The Contemporary Portrait Photography Workshop

Agenda Overview

• Day 1 – Classroom in the morning with our first guest speaker / Location scouting / Afternoon outdoor photo session with our models
• Day 2 – Studio day / Class in Studio / Guest speaker 2 / Headshots session in studio / Model portfolio shoot in studio
• Day 3 – Morning meetup at local café / Guest speaker 3 / Shoot at Arts & Sciences / Lifestyle shoot in Turia Park
• Day 4 – Classroom day with guest speaker 4 / Review photos from the previous days / Photo processing and editing / Portfolio reviews

For a more detailed look at the agenda, please click here.

What is a Contemporary Portrait?

The phrase Contemporary Portrait encompasses several different styles or genres of portratiture. For the purposes of this workshop it includes Street Style, Editorial, Lifestyle, and Compositional portraits. While these styles have their own distinctive characteristics, there are also many areas in which they overlap. We’ll explore the similarities and differences, and how to best approach the photographic process needed by each. We’ll also look at Headshots and how they fit into this contemporary space.

Understanding the Why

There will be a deep dive into the technical aspects of photography. This will include; lens choices, camera settings, as well as finding and making the best use of available light. But, more importantly, we will talk about why these aspects are important to bringing your vision to reality.

The understanding of why we make the technical decisions when creating images is critical to the education process. Simply learning what and how to do something in a given situation prepares you for when you encounter a similar situation. Understanding the “why” gives you the tools to adapt and succeed in a variety of photographic situations.

Creating Connections

While good lighting and camera skills matter, connecting with your subject is important to creating an impactful and compelling portrait. I will be encouraging lively (and fun) communication between photographers and the subjects. We’ll have professional models for each of our shooting sessions. They might need less encouragement to be comfortable in front of the camera, but they will still require direction and a clear understanding of the goals you have for your photos. We’ll go over how to best communicate this.

The plan is also to “mix it up” during our shooting sessions. It’s important for you, as a photographer, to get in front of the camera as well. This can help you understand what it is like for your subject to have someone telling them what they need and how to position themselves. This not only provides insight into how it feels, but also a chance for you to see the light and surroundings from the subject’s point of view. You may find some creative options in that space you wouldn’t see from behind the camera.

After the Shoot

Day four of the workshop, the shoots are done, but there’s plenty post-production work left to do. This includes processing RAW files as well as edits in Photoshop. We’ll explore best practices for delivering images to clients and discuss effective strategies for backing up and preserving your work.

This day will also have time set aside for website/portfolio review for anyone who wants this (it’s not required).

On previous days, I will have asked participants to prepare their favorite images from our sessions to have them ready to review. After the reviews, we’ll delve into any specific questions that participants have about Raw file processing. I’ll go over some specific techniques that I use in Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom to achieve specific results. We’ll go over how to fix those inevitable mistakes that happen to all of us. In fact, I was told by editorial photographer Jeff Lipskey “The difference between amateur and professional photographers is how well we fix our mistakes”.

This isn’t just a class or organized photo shoot, it’s a creative experience designed to inspire and motivate you to keep shooting long after the workshop ends