Photography & Media

Portrait Photography Fundamentals

Meets Saturdays · 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM · on Zoom Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

This is a hands-on class for adults who already know their way around a camera and want to get comfortable photographing actual people. We shoot each other. You'll rotate through being the model and being behind the camera, because you learn both jobs by doing both jobs.

We work with natural light, simple backdrops you can build at home, and posing that's really just about calming a nervous person down. No studio flash, no expensive gear required. Your kit lens is fine. I mean that.

By the end you'll be able to walk into a room, read the window, pose a real human, watch your edges, and come away with frames you actually like. That's the whole goal, so.

What you'll learn

Read window light and control its direction
Set camera settings you understand, not copied
Pose subjects and direct their hands and gaze
Build simple backdrops and separate subject from background
Cull frames and make basic crop and exposure fixes

Lessons

Before You Pick Up the Camera
We get everyone on the same page about what this class actually is and what makes a portrait work.
Reading Natural Light
Learn to see the light in a room before you spend a dollar trying to fix it.
Posing Is People Management
Posing is mostly about calming a nervous person and giving them something to do.
- Give the hands a job20 min
- Where to look and why it matters18 min
- Keep talking, keep shooting22 min
- The confident subject versus the shy one20 min
Simple Backdrops You Actually Control
A clipped bedsheet you understand will out-shoot a fancy setup you're panicking in.
Shooting a Full Session
We put light, posing, and backdrop together and run real sessions on each other.
- Setting up your spot in five minutes18 min
- Working through a pose sequence25 min
- Shoot more frames than you think you need20 min
- Groups: control the ones you can22 min
After the Shoot
Sorting your work, a light touch on editing, and where to go from here.

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.