Natalia Zurawska’s very entertaining and informative workshop will take place on two new dates:
Friday, May 7 from 6:30 – 10:00
Friday, June 4 from 6:30 – 10:00
Everyone who’s attended this in the past has agreed that it’s a must for any photographer working with people. You’ll learn about how makeup works for photography, how to find and work with makeup artists, and a variety of products and techniques that you can use yourself when you don’t have a makeup artist. You’ll watch as Natalia transforms a model, and you’ll see before and after photos.
Adobe has now released a second Beta version of Lightroom 3, and it has some great new features! So now is the time to get going with this program, or step your use up to the next level. So, I’ve scheduled two new Lightroom workshops:
Introduction to Lightroom will cover all the basics of workflow and image development, from importing your shots, organizing and finding the best ones, developing your images and making prints, slideshows and web galleries, all from within Lightroom!
Advanced Lightroom will will explore the power features of this amazing program. From retouching your photographs, to special effects, working with multiple catalogues, tethered shooting etc. This is the perfect workshop to step up your game in Lightroom.
In both workshops we’ll be looking at the new features debuting in Lightroom 3. For complete details on what we’ll cover in both workshops, have a look HERE and HERE.
Workshop Dates: Intro to Lightroom Saturday, May 15
Advanced Lightroom Saturday, June 19
Fee for each workshop: $210 (incl GST) $100 deposit to register.
For further information, or to register, contact me here:
I’m very pleased to announce this new workshop, taught by my long-time friend Wayne Dunkley. This workshop is for anyone interested in pursuing photography or new media as a fine art. Wayne will guide you through the often confusing world of galleries, arts councils, foundations, and schmoozing the art scene. He will explain the importance of your Artist Statement, and Project Proposal. You’ll have an opportunity to start writing your own Artist Statement and receive feedback on it.
Wayne will share the knowledge he’s acquired through 20 years as a working artist in Photography and New Media, as well as his experiences with funding organizations as both an artist and a jury member. This is going to be an amazing workshop! I’ve posted a detailed outline and schedule for the day here.
Workshop Date: Saturday, April 24 Location: My studio in Downtown Toronto
Workshop fee: $210 (incl. GST) ($100 deposit to register)
This workshop was a great hit last month! Everyone involved had a fun time, and some great photographs were made! So Struan has decided to run it again!
The (very full) day will start with a presentation and shooting demo by Struan, where he will explain how he shoots, works with models, and produces his unique and provocative nude studies. He’ll work with our models, showing a variety of lighting set-ups and shooting styles.
We’ll take a brief lunch break (served in the studio), then you’ll have a chance to apply what you’ve learned! We’ll break up into small groups to photograph the models on a variety of sets. Struan (and I) will be on hand to offer suggestions, help with lighting and answer questions. At the end of the day review your work and hold a brief critique. Here’s a PDF with the complete workshop details.
Workshop Date: Sunday, May 30 9:30 – 6:30 Location: My studio in Downtown Toronto
Workshop Fee: $350 (+gst) includes Lunch ($100 deposit to reserve a space)
There are limited spaces in this workshop, and it will be popular, so enroll soon! Contact me below to enroll:
This very exciting workshop will teach you one of the hottest looks in fine art photography right now. It consists of a method to mount photographic prints on artist’s boards, then enclose them in a poured resin finish. It looks as if the prints were coated in molten glass. It’s a great way to present and enhance your work! And best of all, it’s a technique you can do at home with some basic materials and know-how.
Talia Shipman will once again lead this workshop. She’s perfected this technique through years of trial and error, and you will benefit from her experience as she demonstrates the technique and guides you through creating your own finished artwork. You’ll provide us with an image, and we’ll make an 11×14 print which you will mount and resin coat during the workshop. You’ll love the results!
You’ll also receive a step-by-step guide with photographs and a materials list so that you can do this technique on your own at home. It’s a fun process and the results are quite stunning! If you’d like to see some samples I have them here in my studio, so give me a call or e-mail and drop by and see them. Here’s a PDF with more information about the workshop.
Workshop Date: Sunday, April 25 9:30 – 5:00
Location: My studio (downtown Toronto)
Workshop Fee: $360 incl. materials (& gst)
Advanced registration and $100 deposit is required, so contact me here:
Have you ever dreamed of turning your passion for photography into a profitable business? This workshop is a great way to get started on that goal! This has been a very popular workshop in the past, and has started numerous photographers on their way to building successful businesses.
It’s an intensive two days where you learn all you need to set up, promote and run your photography business. We’ll cover everything from the necessary government registrations and taxes, through developing your portfolio, website and marketing materials, to dealing with clients, pricing your work and producing excellent results and profits! Here are some of the topics covered:
Business planning and set-up: Business Plans, Financial plans and cash flow management, start-up costs, registering for GST and RST, naming your business.
Estimates and Billing: Quoting jobs, fees, expenses and mark-ups, job docketing, invoicing and collections.
Accounting and Bookkeeping: A simplified approach to financial record keeping and cash management.
Marketing: Identifying potential markets, marketing plans, portfolios, developing and selling your image, reps, mailers and promotion.
General Business Practices: Attitude, professionalism, client management, copyright, making and surviving mistakes.
Digital: Impact of digital on the studio, equipment issues, billing issues, business opportunities.
Additionally, after the course each student can schedule an individual consultation with me to review their work and get information on potential markets and business opportunities.
Detailed info on the workshop is HERE, and some testimonials from past students are HERE
Dates: March 6 & 7, 2010 9:30 – 6:00 both days
Workshop Fee: $420 (incl gst) Location: My studio in Downtown Toronto
Advance registration and a 50% deposit are required. To register contact me here:
This is a great workshop for anybody who photographs people! Whether your interest is in fashion, portraiture, weddings or corporate photography, you get lots of helpful information that will improve your work and save you hours of retouching.
Learn how to find and work with a make-up artist to enhance your photos of people (especially if they’re not supermodels!). Natalia Zurawska will share the secrets she’s learned through working with top photographers and directors, shooting supermodels, celebrities, and just plain folk (like you and your clients). You’ll learn exactly how the make-up artist does her magic, see before and after photos of a live demo shoot, and learn how to work with this key member of your creative team.
As well, you’ll learn some invaluable make-up tips and techniques that you can use yourself, for those times when you don’t have a make-up artist on hand. Assemble a simple kit of items you can use for quick touch ups and fixes that you can always have with you. For portraits, weddings or just casual shots of people, these tips can save you hours of retouching, and could save your shoot.
You’ll also get a complete set of notes, and a shopping list!
This is definitely a fun workshop (Natalia’s a delight), you’ll learn lots, and your clients (and friends) will thank you! We ran this workshop for the first time last fall, and it was a great success!
I’ve posted two detailed information sheets about this workshop here and here.
Workshop Date & Time:
Saturday, March 13 1:00 – 5:00
Location is my studio in Liberty Village
Workshop fee: $105 (incl GST)
Advanced registration is required, so you can contact me here:
I just came across a very detailed and helpful guide to getting pure white backgrounds for shots of people or products. There are some good tips to keep in mind, but most important is having sufficient distance between your subject and the backdrop. Here’s the link!
Coincidentally, I was just using a similar technique to get a variety of colored backgrounds for some jewelry shots for a client. I used a mid grey seamless and color gels on the background light to change the color of the background. The model is lit with a medium softbox, about three feet from her. She’s positioned about ten feet from the background, so the light from the softbox doesn’t affect the background. Using a mid grey seamless gives me a lot of flexibility in terms of the background tone. By combining gels with adjusting the power on the background light I can get everything from near black, to deep, saturated colors, to bright colors, even white if I want. Here are some examples from the shoot:
In case you’re wondering about the soft focus effect in some of the shots, they’re done with a 90mm tilt/shift lens, which allows me to tilt the plane of focus… Lots of fun!
So, now on to the second most common question I get asked!
Ok, so here, once and for all is my definitive answer… at least until some new gizmo comes along.
First off, flash! Let me say right up front… I LOVE MY ALIEN BEES! They’re everything I need in a studio or location flash unit… convenient, powerful, portable, reliable, and most important, cute! I bought them originally for some location shooting… and now I hardly ever power up my old Balcar systems.
At the bottom of this post I’ve compiled a chart with my specific recommendations, and here is my reasoning for the choices:
I’m not usually one for “one-click” solutions, but this is just too cool. Upload a jpeg to this site, press the button and shazam… instant antique photo! Then if you want you can grab the resulting image from the site. (yes, the site’s in Japanese, but it’s pretty simple to understand) Here’s an example
