Environmental Portraiture

I’m very excited to be offering (as part of Acadia Photography Workshops) this 5 day Environmental Portrait Workshop. Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park is unquestionably one the most beautiful places on earth. With majestic mountains, crystal lakes and streams, lush forest and amazing glacial coast this is the ideal location to explore the relation between human and natural forms.

Come join us for a special week of exciting discovery. We will cover in depth the many aspects of portrait photography in the environment.

Photographing Children

Kids are great. They are fun to photograph and we love to photograph them. Our photographs will take this love to a new level. Using special Island locations and props we will create images that are NOT your typical snapshot. You will learn new ways to ‘see’ children and the child within you.

Couples

There are so many ways to photograph two people. Lovers, friends, workmates or new acquaintances. We will cover these and think of other examples using the surroundings of an amazing wonderland as our backdrop.

Individuals

We all photograph our loved ones. Let’s learn how it can be done in a special way. Using light, backdrop, posing and facial expression a snapshot becomes a portrait.

Nudes

Dramatic surroundings combine with soft light of summer that Mount Desert Island offers and produce an ideal location to photograph the human form. Glacial rock formations, thick green moss of island woodland, warm still lakes and stream waters along with white capped waves of the Atlantic Ocean are a perfect background for the human and environmental landscapes to become one

Note: We will be offering choice of two sunrise shoots on this day – Human Form in Nature and Woodland Sunrise.

Still life

Where to begin? There are innumerable natural forms worthy of capturing at nearly every turn here. We will learn to seek out and ‘see’ these still lifes and help others ‘see’ them as well. In addition there will be more traditional set ups to explore what makes a photo worthy image. What does this have to do with portrait photography? You will see in this exciting new still life approach.

In addition to photographing people, we will discuss what make a truly memorable portrait. The hidden elements will be revealed.

The Finishing Touches

Creating a fine portrait is about the combination of your eye, the light and when you push the button. Oh, and how you manage the image after above have been lovingly completed. This can be a chore for some and the most creative aspect of the journey for others. However you view it, the result of all your care in making a portrait, or any image, special will be realized by how you deal with it after the shot. An ability to recognize and utilize the photo program on your computer will determine the quality of the final print. As much as we love film, the soul and depth of it, digital image is not going away. It offers range of color and a tonal quality film can not equal. Let’s take advantage of this technology and produce some truly memorable images.

We suggest you download Lightroom on your computer. (It is a free 30-day trial, so no need to purchase if done right before workshop) We will help you understand and utilize this very cool program. If your computer has iPhoto or similar photo organizing and enhancing program we can help you utilize that as well, but Lightroom really will change your life. (Photographically, anyway!)