Senior Portrait Workshop
On Saturday, September 7th, I conducted my first workshop for the Washington School of Photography, where I have been an affiliate for about 6 months. This was a workshop covering all aspects of high school senior portrait photography including lighting techniques, posing, appropriate apparel, marketing, and how to develop a successful business model. I tried to make the class interesting and hands on. Participants had a chance to practice short and broad lighting on our beautiful model, Lauren. Being able to quickly set up short and broad lighting is an essential skill for any professional photographer. I also make the participants use a light meter to obtain the desired the lighting ratio. I usually aim for a 3:1 lighting ratio. In the the workshop I stress the importance of taking the time and effort to create the best light. I also emphasize the importance of shooting with deliberation and how this helps with profitability on the business end. Below you can see some of the results from the workshop participants.
In the afternoon participants unleashed their creativity at a local park. For the location shoot the participants tried a broader variety of lighting techniques (e.g., the use of a reflector, the use of a dc powered monolight, and speedlights with and without TTL) to photograph Lauren in a number of different settings and poses. As the participants learned, outdoor lighting in the middle of the day is very challenging--but the obstacles can be overcome with good technique and a little ingenuity. Here are some of the results:
Lauren in her HS JacketPhoto by Corey Dean.
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 High key portrait of Lauren with short lighting. Photo by Corey Dean
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 Lauren with JerseyPhoto by Mackenzie Jernstedt
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 Casual portrait of LaurenPhoto by Mckenzie Jernstedt
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 Photo by Mackenzie Jernstedt
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 Lauren showing off her jersey.Photo by Corey Dean
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Check on the Washington School of Photography website to catch my workshop next time. Thanks to Corey and Mackenzie for providing these photos.
