What You Get
Skills You’ll Learn
I learned how to use my camera through a 365 Days self-portrait project in 2008 and went on to complete graduate work in photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. Self-portraiture is arguably the most important part of my photography. My fine art work -- primarily environmental portraiture and landscape -- uses film and digital photographs as well as Instagram where I have over 165,000 followers and have been written up on both Refinery29 and Business Insider’s Top Accounts to Follow lists.
I’ll guide you through a self-portrait project to share everything I’ve learned about becoming a photographer. We’ll focus on lighting, environment and mood, and self-expression. You’ll leave this class with your own perfected self-portrait portfolio, and the skills to keep growing out.
Self-portraiture requires very few tools, but you need dedication, at least initially, to practicing it. It is an excellent way, to learn how your camera works, and to get a better grasp on essential photographic elements such as lighting, mood tones and composition. You’ll use any camera you have - iPhones included! - to build your own self-portrait portfolio and learn these essentials, hands-on.
We’ll share our self-portraits with one another regularly (daily if you’d like!) in the online classroom for feedback and you’ll meet up with one another in small, local workshops for skill-building photo adventures.
Award
I’ll feature some of the best self-portraits on my Instagram feed.
My Role
Think of me as facilitator. Each week I’ll share resources - my work and the work of others I admire - you’ll use to perfect a new technique for your portrait. I’ll provide feedback on projects as they’re shared in the online classroom and host live online office hours to answer questions and give feedback every other week.
Time Commitment
Feel free to move at your own pace. I recommend setting aside 1-2 hours per week to successfully complete the class.
You need to have a camera -- any kind will do, be it SLR, point-and-shoot, or camera phone, as long as it has a self-timer function. (e.g. there are apps on iPhone, for example, that allow you to use a self-timer.) A tripod would be excellent, but not required. Extra accessories, like wireless remotes or cable releases are also a great idea, as are props if you want to have fun. Also, an enthusiasm for photography!
Through a 365 Days self-portrait project, I learned how to use my camera and how to photograph other people, and I became passionate about photography and confident with the idea that I am an artist. I would love to be able to share that with others. I have been working for three years on a project called The Sleepwalker, which involves self-portraits of myself and portraits of my father who has Alzheimer's disease. Self-portraiture is arguably the most important part of my photography as a whole. My fine art work -- primarily environmental portraiture and landscape -- uses film and digital photographs as well as Instagram, where I have over 165,000 followers. I lived in San Francisco for nearly 4 years, in that time doing graduate work in photography at San Francisco Art Institute. I was featured in a short documentary as a trendsetting artist in San Francisco. I now live and work in Brooklyn.
TBD
Leighann Farrelly
