Location portraiture is one of the most rewarding and exciting pursuits in photography—requiring us to interact with our subject, our location, and the light and atmosphere we find or create. In this workshop we learn to understand and apply the principles of location portraiture through the creative possibilities of location, light, and most importantly, the subject. Mornings are devoted to lectures, demonstrations, and critiques. The rest of the day we practice lighting techniques in a variety of inspiring locations around Santa Fe. Our cast of subjects includes professional models, people we meet around town, and fellow workshop participants.

Our focus is on creating simple but expressive lighting schemes using professional strobe lights, from single lights to more complex multi-light, power-pack systems. We explore the use of soft boxes, grid spots, reflectors, and colored gels, and learn how to select the equipment best suited to a particular subject and scene. We learn to adapt existing light, both natural and artificial, to intensify the effect we want our portraits to convey. Other topics include rigging lights, packing and preparing for location, selecting cameras and equipment, and determining creative ways to photograph a portrait.