A week ago I took part in a photography course organised through the Wellington Photography Meetup group. Local Wellington photographer Andy Tan of Flashpop Photography had offered to show a number of us some posing and portraiture basics and so it was that five of us arrived ready to learn.
We had four hours during which Andy shared tips, ideas and concepts which we were able to put into practice with the assistance of model for the day Nicole. It wasn’t a particularly technical afternoon, we spent more time learning about engaging with our subject and looking at the fundamentals of poses. There was much to learn, and as is often the case it was quickly evident that the best way to get proficient will be to have lots of practice. It was also an entertaining afternoon, Andy had a quick wit and lots of fun anecdotes.
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
Photo by Brendon & Keryn
At the end of the afternoon Andy showed us some flash photography lighting set-ups, something that I don’t know a lot about (though I did recently do another course on this topic as well). I have a wireless flash trigger set, a light stand and an umbrella which I have to start experimenting more with, and the examples from Andy have given me some new ideas (and a desire to purchase more lighting gear, there is always more gear required). Now I just need to practice!
