North DFW: Fundamentals of Lighting for Portraiture FEBRUARY 2010

[texxter]

Updated roster:
Phanee - 2/27
Jeff Lane - 2/27
Bill M - 2/27
Randy Chambers - 2/27 Tentative


Greetings,

I am ready for a second offering of my Introduction to Lighting for Portrait Photography - a one day seminar on the principles of lighting, with an emphasis on photographing people. Here are the logistics:

Date: Feb 20, 27, March 6, or 13 are potential dates- final date will be determined based on participants availability.
Location: Southfork Hotel, Plano, TX
Duration: 8am to 5pm - breakfast, luch, snack, drinks all day included
Participation: No more than 10 participants, first come first served.
Fee: $250, due upon registration via Paypal or personal check.
Deadline for registration: Jan 29 2010 via email or site mail.

Prerequisites:
Familiarity with camera operation, including f-stops, shutter speed, ISO, etc
Bring your own camera, lighting equipment will be provided.

IS:
An intense workshop on using and controlling light for people photography, including theory and practice

Lecture and equipment demonstration in the morning followed by hands-on exercises afterwards

For photographers who want to understand lighting wholistically, and want to control it regardless of the situation

IS NOT:
For advanced photographers with experience controlling light - I am targetting this course to photographers that want to learn about light and lighting

A course on composition, posing, glamour or anything else. This is only about lighting for portrait photography

Details on how to use a Canon on Nikon flash or studio strobes. We'll use equipment, but the focus is not on the equipment, but the principles


Workshop organization

This is an entry-level workshop on lighting for portraits. Note that I didn't say "studio" portraits - we'll be going over the foundational principles of lighting for photography, and then applying those principles to different situations: (1) controlling natural light only, (2) controlling one or more flashes, (3) mixing ambient light and flash.

I plan to start with a lecture and equipment demonstration. We'll examine the attributes of light and how to control them. I will demonstrate how to use lighting equipment, including modifiers. I expect this part of the workshop to be very interactive as we go over lots of technical material and participants ask questions.

After that we'll have three practical sessions, one on natural light control, one on flash, and one on mixing ambient and flash. We'll work thru the process of identifying and controlling each source of illumination, and students will have a chance to make changes to see the results. I'll provide the models and the equipment for all the practical sessions.

Participants will get a copy of all the materials presented at the workshop. A continental breakfast and a yummy lunch will be included, and we'll work the entire day.

Please respond here or via email so that I can start to compile the roster. Also let me know what dates work for you, so that I can finalize the arrangements with the hotel.

Looking forward to teaching this seminar again!

Paco

*** INFO ABOUT THE FIRST SEMINAR ***


Prerequisites:

• Familiarity with camera operation, including f-stops, shutter speed, ISO, etc
• Bring your own camera, lighting equipment will be provided.

IS:

• An intense workshop on using and controlling light for people photography, including theory and practice
• Lecture and equipment demonstration in the morning followed by hands-on exercises afterward
• For photographers who want to understand lighting wholistically, and want to control it regardless of the situation

IS NOT:

• For advanced photographers - I am targetting this first course to new photographers that want to learn about light and lighting
• A course on composition, posing, glamour or anything else. This is only about lighting for portrait photography
• Details on how to use a Canon on Nikon flash or studio strobes. We'll use equipment, but the focus is not on the equipment, but the principles

After working on my workshop material for about a month, I am excited to offer this training course - this is an entry-level workshop on lighting for portraits. Note that I didn't say "studio" portraits - we'll be going over the foundational principles of lighting for photography, and then applying those principles to different situations: (1) controlling natural light only, (2) controlling one or more flashes, (3) mixing ambient light and flash.

Workshop organization

I plan to start with a lecture and equipment demonstration that will take a couple of hours. We'll examine the attributes of light and how to control them. I will demonstrate how to use lighting equipment, including modifiers. We'll have three practical sessions, one on natural light control, one on flash, and one on mixing ambient and flash. Groups of two students will work with a model to solve a lighting problem in each session. After each practical session each team will share the work, explain how they did it and get feedback. So after the workshop each participant will have worked on three different visual problems and be exposed to six more from the other teams, for a total of nine problems.

There will be three models available, male and female, and not necessarily gorgeous :-) but patient and willing to work with the photographers.

Participants will get a copy of all the materials presented at the workshop. A continental breakfast and a yummy lunch will be included, and we'll work the entire day.

Payment due by Sep 11th. Paypal or personal check accepted.

If more than six people are interested I will start a waiting list for the second offering of this workshop before the end of the year.

[jtrefet]

would love to do this another time - can't make the Oct 10th date :(

[CaptainTom]

First I've seen of this post.

Is the workshop still on ?

Bump.

[texxter]

Guys, since I have received no responses I was thinking of cancelling it - I figured that perhaps the cost was too high given my lack of teaching credentials :-(

So if six people are interested we can come up with a date - I need to book models ahead of time, so I'd need some firm commitments.

[danchez]

This is the first I am seeing this workshop too. Where was it hiding. Paco, anytime you want to schedule a workshop, automatically put me on the list and then hit me with a pm. If this is still on, I will be there!!!

[texxter]

Dan, not sure why it didn't show up as a New post, perhaps because it was posted "by hand" by Abel and not me directly?

At any rate, I am happy to do this webinar if we can get 5 or 6 participants.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

[danchez]

bump

come on, you all have seen Paco's pics, they are incredible, just need a handful that would like to learn from him. I'm in, who else???

[mlstephenson4608]

Count me in for the 10th

[utdbear]

Can you pencil me in? I'd love to go but want to make sure I can first.

[mmuhlenkamp]

I'd love to (this is the first I've seen this as well), but I'm tight on cash right now (I really need to upgrade my computer!) though I don't think it's overpriced by any means.

If you DO come down in price a bit be sure to let me know, you take great photos Paco, and I would love to get some one on one time on how you work.

[utdbear]

I attended this class and it was great! Paco was very helpful to us teaching us the theories of lighting, how to take the flash off the camera, place and run studio strobes inside and outside, and then putting those theories into practice. He went above and beyond on several levels, and I can't say enough about how he helped me. I would highly recommend those wanting to take their images to the next level to sign up for this class!

[jtrefet]

any photos from the workshop?

Paco will you be doing another one? I am interested, but was already booked for that day previously.

Thanks!

-Josh

[texxter]

Josh, yes, I will have another offering at the beginning of the year, and will post it here.

Michael and Barry have photos from the workshop - please note that the focus of the training was not to create stunning images, but to learn the principles of lighting and apply them creatively to situations indoors and outdoors. The emphasis was more on learning to control light and experimenting with positioning and exposure. For example we did some outside in the middle of the day where available light was "turned off" and a single flash was used to create a night effect in the middle of the day.

[mlstephenson4608]

I was the second attendee of the workshop and I was serious impressed with not only Paco's skill but his ability to explain the mechanics of why things worked. I had very little experience going into the class but was able to pick up on it fairly quickly. I will mirror Barry and say that I cant recommend his class enough to anyone looking for a solid intro into lighting and how to make it work for you

[danchez]

Paco, sorry I missed your workshop, I assumed that since you were taking time away from the forum and working on other projects that this had been canceled. We all know what happens when you assume things....