Most tutorials focus on one aspect of the shooting process or another, which can sometimes make it a bit difficult to understand why each creative decision was made at different steps of the process. This great video follows a photographer from planning to finished image, giving an overview of the shoot, what difficulties he faced, and how he overcame them.

If you don’t already know Francisco Hernandez, he’s a portrait guru, known for his well-lit and retouched work. In this video, you’ll follow him from the conceptualization of a shoot with a model, to the shoot itself, and on to the finalized image. I think it’s important to watch the complete workflow of professionals, as while we’re used to isolating techniques or ideas and diving into them at a deep level, seeing them as they fit into a singular timeline can make it clear how different creative decisions tie together and how these in turn can have consequences on other aspects of the shoot. For example, Hernandez has a little trouble overpowering the sun, so he moves his octabox closer to the model. This in turn softens the light, which may affect the way you treat contrast and dodging and burning when you bring the image into Lightroom and Photoshop. While the video doesn’t get in depth in explaining the techniques, it does explain each decision well, and it’s worth watching.