Introduction to Conceptual Portrait Photography
A course by Kristina Varaksina , Photographer
Joined February 2021
Translate your ideas and feelings into striking images that move your audience
Translate your ideas and feelings into striking images that move your audience
Joined February 2021
Through concept photography, you can give a voice to subjects who aren’t usually seen or heard. Award-winning photographer Kristina Varaksina captures photos of faces and bodies that tell a story about the people they belong to. She’s worked with The BBC, Harper’s Bazaar, The Telegraph, and has also had her work exhibited around the world.
In this course, Kristina guides you through finding your artistic voice in photography by learning to communicate through lighting, color, and subject direction. Learn to transform your personal ideas into meaningful and striking images. Are you ready to take photos with feeling?
What will you learn in this online course?
25 lessons & 14 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (72)
- 2,694 students
- 25 lessons (5h 42m)
- 14 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Learn how to portray feelings and messages through photography and create images of a subject that is important to you.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in creating meaningful photography or learning to take portraits.
Requirements and materials
A basic understanding of photography and light is recommended.
You will need a camera, basic studio lighting, or access to natural light, and a computer with Photoshop installed.
Reviews
A course by Kristina Varaksina
Kristina Varaksina is a London-based photographer who works in advertising, fashion, and fine art. Growing up in Russia, she spent a lot of time reading and always enjoyed drawing and painting. Eventually, she went on to study a degree in architecture and interior design, and later, a master’s in graphic design. After working for a few years in graphic design and advertising, she moved to the U.S.to study for another master’s in photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Since then, Kristina has worked with clients including The BBC, The Telegraph, Harper’s Bazaar, and L’Officiel. Her work has been exhibited internationally at galleries in the U.S., Europe, and China, and she has taught photography at the Art Institute of California and New York Film Academy. She has also been recognized with a number of awards, including Portrait of Britain 2020 Winner and Lens Culture Critic’s Choice 2020 Winner.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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What Will We Do on This Course?
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U2
Ideas and Research
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How to Choose Your Subject
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Ideation
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Translating Words into Visuals
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U3
Pre-Production
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Art Direction 1
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Art Direction 2
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Technical Decisions
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U4
The Shoots
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Setting up for Shoot: Self-Portrait
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Self-Portrait
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Setting up for Shoot: Portrait
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Portrait
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U5
Post-Production and Editing
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Curating and Selecting Your Shots 1
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Curating and Selecting Your Shots 2
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Curating and Selecting Your Shots 3
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Curating and Selecting Your Shots 4
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RAW Image Editing 1
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RAW Image Editing 2
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RAW Image Editing 3
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Retouching: What Should Stay and What Should Go 1
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Retouching: What Should Stay and What Should Go 2
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Retouching: What Should Stay and What Should Go 3
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Retouching: What Should Stay and What Should Go 4
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Retouching: What Should Stay and What Should Go 5
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FP
Final project
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X Portrait Photography
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
gabrielgl
¡Excelente! Kristina nos enseña un método muy introspectivo, racional, sensible y artístico para llevar a cabo nuestros proyectos fotográficos. Altamente recomendado.
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manueltaboadaguijarro
Por fin me enseñan a "hacer arte". El método de la profesora es un gustazo. Une la técnica fotografica con la expresión artística desde el inicio. Totalmente recomendable.
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evan.casella
Great and comprehensive course!!
mail
ótimo curso! Traz uma abordagem muito criativa de todo o processo de concepção de um projeto de fotografia.
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info
5/5 stars! Key insights to learn to hear your inner (artistic) voice, learnings about color theory, practical methods, reading tips and - last but not least - an excellent instructor and portrait photographer.