gear does matter; in spite of what he keeps trying to convince people of. The truth is that if it did not, all pros would use the cheapest gear out there so they could maximize their profits. You CAN use inexpensive gear and get relatively good results though. And I think that is really what he is trying to say. You can use a cheap tripod, and it will work. Now use one that costs 3 times the price and see the difference. You CAN use a cheap camera and lens and get adequate pictures for basic use. Now use an expensive camera and great lens and do a direct comparison. If you can't see the difference you need to get out of photography. And THAT is why the best photographers use the best gear. PERIOD. But the trick in these videos is to NOT show those in the seminar any direct comparisons. And these seminars are meant to make entry level photographers feel better about their gear and keep them shooting... and keep shooting. The skills needed for both levels of gear are the same. The end quality though will NOT be given the same amount of skill. I will also point out that the better the camera the easier it is to mess up a shot. It will accentuate any errors you make, while lower end cameras can actually cover up errors because of their general lower quality. It is why many times moving to a better camera and better lens will frustrate photographers at first. They don't see the instant quality increase, but often LESS quality. And that is because they got lazy with the lower quality gear and all their flaws are magnified. It is also why PH uses a tripod most of the time; to eliminate human error. Sorry, went off on a journey there, but yes, gear matters. "Gear does not matter" is only used to.... sell more gear... ironically. And why? Because a lot of the gear is cheap gear, and selling cheap gear is better than selling NO gear. ;)

[@dansaghin1]

TheWhiskeyCowboy yeah, and B&H need to sell those crap entry level cameras too...

[@bryang4856]

He's saying that gear doesn't matter when you're starting a business. He said it multiple times - "You can use this." Gear doesn't matter if you're looking to start and make some money taking headshots. Of course a seasoned pro is going to use a 50MP camera with high end glass. Even so, he switched from a $30,000 medium format camera to a $5K body. That's a huge difference in price.

[@ScoopsTroopsRugby]

God, this bloke tells some lies...

[@mhammer977]

"Oh just relax!" :}

[@mhammer977]

@ (30:16)

[@david72lansdell]

Does this guy get to the point ???

[@jsavak99]

this is why many photographers shouldn't teach for free. the level of ingratitude is ridiculous

[@bennettandyp]

What a dumb comment

[@shamonsmom]

Great helps, but arrogant

[@stevenmeans6873]

He makes things difficult

[@stevenmeans6873]

over exposed don't like the pic

[@D0ct0rFun]

Stick to rehearsed vids, you are much better at it.

[@MDMiller60]

Like all but the subject is too far to the right and picking up too much of the light modifier. We shouldn't need photoshop to clone it out.

[@mandlakei3053]

the closer the light the softer it becomes. cloning softboxes out is standard practice.

[@bryang4856]

@@mandlakei3053 What you said. Why move it further away only to crank it up, creating harder shadows? Better photograph with like 2 minutes of editing in post.

[@jsavak99]

I love Peter Hurley's work but I have to say from this that its obvious lens and camera make a huge difference . I was not very impressed with the results. it could be that he never uses that kind of equipment so he has manipulate settings more which is frustrating with cameras that lack adjustment latitude and takes more time to get it right .

[@atephoto]

I think he did good based on the new equipment and the lack of flash-use in rest of his career. Put anyone else there and the results would most likely be aweful compared :P I like the expression on the "model", not many people can bring that out.

[@shaolin95]

did this guy ever heard of modeling light... seriously!

[@LaughingLion4Ever]

He's using speedlights professor.

[@shaolin95]

no kidding, genius!!!! I can obviously see that but maybe try to LISTEN to what he is saying before making a fool of yourself. He acts like the only options are constant light or speed lights or having a window or another light source NEVER even considers the so common strobe with modeling light for studio work. And he is a "pro"...but of course he wants to sell his overpriced light setup

[@LaughingLion4Ever]

Perhaps english is your second language so I will cut you some slack but he was talking about when he first started out and didnt own any lights. Get some rest.

[@jsavak99]

I believe the purpose of the video is how to achieve Peter Hurly style headshots with cheap equipment for those that cant afford expensive lighting setups, or don't have resources for high end full frame cameras.

[@DefaultName-yq3zj]

Lighting 101: Speedlights DON'T have modeling lights. Duh.

[@SackPephirom]

stop fooling people, there's a huge difference between entry level camera vs a pro camera. AND product does matter.

[@CDNChaoZ]

With a tripod, good lighting and smaller apertures (f/8-f11), the impact is less than you think. Pro-level gear excels at low light, fast action and handheld -- the demanding areas of photography.

[@jsavak99]

you should watch the photoshoot video on an iPhone . I think the point Peter Hurly is making is that with proper lighting you can achieve professional results bc lighting IS everything. I think he was stuggling somewhat was that he isn't used to making adjustments on a cheap camera. I don't think he is trying to fool anyone

[@mandlakei3053]

you clearly failed to understand the purpose of this video...

[@sebastianschmidt3869]

For web resolution it doesn't matter. For (very) big prints it does.

[@TroySchulz]

Sebastian Schmidt , even for most general prints it doesn't matter. But, as you said, for larger prints it does. I've done prints as large as 16x20 wi th a Canon Rebel XSi (450D) and they looked fantastic. That camera is even older than what he was using. It's still a great camera for doing headshots.

[@janekailey2173]

This guy doesn't know WTF he's talking about. He says his continuous light brings out the color of the eye because it makes the pupil small. I'm here in my bathroom at night looking in the mirror with nothing but a 7-watt nightlight and my pupil is tiny. So, unless he's shooting at night with ALL the room lights OUT and NO modeling lights, eyes will have plenty of light and plenty of color for strobe photography. And what model/subject wants all those bright lights around their face, so close and confining?? He's just selling equipment for B&H. "SALES Perspectives". LOL