Our Studio Portrait Lighting Workshop - Wednesday June 9th, 2010

Some time ago I somehow developed a desire to be a speaker at the SWPP convention in London. Having been a software trainer/consultant in a previous life there were parts of that life I'd been missing. And speaking in front of a group of people about something I am passionate about is one of them.

In 2010 I was fortunate enough to have been given a place as a speaker at the convention. I spent several months thinking I was mad. In fact right up until I walked into the room on the morning of my talk I felt that way. But then the room began to fill. I realised there are many people much earlier on in their photography career than myself and I do have something worth sharing with these people. When the talk was over I was left on a high that stayed with me for weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed doing my talk and now feel it is something I want to do more of.

So the date has been set and the details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday June 9th, 2010

Location: Our new studio at 81 Hinckley Rd, Burbage, Hinckley.

Time: 9:30 - 5:00.

Cost: £100 (which includes lunch and refreshments).

Subject: Studio portrait lighting

What I am trying to create in this course is a compilation of the many lessons I have learned through the various seminars and talks I've attended, along with all the trial and error errors I've made in order to deliver a concise session that should switch the light on, so to speak, for all those either new to studio lighting or those needing confidence with their lights. Basically, I am trying to create the sort of lighting course I wish I could have attended all those years ago when I first began, so that I wouldn't have had to make so many errors to get where I am today.

This course will begin with a projected presentation explaining the function of the various lights required in portraiture. This will be followed by a hands on session showing everyone first hand what they've just been taught. Each member will then get a turn to use the lights themselves. We will finish with a brief demonstration of our post production workflow and processing techniques.

I would like to have a maximum of 8 people on the course and so far we already have 3. If this is the sort of course you would be interested in please get in touch, either via our website at http://www.christinalauderportraits.com/ or give us a call on 01455 611069. We are very much looking forward to hearing from you .

Comments

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com...

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to ...

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog