Tobias James

the creative portrait >>

A Masterclass in Creative Studio Portraiture. Level up your portraiture skills with this workshop exploring different lighting styles for different moods. Bring some style and narrative to your portraiture!

Date: 31st January 2027 10am to 4pm

Location: Tichborne Photography Studio Brighton BN1 1RU

Cost £200:00 [ Small Group of 5 ]

Join me, Tobias James, at Tichborne Studio for a hands-on portrait photography workshop! Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, this event is perfect for anyone looking to enhance their skills and creativity in capturing stunning portraits. Experiment with different lighting techniques, and get inspired by some terrific models from all walks of life.. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your portrait photography to the next level!

You will leave the studio with far more confidence to be creative with lighting as well as being able to add some strong images to your portfolios and social media feeds.
We will be working with strobe lighting, learning how to shape the light and how this will effect the aesthetics of your portraits.

This is a full-day course with an educational focus: as well as being a fun and sociable day, you’ll produce some amazing images and have some new skills in your toolkit!

You’ll be working in a very small group to ensure everyone gets plenty of time creating images with the models and 1 2 1 time with me! 

Attendees will also be given a discount voucher for their own hire of Tichborne Studio!

Pedagogical learning

  • Guide a model to build trust and create images with ra range of emotions and styles.
  • Create portraits that integrate storytelling and emotional presence
  • You will learn the fundamentals of strobe lighting, and ho to sculpt light with a variety of modifiers to achieve different striking looks.
  • Develop a personal style
  • Select you best images from the day along with professional guidance on editing and next steps

Skills targeted

  • Build a photography session based on trust, dialogue, and observation
  • Develop studio lighting skills, using a range of modifiers for different lighting effects, to create a range of moods and aesthetic outcomes
  • Improve composition and image creation using focus, negative space and line, shape and form.

Target audience

Semi professional photographers, advanced amateurs, visual artists, and anyone wishing to deepen their photography practice in a studio environment.

Prerequisites

Autonomous use of a digital camera
Required personal equipment including a digital camera with batteries and charger, lenses of choice, memory cards, and a personal laptop with charger.

 

End of Day Image Review and debrief.

After the workshop, we will convene in a local Pub or Coffee house to review the images created. Professional advice given on selection and editing tips. A great opportunity to see what your peers have achieved on the day and learn from each other!

Why attend our workshops?

I have over thirty years studio experience and Justyna is a self taught multi award winning photographer. We invite photographers to explore portraiture through intuition, experimentation, and a fluid approach to lighting. We encourage participants to let go of rigid methods, allowing shoots to evolve naturally, embracing uncertainty, spontaneity, and even occasional failure as part of the creative process. This process is given full technical support throughout. Our intent is that you leave the day having had a fulfilling creative experience and gained the confidence to engage with studio photography in the future. Each workshop balances this intuitive approach with strong technical foundations, covering strobe and constant lighting, composition, and communication with subjects. Throughout the day you will gain plenty of hands on experience and you will be able to develop your confidence in directing and shaping light.

“ The workshop was well structured, catering to both beginners and more experienced photographers.

Tobias was knowledgeable, approachable, and made me feel comfortable about my skill level. He offered clear explanations of studio lighting setups, framing techniques and camera settings. What I appreciated most was the hands-on component—being able to practice in a live studio environment with professional models and equipment made a huge difference in solidifying what we learned. The workshop was reasonably priced and was definitely value for money. The studio itself was well-equipped, with various backdrops, props, and lighting tools available. We were encouraged to experiment and ask questions, which created a supportive and collaborative learning atmosphere.

 

I highly recommend this workshop.”

– Lynsey

 

Studio Workshop Gift Vouchers >>

Have a keen photographer in you life? Then gift them with a studio workshop with myself and Justyna Neryng.  Suitable for all levels of photographer using mirrorless of dslr cameras. If you aee not certain of the date or theme your photographer would prefer, these certificates are redeemable against any workshop ocuring in a 12 motion window of issue. Simple order below and we send an invoice and a certificate with a unique code on completion of purchase.

All Gift Certificates can be redeemed against alternative studio workshops taking place within 12 months of issue.

All Gift Certificates are dated and expire 12 months from the date of issue.

Gift Certificates cannot be exchanged for cash.

We are not responsible if a Gift Certificate is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission and no replacement will be provided in these circumstances.