Portrait Photography

Learn how to shoot stunning natural light portraits in this series of classes.

You’ll see numerous natural light photography examples for shooting single subjects, couples, families, and children and develop an understanding of how to identify the best light for portrait shoots (both indoors and on location), what equipment to use, and how to pose your subject.

Don’t have a lot of studio lights? No problem… This section shows 10 creative examples of how to use just one light and basic modifiers for portrait photography. Starting with the simplest of setups, Karl demonstrates how to apply the knowledge taught in our ‘Lighting Theory’ course to achieve creative lighting techniques and get stunning results with minimal equipment.

There’s a lot you can do with just two studio lights. All you need is the right knowledge and little creativity.

Building on the examples shown in our one light setups course, Karl demonstrates how to use just two lights for creative portrait photography.

Throughout this course, you’ll see 10 creative portrait photography lighting setups and learn how to balance multiple studio lights to achieve the result you want, including dramatic portrait lighting, soft side lighting, beautiful contoured lighting and much, much more.

Test your skills and learn how to get creative with these 10 examples of three light setups for portrait photography.

Now that you understand how to use just one studio light or two studio lights, these classes cover exciting new techniques such as high-key lighting, rim lighting, and beauty-style lighting for creative portraiture.

You’ll also learn how to combine natural light with studio flash - a powerful technique that’s often used for shooting on location, business portraits, or environmental portraits.

The creative possibilities are endless if you’re using four studio lights, and in this course you’ll see exactly what’s possible with 10 more portrait lighting demonstrations.

Learn how to apply lighting theory to add that extra level of creativity by using techniques such as gels, hair lights, and precision lighting to create multiple different looks and styles.

This course also takes things one step further with examples of how to photograph moving subjects, detailing the equipment and techniques used to capture perfectly frozen motion.

Learn how to shoot more creative portraits with this series of classes, covering everything from Hollywood-style lighting to gelled lighting with bold, eye-catching colours or black and white portraiture.

These stand-alone classes provide inspiration for all levels as they cover fundamentals such as what backgrounds to use, how to build a set using basic props, and make simple DIY lighting modifiers. You’ll also learn about important lighting concepts and how to use creative techniques like long exposures.

Whether you’re working in the studio or on location, learn effective lighting setups and techniques to help you create business portrait photos and headshots your clients will love.

This course includes a dedicated class that focuses on the theoretical aspects of business portraiture, including important pre-shoot considerations, as well as seven lighting setup examples you can add to your arsenal.

With setups ranging from one light to four, you’ll learn how to create a multitude of lighting effects, including soft, flattering light for older subjects.

Environmental portraiture is a genre of photography that’s often in high demand, used for anything from annual reports to websites.

Learn how to create high-quality images of people at work with this series of classes. Filmed in a variety of locations, this course introduces the concept of environmental portraiture, exploring some of the common challenges and how to overcome them.

Through five detailed shoots, you’ll see how to put these solutions into practice as you learn about the planning, lighting, and styling required to guarantee a successful shoot.

For portrait photographers looking for a little extra, we’ve collected a series of additional classes to help you further develop your skills.

These include a selection of lighting walkthroughs to help you understand light as well as informative guest interviews with professional photographers, including top wedding photographers and celebrity portrait photographers.