Introduction

The Portrait Photography Course

Learn Portrait Photography

This level 2 on-line portrait photography course is designed to give you the ability and confidence to capture beautiful portraits on location or in the home. Complete with an equipment guide showing what you really use as a portrait photographer. This on-line portrait course shows you how to take successful shots without any prior knowledge of flash/strobe equipment. Like all our courses,  Portrait photography  is suitable for Digital camera and features images, videos and step by step photographic instruction.

portrait course example

Featuring over 300 images and illustrations showing you how to make portrait pictures that impress. We show you the technical skills you need for creative lighting and how to pose your subject. Learn how to avoid common mistakes (with examples).

We show you how to shoot  different types of portraits, from babies to large groups and location to studio. Learn how to retouch your images digitally to improve them even more. Find out how portrait images like this were shot, all in the comfort of your own home.

Best of all you get YOUR OWN TUTOR to look at your own uploaded work, critique your own projects and reply to any portrait course questions you may have. We show you in easy stages starting with the minimum gear you need (any exposure adjustable camera!) and then progress to more advanced techniques.  Let us help you improve to a professional level STARTING TODAY...

 

The Portrait course covers 34 full lessons including...

  • Basic flash lighting knowledge,
  • Camera and lighting equipment
  • Lighting guides with diagrams and examples
  • Strobes, Flashguns, Soft boxes, Umbrellas
  • Portrait styles
  • Portrait Composition
  • Filters and Black and White Techniques
  • Setting up your home portrait studio
  • Location shooting tips
  • Portrait retouching
  • Presenting your Images
  • Feedback on your own work and more

Would you like to learn composition and how to pose your subjects? How about shooting on location and perfecting your lighting techniques. Why wait for that rainy day when you could be learning this today. The course includes lighting using both portable flashguns/studio strobes in the home studio and on location shooting.

Find out how to use portrait post-processing editing techniques after the shoot to improve your images. Learn how to retouch portraits, remove spots, scratches, fix blotchy skin, crop your images and present the final result at its best. Watch videos with techniques on retouching and lighting. Follow our step by step methods and see drastic improvements in your own images.

If, after reading each Portrait Photography lesson, you would like additional information on the lesson's content, just ask your OWN tutor right here. Each module has practical projects for you to try out with critique and feedback from your tutor.

You will also receive a personalised graded Certificate of Photography on successful completion of this course.

Why wait? Start today and enjoy your photography even more!

Don't forget to follow us on @sop_photography twitter and Facebook.

Portrait Photography Course Fees:

Course Fees and Special Offers


See our testimonials from past and current students on our courses.

Contents

Module 1: Contents- Portrait Photography Course*

Lesson 1 The Subject

  1. What is a Portrait
  2. Portrait Varieties
  3. Portraits without People

Lesson 2 The Camera

  1. Digital Image Processing
  2. Medium Format SLR
  3. Lenses
  4. Basic Techniques
  5. The Aperture
  6. Depth of Field
  7. Depth of field Lens scale
  8. Preview button
  9. Estimating depth of field
  10. The Shutter

Lesson 3 Metering and Exposure

  1. Exposure Backgrounds
  2. The Hand Held Meter
  3. Centre Weighted /Multizone Meters
  4. Partial and Spot Metering
  5. Digital Colour Saturation

Lesson 4: Filters

  1. Warm up
  2. Soft Focus
  3. Centre Spot
  4. Special Effects
    Colour Temperature of Light
  5. Colour Temperature Filters and Settings

Lesson 5 Location Portraiture

  1. Sunlight and Contrast
  2. Lighting and Ratios
  3. Lighting Angles
  4. Lens Flare
  5. Lens Hoods
Lesson 6 Controlling Contrast
  1. Using Natural Shade
  2. Using a Reflector
  3. Built in Fill in Flash
  4. External Fill in Flash
  5. Catch Lights
  6. Using a Portable Strobe
  7. Night Portraits

Lesson 7 Indoor Shooting

  1. Light Levels in the Home
  2. Available Light Portraits

Lesson 8 Portrait Composition

  1. Composing
  2. Creating Interest
  3. Getting in Close
  4. Utilising the Background
  5. Changing your Viewpoint

Lesson 9: Uploading Your Projects

  1. Resizing Your Images
  2. Jpeg Compression Techniques
  3. Module 1 Summary

Projects

  1. Theory Quiz 1
  2. Practical Project 1

 

Module 2: Contents- Lighting & Studio Equipment*

Lesson 10 Lighting and Studio

  1. The Home Studio
  2. What's in a Studio

Lesson 11 Flash Photography

  1. Built-in Flash and Red Eyes
  2. External Flash Guns
  3. How Flash Works
  4. Flash Power Output
  5. Testing your Flashgun

Lesson 122 Bounce Flash

  1. Zoom flashgun Head
  2. Slave Flash

Lesson 13 Studio Lighting Equipment

  1. Studio Tungsten Outfits
  2. Studio Strobe Flash Units
  3. Lighting Modifiers
  4. Reflecting Light
  5. Concentrating Light
  6. Diffusing the Light
  7. Softening with Umbrellas
  8. The Soft Box

Lesson 14 Lighting Stands

  1. Stands and Tripods
  2. The Flash Meter

Lesson 15: Lighting Guide

  1. Single Light Source
  2. Window Light
  3. Direct and Bounced
  4. Diffused Light
  5. Short or Broad Lighting

Lesson 16: Extra Lighting

  1. Single Light and Reflector
  2. The Fill Light
  3. The Kicker or Rim Light
  4. The Background Light

Lesson 17 Combining Light Sources

  1. Complex Lighting

Lesson 18 Backgrounds

  1. Professional Backgrounds
  2. Using Backgrounds Effectively
  3. Home-Made Backgrounds
  4. The Post-processed background

Lesson 19: Shooting at Home

  1. Setting up the Background
  2. Arranging Props
  3. Setting up the lights
  4. Module 2 Summary

 

Projects 2:

  1. Theory Project 2
  2. Practical Project 2

 

 

 

Module 3: Contents- Portrait Styles and post processing*

Lesson 20: Portraits

  1. Portrait Styles
  2. Formal
  3. Informal
  4. Using Colour

Lesson 21: Black and White

  1. Black and White Portraits
  2. B&W Digital Colour Filters
  3. Painting Colour to B&W 1+2
  4. Selective Colour

Lesson 22: Portrait Styles 2

  1. High Key Portraits
  2. Low Key Portraits (1+2)

Lesson 23: Skin Tones

  1. Skin Tones
  2. Dark Skin Tone Lighting

Lesson 24: Baby Portraits

  1. Baby Portraits
  2. Baby Portraits -2

Lesson 25: Child Portraits

  1. Child Portraits
  2. Child Portraits -2
  3. Child Portraits -3

Lesson 26: Solo Portraits

  1. Solo Portraits
  2. Solo Portraits - 2
  3. Self Portraits

Lesson 27 Couples

  1. Couples
  2. Groups

Lesson 28: Families

  1. Families -2

Lesson 29 Environmental

  1. Environmental
  2. Candid Portraits
  3. Street Portraits

Lesson 30 Pet Portraits

  1. Pet Portraits - 2
  2. Pet Portraits - 3

Lesson 31: Post-Processing 1

  1. Portrait Retouching Guidelines
  2. Retouching Software Tools
  3. Examining your Images

Lesson 32: Post Processing -2

  1. Smoothing Skin Tones
  2. Removing Blemishes
  3. Working with Hair

Lesson 33: Post-Processing -3

  1. Reshaping the Face
  2. Cropping The Image

Lesson 34: Presentation

  1. Framing
  2. The Portfolio
  3. Module Summary

Presentation

Projects 3:

  1. Theory Project 3
  2. Practical Project 3

  1. Course Summary

 

*E&OE: Some lesson titles and lesson order may change without notice.

Portrait Photography Course Fees:

Make a start today and before you know it you will be creating stunning portraits with our step by step instruction and tutors help.

Course Fees and Special Offers