On 12 April we enjoyed an educational practical evening when we set up some lighting, posed some models, and gave members the chance to practice their portraiture skills.

This was a follow-up to the workshop last September when Damon Guy dropped in to introduce us to the basics of lighting for portraiture.

Building on what we had learned then, we had an opportunity to direct the models and expand our creative talents.

We set up three shooting stations each with a couple of lights.  They included both constant lights and flash lights.  And reflectors were also available.  One station had a black background, another had a mottled grey background, and the third had a white background.

So, these three set-ups were very similar, but each came with different challenges.

The three stations were equipped and run by Martin Wood, Paul Dimitriou and Wendy Taylor.  And each came with an attractive model perched on a stool – our very own Roger Gage and Clive Rayment (both fetchingly dressed for the occasion) plus professional model Martina to show them how to do the job properly.

We were sorted into three groups and each group spent half an hour at each station practicing their skills.  Martin, Paul, and Wendy were on hand throughout to provide help and guidance on camera settings and flash triggers to those who were less experienced in this sort of photography.

We finished the evening with a final free-for-all.  First, Roger and Matina posed together for all the assembled cameras.  And then those two were joined by Clive.

This was a stimulating and enjoyable practical workshop to help everyone develop their shooting skills with a view to exploring this photographic genre further and – we hope– making better portraits.

If you didn’t know, you can also post your comments at the bottom of the page. Engage with other Members and share your thoughts on the entries and judging. 

NB: Members can watch the recording of the meeting in full on the ‘Members Only’ section of the website.