“Workshop Description: Students will learn how to operate their cameras and aesthetically refine their points of view. Portraiture as Reciprocal Seeing is a 6-week, analog photography workshop exploring portraiture through light, communication, and performances of self for the camera. Centered on slowness and presence, the workshop emphasizes process over perfection and invites students to reflect on the act of seeing and being seen. Our work will enable a conversation around the ethics of looking.
Weekly exercises will focus on light as evocation, communication between subject and photographer, and the construction of self through image. Participants will use 35mm or 120mm film cameras to build a portrait practice. We'll spend time polishing technical skills (exposure, framing, working with available light), looking at both contemporary and historical photographic portraiture, sharing works in progress, and engaging in group dialogue. Each week’s focus will be framed with a short reading. There is an option to have film processed, scanned, and test prints made weekly for in-class review. The course culminates in a small portrait series shared in a final group critique.
Artists will gain a deeper understanding of portraiture as a relational and technical practice. They will learn to observe and use natural light intentionally by working with its mood, direction, and texture to shape meaning. Through weekly projects, they’ll develop confidence in directing and collaborating with subjects while also responding intuitively to their environment. Artists will have opportunities to explore how identity is performed and constructed in front of the camera, including in their own self-portraiture. Technically, they’ll sharpen their analog photography skills (exposure, composition, and timing on 35mm or 120mm film). They’ll leave with a small body of process-driven portraits and a stronger understanding of light, in-camera possibilities and reciprocity between subject and photographer.
Required Materials:
● 35mm or 120mm analog camera.
● Basic understanding of the main elements of photography: aperture, shutter speed, film speed / iso.
● 10 rolls (minimum) of black-and-white or color film (400 speed recommended).
● Notebook or sketchbook for notes, reflections, and planning.
● Light meter or light meter app.”