Learn to translate first impressions and hone your intuition to create expressive portraits.

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ACT QUICKLY!!  Just TWO seats remain.

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform.
Class meets on 3 Thursdays, Feb 1, 8 & 15 from 8am-2pm ET.

Experienced photographers continue to develop ways of working to create a sense of personal style in their work. This online course investigates historical and contemporary fine art as well as editorial portraiture with an emphasis on interpretation and creating a sense of personal vision. During the sessions, participants discuss the use of narrative, aesthetics, and psychological approaches as well as the emotional aspects of the portrait.

Andrea Modica leads students from “first impressions” to translating their initial feelings into a creative, concrete image. She covers topics such as approaching subjects, establishing a rapport, and forming a collaboration between subject and photographer that is both intuitive and spontaneous. Andrea encourages students to capture the essence of their subjects while exploring their imaginations to create more intuitive portraits.

The course will begin with Andrea sharing her own work and creative practice in addition to reviewing each participant’s work, as they share it with the group.  She will be tailoring the assignment for the week based on each individual’s areas of interest, and direction they would like to pursue with their work.  The second session will include group critique and one–on–one sessions with Andrea.  The final session will begin with one–on–one reviews with Andrea in the morning, and group critique in the afternoon.  In the group sessions she also discusses topics relating to the use of portraits in publications and exhibits and addresses legal and ethical issues. You will do a reading in advance of the third class and you will take part in what is sure to be a lively discussion!

Course requirements

A portfolio review is required for admission to this course. You can submit a portfolio via a link to your website, online portfolio, or print submission.

All image credit ©Andrea Modica

Instructor: Andrea Modica

Andrea Modica works as a photographer and teaches at Drexel University. She is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of a Knight Award. Her photographs have been featured in many magazines, including the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Newsweek and American Photo. Her photographs are part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House, and the Bibliotheque Nationale.

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