Classes & Workshops

Master Natural Light workshop for Portrait and Fashion Photographers

1 Day workshop, Saturday July 20th, 2024

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Where:

Photo Museum Ireland

Participants:

6

Cost:

€235 Individual rate /€215 Museum Members

What do I Bring?

Your DSLR camera.

Previous Experience:

Yes, this is not a basics workshop, knowledge of your DSLR camera is essential.

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Master Natural Light workshop for Portrait and Fashion Photographers

A good portrait does not limit reality to its visible and material aspects, but on the contrary, it gives predominant significance to the invisible, to the sacred. Seán Jackson

Join us for a one day immersive workshop that engages and develops the artistic, practical and philosophical elements of your photographic practice.

Discover what is possible with your camera in relation to light, direction, composing portraits and stand out fashion portraits.

 

  • A person dressed in a traditional, all-white burqa sits inside a car, with soft daylight illuminating the interior. The fabric features delicate pleats and a small, intricately patterned mesh around the eye area, allowing for visibility while maintaining coverage. The high-key lighting creates a serene, almost ethereal effect, with soft shadows that emphasize the gentle folds and textures of the garment. The minimalistic composition focuses on the interaction between light, fabric, and form, conveying a sense of calm and privacy.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A close-up portrait of a young person with fair skin and a natural, unretouched appearance. Their face is covered in freckles, and their expression is calm and introspective, with slightly parted lips and focused eyes. Fine strands of hair gently cross their face, adding a soft, delicate touch to the image. The photo captures intricate details of the skin, highlighting natural beauty and subtle textures, emphasizing a raw, minimalist aesthetic.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • An elderly man with a long white beard stands outdoors, wearing traditional orange attire, including a shawl and a headwrap. His expression is serene yet intense as he gazes toward the camera. The background features greenery with sparse foliage, dried leaves, and a hint of a natural landscape, adding a rustic feel to the setting. The vibrant orange of his clothing contrasts with the muted tones of the environment, highlighting his presence and evoking a sense of spirituality and cultural heritage.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A black-and-white portrait of a man with a beard sitting in a relaxed, contemplative pose. He leans back in a chair with one hand resting on his forehead, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. He is dressed in a dark, utility-style jumpsuit with subtle signs of wear, including faint marks on the fabric. In the background, a few books are visible on a shelf, adding a hint of a personal or workspace setting. The soft lighting and monochromatic tones emphasize the introspective mood, capturing a sense of quiet reflection.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A portrait of a young person with short hair, wearing a light-colored T-shirt, bathed in warm sunlight that casts dramatic shadows across their face and background. The lighting highlights their freckles and subtle facial details, giving the image a natural, unfiltered look. They have a neutral expression and are adorned with a small necklace. The strong contrast of light and shadow adds depth and character to the portrait, emphasizing the simplicity and realism of the composition.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A close-up portrait of a young person with long, vibrant red hair, standing against a dark background. They wear a brown sweater that complements their hair color, and their expression is calm yet intense, with a steady gaze directed toward the camera. The warm sunlight highlights their facial features and hair, creating a soft glow, while the dark background adds contrast and draws focus to their face. The simplicity and natural tones of the image convey a sense of strength and quiet confidence.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A young woman sits on a chair, looking directly at the camera with a calm, confident expression. She has light skin, minimal makeup, and her hair is loosely pulled back, with a few strands falling naturally. She wears a simple black tank top, highlighting her bare shoulders and arms. The background is a neutral, pale shade, keeping the focus on her face and posture. The overall mood is minimalist and serene, with a natural, unembellished aesthetic.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A person stands against a plain background wearing an extravagant, voluminous pink gown with elaborate ruffles and gathered fabric details. The dress, which envelops them almost entirely, cascades down to the floor in flowing layers. Soft natural light enters from the side, casting gentle shadows on the wall, adding depth to the image. The overall composition highlights the dramatic texture and vibrant color of the garment, creating a striking contrast with the minimalistic setting. The person's expression is calm, and their posture is relaxed, enhancing the image's serene yet stylish mood.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

  • A close-up, side view of a person with a short buzz cut, shown from the back. They are wearing a simple chain necklace and have a small hoop earring in one ear. The natural light casts a soft shadow on their neck and head, highlighting the texture of their hair and skin. The background is minimal and slightly blurred, with faint outlines of books or shelves, giving a quiet, introspective feel to the portrait.

    All photographs by Seán Jackson

 

This workshop aims to teach the student an embodied understanding of how to create a meeting point of these elements – direction, lighting and philosophical view of the subject – to invite a resonant portrait to emerge.

This workshop suits a more open minded photographer who is looking to develop their own way of capturing what they feel into a portrait. It is not dependent on technical knowledge although a basic fluency with SLR photography does help.

In the first part of the morning, we will be reading portrait and fashion photographs to discuss what we are seeing and develop a way of communicating around imagery together.

This opens up new ways of seeing, showing us what we are often taking for granted, assuming or overlooking which is extremely valuable for creating our own work.

This will be followed by an outdoor lighting and direction workshop for portraiture, under the sky, working with reflectors and scrims. You will learn how to work with the sun, clouds and experiment with the different opportunities under the same light conditions.

In the afternoon, we will move into the daylight studio where we will work two professional models, exploring the different ways of working with the natural light in the space. Each participant will get one to one mentoring to help fine tune their direction style and light awareness and will create a strong image or series of images for their portfolio.

What will I learn?

  • Experience how to connect with your model or sitter in ease and awareness.

  • Learn how to direct under different light sources.

  • Get a feel for studio lights.

  • Discover how to work with the sun and sky from different perspectives to create effects and moods.

  • Get a feel for reflectors, scrims and blocks.

  • Consolidate understanding of shutter speed, aperture and ISO in relation to varied lighting.

Students should already have some practical experience of using a manual DSLR.

If you need advice please email or phone darragh@photomuseumireland.ie 01-6714654

Photographer’s Approach:

To work with colours, one must first work with the light ‘Edvard Munch’.

There is no fixed, ultimate truth that can be brought to light and kept there forever. No two moments are exactly the same. Even two portraits taken on the same camera, of the same person, by the same photographer, milliseconds apart are slightly different and can never be repeated as the same. The truth of one moment is slightly different to the truth of the next. These slight differences can not be described because our spoken language is neither advanced enough nor finely tuned enough to do so.

Truth can only be witnessed and felt through our own awareness as a felt connection, not a mental comprehension. Even in the simplest of portrait scenes, we’ve got countless elements of visible and hidden life. The surface elements of light, face, expression, colours, tones, body, fabrics, clothing shapes, textures, visible space to the hidden elements of light source, emotion, connection, reason, air, body language, temperature, to name a few – all alive and changing form, subtly, moment to moment.

So what happens when the photographer directs their subject from an honest space of not knowing or pretending to possess a truth? An evolving space of sensing and intuition, jumping between following and leading, patiently coaxing a moment to emerge, where all of the life forces in the space breathe together for a millisecond and the picture reveals itself.

Sean Jackson 2023

About the Tutor

Sean Jackson is a Dublin based Photographer, Videographer and Creative Director. He regularly collaborates with other artists, brands and agencies in Ireland and internationally. His work has featured in The New York Times, I-d-Vice, and Photo Museum Ireland among others. He is a lecturer of Fashion Photography at IED in Milan, Italy.

Tutor Seán Jackson

 

 

Course Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy

 


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