B6630 - Exploring Photography: studio lighting and portraiture (intermediate)

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Start Date: 14/01/2027      End Date: 18/03/2027        Start Time: 18:30      End Time: 21:00        Hours per Week: 2.50      No of Weeks: 9
Fees:      £180.00 (tuition)     £315.00 (overseas)     £74.00 (concessionary)
Tutor: Rick Cordell        No of Places: 12
Shadwell Centre

Course Overview

Course Overview
Ready to take your portrait photography further? This dynamic intermediate course is designed for photographers who want to develop greater creative control and confidence in the studio.
Building on your existing skills, you will explore how to shape and control light using studio flash, modifiers, and reflectors to create expressive, professional-quality portraits. Through hands-on studio sessions, you’ll experiment with different lenses, lighting styles, and approaches to working with people — developing both your technical ability and your creative voice.
You will also look at influential portrait photographers to inspire your work and deepen your understanding of portraiture as a creative practice. This course offers a supportive environment to refine your ideas, expand your techniques, and produce a strong set of portfolio-ready images.

What will you learn and be able to do?

What will you learn and be able to do?
* Control and adjust studio lighting setups using flash, light modifiers, and reflectors to achieve at least two distinct portrait lighting styles.
* Use a range of lenses (or focal lengths) to produce varied portrait outcomes, demonstrating differences in perspective, framing, and depth of field across a minimum of 3 images.
* Plan and conduct a portrait shoot, effectively directing and working with a subject to produce a cohesive set of at least 4–6 portraits.
* Apply correct exposure and flash settings in studio conditions, consistently producing well-exposed and sharply focused images across different lighting setups.
* Analyse and reference the work of at least one influential portrait photographer, using this insight to inform and evaluate your own portrait images.
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Entry requirements

Entry requirements
A good understanding of basic photography principles (focus, exposure, composition) is essential. Ideally, you will have completed an introductory photography or portrait course.
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Equipment required

Equipment required
A digital camera capable of shooting in a manual mode. A memory stick. A note book and pen.
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How will you know you are making progress?

How will you know you are making progress?
You will have an ‘Individual Learning Plan’ where the course learning outcomes are shown and where you can set individual learning goals and monitor your own progress against these.

You will need to evaluate your own progress and manage your time.

Your tutor will give ongoing feedback and how to make improvements in your work will keep you informed of your progress.

Video recording might be used as a reflective tool.
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At the beginning of the course an initial assessment takes place to identify your level of experience knowledge or current skills, and you will be asked to complete and sign a health screening questionnaire.

The tutor will carry out informal assessments to check your understanding, there is no exam.

You will complete a self-assessment at the beginning, middle and end of the course and you will participate in regular self assessment.

Your tutor will let you know how you are getting on throughout the course, to help you work to your full potential.

At the end of the course you will receive written feedback.
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Progress opportunities - your next steps

Progress opportunities - your next steps
The Intermediate Portrait Photography course builds towards progressing onto the Exhibition Portrait photography course. There are also a range of photography courses held at Idea Store Learning that will further develop your photographic knowledge such as: Intermediate Digital Photography. Your tutor will help guide you onto an appropriate course.
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Other info

Other info
In general, we will not allow late entries to any course after the first two weeks.
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Extra Support

Extra Support
If you have declared a learning difficulty, disability or support need whilst enrolling and you require support/assistance in class or to complete your course, please discuss your needs with your tutor at the first lesson.

If you intend to take an examination and feel you have an additional learning need or special requirements, you must declare them to your tutor within the first 2 weeks of your course.

If you are studying in an online group, then you can arrange a one-to-one online discussion with your tutor, after the session, or by email.

Where we aim to make reasonable adjustments to support our learners, please note we are unable to provide any type of in class or in person support if your course takes place online.
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