The Authentic Portrait Photography Toolkit
Are you done with forced smiles and poses in your portrait photography? In this class you’ll learn to look and go beyond the surface of your subjects (and yourself. ) and portray who they really are.
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Are you done with forced smiles and poses in your portrait photography? In this class you’ll learn to look and go beyond the surface of your subjects (and yourself. ) and portray who they really are.
Are you done with forced smiles and poses in your portrait photography? In this class you’ll learn to look and go beyond the surface of your subjects (and yourself. ) and portray who they really are.
You’ll learn to build rapport and capture their inner beauty in authentic portraits. I’ll teach you several ways to invite your subject (paying client or model) to reveal themselves as they are so you can capture their aliveness. No more fixed poses or vacant looks. No more stifling discomfort. No more uninteresting, superficial portraits.
So, this is not a technical course; it's all about the personal stuff in portrait photography. *
Skills, tips and tricks from 12 years of experience
I’ll share with you my personal toolkit. All that I’ve learned and acquired over more than 12 years of working with hundreds of people. I’ll share my client briefing and clothing tips. And many different ways to approach and work together with your subject. Some quite unusual...
Who is this course for?
This course is for professionals and aspiring photographers, hungry to go deeper than just the technically correct pretty picture.
Like: professional still life or landscape photographers aspiring to start working with people. Perhaps you’ve tried it, but can’t seem to build rapport with your clients or models? Do you or they feel awkward? Join me in this course.
The class is also for beginning photographers, who wish to portray their friends and family for fun or even start a stock photography portfolio, using regular people as their subjects.
It is not for you if...
... you're looking for a technical class (this is personal and both you and your subject must be willing to be a bit vulnerable).... you want to be in charge all the time and think only you decide how a portrait must be taken. ... you don't like to play.
Authenticity is key. Why learn to capture it?
In a world with dozens or even hundreds of images on our retina per minute, we decide quickly who to trust, who to work with and which images to buy for our business’ communication.
As humans, we are trained to recognize what is real and what is fake. And usually we don’t like fake people.
Therefore, in our portraits, we seek to catch a person’s realness, so others can relate to what they see and trust them (your brand etc.).
If you can master authentic portraiture, you will make many people very happy: not only your subjects, but also the viewer and if applicable, the buyer of your work. Even for you, it will become so much more interesting and you’ll find that you can use the skills also in other areas of your life.
Why join?
After taking this course and doing the exercises and assignments, you will be able to apply the skills in your own photography.
You will feel a lot more confident working with people.
Your photos will be more real, more personal and simply better, because you will have learned to truly work together with your subject, rather than telling them what to do.
Your portraits will speak more and be more relatable.
See you in class. Lucy Lambriex
*In just one hour, you'll learn more than you can probably handle, so I advice you break it up in perhaps two or three sessions.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- Get rid of fake smiles and awkward poses in your portraits
- Make your subjects feel at ease, build rapport and capture the real person
- Learn how to prepare for a successful and pleasant photo session or shoot
- Create authentic portraits using many of my personal tools, tricks and techniques (and discover your own)
- Feel free, relaxed and confident when portraying people
- Learn to work with your subject, instead of being their boss
- Improve your people skills
- Learn to manage the expectations of your subject.
- Learn from my personal examples and mistakes (and learn how mistakes can be good for you)
- Experience more joy and fun in working with clients and models
- Gain experience by doing the exercises
- Show more
- Show less
- Get rid of fake smiles and awkward poses in your portraits
- Make your subjects feel at ease, build rapport and capture the real person
- Learn how to prepare for a successful and pleasant photo session or shoot
- Create authentic portraits using many of my personal tools, tricks and techniques (and discover your own)
- Feel free, relaxed and confident when portraying people
- Learn to work with your subject, instead of being their boss
- Improve your people skills
- Learn to manage the expectations of your subject.
- Learn from my personal examples and mistakes (and learn how mistakes can be good for you)
- Experience more joy and fun in working with clients and models
- Gain experience by doing the exercises
- Show more
- Show less
Syllabus
I'll share some of the mistakes I made when working with people. No technical mistakes, but the people stuff... I'll also share why mistakes are not necessarily bad for you.
Read more
Syllabus
I'll share some of the mistakes I made when working with people. No technical mistakes, but the people stuff... I'll also share why mistakes are not necessarily bad for you.
Watch this and you'll know if and why this course is for you. I hope to see you in class!
A quick lesson on why it is really important to actually try out and practice with everything I'm teaching you. Do it; you'll thank me and yourself later.
You'll soon know what authenticity is in relation to portrait photography and why it is so important.
You'll learn how to prepare yourself and your subject for a successful photo session or shoot. I'll explain the difference between a photo session with a paying client and a photo shoot with models. You'll learn to manage the expectations, by sending a brief.
Make sure to download the sample briefing that you can use as an inspiration for writing your own.
How to get your subject to trust you and surrender to your methods? And why not to be their boss.
Here's a discovery I made that is always saving my life when working with people (and actually in many aspects of my life).
In this lesson, you'll learn how you can lure out and capture certain qualities of a person, without them acting.
This is all about motion, emotion and aliveness. How to bring it out and how to capture this in your subject.
This simple but effective technique will give away some of your power to the subject. It will make your portraits look more real, more alive and if you teach it to your subjects, they can use it whenever they have their portrait taken. They will be thankful!
Learn how a distraction can be a wonderful tool in your photo session or shoot.
A great thing to do if you client is not warming up to you. This might be one of the best things to do to get going again and it will give both you and your subject more compassion for one another...
Take your time! This lesson is about why it's important to spend enough time together, if you want to capture the real person. I'm also sharing ideas on how to make a longer session profitable for you and affordable for your client.
Nonsense can be a tool too. Even with a serious client, it is important to relax and be playful once in a while. I'll share some of my examples. Let's play!
Perfectionists, brace yourselves! And take this lesson for sure. I'm sharing a flawed but very successful photo and some thoughts that might be new to you. Let's be raw.
What is the best posture for your subject? Try and alternate sitting, standing or...
This may be a scary lesson if you love all your cameras, lenses and filters. Please don't skip it if you are like that! It will bring back the joy and freedom in working with people in your photography.
Clients always want to know what they should wear. In this lesson, I'll share my clothing briefing, that you can also download and tweak for your needs.
In this last lesson you'll get a reminder of what you've learned, I'll share a trick you can use particularly with camera shy people, and there is a bonus download: a checklist to print out and put in your pocket when shooting.
Good to know
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Activities
Follow Online Tutorials on Specific Portraiture Techniques
Show steps
Enhance your skills by following step-by-step tutorials on specific techniques, such as lighting, posing, or post-processing.
Show steps
-
Identify areas where you want to improve your portraiture skills.
-
Search for and select online tutorials that cover those specific techniques.
-
Follow the tutorials carefully, practicing the techniques and experimenting with different approaches.
Strengthen Your Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Show steps
Improve your ability to connect with and build rapport with your portrait subjects, creating a more comfortable and productive environment.
Browse courses on
Communication Skills
Show steps
-
Practice active listening and empathy in your conversations with others.
-
Develop your verbal and non-verbal communication skills through role-playing or workshops.
-
Seek feedback from trusted sources on your communication style and areas for improvement.
Read 'The Art of Portraiture' by John Hedgecoe
Show steps
Gain insights into the technical and artistic aspects of portraiture from an experienced photographer and educator.
View
The New Manual of Photography
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Read the book thoroughly, taking notes on key concepts and techniques.
-
Apply the lessons from the book to your own portraiture sessions.
Two other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all five activities
Review Your Basic Understanding of Portraiture
Show steps
Ensure you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of portraiture, including lighting, composition, and posing.
Show steps
-
Review your notes and materials from previous photography courses or workshops.
-
Read articles or watch videos about portraiture techniques and best practices.
-
Practice taking portraits of friends or family members, paying attention to lighting, composition, and posing.
Start a Personal Portraiture Project
Show steps
Immerse yourself in a self-directed project that challenges you to explore different aspects of portraiture and develop your skills.
Browse courses on
Project-Based Learning
Show steps
-
Define the scope and goals of your project, including the type of portraits you want to create and the techniques you want to explore.
-
Create a timeline and set milestones for your project to ensure progress and accountability.
-
Experiment with different approaches to portraiture, such as environmental portraits, candid shots, or studio setups.
-
Document your progress, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
Follow Online Tutorials on Specific Portraiture Techniques
Show steps
Enhance your skills by following step-by-step tutorials on specific techniques, such as lighting, posing, or post-processing.
Show steps
- Identify areas where you want to improve your portraiture skills.
- Search for and select online tutorials that cover those specific techniques.
- Follow the tutorials carefully, practicing the techniques and experimenting with different approaches.
Strengthen Your Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Show steps
Improve your ability to connect with and build rapport with your portrait subjects, creating a more comfortable and productive environment.
Browse courses on
Communication Skills
Show steps
- Practice active listening and empathy in your conversations with others.
- Develop your verbal and non-verbal communication skills through role-playing or workshops.
- Seek feedback from trusted sources on your communication style and areas for improvement.
Read 'The Art of Portraiture' by John Hedgecoe
Show steps
Gain insights into the technical and artistic aspects of portraiture from an experienced photographer and educator.
View
The New Manual of Photography
on Amazon
Show steps
- Read the book thoroughly, taking notes on key concepts and techniques.
- Apply the lessons from the book to your own portraiture sessions.
Review Your Basic Understanding of Portraiture
Show steps
Ensure you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of portraiture, including lighting, composition, and posing.
Show steps
- Review your notes and materials from previous photography courses or workshops.
- Read articles or watch videos about portraiture techniques and best practices.
- Practice taking portraits of friends or family members, paying attention to lighting, composition, and posing.
Start a Personal Portraiture Project
Show steps
Immerse yourself in a self-directed project that challenges you to explore different aspects of portraiture and develop your skills.
Browse courses on
Project-Based Learning
Show steps
- Define the scope and goals of your project, including the type of portraits you want to create and the techniques you want to explore.
- Create a timeline and set milestones for your project to ensure progress and accountability.
- Experiment with different approaches to portraiture, such as environmental portraits, candid shots, or studio setups.
- Document your progress, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
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