Studio Lighting Workshop, Winter Series

Model: Anthea Langenbacher

Model: Davjis Andonov

There is more to being a photographer than just the constant learning. There has to be fun. There has to be an experience. There have to be images. For this reason part of the business that I run with Glynn Lavender is about creating opportunities for photographers to have those things. EchucaPalooza was our first among these and we are repeating it this year. But our Summer Series and Winter Series have proven very popular as they are evening events that provide photographers with a learning and creative experience. Last Wednesday evening was our Studio Night, an evening in which Creative Photo Workshops provided an opportunity to shoot and learn the basics of studio lighting. 

Rather than hire a well appointed studio for this event, Glynn and I simply hired the Yellow Room at Abbottsford Convent. That way, no one gets the feeling that studio lighting is beyond them. We are saying in reality that anyone can do it, provided you have a little bit of space. So, we set up a portable backdrop and three FotoBestWay continuous lighting heads with shoot through umbrellas. Starting with one light and working up to three, we highlighted the value of shadow in a portrait, as well as separation from the background using rim and hair lighting. Our models were Anthea Langenbacher and Davjis Andonov. The contrast between Anthea's sweet young face and Davjis' silent masculinity added to the lighting experience, highlighting the different approaches needed not only between male and female portraiture but also in the atmosphere, feel and texture needed for each individual. Those who attended enjoyed the difference, learned much and got a chance to create images that otherwise may have eluded them. 

These events arise as a result of my own reflections on learning my craft, remembering the journey that photography has been for me. I was 16 when I bought my first SLR camera - a Minolta SRT 101. Even though it was it was about 10 or 12 years old, I was so excited. It was a heavy, clunking metallic masterpiece that I loved. It gave me no automatic options and it taught me much, but it simultaneously represented the potential of an exciting future filled with creative opportunities and adventures. That part has come true for me in ways I could never have imagined and there is still more to come. But I also understand that my own desires at that time are the same as those who buy DSLR cameras today. We are all looking for something to photograph, an opportunity within which to create wonderful images. Creative Photo Workshops is as much about that as we are about teaching. Without the fun, what is the point after all?