Welcome to Posing and Lighting, and Composition School

Actually, as you will learn, eventually your assignments will also include composition. A good Portrait requires total control of your subject's pose, the lighting, and their placement within the image.

When I speak to photographers who want to learn more about portraiture, they usually tell me they know all about the lighting, they just need to learn posing, or vise/versa. The truth is, the 2 elements work hand in hand.

You cannot "light" your subject correctly unless you know how to pose them correctly. The position of the light is relative to your subject's facial angles, or poses.

You may think you know posing, but after one of my posing lessons, you soon learn a well posed person is not one who is told to relax, and then asked if they are comfortable. In spite of what we would like to believe, people need to be posed in precise positions to "look" relaxed. They may feel awkward for a moment, but they will look great in their portraits. When they feel relaxed, they probably look awkward.

If you look at the images on my website, you will see "real" people, no models. Everyone was "Posed" using the techniques I will teach you. Within a short time you will be able to create beautiful, flattering portraits for your clients.

You may have learned how to achieve a correct exposure with your lights, but, unless you have had an opportunity to learn the "Rules of Posing and Lighting", you probably find yourself with unusual shadows on your subjects faces and you are "jumping through hoops" to correct the problem. You don't create flattering portraits in Photoshop. You create good portraits in your camera. You use Photoshop to retouch and enhance.

Even if you don't have a studio, and you do all of your work on location, you will take the information you will learn in the studio environment and apply it to your window light and outdoor portraits.

If you look at my window light portraits, you might be surprised to learn, there is no flash, or reflectors used to fill in the shadows. The "secret" is learning how to pose your subjects correctly.

Try and forget anything you think you know right now. Trust me to show you from beginning to end, how to do it right. Later you can apply your own creative ideas to develop your own look. Learn the basics, then you will be more creative.

Now, let's get started!!!

How does my school work?

Good Luck,

Bob