Photographing People

image courtesy Beth Hommel
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Taught by Beth Hommel

Beth Hommel has been a professional photographer for half her life. She shoots headshots, candids, swanky charity events, rock concerts and weddings, but her passion is creating unique portraits of interesting people. Her photographs can be found in magazines and newspapers worldwide as well as on e-commerce sites, in pro-equality propaganda, in a Neil Gaiman/Amanda Palmer fine art book, and hanging on the walls of many satisfied portrait clients.

Over the years Beth's shot hundreds of people including politicians, actors, artists, and musicians, but her favorite subject is her camera-shy fiancee Kayla.

This is an old class! Check out the current classes, or sign up for our mailing list to see if we'll offer this one again.

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Do you want to learn tips and tricks from a professional photographer on how to create awesome images of people?

Whether you're a serious photography enthusiast who wants to develop your portrait-shooting style or a casual shutterbug who just wants to take more interesting shots of friends for their Facebook profile pics, this class is for you!

Class starts with a short introduction to the basics of shooting people, including things like:
- Common portrait mistakes and how to avoid them
- Why choosing the right location is important
- Tips for using light and posing to make your subject look their best
- How to build rapport & relax the camera-shy

Then students will head out into the neighborhood surrounding the Brainery to experiment with what they've learned, working in pairs who take turns as photographer and subject. You'll be encouraged to push the limits of your creativity and the instructor will make suggestions on how to improve your images and technique.

After this hands-on practice, students will head back to the Brainery to view and discuss some of the images they've made, along with any questions or problems they encountered along the way. Students will also be encourage to swap email addresses so they can exchange the images they've taken for the ones they're in.

NOTE: You will need a camera for this class. A basic point-and-shoot camera or an iPhone will work, but those with point-and-shoot cameras with manual exposure controls or DSLRs will find it especially useful. 

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