Here's what we cover and
a general plan for the 2 Days
We add to it occasionally...
The itinerary below is the master one that we are working
with for all the seminars. It may vary a bit from region to
region due to weather and light conditions, but all of the
material you see below will be in the workshop... and more.
We do add a little customization for specific areas we are
working in. I want to keep it as realistic for the shooters in
the area where the workshop is as I can.
Workshop Itinerary:
Day One
8am to 9am: Setup and Pre-workshop Discussion (Optional)
9am to 10am: Overview of Light and Light Modification Tools
6pm to 7pm: Going Pro Part One (Optional)
If you're thinking about making the jump from amateur to pro-am / pro, we discuss ways to do it and methods that have worked before. If you are staying for this optional one hour group session, have your portfolio available as either hard copy or on a laptop for viewing.
Sunday
8am to 9am: Optional hour for discussion/review - a casual time for talk
9am to 10am: Natural Light and Natural Light Modifiers
6pm to 7pm: Going Pro (Part Two)
Day One
8am to 9am: Setup and Pre-workshop Discussion (Optional)
9am to 10am: Overview of Light and Light Modification Tools
- Parabolic reflectors
- Umbrellas
- Scrims
- Softboxes
- Cookies and Flags
- Working with the Subjects in the Light
- How to Use Light to Create the Image You Want
- Inverse Square Law - Practical Applications That can Save Your Shots
- Working with Models Part One
- F-stop choice... How it Matters - a lot.
- Single Light Solutions with Umbrella and Softbox (or scrim)
- Beauty Dish for Drama
- Softbox Simplicity
- Classic Clamshell Beauty
- Accent Lights
- Posing Ideas
- Working with a Model on Set - and in the Light
- Myths and Truths about Models
- Working through "challenges"
- How to Find and Keep good models
- Lighting Assignments and Photo Teams
- Review of Lighting Setups
- Shooting Models in the Setups (Models rotate through the groups)
- This is a shoot time for making models in different light setups, Photographers shoot in all setups as well as all models.
- Setup Photos encouraged
- Lighting for Location Portraits
- "Beach Light" for Beauty
- Creating a shot in a bad location - Using Light as a Subject
- Model shoot with new techniques
- "Knowing" your Speedlight: a technique for taking the guesswork out of working with small strobes.
- Introduction to tools available on the DVD
- Using Masks for Increased image quality
- Simple Photoshop tools
- Actions are our friends!
6pm to 7pm: Going Pro Part One (Optional)
If you're thinking about making the jump from amateur to pro-am / pro, we discuss ways to do it and methods that have worked before. If you are staying for this optional one hour group session, have your portfolio available as either hard copy or on a laptop for viewing.
Sunday
8am to 9am: Optional hour for discussion/review - a casual time for talk
9am to 10am: Natural Light and Natural Light Modifiers
- Finding perfect light on location
- Using reflectors to control contrast
- Location Challenges and How to Overcome them
- Natural Light Subtleties
- Working with Models in a location space
- Controlling the Model within the light
- How to keep control of your shoot
- Setting up for location headshots
- Using the environment to help create the lighting for the shot
- Five ways to use a speedlight without changing your natural light settings... and add a 'killer' look.
(Only taught at the workshops - you'll love this stuff)
- Bare Flash techniques for a Non-Flash look
- Using modifiers on location (Umbrellas/Softboxes/Scrims)
- Adding Speedlight to existing sun
- Shooting in the worst light of the day... now not a problem
- Photographer model teams shoot in the locations with natural light / speedlight / mixed assignments
photographers and models rotate so everyone has a chance to shoot all assignments/models
- "Creating the Shot" when the light and location is less than perfect
- How multiple speedlights can help when the light isn't cooperating
- Two and three light setups
- How "knowing" the lights can save time and keep the shot moving
- Dynamic "Posing" techniques. How to light a moving subject
- "Choosing the angle can make all the difference."
How that applies to lighting as well.
- Models/Photographers rotate for four assignments
- Each group will photograph every model
6pm to 7pm: Going Pro (Part Two)
- Another one hour optional meetup to continue the discussion on moving from shooting for fun to shooting for dollars
- Presentation techniques
- How to USE the internet to promote your work
- Website mistakes to avoid
- Getting noticed and 'making waves'
- The importance of a self-assigned project
During each of these modules attention is paid to Why we do it, What it does, and How it can be used for your image making. It is a total immersion experience... not just a piece at a time. Lighting for the subject, in an environment as well as a studio, means taking a lot of information into account. We discuss this as we are working on the lighting setups. Extrapolation is the operative word in photographic lighting... how can I make this work for me?
You are encouraged to bring a video camera, P&S camera and an audio recorder for personal recordings of setups and work. We are making it mandatory that these videos are for personal use only and will not appear anywhere. Thank you for understanding how important that is for us.
As we work on the setups I will be discussing the many reasons and ideas that are part of each setup. This insight is helpful for photographers to understand all that is happening. It is an essential part of the education so your attention is needed for these times as well.
We will be working on some innovative ways to make sure the models get their images, so I will be updating this document in the upcoming weeks. It is quite disappointing for the models to come to the shoots and be promised photographs from the photographers and then never receive any. It has been a real sore spot for my workshops and I must remedy that immediately. Watch for updates.
Please stay tuned to the workshop page where you signed up for updates concerning your workshop. Thank you for your interest and signing up. I cannot teach anyone to be a great photographer, but I can teach you the skills you need to light like one.