Creative Portrait Photography: Explore Color and Natural Light
A course by Tania Cervián BenítezPhotographer
A course by Tania Cervián Benítez, Photographer
Learn to create portraits that explore aspects such as color, the creative use of natural light, and your inner self
Learn the secrets of using natural light to shoot artistic portraits that reveal your personality. In this online course, take a look inwards to bring out the true you and express your inner self through your images. Photographer Tania Cervián teaches you her creative process for capturing unique photos.
Drawing on her expertise in lighting, Tania walks you through how to run a photoshoot using natural light, putting emphasis on aspects such as color, creativity, location, and self-expression. She also shows you how to use tools in Photoshop to take your photos to the next level. By the end, you'll have a set of creative, compelling, and authentic portraits.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 21 downloads
Your photographs speak of you
3 minutes, 24 seconds
Inspirational mood board
4 minutes, 11 seconds
How to plan the color of your session
9 minutes, 41 seconds
Art direction and location
8 minutes, 31 seconds
Art direction: before you start shooting
3 minutes, 18 seconds
Portrait with side natural light and monochrome colors
15 minutes, 50 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher for this online course, Tania Cervián. She recounts her career change from psychologist to photographer and shares her influences as well as what inspires her to take photos. She also explains why knowing yourself is the key to creating with authenticity.
Tania then walks you through her pre-photoshoot process, from compiling a mood board to selecting the color palette, location, and wardrobe, including tips on art direction and other relevant aspects.
Move on to the photoshoot and see how your teacher works with direct and indirect natural light, how to use light creatively, and how to incorporate colors to get more dynamic results.
Now it's time for the postproduction phase. Choose the best photos, reveal them with Camera Raw, and retouch them in Photoshop, exploring the best tools for editing color and light.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Plan and run a photoshoot focusing on color and natural light to capture soul-revealing portraits.
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to get started or hone their skills in portrait photography.
Requirements and materials
Experience using a manual camera and basic notions of Adobe Photoshop will be useful for this course, but not essential.
In terms of materials, you need a camera (a fixed lens is ideal, but not necessary) and a computer with Photoshop to edit your photos.
Reviews
- 7 months ago
Excelente curso! lo super recomiendo. Totalmente inspiracional
- 2 years ago
Tania loves what she does and inspires us with her passion for photography. The results are sophisticated yet full of feeling. She is clear and covers everything for beautiful portraits. Amazing!
- 2 years ago
Maravilloso. Tania emociona desde el primer minuto. Sus fotografias son hermosas y estan cargadas de sensaciones. Este curso es un mimo al alma, me da mucha felicidad y me conmueve profundamente. Gracias Tania y gracias Domestika por hacerlo posible.
- 4 years ago
great ideas about portrait photography
- 4 years ago
muy bueno !! tiene buen manejo del tema
She uses her studio in Granada, Spain, as a multipurpose space to create and experiment, carry out photography projects for fashion brands and individual clients, and teach in-person classes.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Us
- Influences
- U2
Create a session that talks about you
- Your photographs speak of you
- Inspirational mood board
- How to plan the color of your session
- Art direction and location
- U3
Take action
- Art direction: before you start shooting
- Portrait with side natural light and monochrome colors
- Portrait with frontal natural light and complementary colors
- U4
Selection and editing
- Selection and development
- Light and color editing with Adobe Photoshop 1
- Light and color editing with Adobe Photoshop 2
- FP
Final project
- Creative Portrait Photography: Explore Color and Natural Light
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
Introspective photography uses images as a tool to explore emotions, thoughts, and self-awareness, aligning with art therapy principles. It allows the photographer to reflect their identity and emotional state through their photos.
Yes, the course is designed for those with intermediate skills who want to deepen their knowledge of portraiture, color composition, art direction, and creative lighting and editing techniques.
It’s recommended to have a digital camera (DSLR or mirrorless), access to natural light, neutral fabrics or backdrops, a computer with editing software like Camera RAW and Photoshop, and internet access for online resources.
You’ll learn how to manipulate natural light and create chiaroscuro and Baroque lighting effects using windows and neutral backgrounds to produce portraits with volume, drama, and emotional depth.
The course guides you through self-discovery and creative introspection, helping you uncover your motivation, sources of inspiration, and how to express your personality and identity in your images.
You’ll explore color theory rules, harmony, symbolism, palette creation, monochrome, complementary colors, and how to apply these techniques to wardrobe, backgrounds, and urban or studio photography.
Yes, you’ll learn how to create inspiration boards on Pinterest and digital mood boards to conceptualize shoots, select color palettes, and plan styling and art direction.