Mastering Studio Lighting and Portraiture

Join us for this comprehensive workshop that will show you everything you need to know to master lighting for studio portraits!

Level: Intermediate *
Date: 28 January 2023
Time: 10.30am – 1.30pm
Price: $249
Instructor: Seng Mah
Location: Digidirect Cannington (12 Cecil Avenue, Cannington)
Maximum participants: 8
* You’ll need to be comfortable shooting in Manual Exposure on your camera.

If you have ever wanted to gain confidence and understanding in shooting portraits in a studio, then this workshop is for you.

“Mastering Studio Lighting & Portraiture” fixes its focus on developing your understanding of controlled creative portrait lighting. Lighting can make or break portraits. Great lighting can infuse portraits with mood, emotion; it can evoke feelings and convey ideas about the subject of the portrait.

This workshop will take you through a comprehensive breakdown of the styles of lighting available to studio portrait photographers, and how you can achieve each style. You’ll also learn when to use one style over another based on the creative outcome you would like to achieve with your portrait subject.

Then, we look at the gamut of lighting options available to the modern studio. This means considering constant lights (LEDs) vs studio flashes (strobe units). What are the benefits of each, and should you use either or both?

This workshop is fully hands-on and you will have the opportunity to work with our portrait subjects in two lighting stations: one will be constant lights, and the other with studio strobes.

The purpose of this workshop is to give you a full understanding of lighting styles, how to achieve them and of the pros/cons of different lighting set ups, so that you can make informed decision when it comes time for you to add to or start your own studio!

Whether you’re shooting portraits, fashion, fine art or for fun, knowing how to leverage the right kind of lighting for the look you want gives you immense creative control over your images.

Seng has been teaching studio lighting since 2009, initially at his studio in Fremantle, before bringing his detailed studio workshops to other venues in Perth. You will benefit from Seng’s easy-to-understand instructional style, his meticulous approach to lighting and hands-on practical shooting experiences.

What to bring

Your interchangeable lens camera (DSLR or mirrorless) with memory card/s and batteries (always bring a fully charged spare).
For best results, we recommend shooting with wide-aperture prime lenses that are in the 50mm – 200mm range. Wide aperture lenses include lenses that can open up to f/1.2 to f/1.8. You can also use 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for this workshop as it produces similar results. Lenses that only go down to f/4 are unsuitable (as they do not have the capacity to create the soft bokeh, dreamy look).
If you use mirrorless cameras, please ensure that you have your camera’s “Live Exposure” turned off prior to attending this workshop. Please refer to your manual for instructions on how to do this.