Natural Light Portrait Photography

Take your portraits beyond snapshots and learn how to create images with depth, emotion, and professional polish using natural light. This hands-on course is designed for photographers who already understand the basics of their camera but want to improve the quality and consistency of their portraits.

Through guided practice, you’ll learn how light direction, quality, and color shape a subject; how to handle challenging backlit scenes; and how to create flattering lighting setups using window light, open shade, and reflectors. The course also covers posing techniques that encourage natural expressions, outdoor portrait workflow, location scouting, and editing basics.

Each session includes hands-on shooting, so you’ll leave with new images and practical experience—not just notes. By the end of the course, you’ll feel more confident reading light, directing subjects, and creating portraits that reflect your creative vision. Prerequisites: Participants should have a DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual exposure controls and a basic understanding of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. A lens capable of f/2.8 or faster is recommended, though portrait or lighting experience is not required.

Please bring your camera, a charged battery, and an empty memory card to each class.