I am offering workshops on the theme of "Studio Portrait Photography in B+W." with the accent on analogue (film) registration of the image (digital users are also welcome) in my own studio in Badhoevedorp, just outside of Amsterdam.
I will be starting the workshop on the second Saturday of November and continuing each month on the same basis. If there is more demand then I may increase the frequency to 2 a month.
I will now try to describe the shape and content of my workshop and the philosophy behind it.
IN THE MORNING: I will open the studio at 09.15hrs, Coffee, tea and cold drinks will be available. It also gives the latecomers time to get to the studio for our 10.00hr START. I will spend the morning looking at various aspects of studio portrait making.
LIGHTING: So important that we will spend most of the time looking at light and what it can do. I have several studio flash units in the studio and we can play with light and light forming (reflectors, umbrellas and soft-boxes). We will look at the effect of lighting on the human face (and body). Also, how to work with simple light: you don't really need more than one or two lamps to make a great portrait.
CAMERA: Which camera/lens to choose and at which distance from the subject. Where to put the camera, on a tripod or hand-held. High or low viewpoint . Which aperture to use. Shoot fast and capture moments or shoot slow and more posed. Relative values of subject and background, distances from each other and what effect this distance will have on the resulting picture.
FILM: Working with film is a subject on its own. To work on film means putting in more thought and technique (and more sweat) BEFORE pressing the button than digital capture. I’m only generalizing here and have nothing against digital photography, but it does tend to make one lazier.
It also requires more work afterwards at the computer!
MODEL: Observing and communicating with the subject is also very important. Most people are camera shy and it's the job of the photographer to get something going. That results in a better picture than a rather stiff "Likeness " or a "smile please " moment. This is much harder than it may seem.
Somewhere in-between we will stop for more coffee and a stretch of legs.
Lunch will be sandwiches ( rolls ) and fruit and drinks and a chance to clear our heads.
IN THE AFTERNOON: a character model will be present so that we can really practice on a real human being. PLEASE NOTE: This is not a glamour or fashion workshop, although some aspects are universal to all forms of "people photography”.
I will make some cameras available for you to use (included in the costs). These include Nikon 35 mm, Hasselblad 6x6, Mamiya or Pentax 6x7 and also for the real freaks a 4x5 inch camera.
I will help you with loading film, taking exposure readings and setting the camera for the correct exposure but only if you require help.
Eveyone gets one free B+W film and you can bring your own as well if you want. This also applies to camera equipment. Feel free to bring your own gear.
This session will continue until we all get headaches or begin to yawn and start playing with our mobile phones. Then it's time to stop. You can only absorb so much information in one day.
I would aim to close the day and the studio at about 17.00hrs and we can all go home and watch t.v.
I will limit the number of those taking part to a maximum of six persons per workshop.
This means I will be able to give you much more individual attention.
The cost will be 145,- Euros per person per day (incl. 19% BTW). This includes everything mentioned above.
If you are interested then please e-mail me at info@paullevitton.com or click on ‘contact’ above and fill in the form (then I can send you my address and a map and contact telephone number.)
I look forward to seeing you soon in my studio.
Kind regards,
Paul Levitton
p.s. Ik spreek Nederlands / I speak English