Portrait Masterclass with Sam Elkins

Portrait Masterclass with Sam Elkins

When it comes to taking professional portraits, there’s so much more than meets the eye. This course will encompass 7 years of Sam's photographic experience; shooting portraits, working with a subject and ultimately building a business with longevity. Sam walks through his process of taking lifestyle images, posed portraits, and candid scenes in order to allow you a deeper look into his workflow and give you a greater understanding of the craft of portrait photography.

**Important: All lesson purchases are final in consideration of the creator's hard work. To learn more, click here.

SKU: m-lesson-086

What You'll Learn

In this lesson you'll learn how to master portrait photography in a range of scenarios.

Intro
Meet Sam!
Sam's Philosophy for Taking Portraits
After almost a decade of photography, Sam shares the philosophy behind his portraiture.
Pre-Production
From selecting locations to styling to mood boards, Sam walks you through his pre-production process.
Find Your Subjects
Learn about different types of subjects, where to find them and how to reach out to work with models and non-models alike.
Gear Breakdown
In order to keep his work consistent, Sam tries to focus on utilizing one camera at a time. But how do you pick your gear? How do you know what gear is right for different lighting situations? Sam talks you through his gear selection process.
Shooting Interiors (Joshua Tree)
When shooting portraits, Sam loves to incorporate a mix of indoor and outdoor locations. This allows for a more interesting story and a variation in environments. Here, you get a BTS view of an interior shoot with Sam.
Shooting Exteriors (Joshua Tree)
Similar to the segment above, we take you outside in Joshua Tree with Sam as he produces stunning exterior work.
How To Best Utilize Natural Light
Light plays a huge component in portrait photography. Understand how to use light to your advantage. Sam breaks down the difference between side lit vs backlit vs front lit.
Posing & Directing Talent
You'll learn how to pose and direct your talent and get them comfortable with your process. Sam walks you through when to direct and when to allow the subject to move freely.
Portrait Shoot (Big Sur)
Footage from an epic day shooting along the Big Sur coastline with Sam.
Lifestyle Photography
Interested in shooting lifestyle? Learn as Sam takes you through his process.
Candid Moments
We know great candid moments are tricky to capture. Oftentimes when you want a candid moment, it's best to direct a series of repeatable movements that your subject can use and feel comfortable doing.
Film vs Digital
Learn how to know when its best to use your film or digital camera on a shoot.
Incorporating Environment with Your Subject
Sam walks you through the differences between indoor and outdoor environments and how to mix the two in order to get a great story. How does the environment help the portrait you are taking? What does it do for the story?
Portrait Shoot: Non-Model (LA)
It can be tricky to make your talent feel comfortable in front of the camera. Here, Sam shows us his process working with non-models.
Editing Your Photos
Get the inside scoop on Sam's photo editing process.

Preview This Course

Instructor

Sam Elkins

Explorer and creator, based in LA.