Although I have just recently submitted my pictures for the Unit 1 photo projects, I'm actually studying in Unit 4 currently. At the present time, I am reading through the "Studio Portraiture" module. This was preceded by "Basic Portrait Lighting," and is followed by sections on "Wedding Photography," "Child Photography and Pet Photography," and finally "Location Portraiture."
This was the first Unit to include a booklet of "Updates." Since the overall concepts of photography haven't changed much over the years, some of the training modules are a little dated (at least in appearance,) containing material from the 70s, 80s and 90s. While it would be nice to have up-to-date/modern training materials, I realize the cost of production would be fairly substantial, and I'm satisfied with the materials I have received thus far. Starting with Unit 4 however, there have been some updates and/or additional information presented, and a separate booklet containing those updates has been included as a supplement to the original training materials. It's the same for the Unit 5 training materials which I have already, and I would imagine the same holds true for Unit 6, the last set of training materials in the course.
One of the things I like best about the current training booklet I'm reading through ("Studio Portraiture,") is that it has sections covering basic posing problems like "What To Do With Hands," and techniques to use if your subject is wearing glasses. On the back of the booklet they have also included a handy chart of "Corrective Techniques" to deal with issues such as double chins, prominent foreheads, facial blemishes, and multiple other "problems" which can make or break the perfect portrait image you're trying to create. The chart suggests head positions, camera heights (higher/lower,) and lighting setups that will be very beneficial as I learn the art of studio portrait photography.
The booklet also covers basic lighting setups, and shows how you can easily create your own simple "portrait studio" right in your own home, using the corner of a room, and a few essentials (a backdrop, some basic lights, and a reflector of some sort.) A fair amount of information is covered, and this material is the basis for starting a career (or hobby) in Portrait Photography. It will be fun to put these concepts into practice, and work more in a studio environment, because up until now most of the work I have done has been on location using natural and/or available light, and a single on-camera flash at most.
Stay tuned for further updates as I progress through the training materials, and if you'd like to know anything about the prior Units (1-3) just let me know, and I'd be glad to tell you. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon.
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