Portraits: Natural & Flash in Gloucester, MA

The photographer’s challenge in creating a compelling portrait involves both creative and technical concepts combined in a way that evokes meaning and impact. These two intensive and fun full-day workshops will show essential approaches to matching the light with your ideas. Good lighting techniques, along with posing, tonalities, mood, expression, camera angles and backgrounds must harmonize to create a successful photographic portrait.

Enroll in either day for $250, or both days for a special discount of $450

Saturday, July 24 – in-studio, indoors

Saturday’s workshop will cover portable flash lighting techniques applied in a controlled studio situation, as well as natural light techniques for shooting indoors. Everyone has natural light available, but not necessarily the understanding of how to find and manipulate it. Learn how to work with reflectors and diffusers to create the most pleasing or effective image. We work with window light, backlight, and garage door lighting, exploring how the qualities of each contribute to the feeling of the portrait.

We work indoors in a studio environment, with a wall of windows and a full-size double door that rolls up for a huge light source.  We have access to a home interior with natural and flash lighting. We provide in-depth instruction on lighting, covering all aspects of natural & flash portrait lighting including:

• Flash on Manual and TTL
• Flash on and off camera
• Light Modifiers
• One & Two Light Set-ups 
• The Rules of Portraits Unplugged
• Lighting Patterns
• Posing & Directing

We begin the day with instruction—technical set ups for your flash, how to make decisions for the kind of portrait you want to make, including optimal camera settings, subject posing, and lighting. Then we demonstrate proper techniques with models, followed by hands-on shooting under our guidance.

This is a great opportunity to improve your portraits to make more effective, flattering, and interesting images!

Please bring a flash and reflectors. We supply additional reflectors and radio remotes for getting your flash off camera. We have a variety of flash modifiers for you to use. Our studio is a house in Gloucester, MA, where we have instruction in the morning and shooting in the afternoon.

You will receive a letter with full instruction on what to bring and what to expect before the workshop.

Class size limited to six .

$250 cost includes model fees and post-workshop Zoom critique & processing session

Sunday, July 25, on Location

This workshop is all about working with subjects in outdoor locations. Learn how to find locations that work with your subject and, more importantly, how to work the light to your advantage in any situation. We use natural light as our primary light source, and use portable flash as a fill, and in some situations as the main light source. Topics covered include:

• Flash Fill
• Backlight
• Reflectors, Diffusers, and Flags
• Balancing Flash with Ambient Light

We meet for instruction, and demos in the morning, and work with models shooting at a variety of locations in the afternoon. We work with experienced actors and models, learning how to communicate for appropriate expressions and posing. You practice under our guidance, with two instructors, and six students there is plenty of one-on-one time with the models!

This is a great opportunity to improve your portraits to make more effective, flattering, and interesting images!

Please bring a flash and reflectors. We supply additional reflectors and radio remotes for getting your flash off camera. We have a variety of flash modifiers for you to use. Our base is a house in Gloucester, MA, where we have instruction in the morning and shooting in the afternoon.

You will receive a letter with full instruction on what to bring and what to expect before the workshop.

Class size limited to six .

$250 cost includes model fees and post-workshop Zoom critique & processing session

Enroll in both workshops for a special discount of only $450

We highly recommend that you sign up for both days as it will give you great techniques for both indoor and outdoor situations. This will help you problem solve and enhance your portrait story telling expertise.