The Look and Feel of Light in Estonia!

A workshop to remember! Such a fantastic time in Estonia recently, with a wonderful group of photogs. Together we did a deep dive into all manner of portraiture. Lighting was crafted, stories were told! The workshop was organized and produced by Janne and Klarika, the intrepid duo who run kurssille.com, a fixture in the teaching and photography realm in the Baltic region. We collaborated on an intimate, hands-on lighting workshop called The Look and Feel of Light.

Great work by our talented photographers Gerhard, Lolá, Otto, Tarja, and Melissa who formed an excellent, visually attuned crew. A sampling of their collective work in the banner above.

And could not have functioned without Pasi! A Finland based photographer, Pasi does lovely work and was a nonstop energy machine all week, helping everyone in the workshop, including me.

Production is key to the success of any workshop, and Janne and Clarika arranged an excellent array of locations and of course our stunning, patient, and enthusiastic talent! Thanks go out to Iiris, Nitta, Julia, and livo who were just terrific to work with. And we had the unique opportunity to work in the beautiful and historic Kuressaare Castle – thanks to all the staff. We had a blast in the Angla Windmill Park and a great dinner – bonus. And thanks to the wonderfully named Ku Kuu Restaurant, which not only kept us fueled with terrific food all week, but became a lovely location for portraiture.

Huge thanks to Profoto, who supported the workshop with incredible gear. We worked A series lights (a lot!) and B series lights to good effect. The workshop teams fully utilized virtually everything we had access to, from the “Clic” style soft boxes to larger light shapers. The magnetic gels and grids for the A10, A2 units were used relentlessly. Profoto has brought some incredibly easy-to-use lighting technology to the photo world in the last several years, and has opened the door to sophisticated lighting results with fantastic portable gear. Tip of the hat to them.

From the woods to the beach, we worked relentlessly, shooting in the afternoon, critiquing in the morning. We only had a crack at one sunset! Up north, at this time of year, the sun doesn’t set until about 10:30pm! But we made the most of it.

Our small-scale workshop was a great example, for me, of the photo community at large. Accomplished photographers, spending a week honing skills and seeking the next level in their work. This remains, at the end of the day, a lifelong passion and quest for excellence.

Estonia…did not disappoint. Wonderful country, welcoming people. A great week.

More tk….