Professional Portrait Workshop: An Exchange of Energy and Emotions
by Gregory Boyd


When:
On Wednesdays, 10am - 12noon, starting 14 April 2010
LESSON ONE: 14 April 2010
LESSON TWO: 21 April 2010
LESSON THREE: 28 April 2010
LESSON FOUR: 5 May 2010

Fees: 2200RMB per participant

Promotions:
Early Bird Discount
Sign up and make payment before 4 April and enjoy 100RMB off your course fees
Bring-a-friend Discount
Get a friend to join you and enjoy 50RMB off your course fees

Contact
For more details
Email us at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call us at 1369 1054 807 | 010 - 5869.1383 | 150.1100.3051

About The Workshop

An Exchange of Energy and Emotions: The Workshop

According to Gregory Boyd a portrait is a record of an exchange of energy and emotions between the photographer and the subject. That's only half of the equation; an effective portrait must also have interesting lighting.

In his four part workshop on portrait photography, Gregory Boyd will adress the relationship that a photographer must cultivate with their subjects, as well as useful techniques to make a quick connection, earn their trust, and get the shot. Equally important are the different lighting techniques he will teach. Gregory will discuss using natural light, flash, and a combination of the two to make the most out of any given lighting situation. The workshop will take place every Saturday in March at the Beijing Center of Photography in Jianwai Soho and will cost 2,000RMB.

What equipment you own is the least important aspect of making a good portrait, and no matter what sort of camera you use you are welcome to sign up for this workshop. A point and shoot can take every bit as good of a portrait as a DSLR can; in fact Gregory uses both. There is no "best camera", so just bring what you have and put it to work.

Lesson ONE
The first session will teach photographers how to make personal connections with their subjects, how to put them at ease, and how to relax them in front of their camera. A photographer's responsibility is to relate to their subject by engaging in conversation and using body language to inspire interesting expressions. Gregory will teach the different approaches he uses for the many different subsets of people that he photographs. One relates in a different way to men, women, children, as well as people from different cultures and those speaking different languages. Gregory will help you learn how to connect with each of them. After the first session each participant will be assigned the task of making a portrait of a man, a woman, a child, and a complete stranger, while paying specific attention to the exchange of energy and emotions between photographer and subject. These photos will be emailed to and critiqued by Gregory during the week, and shared with the rest of the class at the beginning of the next session. Of course, Gregory is available to facilitate downloading and emailing photos if need be.

Lesson TWO
The second Saturday will take what was learned the first week about connecting with your subject and add to it the concept of natural and available lighting. Gregory will discuss the different kinds of available light such as full sun, shade, window light, indoor lighting, candle light, provide examples, and teach ways to use each of them effectively. Also addressed in this session will be the different ISO settings on your camera, and the situations in which each of them are the most useful. This week's assignment will be to photograph a different man, woman, child, and stranger, each with a different form of available light, all the while remembering to engage your subject and record interesting exchanges of emotions. Again these photos will be emailed to and critiqued by Gregory during the week, and shown at the beginning of the next class.

Lesson THREE
The third Saturday will cover flash photography. If you have a speedlight, bring it, but if you use the built in flash on your camera don't worry as there many ways to control it as well. Gregory will teach you how to use your camera's flash to it's fullest potential. No need to buy anything extra, as Gregory will bring materials to make inexpensive soft boxes, reflectors, and other light modifiers from everyday household items that you most likely have at home. From a hard spotlight effect, to a soft and pretty glow, Gregory will show you how to make your on or off camera flash work for you. Following the common theme, this week you will be assigned to photograph another new set of people (man, woman, child, and stranger) using only your flash for light, and to email them to Gregory for his critique.

Lesson FOUR
The fourth and final class will cover mixed light photography. We will use your on camera flash to balance ambient light creating a range of effects. This is useful in nighttime outdoor portraiture to balance the light on a subject with the lights in the background, and for daytime backlit situations to keep your subject from becoming too dark when they aren't facing the light. It is also useful both indoors and out in eliminating the dark circles that are created around subject's eyes by strong overhead lighting. Our final assignment will be to photograph a fourth set of people using a mix of flash and available lighting for each, and continuing to draw on your past experiences to inspire even better facial expressions from your subjects.

After the fourth class the workshop is not over. You will be asked to email your photographs to Gregory for a final critique, then he will post online a web gallery with everyone's work from each of the four sessions. You will be able to see your classmates work, as well as share your own with anyone you'd like to by emailing them a link to the gallery!

To see Gregory's work please visit www.gregoryboyd.com