LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE COVID-19 played havoc with the 2020 PSNZ Workshop series. Fortunately once restrictions were lifted we managed to get all of the events off the ground. Over the next 12 pages the PSNZ Council members who were assigned to each session report on what happened at them.
Aaron Key – A Portrait Workshop By Colin Kropach, Councillor for Events
A WARM SATURDAY in early November saw twelve PSNZ members meet at the Dancewell Studios in Hamilton to attend a portrait workshop. It was run by Aaron Key, an Auckland-based fashion and portraiture photographer who also happens to work for SONY as a Digital Imaging Product Specialist. The participants were treated to a master class in portrait photography and portrait lighting. Aaron had arranged for six lighting setups in the dance studio, three in the morning and three in the afternoon, and had brought an extensive set of lighting equipment (thanks, SONY) and backdrops for each of the sets. He had also arranged for four models, Rose, Lisa, Alannah and Hans, to pose for the PSNZ members.
The photographers were split into three groups of four and were assigned to one of the three sets. Each group was then split into two, with one shooting portraits and the other acting as the assistant. Each group had 40 minutes with each model, and individual photographers had 10 minutes shooting at each of the sets, posing the models and setting up the lighting, This setup ensured that everyone could get the shots they wanted. The morning session consisted of three sets with Rose, Lisa and Hans (dressed as a cowboy, complete with rope, gun and stubble!) as models. In the afternoon Alannah joined us while Hans had a shave and changed into a dinner suit for James Bond, Secret Agent poses.
Aaron ran through the various lighting setups at each station and took a few shots of the models at each to demonstrate how changes in lighting can impact the end result. He had brought a wide range of strobe lights and modifiers and taught everyone how to use soft boxes, umbrellas, beauty dishes, flats and backdrops to produce stunning portrait images. All images unless stated by Colin Kropach
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