Studio Portraiture

4 sessions, 2 hours each, S$280 (see discounts and promotion)

Click here to sign up now

Commissioned by One on the Bund restaurant at Clifford Pier for a fashion shoot of their designer range Chinese qipao

Commissioned by One on the Bund restaurant at Clifford Pier for a fashion shoot of their designer range Chinese qipao

Good posing, strong rapport, clear communication and great lighting are just some of the key ingredients to a good studio portrait.

Although lighting setups are everywhere, not everyone understands why a light was placed in a certain position or aimed at a particular angle. Copying setups without a strong understanding of the hows and whys often results in disappointing portraits.

By giving you 6 out of 8 hours of hands-on training with in-class projects and a final model shoot, our Studio Portraiture workshop aims to equip you with a strong foundation in two key areas:

  1. lighting concepts so you’d be able to modify an existing setup to achieve your own creative ideas, troubleshoot lighting problems, and create your own setups that others will be wanting to follow,
  2. posing, directing and communication techniques that help to make your model look as good as possible

In Studio Portraiture, you spend 6 out of 8 hours of your workshop setting up lights, making adjustments to improve your setup, shooting in-class portraiture projects, and putting all that you’ve learnt into a final model shoot. By the end of it, you would:

Lighting nightmare no more. Learn how to tackle challenging lighting from white-on-white to black-on-black

Lighting nightmare no more. Learn how to tackle challenging lighting from white-on-white to black-on-black

  1. be able to handle a shoot on your own in any studio environment,
  2. know how to fully utilise a studio environment, its lighting supports and modifiers,
  3. know what to look out for in a good studio portrait, and how to maximise your number of keepers,
  4. be proficient with various light modifiers from softbox to reflector to snoot to achieve your desired creative direction,
  5. be able to troubleshoot lighting problems on your own,
  6. have a strong understanding of lighting concepts to be able to get the job done with minimal equipment (and how you can do all of what you’ve learnt at home too),
  7. learn about the classic portraiture lighting setups, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to modify from there to your liking,
  8. have hands-on experience as an art director, photographer and lighting assistant,
  9. have planned, executed and shot at least two different portraiture projects
  10. know what flatters a woman and a man, and how to make them look good in your portraits,
  11. and most importantly, have lots of fun!

We keep our class small (6 persons max) so you can be sure you’ll get individual attention from our instructors.

Click here to sign up now

Course Outline

Lesson detailsTopics covered and learning objectives
Lesson 1
Introduction
Location: Studio
7.30–9.30pm
Laptop highly recommended
    Lesson
  1. Introduction to Studio Environment
  2. Exposure Techniques for Studio/Flash photography
  3. Zero-ing the camera
  4. Maximising use of the Studio: what and who goes where
  5. Digital Workflow in Studio

    6. Practical
  6. Hands on setting up lights and backdrops
  7. Setting up a digital workflow
Lesson 2
One Light, Multiple Lights
Location: Studio
7.30–9.30pm
    Lesson
  1. Understanding the Variables in Studio Portraiture and controlling them
  2. Quality of Light
  3. One Light Setups
  4. Shadow Management
  5. Building on the One Light setup
  6. Light Shaping Modifiers

    7. Practical
  7. One Light Setups
  8. Controlling the Quality of Light
  9. Expanding One Light setups into Classic Portrait Lighting
Lesson 3
Classic Setups
Location: Studio
7.30–9.30pm
    Lesson
  1. Lighting Patterns
  2. Classic Lighting Setups
  3. Understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Classic Lighting
  4. Directing and Posing models

    Practical
  1. Team Project: Portraits in Classical Lighting
  2. Review and critique of portraits project
Lesson 4
Model Shoot
Location: Studio
7.30–9.30pm
    Lesson
  1. Facial and Feature Analysis
  2. Classical views of the Face
  3. Knowing what Flatters your model
  4. Remedying Facial Problems, from double chins to large ears
  5. Directing and Posing models

    Practical
  1. Model Shoot: Facial analysis, planning and execution of model shoot
  2. Review and critique of model shoot

Course Requirements

Participants must bring their own camera (DSLR or compact with manual exposure modes). A tripod, while not necessary, will help you to learn about studio portraiture better.

Course Schedule

Tuesday Class (Starting March 30, 2010)

  1. March 30, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  2. April 6, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  3. April 13, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  4. April 20, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm

Thursday Class (Starting April 22, 2010)

  1. April 22, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  2. April 29, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  3. May 6, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm
  4. May 13, 2010, 7.30–9.30pm

Click here to sign up now


Promotions & Discounts

Early Bird Promotion — $10 off

Sign up and make payment by March 5, 2010 (for Tuesday class) or March 26, 2010 (for Thursday class) to enjoy $10 off your course fee.

Bring-a-friend Promotion — $10 off

Bring a friend along and enjoy $10 off your course fee.

Sign up for Studio Portraiture

Name

Email

Phone

Camera Make and Model (Optional)

Session

Remarks (Optional)

By clicking on the ‘Register’ button below, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Fees must be paid in full—by bank transfer, credit card or cheque—before the start of the workshop to ensure your enrollment.
  2. In the unlikely event that the workshop is cancelled due to insufficient participants, you can choose to either receive full refund of the workshop fees or to join the next running workshop.
  3. Workshop fees cannot be refunded for any other reasons once paid.
  4. You are able to attend the classes of your chosen session, as well as any special wet weather arrangement, as listed under Course Schedule
  5. Make up lessons for missed lessons can be arranged by joining the next running workshop subject to class vacancies. However, to be fair to all our students, we limit the maximum number of students per class and priority will be given to students who have signed up for their given session. Thus we cannot guarantee that there will be vacancies for make up and you’re strongly encouraged to attend the sessions that you have signed up for.
  6. In the event of wet weather conditions, the instructor may give an one hour prior notice to postpone the guided field trip. The dates for postpone field trips are listed under Course Schedule.
  7. If you’re unable to make it for the postpone field trip, you may attend the equivalent field trip on the next running workshop subject to class vacancies.
  8. You are responsible for the safety of yourself and your equipment during the workshop, and will not hold Phocus LLP liable for any injuries or damages incurred during the course of the workshop.

  • Portfolio Showcase

    Rachel & Ivan, Singapore, 2005

    Rachel & Ivan, Singapore, 2005