Natural light with the Aperture Academy crew is all about finding the sweet light in every situation. As grandmas, grandpas, mothers and fathers and upcoming portrait photographers you don’t always have complete control over your lighting. That’s where this class comes in! There are ways that you can maximize your opportunities while out on location and Ajay Fay and I arrived at the studio on Sunday to teach just that.

We began the demonstration with a visually stimulating power point to get the ball rolling and hash out some of the myths and facts surrounding portrait photography. We explained how you see light and how that is different than the camera sees the light. Next we went over the do’s and don’ts for posing your models and of the different taboos of the biz. Just as we finished up our presentation our models had arrived and were ready to start the outdoor session.

Lets go outside!

We headed outside and immediately started looking at the way the light was falling on the landscape. We found a small doorway where we set our models up in the shade so we could gather some nice even light. We showed how since there was such a big difference between the light on the models and the background it makes it look like a studio image.

Here the students tried out interacting directly with the models so that they could achieve more intimate photographs. Sometimes it is easy to forget that these are professionals and their job is to be the star of your picture. Once the students got more comfortable they were having a blast posing the models in different ways while Ajay and I walked around and helped with composition and settings.

Next we headed over to a new spot and evaluated the light there. We showed how if you pose your models with the sun behind them you could get a nice “hair light” and a glowing effect on the skin. It is amazing what just a small angle change or a different perspective can do for your photos. After a quick group shot it was time to wrap it up for the day. Phew that was fun!

Until next time...from Ajay, Phil and the rest of the Aperture Academy Team!

If you'd like to join us at one of our workshops, you can find the schedule/sign up here.

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