Portrait Photography Lessons

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a meetups.com portrait photography class. I was really anxious about attending-what if they were all big time pros, and I was in way over my head? I needn't have worried. I had the best time, and met a great group of photographers. Some were indeed seasoned pros, and some needed help figuring out how to adjust their camera settings! I was pleased that feel somewhere in the middle of the learning curve of the class.
Jim, the instructor, was entertaining and very knowledgeable. He even had two of the most gorgeous models there for us to practice photographing as we learned each style of lighting, posing, and equipment being shown. He did a great job of keeping the class moving along so everyone got fair time photographing each style.
I really do feel it's important not just as a photographer, but as a human being, to constantly be learning, expanding horizons, and pushing myself for more.  If it has to do with photography at the same time, all the better!
Here are a few of my favorite images from the class, starting with "Softbox" lighting.  The model was sitting in a box, open in the front, with lighting from the rear.  It makes for a nice, soft image.

 

Next is an example of "Rim" lighting - it is definitely a more intimate type of portrait lighting, accomplished with a single off camera light and a reflector.  Rim lighting takes some patience to set up - it's all about the angles between the subject, lights, and camera.

 

 

If you get the angle wrong (like I did!) you get something like this - yuck!

 

Next we covered the most typical and popular type of portrait lighting - "Rembrandt" or "3/4" lighting.  It's very distinctive, and was used by all the great historical painters such as Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and the rest of the Ninja Turtles. If cone correctly you get a distinctive triangle of light on the opposite side of the face away from the main light.

  

Next up was something they were calling a "Film Nair" type  of lighting.  It was pretty complicated - it consisted of a flash with a tube to narrow & direct the light on top through a water-filled glass vase.  I'm not sure I quite mastered the shot, but here is my attempt.

Lastly, we played with some different portrait scene set-ups and props, and even had to climb a ladder to shoot down on the models!  Below is my favorite from the day!

Lastly, we experimented with using a mirror - I just didn't do well with this technique, and it was at the end of the afternoon - I'm not sure I'm thrilled with the below image - let's call it the best of the worst!  ;)

 

All in all, I learned a great deal from the instructor as well as many of the participants, and really met a great group of photography enthusiasts and professionals alike.  I'm looking forward to more opportunities to continue my education and growth as a photographer!