The classes
Since 2000 The Body Form Photo Workshop has been a destination for photographers wanting to do more with their cameras. It has become a place where photographers of all levels and models get to work together and collaborate on some great images with lots of laughing along the way.
There are classes in nude and portraiture each offering different approaches to the subject. The nude – body form classes take a creative approach to photography, encouraging people to take chances and expand what they accept in their photographs. The portrait classes work with the rules of portraiture and intentionally break them to have a wide palette of ways to connect with the people they are photographing. The classes emphasize the artistic vision and then figuring out the technical part to make it happen. They are not overly technical but you get familiar with what you need to know to make the image you want. All of the classes encourage people to follow their own vision while at the same time giving useful direction.
There are weekly class in spring and fall and weekend classes in winter and summer. Body Form classes start on a Saturday for daylight then go to Tuesday nights. Portrait classes are primarily on Monday nights. The weekend classes are great for people from out of town and locals the travel a lot. There is also a series of drop in sessions for people who have been through a class and want to keep doing the work. There is a body form drop in on the first Wednesday of the month and a portrait drop in session on the third Wednesday. A daylight session is on the third Sunday of the month. The field trips are during the warmer months as are the destination classes.
The classes are kept small, under 8 people, so everyone has plenty of shooting opportunities and review time. For many people, they shoot more in one class than they regularly do in a month. Everyone comes out of the workshop with lots of great photos.
The Studio
Most of the classes take place in the studio as a way to concentrate on the subject in a pure setting. It allows for people to get more focused on the subject without distractions of a location. The Body Form studio is in downtown Boulder with two shooting spaces and a large skylight for daylight sessions. The white room has a cyclorama wall (no horizon lines), you guessed it, white walls. The black studio has various backgrounds although most of the classes utilize black or grey. There are a bunch of field trips and destination classes as well to take the ideas in the studio and combine them with different settings.
There are various lighting options in the studio, daylight, studio strobes, tungsten (hot lights) each having a different feel and way to work.
The Models
Many of the models have been do the session for years and have developed a following of photographers. Some of the models are also photographers and artists so they know both sides of the camera. This makes directing and collaborating easy and inspiring. There are also new models that often bring new ideas to the photo sessions.
