Fashion Photography with Sacha

How to make an artificial situation look natural or how to capture spontaneity and lightness in fashion photography

GOAL

Learn and improve how to conceive and produce a fashion shoot through the making of a photo series in the outside. Which one will be defined with Sacha and will allow to learn how to control natural lighting and model pose. Refine photographic style thanks to the choice of the subject, improvement of reactivity regarding external aleatory shooting conditions, image analysis and editing.

This workshop will also focus on how to bring one’s own creativity in fashion photography.

BIOGRAPHY

Sacha van Dorssen was born in Holland, in Rotterdam where she began her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Sint Joost in Breda in 1960. In 1963 she arrived in Paris and started her a career as a fashion photographer. It was at this moment in time, that she decided to adopt the name, Sacha.

Working foremost as a Fashion photographer for four decades, her work can be found within a large variety of French and foreign magazines, as well as publicity campaigns. In 1964, at the beginning of her Parisian career, Sacha was a regular contributor for the magazine Elle. Throughout the sixties she continued to develop her style in the context of fashion; working in England with Harpers Bazaar and the Sunday Times magazine. In 1977, she started a close collaboration with the magazine Marie Claire that lasted for over 20 years.

AUDIENCE

Professional photographers, advanced amateurs, journalists and fashion bloggers.

Program

« Sacha Van Dorssen’s style is light and simple, focusing on the clothes and highlighting the designers’ inspiration. As most of her shootings were performed outdoors, she was often forced to adjust to unpredictable weather conditions, with the aim of “making a totally artificial situation looking natural.” She paid a great attention to the choice of her models by actively participating in castings and tried to create harmony between the model and the selected scenery rather than harsh contrasts. Each shooting was an opportunity to capture the scarce moments of spontaneity and lightness during these moments of haste and heavy work. » V.G.

This workshop will be half theoric with masterclass sessions with Sacha who will speak of her carreer as a fashion photographer and of the context of the shooting sessions; half hands-on, with shooting sessions, individual assignments, daily group discussion and editing sessions.

Day 1:

Masterclass - Projections
Sacha will spend time talking about her own work and the different projects she has worked on. She will share her photographic references with the group and discuss the challenges of being a working photographer.

Portfolios reviews and projects definition
Each participant will receive and in-depth critique of their work which will also be used as a jumping board for workshop assignments. In order to make the most of the 4 workshop days, participants are highly encouraged to come to the workshop with defined ideas on the subject they want to photograph during the workshop.

About the models
Ideally, each participant has his own model. However, due to the logistic complexities and budget constraints, there might be one model for 2-3 participants. If the participant knows of a model who could be his own for the 2 shooting days, he is allowed to come with him/her. Eyes in Progress will be looking for models who are in the process of making their book and who will agree to participate to the 2 shootings days, in exchange they will be authorized to use the participants' photographs to include in their book.

Days 2 & 3:

Masterclass - Projections
Each day begins with a masterclass session when Sacha focus on one aspect of his work.

Portfolios reviews and projects definition

Shooting session
After a session together with Sacha, each participant goes shoot his own project. Eyes in Progress and Sacha will have gone in advance through the area to identify the best shooting spots.

Back at the studio
Through the selection and discussion of the best images of the day, the participants will work towards developing their own photographic style and hopefully, see their overall approach improve.

Day 4:

Final portfolio editing
Each participant will work on a large edit of his images, then they are printed and laid down on a table (10x15 or contact sheet format). The final editing is made during a one-to-one session with Sacha van Dorssen, the other participants are encouraged to attend the sessions of the others. Once the final edit is done, the participants may work on the post-process and are then allowed to make A4 and/or A3 prints (2 max.) of their best images. They are then to write a personal statement on the work, which will be send to the evaluation committee member of their choice.

Final projections

Teaching language: English.

Workshop hours: 9h30 to 18h30.

May 29 - Jun 01, 2013
4 days in Paris - 850 €

DONE

PARTICIPANTS’
WORKS

Conditions

- Only 9 students will be admitted for each session. Students will be granted admission to the workshop based on a review of a selection of 10 of their photographs.

- The 850€ fee does not include transport, accomodation nor on the ground expenses.

- In order to confirm your application, an advance payment of €100 is advised. Once the application is completed, PayPal will send an email to the participant in order to settle the payment. If the candidate is accepted, this amount will be deducted from the overall cost of the workshop.

- In case the participation is not confirmed, he will get a full pay back of the 100€ fee.

- If accepted, the participant will receive a course contract confirming the success of his application by email.

- To confirm registration, the participant must return this contract to us, signed, within ten days, along with payment of 30% of the cost of the workshop.

- The rest of the fee must be paid by the first day of the workshop at the latest. The participant will then receive a receipt.

- A dossier in order to get prepared for the workshop will be sent to the participant at least two weeks before the course begins.

- If you're interested in several workshops, we do offer a 15% discount on the workshop's prices.

Pre-requisite

- Successful candidates will be expected to arrive comfortable with their equipment and ready to photograph.

- Participants working digitally should bring their own laptops, and everything needed for digital editing.

- Participants working on film can use the available service laboratory (black and white) at the workshop venue, or they can use an external laboratory to develop colour film but at their own expense and within the given time.

- Participants are required to find their own accommodation in Paris. However Eyes in Progress will provide you with a list of affordable places . This also applies to places to have lunch near to the workshop venue.

Education material

- Photo books

- Projector and screen

- 1 MAC with photo editing software

- Professional A3 printer

- Negative scanner

- Photo paper

A technical assistant will be present during the workshop.

After the workshop

Once the class has ended:

- The portfolios produced by each participant will be published on the site of Eyes in Progress.

- An evaluation committee comprised of professional photo editors, journalists, creative directors and gallery curators will then critique these portfolios. It will be published on the student's page on Eyes in Progress.

- Video interviews in which the students discuss their work, their motivation as photographers, as well as what they learned during the master class will also be posted on the site.

- Social media modules in order to share the page with friends and contacts.

- Each participant will be awarded a certificate of completion of the course.

- The participants will be required to evaluate the course when it has been completed, to show their level of overall satisfaction and the extent of their acquisition of new skills. These evaluations will help us to improve our courses.

Deadlines

- There will be two rounds of applications review:

> If you apply before March 29th, 2013: successful applicants will be informed via email by April 4th, 2013.

> If you apply after March 29th, 2013: successful applicants will be informed via email by April 30th, 2013.

It is possible that the workshop is completed with the first round of applications, in that case, the second round of applications will not be processed.

~~Applications are open until April 29th, 2013.~~ We're extending the deadline until May 15th...still a few spots left!!

- Eyes in Progress reserves the right to cancel groups with less than 7 participants. Students will be given either a full refund or offered a place with an alternative photographer. In the event of a cancellation, students will be given at least 3 weeks advance notice. Eyes in Progress reserves the right to change or alter the program advertised.

- If a participant decides to cancel for whatever reason, this must be confirmed in writing:

. Eyes in Progress will reimburse all the registration costs except for the €100 administrative fee, if the participant informs Eyes in Progress of cancellation at least 3 weeks before the first day of the workshop. Beyond this time limit, Eyes in Progress will charge the following:

. 50% of the cost if cancelled between 6 and 20 days before the workshop commences.

. 100% of the cost if cancelled less than 5 days before the workshop commences.

. All workshops that are commenced but not completed through the fault of the participant need to be paid in full.

- Eyes in Progress is not responsible for reimbursement of travel expenses in case a workshop is cancelled. We recommend that you buy refundable air tickets and/or travel insurance.

SPECIAL NEED ACCESS

Eyes in Progress is committed to using all possible means to enable beneficiaries with disabilities to participate in the workshops. For this, the director of Eyes in Progress will assess all required adaptations and implement them.