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.

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
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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.

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.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Teaches essential skills, techniques, and tools for portrait photography, including rapport-building, posing, and capturing authentic expressions

Instructor Lucy Lambriex draws on her 12 years of experience working with clients and models, developing a personal toolkit of methods for creating authentic portraits

Emphasizes the importance of capturing the real person rather than creating posed and artificial images

Addresses common challenges faced by portrait photographers, such as working with camera-shy subjects and managing client expectations

Provides downloadable resources, including a sample client briefing and a checklist for shooting, to support students' learning

Suitable for professionals and aspiring photographers with varying experience levels, making it accessible to a wide range of learners

Reviews summary

Authentic portrait photography through connection

According to students, "The Authentic Portrait Photography Toolkit" is a transformative course that excels in teaching the human element of portraiture rather than technical skills. Learners widely praise its unique focus on building genuine rapport and capturing a subject's true self, leading to more authentic and expressive portraits. Many find the instructor's approach engaging and insightful, offering practical advice like the 'distraction' technique and 'raw edges' assignment. It consistently helps participants achieve a significant mindset shift and boosts their confidence in working with people. While the course is highly valued for its non-technical depth and is often described as concise yet impactful, a minority of more advanced learners expressed a desire for more concrete links to camera settings or lighting, indicating it's primarily for those seeking to enhance their soft skills in photography.

Short but packed with valuable, actionable wisdom.

"It's short, but packed with actionable wisdom."

"My only minor critique is that it's quite short; I felt I could have absorbed more."

"The course is concise, direct, and actionable."

"Short but impactful."

Instructor provides transformative, unique insights.

"Lucy's approach is truly transformative."

"The instructor is very engaging and has a unique perspective."

"Lucy really makes you think about portrait photography differently."

"Lucy shares genuine, hard-won wisdom about relating to people."

Transforms approach and boosts confidence.

"I'm now much more confident asking friends to model for me."

"The idea of 'playing' during a shoot totally changed my mindset."

"This course changed my approach to portraits completely. I used to dread shoots, but now I look forward to connecting with people."

"My portraits have definitely become more expressive."

Provides practical tools for subject interaction.

"The 'distraction' technique and 'raw edges' assignment were particularly insightful."

"The practical exercises are easy to follow and the concepts stick."

"The content on preparing subjects and using 'nonsense' to relax them was particularly insightful."

"I especially loved the segment on managing expectations with clients."

Emphasizes soft skills over camera settings.

"I appreciate that it's not technical, as stated, but I did find myself wishing for just a *little* bit more on how to translate some of these concepts into actual camera settings or lighting..."

"As a beginner, I was worried about complex camera settings, but this course bypasses all of that and focuses on the human element."

"Valuable insights into human connection in photography. ...it's true to its word about being non-technical, which is a strength for its stated purpose."

"This is not a technical course; it's all about the personal stuff in portrait photography."

Masters rapport and authenticity in portraiture.

"This course is exactly what I needed! It's not about technical settings, but about connecting with your subject on a deeper level."

"Absolutely brilliant! As a beginner, I was worried about complex camera settings, but this course bypasses all of that and focuses on the human element, which is far more important."

"It's less about posing and more about genuine interaction."

"The tips on building trust and making subjects comfortable are things you won't find in most photography guides."

Some found it too abstract, lacking concrete camera techniques.

"I did find myself wishing for just a *little* bit more on how to translate some of these concepts into actual camera settings or lighting..."

"I found some of the advice a bit too abstract. While I agree with the premise of 'authenticity,' I needed more concrete steps."

"It felt more like a pep talk than a 'toolkit.' ...not for intermediate photographers looking for advanced techniques."

"I prefer courses that give me more tangible techniques I can immediately apply with my camera."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in The Authentic Portrait Photography Toolkit with these activities:

Follow Online Tutorials on Specific Portraiture Techniques

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Enhance your skills by following step-by-step tutorials on specific techniques, such as lighting, posing, or post-processing.

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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

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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

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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

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Gain insights into the technical and artistic aspects of portraiture from an experienced photographer and educator.

View The New Manual of Photography on Amazon

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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

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Review Your Basic Understanding of Portraiture

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Ensure you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of portraiture, including lighting, composition, and posing.

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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

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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

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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.

Career center

Learners who complete The Authentic Portrait Photography Toolkit will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers: