Artistic Portrait Photography: Exploring Body Language
A course by Rony HernandesPhotographer, Model, and Creative Director
A course by Rony Hernandes, Photographer, Model, and Creative Director
Create a photo essay based on a feeling by exploring natural light and the body language of your models
Artistic photography allows you to capture a body in motion and truly convey its essence by exploring every last emotional avenue in one single image. This is a speciality of photographer and multidisciplinary artist Rony Hernandes, who has developed a unique methodology for directing models during shoots. His work has been featured in important Brazilian and internaitonal publications like Revista Cult, Casa Vogue, Afropunk, and Zeit Wissen Magazine.
In this course, learn to shoot an artistic photo essay based on an emotion. With the help of Rony, explore each stage of the process, from looking for your first reference materials to editing your final images. Take a close look at composition and lighting techniques, using both direct and indirect light, and see how to extablish a connection with your models to develop an original language.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 24 downloads
Luggage, look and connection
9 minutes, 55 seconds
Creative processes
3 minutes, 50 seconds
Pre-production
8 minutes, 44 seconds
the lease
7 minutes, 37 seconds
Light as a creative device
5 minutes, 35 seconds
thinking about composition
5 minutes, 45 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by discovering a little bit about Rony Hernandes' career as a photographer, model, and creative director. He shares his main influences across various artistic disciplines and gives a detailed overview of the course.
Get straight to work on the preproduction phase by exploring different techniques for catalyzing your own creative process. After choosing an emotion to be the backbone of your shoot and putting together a mood board with reference materials, hear Rony speak about the importance of choosing a shoot location that speaks to your creative journey.
Now it's time for your photoshoot! Delve into lighting and composition techniques and learn how to use natural light as a creative tool as well as work with colors and angles in your images. Then Rony gives you some direction tips to help you establish a real connection with your models.
Wrap things up by discovering how to organize and select your final images to create a coherent narrative, how to edit them in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and finally, some tricks for sharing your photos with the world on social media.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a three-photo series based on an emotion by exploring your model's body language.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in photography who wants to expand their knowledge of direction and composition while also exploring body language.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of photography and Adobe Photoshop is recommended for this course.
In terms of materials, you need a camera, a computer with Lightroom and Photoshop installed, and a model.
Reviews
- 2 years ago
Curso muy recomendable. Agradezco a Rony por la sencillez y claridad de cada una de sus lecciones. Los ejercicios que propone a lo largo del proceso creativo son muy valiosos e interesantes.
- 3 years ago
Excelente treinamento!
- 3 years ago
Um workshop maravilhoso que abre ideias para novos horizontes
- 3 years ago
Very inspiring course and very different in the other hand than others which I`ve seen before. Love it! Can`t wait for my final project.
- 3 years ago
Muito criativo. Recomendo!
He took part in the Adopte Officiel campaign across France, Italy, and Spain, and his work has been published in renowned magazines like Casa Vogue (Brazil), FFW (Brazil), Yut Mag (Brazil), Afropunk (USA), Pornceptual (Berlin) , and Zeit Wissen Magazine (Germany).
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
The exchange reverberates in creation
- Luggage, look and connection
- Creative processes
- Pre-production
- the lease
- U3
Putting ideas into action
- Light as a creative device
- thinking about composition
- Direction from connection
- U4
From import to publication
- establishing a narrative
- Editing and Adjustments
- Publication and dissemination
- FP
Final project
- Artistic Portrait Photography: Exploring Body Language
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
The course is intermediate level, perfect for those who already have basic photography knowledge and want to deepen their creative process, direction, and visual storytelling.
You’ll need a camera (digital or film), a computer with internet access, and editing software like Lightroom or Photoshop. Simple items like fabrics, reflectors, and a smartphone also come in handy.
You’ll learn about body expression, sensory direction, mastering light, visual storytelling, building moodboards, location scouting, image editing, and strategies for creating authentic, artistic portraits.
Yes, the course goes in-depth on organizing visual references, assembling moodboards, and semantic panels to guide your creative process.
The content includes sensory direction techniques, breathing exercises, and strategies to build empathy, connection, and authenticity during photo shoots.
Yes, the course covers mapping natural light, using reflectors, DIY diffusers, and techniques for shifting between hard and soft light indoors and outdoors.
The course explores artistic nude photography with an emphasis on respect, body expression, and sensitive emotional portrayal—without sexualization or objectification.