Fashion Photography Workshop. Lighting & Editing Workflow

A few of the things that I talked about as we got the day underway included how a grid helps narrow the light, how light had bounced off of a silver reflector and onto the subject, how you can adjust the angle of the reflector to shift where the light shines and how continuous lighting can cause motion blur.

I also brought up how important it is to have a good connection with the model. That’s essential for a successful photo shoot.

It was a lot of information right from the start, but it was great to see everyone learning so much and then putting that into practice.

To warm up, we had them do beautiful headshots of each other.

Tom

On this initial day, Tom, who’s from Dallas, discussed how much he appreciated how these workshops are so different from other ones that “do the same thing kind of over and over.” Here, he instead gets to learn about various, up-to-date techniques and work with different sets, both of which were much of why this was his third one.

Keenan Cobb

Also traveling from Dallas was Keenan Cobb. This was his second time at one of my workshops, and he said that he liked how things are always “a little bit more creative” and different at each of them. He added that he really enjoyed learning more about fashion photography specifically as that’s something that had intrigued him.

Lighting and Setups

One set, which was very editorial, featured the Broncolor Para 222 and beautiful crystals on our model’s face and as part of her makeup. That turned out amazing.

On another set, which was happening at the same time, we had a very beauty-oriented jewelry setup. That was a nice editorial look that also really added to everyone’s portfolios.

Later, we used challenging-but-rewarding lighting, which included a light that created a red background and a spotlight on the model’s face.

At the same time elsewhere, beauty shots with cherries – edgier shots – were being created.

Getting Underway

I was excited to start shooting and decided to go crazy from the very first shot, having our model, Dara Saklakova, start with a leg kick. As I was on that set, I discussed things like how the lighting was looking on her face and the ways that that changed when she sat down. I also knew that it was so important to show the ways that I tested that lighting, and I did.

Afterwards, I made some quick edits of those images while showing what I was doing and why. For example, I balanced wanting a lighter background while making sure to avoid overexposing it. I also explained how adjusting our lighting can help create a more powerful background.

An option that I brought up at that time was adding a star filter, which could result in some especially fun, creative images since our model was wearing so many crystals. Also, Keenan enjoyed using a prism filter that created artistic circular distortions around the model. That was something that he’d never experimented with before.

Next Setup

Next, we used a model, Michelle Pritts, who had more natural makeup on and big volume hair, giving off a little bit of a ’90s/’80s vibe. She was also wearing a lot of jewelry. In the end, her look helped everyone create fun images for their portfolios.

For those shots, we used two light sources. One was a key light that also bounced off of a reflector below it to fill the shadow on Michelle’s neck. We utilized a background light as well. That created a beautiful rim light on the side that you could really see on her hair.

Olha Melokhina

It was also nice to hear the positive words that Olha Melokhina, who’s from Sacramento, had to say about the workshop. She complimented the amazing looks, models and sets that were provided and was impressed at how everything was fully thought through. She added that “everybody’s getting amazing photos.”

Break Time

At that point, I felt like everyone was starting to feel a little bit tired. It was the perfect time for our lunch break.

Next Setup

Everybody appeared to be really enjoying the process so far and was getting great shots, and I was excited to continue with our next two setups, one of which featured Camila Bueno as our model. For some of those shots, I had her be like a silhouette, play with her arms and show her hands as the spotlight featured her face.

Khanh Vuong

Khanh Vuong had traveled from El Paso, Texas, for our workshop and said that this first day was “awesome” and that he liked how it was “really professional.” He also appreciated how the models helped him understand poses and what makes some of them work so well in some setups.

Carl Chandler

Traveling from Arlington Heights, just outside Chicago, was Carl Chandler. He said that this day was such an informative, interesting experience and that he met some great people as well. One of the moments that really stood out to him was working with a model, Valeriia Tsemko, who he had lay her head down on foil with cherries and a can of Coke next to her and bite a cherry. He added in reference to one of those images, “I really like that photo.”

Day’s Nearing Its End

I thought that by this point of the day, I was going to feel tired, but I was instead so excited and energized.

We’d done four setups and a studio-lighting lecture, and I was about to do an editing lecture before we wrapped.

Editing

During that editing lecture, I discussed things like how much time choosing the right picture can take and the best ways to adjust skin tone with color correction. I also spoke about how I use dehaze and the differences between regular RGB curves and luma curves.

That’s a Wrap

And with that, we were done.

I thought that the entire day was phenomenal, and I hoped that everybody had fun and learned something new. I was also so pleased with how amazing the setups ended up looking. I could not pick my favorite one.

The next day was going to be even busier, and I was really looking forward to it. On Day 2, we’d discuss photography as a business and work with six models who wore three outfits apiece.

I also want to thank our wardrobe stylist, Ana Kovalchuk, and HMUA, Elya Belogurova, whose expertise and professionalism were so appreciated.

If you want to take advantage of my next workshop, head here to learn more and reserve your spot.