ShootKL Aftermath: The Light Side of People

On the 3rd of July 2019, just a few days right after ShootKL where I was a guest speaker invited to give a talk on Capture One, Emily of Emily Fliptography and I ran THE LIGHT SIDE OF PEOPLE: A Basic Lighting for Portrait Photography Workshop.

THE LIGHT SIDE OF PEOPLE was our first ever workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at Broncolor Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.‘s studio located at Empire Damansara. A total of 7 participants joined us for an afternoon of learning the fundamentals of studio lighting.

We were also joined by our friends from Broncolor as well as the photography industry such as Tennant Lim, Darrelle Chng and John Yuen who provided additional technical support. Siti Zahara of Alter Ego by MizDesert was on hand to provide makeup expertise.

Just like at our previous workshop in Singapore, LIGHT IT UP!, participants underwent the fundamentals of good studio practices, learnt more about lighting theory, experienced a show-and-tell on the various lighting equipment and modifiers they would get to enjoy in a photography studio, etc.

Most importantly, they learnt why they should learn about artificial lighting for photography and how to use studio lighting effectively.

Following the lectures, they were shown a live demo of how I conduct shoots with the Broncolor Siros L lights as well as MobiLEDs attached to the Broncolor Move 1200L power pack. They also learnt how to operate the basic functions of the lights.

Participants were shown how different modifiers affect a photo and which modifiers such as an octabox, a stripbox, a silver umbrella, etc. are useful for certain looks. They also learnt how useful it was to get good light stands and C-stands.

After the live demo session, the participants were split into two teams and proceeded with hands-on photography shoot practice sessions with our two models, Amira and Kimu.

Each team was given a set of challenges (2 main tasks) which gave them opportunities to apply what they have learnt – they were to recreate some of the looks that both Emily and I have shot before with similar equipment.

Their tasks included shooting with just one light, two lights and then three. A bonus task was also given to try out some advanced techniques such as playing with colour gels to achieve a certain mood.

To make things more interesting, the participants were also given 3 chances to ask for assistance from both myself and Emily. We call it the “lifeline”! Should participants run into trouble, they could summon us to help for a limited period of time.

After they completed their tasks, participants were given a quick lesson on how to import their images into Capture One Pro.

They were then given an opportunity to share their works with each other in a group presentation. They shared some of their challenges, what they found difficult, how they overcame problems, and some of the good practices as well as knowledge they picked up during the workshop which were useful in application during the hands-on session.

Considering that most of them had never used studio lights prior to our workshop, they managed to create some images with our models!

In a survey we conducted after the workshop, the participants all felt positively towards the workshop and that they had many takeaways such a learning new “lighting techniques” and “how to control lighting” and the importance of “communication” among team members.

Some also shared that this was “a new experience [working] with [a] team”. A participant who shoots with strobe units also shared that there was the realization for the “need to practise” some “new lighting scheme”.

It is great to know that for some of the participants, they saw this workshop not just as a refresher course, but as an invitation to try out new lighting techniques.

Both Emily and myself would like to thank the following people for making this workshop possible:

Team Broncolor Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

1. Tennant Lim
2. Darrelle Chng
3. Eujin Goh

Assistants

1. John Yuen
2. Darrell Neo

Makeup & Hair

1. Siti Zahara

… and of course all our participants for attending our workshop!

What’s next?: Come join us at The Art of Mezame Academy on Facebook to find out what’s up next. All are invited!

We also conduct photography workshops for schools and corporate clients. Please email me at mezame@theartofmezame.com for more information.