Emmys (38th International Emmy Awards)

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Shooting Celebrities on the Red Carpet

With the Oscars (83rd Annual Academy Awards) taking place tonight I figured it would be a good time to discuss some tips and tricks of getting shoots of your favorite celebrities. The photos you are going to see are from the last award show I worked, the 38th International Emmy Awards.

Many would be surprised to know that the photographers are really the ones running the show on the red carpet. Just as in any photo-shoot the photographers tell the subject what they need from them. This can be them asking for a pose, putting away bags or purses, or even telling their guests to get out of the shot.

As a photographer, the main thing you need from a celebrity is for them to look at your camera. When you are competing with 20 other photographers this can be tough.

Some of the stars that were out were Peter Facinelli from the Twilight movies, UK Actress Ruth Wilson, Simon Cowell from American Idol, Elisabeth Moss from West Wing and Mad Man, Melissa Joan Hart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, SNL Creator Lorne Michaels, Jimmy Fallon, Alec Baldwin, Will Estes from Blue Bloods, and more.

Be Prepared

Know who’s going to be at the events and know their names. You need to be ready for them. If you have to ask someone who that person is, you’ve already missed the shot.

Prepare you equipment

Do you have extra batteries? Are they charged? Do you have enough memory cards? You never know what’s going to happen, so be ready for anything. Before the red carpet starts, take practice photos. Figure out what lens to use and when. Test your flash and lighting. What aperture or F/stop, shutter speed, and ISO should you use?

Get a step or step-ladder to stand on

Unless you’re in the first row of photographers (which is reserved for establish media names, magazines, newspapers, TV shows, etc) you need to make sure you are not blocked by the photographers in front of you. A random elbow or head in your shot doesn’t look professional. Get a step that is light and compact so you can carry it, but also sturdy, can hold some weight and won’t slide out from underneath you.

Take a shot of the information cards

Before celebrities arrive, organizers hold up card with information, telling you who they are, what they are nominated for and what category. Later on when you are going through hundreds of photos, it’s nice to have this information immediately available. Also helps with correct spellings.

Keep track of additional information not shown

Having a digital voice recorder is very useful. Maybe you took a photo with a celebrity and their guest. In the image below I got a shot of Mathew Modine and his daughter Ruby Modine. He was one of the presenters at the 38th International Emmy Awards and she was his guest. To make sure I remember her information I speak into the recorder with the image number and her name and the situation. You may also want to ask for the correct spelling of their names as well. Nobody likes to see their name misspelled.

Actor and Presenter Matthew Modine and daughter Ruby Modine

Look at me! Look at me!

It gets pretty crazy and pretty loud on the red carpet, so in order to get a celebrity to look in your directions, you need to scream their name and tell them where you are. And I mean scream. Jason Priestley (below) wouldn’t have even noticed me where I was standing at the time if I didn’t yell out, “JASON, BOTTOM LEFT.”

Actor and Presenter Jason Priestley

Know where they’re coming from, and where they’re going

You have to be proactive sometimes. Standing backstage I was in a good spot to get shots of the celebrities, but I noticed, just before Simon Cowell was expected to come out, that the girls who handed out the swag moved from one side to the other. I followed them and was able to get a shot of Mezhgan Hussainy (Simon Cowell’s Fiancée) backstage.

Mezhgan Hussainy (Simon Cowell's Fiancée)

Conclusion

There is a lot going on and you have to work fast if you want to get shots. Just remember to be prepared and don’t be afraid to get involved. Taking good notes will make your job much easier when all is said and done and you have get your photos out the door. And remember, you are running the show and the celebrities want you to take their photo, so help them out and tell them what you need.

Categories: Photography

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7 Comments

  1. Jan says:

    Thanks for taking the time to share these helpful tips. I’ll be shooting my first Hollywood red carpet tonight. Now, before I go, I’ll stop and buy a small step stool.

    Any tips on what lenses you used to shoot your displayed red carpet photos? I was thinking a 70-200 or a 24-70 — or maybe both, with an external flash mounted on a bracket, and a light diffuser.

    I noticed you included a lot of what the celebs are wearing, as opposed to head & shoulders shots. Why?

    I shoot Nikon.

    • Austadpro says:

      Yeah, the step stool will definitely help if you’re standing behind people. I recommend getting a collapsible plastic stool since it is light and easy to carrier around. You may be able to find at a hardware store like Home Depot. Here’s an example of what I mean: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Easy-Reach-by-Gorilla-Ladders-Plastic-1-Step-Stool-300-lb-Load-Capacity-PL-1/203247301#.Um6GovlQGSo

      I would probably suggest the 24-70 lens. You’ll probably be closer to the action than you think. But bring the 70-200 also. Once the celebrities show up everyone squeezing in to get their shots.

      Know who’s going to be there so you can shout their names. The photographers are in charge. Tell the celebrity where to find you. I mentioned this in the post.

      Fashion is important at these events which is why I took full shots. You can always crop them later if you need to. The best shots are when the are looking directly at the camera.

      Be prepared. Keep extra batteries and have all your setting ready if possible. If all the celebrities will be standing the same distance away from you, set your focus manually and use a f/stop that will give you enough depth of field. This will save you time by not having to let the auto-focus run. The celebrity may only look at you briefly. Having a battery pack for your flash will help it recharge fast too.

      • Jan says:

        Thank you for replying so quickly. I have not left San Diego yet so I can stop at a Home Depot and buy one of those step stools.

        I planned to take my Turbo 2×2 battery pack for the flash. It is all charged up and ready to go.

        I’ll put the 24-70 on my primary body (Nikon D3S) with my SB800 flash on a Really Right Stuff bracket to get the flash away from the camera and oriented towards taking vertical shots.

        As a backup, I’ll put the 70-200 on my D3 body with my SB400 flash (I have no bracket for that).

        My main concern is that it rained already today and they are predicting a 40% chance of rain for this evening in LA. I am very concerned about getting my gear wet. Any suggestions about that?

        Thank you again.

        Jan

        • Austadpro says:

          They will probably have a tent over you. You can’t really have a ‘red carpet’ if it’s pouring. Plus the celebrity’s clothes, hair, and makeup will get ruined. It doesn’t hurt to bring a garbage bag (or two) that you can wrap around your bag and over you. They’re light and pack away easily.

          • Jan says:

            Thank you very much for the advice. It is all good.

            I just tested my primary gear and it’s good to go. However, between the external bracket, flash and the weight of everything, I think that adding another heavy body and the 70 – 300mm lens will be to heavy and get in the way. I’m going to take a chance and just bring the D3S with the 2-70mm lens. I can always crop in post.

            I do have another question. Is there protocol at major red carpets in terms of what photographers shooting these things are supposed to wear? Are a backpack, tan-colored photo vest and jeans okay? The red carpet is for the premiere of “Ender’s Game” and it will be at the Chinese theater in Hollywood.

            I’ll be leaving within half an hour.

            Jan

        • Austadpro says:

          From my experience, you can wear what you want. I recommend you dress professionally. Your camera bag and vest shouldn’t be an issue. It’s in their interest for the photographers to get good photos. Good luck. If you put your images online drop a link here so I can check them out.

          Just pay attention to the other photographer there and you’ll pick it up quickly. You can also ask other photographers there. Tell them you’re new and they’ll help you out. Some are friendly and others aren’t, but you’ll figure it out.

  2. Jan says:

    Thank you for the help. I just got back from Los Angeles.

    The shoot went well, except that it poured rain just before it was scheduled to start, so we got wet. Luckily the rain stopped in time for the red carpet.

    You were right about that stool and I’m glad that I bought it. My pre-assigned spot was in the second row so it helped me get some unobstructed shots. Thank you for the advice.

    I’ll be submitting one of my AutoMatters columns about “Ender’s Game” for publication in a week or so. I’ll try to remember to post a link here.

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