Defining your personal approach to portraiture, refining and perfecting your own photographic vision and style, is a life-long pursuit for many photographers. The focus of this workshop is to help facilitate this challenging goal. Learning through doing is emphasized, with participants producing photographs on a near-constant basis. Michael shares his experience capturing subjects so they look right at home in their natural environment and his techniques for photographing people in a way that is real and without artifice.

Since lighting is key, Michael demonstrates lighting methods for both studio and outdoor locations. He shows how his technique and aesthetic approach combine to create a successful photographic portrait. Michael discusses at length the relationship between photographer and subject, and as a class we explore the best ways to approach and conduct a portrait session. After these demonstrations, Michael works with students on an individual basis as they create their portraits. You practice helping your subjects get comfortable with the camera, helping them block out any distractions so they can be in the moment with the photographic process.

Michael devotes mornings to edits, critiques, and lighting demonstrations. In the afternoons, he guides students in photographing on location, using the extraordinary New Mexico landscape as background for the workshop’s various models and subjects.