Learning is a Journey
BiNo Studio is where I talk about photography, storytelling, & queerness, with the occasional thirst trap. Thank you for supporting me.
I'm not a formally trained photographer. I didn't attend college or get a degree in photography and generally consider myself an enthusiastic amateur. Everything I learned has been through self study or by doing.
That doesn't mean being in a classroom lacks allure. Having regular access to an experienced professional would be incredible. So would building a network of fellow artists hungry to grow. Since I didn’t go the academia route, how was I to find this kind of experience?
Seems to me that workshops were the answer.
London lives up to its reputation as an art city, and there were tons of photography workshops for me to explore with artists from all walks of life wanting to share their craft, or more likely needing a side hustle to deal with the rising cost of living. Either way, I had options.
I settled on a cozy little place called Photoion Photography School for their portrait workshop, run by the talented Holly Falconer. We were also graced by the incredibly patient Ligia Martinez who was our model for the day.
This wasn’t a photography 101 course, thank god, and after our initial intros and a brief slideshow of inspiration (Phil Sharp and Pierre et Gilles both blew me away), we were out the door and snapping photos of Ligia like her own personal pack of paparazzi.
There were a lot of firsts in taking this workshop. It was my first time working with a model who wasn’t myself. It was my first time shooting someone in changing conditions as we shifted between outdoor locations. It was also my first time using studio lights and a flash, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but trust me it was.
After our time outdoors we transitioned into the studio and this is where things got interesting. We used wireless flash triggers and played with a variety of lighting setups from the classic three-point to soft beauty to chiaroscuro. This is when certain concepts really started to click for me.
I follow several photographers on Instagram who inspire me with their fantastic work. Whenever I looked at their images, I tried to imagine how they were able to achieve such stellar results, like Aidan Tooth’s dancer photos.
Now with this hands-on experience I felt like I was a little closer to reaching those same results with my own work. A lightbulb moment, as they say.
I left the portrait workshop exhilarated (and exhausted) from a full day of capturing moments with my camera. My head was swirling with ideas and my fingertips were buzzing to make more art. Honestly, I think this may be the way forward for me to truly elevate my skill and I’m excited to see what it helps me create.
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Thanks for reading and take care. 💜
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