WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
During this eight-week workshop, led by Rania Matar, students will work on a long-term project that focuses on portraiture and working intimately with people. We will explore the camera as a tool for the visual investigation of contemporary issues and the process of telling personal stories through pictures. Students will be encouraged to think out of the box, while simultaneously looking inward.
We will delve into the process of working and collaborating with people, and finding the beauty in the intimate, personal, familial and familiar moments of daily and domestic life – ours and/or our subjects’.
We will learn to pay attention to detail, posture, expression, the use of the personal space, and all of the elements that come into play to create a compelling portrait. We will discuss framing, environment, light, texture, location, background, body language, expressions, the significance of the gaze, as well as the relationship between the photographer and the subject throughout the entire process.
Through weekly assignments, students will be encouraged to look at and explore different aspects of portraiture (close-up, environmental, documentary, collaborative, self-portrait, group portrait, conceptual portrait, and more) to truly and intimately see their subject, and find their own voice in making beautiful, powerful, and intimate portraits. Weekly discussions and critiques of the work produced will be an essential part of the workshop.
We will also study and discuss the work of well-known artists working in the realm of portrait photography, fine art, and personal long-term projects.
Participants can work on projects in any stage of their development, either an ongoing series or a project started specifically for the class.
During the workshop, we will welcome Special Guest Richard Renaldi who will present his work followed by a Q&A.
This workshop will be taught online via Zoom.
