Studio Sessions: 3-Day Lighting & Portrait Photography Course with Koen van Assema

​September 20, 1-4p | October 4, 1-6p | October 18 1-6p
Limited to 12 participants

​We're thrilled to be hosting our first Studio Session, a 3-day course meant to help photographers take the next step in their careers. This one's for those of you who have a digital camera and know how you use it manually. You know your aperture from your ISO, you've shot outside the studio plenty, and now you want to know what it's actually like to work inside one. Studio work can be difficult to learn on your own: it takes setup, equipment, production, models, set design, and styling in front of your lens, which is exactly what this course provides. You'll walk away with portfolio-ready images of one object and 3 models.

​Over three Sundays with professional portrait photographer Koen van Assema — who has shot for Mokum Magazine and photographed the likes of Froukje, Duncan Laurence, Louis van Gaal, André van Duin, and Geraldine Kemper over his 14 years behind the camera — you'll go from lighting a product to shooting in a full studio set with models, a makeup artist, and everything in between. Here's what you can expect:

​Day 1 — Lighting Fundamentals
Sunday, September 20 · 1–4pm
We start simple: an object, and some light. You'll learn how to shape light to get completely different looks off the same object. Our first day builds the fundamentals for shooting product photography, still lifes, or just understanding your setup before a model steps into it. We'll cover camera settings, basic equipment, rules to learn (and to forget), and pointers on gear.

​Day 2 — Glamour, Headshots & Polaroids
Sunday, October 4 · 1–6pm
For our second day, we'll build on our foundations and bring in a model and a plain backdrop, so you can actually practice directing and photographing someone without the pressure of a full set. We'll cover how to shoot glamour shots, headshots, and polaroids, then move into a quick session on editing what you've captured. Snacks provided.

​Day 3 — Editorial Shoot
Sunday, October 18 · 1–6pm
This is the finale. We'll build out a full studio set with two additional models and a makeup artist, so you get the real experience of shooting a production. We'll close out with editing and color grading tips. Snacks provided.

​By the end of the course, you'll have:

• ​A small portfolio of edited studio images of one product and three different models

• ​A working knowledge of studio lighting setups you can replicate on your own

• ​A custom-made reference book with supplemental material specific to this course, which we'll add to over each session

​What's Included:

• ​3 days of personal instruction from Koen van Assema

• ​Access to Koen's studio and lighting set-ups (this course will cover daylight and continuous lighting, not flash)

• ​A custom-made reference book with supplemental material specific to this course, which we'll add to over each session

• ​Snacks on Day 2 and 3

​What to bring:

• ​A digital camera with manual settings

• ​A laptop with editing software. We'll be teaching in Lightroom, but you're welcome to use another program if you're already proficient in it

​Who this is for: Photographers comfortable shooting in manual mode who want real, hands-on experience with studio lighting, directing subjects, and working a full set from setup to final edit. Limited to 12 participants to keep it hands-on.