Portraiture: Simple Black & White

In this fun, hands-on workshop, you’ll explore how black-and-white photography can transform simple portraits into something elegant, striking, and timeless. Instead of learning the fundamentals of portraiture from the ground up, this class is designed for beginners who already understand the basics and want guided practice with a new visual style.

We’ll work in-studio at our South Boston location and experiment with a few easy approaches that create dramatically different looks—classic, dramatic, and modern black-and-white portraits. You’ll learn how lighting, tones, and contrast shape a portrait, and how black-and-white can be a helpful tool when colors or environments aren’t ideal.

All you need is your camera and lens—smartphones are welcome! Your instructor will guide you in simple techniques for creating black-and-white portraits in-camera, so no computer editing is required. By the end, you’ll walk away with new ideas, simple repeatable techniques, and portraits you made yourself.

Recommended:

• Digital Cameras I or equivalent.

• Composition Basics or equivalent.

Topics covered:

• How to think about tone, contrast, and lighting in black & white.

• Simple setups for dramatic, elegant, or classic portraits.

• Tips for making strong black-and-white images in-camera.

• Hands-on portrait practice with guidance from your instructor.

What to bring:

• Any camera—DSLR, mirrorless, point-and-shoot, or smartphone.

• Fully charged battery.

• Empty memory card. 

• Notepad and pen.

Need a camera? We offer rentals here.