NATURAL LIGHT PORTRAITURE
Natural light is the newest trend that never stopped being popular. With the knowledge of what can be done with natural light, a photographer can be even more free to create the portraits they want. This isn’t anti-strobe, this is just another way of shooting that is becoming even more popular.
The 5-Week series of classes has been very popular, with hundreds of students taking part. The feedback is wonderful and I will guarantee you will increase your level of photography if you apply what you learn in the class.
Natural Light
Natural light doesn’t mean boring light, or even that we cannot modify the ambient light. It means that we are using the ambient light as a subjective aesthetic decision.
Natural light can be anything from shade to the intense of direct sunlight. And we can use anything we want to control or modify that light to make it something WE control.
We don’t give up our management of the light simply because it is created naturally. It means we must think about how the light plays upon and presents from the subject.
Outside and Inside Approaches
Lighting is Paramount
When creating beautiful, evocative portraits, the main elements are subject, gesture, and light. Without good light, the other two will fail to present the portrait as a vision that the photographer wishes to show.
We will be looking as working with subjects, finding the best locations, and developing the tools to bring any location into better light.
The goal is to provide you with the maximum control of your set, your talent, and your image.
What You Will Need
You will need a DSLR camera and lens focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 100mm. This can be a set of prime lenses or a zoom that will cover that focal length would be fine as well. For instance, the 24mm – 105mm covers the focal requirements just fine. These measurements are for full-frame DSLR, so you will have to check your focal lengths if you are using a cropped frame or another format sensor.
You will need a few whiteboards either fome-core or white cardboard. These can be found at Target, Michael’s, or even the Dollar Store.
You will also need a reflector set with silver, gold, and white as well as a diffuser panel. These are often found as 5-in-one type products. See Amazon for the best prices.
My preferred reflector kit.
A smaller but cool reflector kit.
A reflector holder that can be a lifesaver on location.
Assignments
Assignments will be due in one week intervals. You will have to shoot, edit, and produce an image for critique each week.
It is important that you are sure you can find subjects to shoot. They do not have to be ‘models’ just folks who will work with you to create an awesome, unique portrait.
ENROLLMENT INFO
The reviews will meet Thursdays at 5 PM Pacific and are held live via webinar using ZOOM. There will be 5 classes, five assignments, and five reviews. This class will be open to the public.
More information on the start date will be following soon, but figure it to be mid-February.
All classes are recorded for you to return to whenever you want.
Also included is the private Facebook group where members from this class and all previous portrait classes mingle and help each other. This is where we meet, so you MUST have a FB account and join the group.
There is no fee, no CC, and no ‘signup’. You participate through the Facebook group and there is no charge whatsoever.
