Finding and Creating Great Portrait Light
© Mark Harmel
Are you ready to turn off that on-camera flash to learn how to find and create great portrait lighting? In this fun and explorative two-day workshop, discover ways to seek and utilize beautiful ambient light as powerful photographic tool. On the first day we will meet at Disney Hall to explore the subtle differences between good and bad light as well as learning how to transform the quality of the light. This architectural gem offers endless opportunities to interact with the environment to create compelling location portraits with great light. The next day we will convene at the Julia Dean Photo Workshops to review the Disney Hall shoot, apply what was learned to the Venice Beach environment, and introduce studio lights. Seeing light is one of the hardest photography skills to learn, but by the end of the class you will literally see the world in a new light.
For the Disney Hall shoot, students should consider traveling light as the group will be climbing up and down twisted interiors and exteriors. A camera body with a moderate telephoto is recommended. A 70-200mm zoom lens would be ideal. Please do not bring tripods or monopods as they are not allowed at Disney Hall.
Mark Harmel's (www.harmelphoto.com) images span a wide range of subjects from nature to people. His work has been used by companies like Abbott Diabetes Care, Wells Fargo, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Warner Brothers, Time, Blue Cross, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Sony. He has also been featured in the Communication Arts Photography Annual. “At heart, I’m still basically a street photographer that has evolved to understand and follow great light,” says Harmel. “So these days, even in more controlled environments, I look for the good light first, and if it’s not there, I make it happen.” Currently, he spends much of his time concentrating on healthcare photography and worked with his wife, Dr. Anne Peters, a physician specializing in diabetes, to create a best-selling book on the disease. Mark's stock photography is available through Getty Images, Workbookstock.com and Alamy.
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