With
Rania Matar
When
April 5 - 10, 2020
Category
Portraiture
Tuition
1695.00
Fees
210 Model and Location Fee
© Rania Matar
© Rania Matar
© Rania Matar
© Rania Matar
“The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
In this day of iPhones and Instagram images of people are part of our lives in more ways than they have ever been. However, capturing a powerful portrait goes well beyond the quick press of a button.
In this workshop, we discuss all the elements of what makes a good portrait and delve into the process of working with people. We learn through attention to detail, postures, and expressions, approaching potential subjects, establishing trust and developing a relationship, working through the process and all of the details of creating a great portrait. We also discuss well-known artists, framing, environment, light, location, background, body language, expressions, the significance of the gaze, as well as the relationship of the photographer to the model throughout the entire process.
We explore different aspects of portraiture: close-up portrait, environmental portrait, documentary portrait, collaborative portrait, self-portrait, group portrait, conceptual portrait, and more.
Through assignments, students are encouraged to explore different aspects of portraiture, to truly and intimately see their subject, and to find their own voice in making a beautiful, powerful, and intimate portrait.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Advanced Amateurs
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images to their own jump drive for class each day.
PORTFOLIO REQUIRED:
Please see the Portfolios section of General Information for guidelines on your submission of recent portraits pertinent to this class.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
On-campus housing available. Click here for pricing information and suggestions for off-campus housing.
TUITION INFO:
Tuition includes a meal plan of a Sunday evening Welcome Cocktail Reception with light dinner, breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and dinner at the Friday evening Image Presentations.
Rania Matar was born and raised in Lebanon and moved to the United States in 1984. As a Lebanese-born American woman and mother, her cross-cultural experience and personal narrative inform her photography. She is currently Associate Professor of Photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Rania’s work has been widely published and exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Carnegie Museum of Art and more. It is part of the permanent collections of several museums, institutions and private collections. A mid-career retrospective of her work was recently on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, in a solo exhibition: In Her Image: Photographs by Rania Matar. Her work is in the permanent collections of several museums, institutions and private collections worldwide. She has published three books: L’Enfant-Femme, 2016; A Girl and Her Room, 2012; Ordinary Lives, 2009.
She has received several grants and awards including a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2017 Mellon Foundation artist-in-residency grant at the Gund Gallery at Kenyon College, 2011 Legacy Award at the Griffin Museum of Photography, 2011 and 2007 Massachusetts Cultural Council artist fellowships. In 2008 she was a finalist for the Foster Award at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, with an accompanying solo exhibition.
Website: www.raniamatar.com
Instagram: @raniamatar
