The Beginner’s Guide to Classic Portrait Photography
What you'll learn
- Master the elements of achieving a classic portrait, such as gear, settings, lighting and location.
- Pose and communicate with your subject more effectively.
- Create an efficient and welcoming portrait session process for clients or friends.
- Add edits to a portrait to enhance the finished product.
- Master exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focusing, along with which settings are appropriate for different situations.
- Identify the pros and cons of various camera gear and shoot locations.
Requirements
- If you already own a camera, it may be helpful to be familiar with the workings of your camera or have access to the camera’s manual.
- Although it is not required, it may also be helpful if you know what exposure is. In the course, I will explain each element of exposure and how to adjust exposure on different types of cameras.
- If you would like to actively participate in the editing section exercise, access to a computer with Internet connection is necessary. I will walk you through signing up for, installing, and using a free trial of Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Description
If you are a beginner photographer or a more experienced photographer who would like to capture better classic portraits, this course is for you. Whether you are exploring a career in photography or would simply like to capture beautiful portraits, classic portraits are the starting point for furthering your creative skills.
The Beginner’s Guide to Classic Portrait Photography is designed to provide you with all of the practical knowledge you need to create classic portraits. It is a gentle entry into the subject, beginning with a primer on basic photography concepts and gear, and then moving into specifics for portraiture, like gear choice, settings, editing, and working with your subject.
In this course, you will…
- Discover the characteristics of a classic portrait, including the lighting, the posing and more.
- Develop your understanding of photography basics, like exposure, focusing and file types, and how to adjust each in your camera.
- Examine the gear that can be used for classic portraits - cameras and lenses, lighting, backgrounds and environments - including the benefits and drawbacks of each. This will allow you to determine what gear is right for you.
- Master specifics of working with your subject, including specific tips for building rapport, for posing, and for overcoming shyness.
- Identify how to set up a portrait studio, even if the “studio” is an outdoor location.
- Practice the basic edits that are typically expected in a classic portrait, and more advanced edits that can be done. Download a free trial of Adobe Lightroom Classic, a popular editing application.
- Suggestions for ways to practice your portrait photography.
- Discover how you can apply your own creativity and still retain the look and feel of a classic portrait.
Classic portraits are fundamental for a portrait photographer’s portfolio, and they are a building block for more advanced portrait work. Master these, and you will have the know-how to expand your portrait photography with your creativity.
In this course, you will also complete exercises that will help you build your photography knowledge and solidify your experience. As we work through classic portraits from start to finish, you will practice focusing and using different camera settings to see how they affect exposure. At several points in the course, you will be challenged to create a classic portrait of your own. As you move through the course, you will be able to see your improvement!
I’ve designed this course to be comprehensive but practical, with low-pressure exercises to help you on your journey to becoming a portrait photographer. Photography is truly an art form, and it should be treated as such. Once you learn the mechanics, your creativity can lead you beyond to create your own personal style of portraits.
So join me! Enroll now to master classic portraits.
Who this course is for:
- Aspiring professional portrait photographers who want to master the classic portrait and develop their skills to do more creative portrait work.
- People who would like to capture better portraits of family and friends.
- This course offers students a comprehensive foundation in classic portraiture. It is not for someone who has already mastered the classic portrait and would like to move into more creative portrait work.
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 119 Reviews
- 508 Students
- 1 Course
I live and breathe photography. As TheSnapChick on YouTube, I have over 100,000 subscribers, and over 20 million people have watched my videos. On my channel, I share videos about photography as an art form and as a lifestyle, with a healthy dose of technology thrown in. Plus, adventure! I share the process of portrait and landscape photography from concept to finished product. I discuss photography techniques, art topics, photography basics and modeling. I also share photography gear and gadget reviews, and I answer viewer questions. Through my videos, I also bring viewers along on field trips to the city and backcountry. I’ve been teaching for more than eight years and my viewers enjoy my practical and fun approach to learning and creating photography!
My goal in creating Udemy courses and YouTube videos is to spread my passion for photography in an attainable way. We don’t all have all of the newest and most expensive gear. We don’t all make our art in the same way....and I think that’s really great! Let’s celebrate the differences in our photography.