Jake Hicks Photography - The Art of Projection
Course: Art of Projection
Format: In-person small group training event
Duration: Full Day
Price: £349
Date: April 30th 2022 - SOLD OUT
Location: Amersham Studios | London | U.K.
The Art of Projection
For many of us, creating a great image is about capturing our viewers attention. Getting somebody to actually stop and look at your photo is always the first step to a successful shot.
But for me, the act of catching the viewers attention is getting harder and harder as many of us slowly become immune to the allure of filters, overlays and the fleeting digital effects that bombard us from the mainstream media outlets every day. As a result of this growing immunity towards the allure of digital effects, I think we are slowly seeing a resurgence in the more traditional image making techniques, and in this new workshop, I will be exploring one of the most powerful, versatile and seemingly limitless but crazily under-utilised potential of projection.
All of the images displayed on this page were captured in-camera
At its most basic, lighting in photography is simply about illuminating a subject or scene with one or more white lights. For those willing to get a little creative with it, we may even add a few coloured lights in there too. But now imagine what the next level of lighting might look like…
Imagine if your light could shine whatever colour, shape or even image you could imagine. How creative and visually engaging do you think your photographs could look then?
Welcome to my new lighting workshop, The Art of Projection.
This is my latest lighting workshop and it’s the one I’ve probably spent the longest amount of time developing. For well over a year I’ve been testing and experimenting with projector based lighting ideas for this new event, and now it’s finally ready for launch. Let me explain what I’ll be covering on the day of my new lighting workshop.
What We’ll be Learning in this New Lighting Workshop
What is the best projector to get for your photography - Thankfully, you’ll be pleased to hear that you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get a decent projector that will serve you well for many years to come. I own a couple of excellent projectors now and similar ones can be picked up second-hand online for less than £150. Many other photographic modifiers cost far more than that already so a projector is certainly a worthy investment if you don’t currently have one.
Using a projector in your fashion and portrait shots - How to balance the light of a projector with the other lights that you may already have. Lights like your speedlights or studio strobes.
4 new and very unique projector lighting techniques - In this new workshop I will be teaching you a variety of very different projector techniques that offer a certain look and feel depending on the type of shot you’re after. These can then be extensively adapted as the projector offers you seemingly limitless potential for varying looks.
Avoiding 5 common pitfalls when using projectors in your photography - I’ve been using projectors in my work on and off for many years and during that time I’ve observed some major pitfalls that most photographers fall into when using a projector in their shots. I’ll go over the top 5 image ruiners and explain how to easily avoid them.
Working with and placing your projector - One area in which I have seen so many projector shots fail in the past has been with the application and placement of the projector. Failing to set your projector properly can easily make, or break an image.
Discussing any other essential tools for a projector shoot - Although getting a decent projector is vital, there are also several other inexpensive tools that I can recommend to greatly improve your projector shots.
The Lighting Set-ups We’ll be Covering on the Day
Everybody will get plenty of time with our model on the day on each of these setups to take their photos.
Setup 1
To begin with, we’ll look at a technique that allows us to project any scene we want between the subject and our camera. This technique is unique in that it allows a forced sense of depth to be introduced into our scene. Ordinarily, this added dimension might appear behind our subject, but by intersecting our image with this element we are able to bed the subject within any environment we want thereby making the subject appear outside or indeed anywhere else but a small studio.
With this technique we will explore a variety of looks and this will include multiple scenes as well as how to introduce supplemental lighting to the scene too. - We will also discuss how a similar look can be achieved with no projector at all.
Setup 2
This next setup is one of the most diverse yet simple setups I have experimented with in years. With this technique we will bathe our entire scene, including our subject, in any given image. From here we will explore various lighting setups to augment this scene, including separating our subject from the background, using gels for creative effect and more. As I said at the start, this is by far and away one of the most creative setups I have ever worked with and with the addition of a projector, its scope to create highly individual and unique images is seemingly limitless!
As we explore this particular technique, we will shoot it at its most simple via a single light, then we can move into shooting it with the addition of multiple lights to really make this setup standout and look more polished and commercial.
Setup 3
But what if you don’t want your projected image to have any effect whatsoever on your subject? In this setup we will look at taking control of the projector to focus on the scene behind your subject. By gaining a clear separation from your subject, your projected image can enable you to place your subject anywhere you want. This technique can be used to place your subject in a cafe or restaurant scene or it can be used to add more design elements like graphics and any number of coloured lights that will also visually interact with the subject too.
For this technique we will initially explore and shoot some environmental sets where we will learn how to light and situate the model in a location scene. After that we will switch it up and move on to learn and shoot a more graphical and colourful scene as well.
Setup 4
To round out the day we will learn a very playful, but extremely eye-catching setup. With this last technique we will unleash our creative sides by experimenting with colours and shapes to silhouette our model against a vibrant and extremely dynamic background.
With this final setup we will get the opportunity to experiment and play with multiple backgrounds, colour combinations and looks. Everybody will get the time to adjust and try a variety of shots and this will see us up to the end of the day.
- Questions and Answers -
We’ll close the day out with any final questions you may have regarding anything we discussed during the day
Plus: All attendees on the day will also receive:
My complete 30+ page PDF of notes from the day.
This PDF of notes includes all the lighting techniques and ideas discussed throughout the event as well as comprehensive lighting diagrams of all the lighting setups discussed and shot too. I know a lot of educators don’t include the notes with their workshops, but I want you to be watching and concentrating on what’s being taught, not scribbling down your own notes for later.
All attendees will also receive a collection of my Lightroom Presets specific to the lighting techniques taught at this workshop.
I get asked for this at every workshop, so I finally caved and decided I would equip all attendees with a selection of my own personal Lightroom presets for each of the lighting setups we’ll be learning on the day. I’ve selected 4 of my favourite and most versatile presets for each of the setups taught resulting in 12 Lightroom presets for you to keep and use in your own work.
Attendees will also be given access to a wide range of images to project
A major part of this workshop is about the images you can project onto your subject and scene. All attendees will be given access to a huge range of images that they may project in their own shots, plus they will be pointed in the direction of the best types of images to use and what to look for when preparing a projection shoot.
Where will the new workshop be held?
My new Art of Projection workshop will be held at my regular studio in Amersham. I've hosted nearly all of my workshops at Amersham studios over the years as it's a perfect space to hold all day training events of this size. Amersham is on the London Tube network and provides easy links for a lot of my international attendees. Plus the studio manager also provides complimentary pick-ups and drop-offs at the local train station if you're arriving via public transport.
Amersham studios will also be providing us with lunch, coffee and snacks throughout the day too.
Also; if you're planning on traveling and staying over the night before, the studio owner has tons of useful info on the best places to stay locally too. Once you've signed up he can help you with any questions you might have.
For more details on Amersham studio and where it's located, check out the link below.
Course: The Art of Projection
Format: In-person small group training event
Duration: Full Day
Date: April 30th - 2022 - AVAILABLE
Location: Amersham Studios | London | U.K.
Price: £349 Early Bird £50 OFF - CURRENTLY £299
October 19th 2019 - SOLD OUT
October 26th 2019 - SOLD OUT
March 28th 2020 - Postponed due to 2020 apocalypse.
September 5th 2020 - SOLD OUT
April 17th 2021 - SOLD OUT
October 9th - SOLD OUT
April 30th - 2022 - SOLD OUT
Are you travelling from further afield?
Nearly all of my London workshops have international attendees flying in from all over the world. There are a multitude of options available for places to stay around London, but one of the most popular choices for those attending my workshop is a traditional English estate that is situated just down the road from the studio called De Vere Latimer Estate
Of course there are plenty of reasonably priced and reliable AirBnB situated around the studio too. Feel free to either reach out to myself or the Amersham studio manager Simon for tips and advice on accommodation and travel whilst you’re here.
The studio also offers free pick-up and drop-offs at the nearly Amersham train station too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the right lighting workshop for me?
This new workshop has been written by myself with the intention to teach and explain a series of highly creative lighting setups that incorporate projectors into your work. If you are interested in learning about a lighting tool that has a seemingly limitless potential for creative applications, yet is currently sorely under-utilised by many in the industry right now, this is the lighting workshop for you.
Can you summarise what I'll take away from attending your Art of Projection Workshop?
You’ll learn about projectors and which ones are the best to use in conjunction with your photography, plus I’ll explain how to avoid some key pitfalls many photographers fall into when using projectors in their work currently. I’ll be covering in detail 4 very different lighting setups and within those I’ll show you a multitude of variations that can offer very different looks and results. Everyone will also get plenty of time to photograph our model for the day during the 4 core setups. Plus, you’ll walk away with my 30+ page comprehensive PDF of notes and you’ll also receive 12 of my Lightroom Presets that were designed specifically for the lighting taught at this workshop.
Jake, I've been to all of your other workshops, is there any new content in here for me?
Every single part of this workshop is entirely new. No part of this event has been shared online before, nor have I released a video containing any part of this workshop previously. If you’re one of the people who’ve attended my workshops in that past and left with a mountain of knowledge and ideas, this will expand that repertoire to the next level.
Do I need any prior knowledge before I arrive?
I strongly believe this course is for anybody who’s excited about learning more about creative studio lighting. I set everything up and you can choose to get involved as much, or as little as you like. I would however recommend that you're familiar with shooting your camera in manual mode, but if you have some experience of off-camera flash too, that is preferred but not mandatory. If you’re concerned that this event may be too advanced or advanced for your skill level right now, I assure you it isn't. I explain every single thing that I’m doing and I am more than happy to answer any and all questions and no secrets will be held back. I set up the lighting for everybody and I will be next to every person that shoots so as to offer any help if needed with your camera or settings. This is a small group workshop so at no point will you be left to your own devices, this ensures that every single attendee is guaranteed to walk away with incredible images on the day.
What do I need to bring with me on the day?
Pretty much any camera that can shoot in Manual mode and has a hot-shoe to trigger the lights is fine. If you'd like to bring a selection of lenses then please feel free to do so. A zoom lens that covers a range of at least 50mm-85mm will be fine for the entire day and I will likely be using my 24mm-70mm lens all day. If you have any 50mm, 85mm or 105mm prime lenses then feel free to bring those along too. I shoot with a Nikon camera and if you're a Nikon shooter too, you're always welcome to use my lenses if you’d like. Feel free to bring a notepad, but remember that all attendees will receive a pdf of everything discussed on the day anyway.
Can I use the images I take at the workshop?
You can of course share any pictures you take of the model on your portfolio and on social media, but you may not use any of those images for commercial gain. This basically means you can't sell the shots to stock agencies or get them published in magazines etc. as the model will not be signing a model release on the day.
What if I have a question about something after the workshop has ended?
As with all of my workshops, I will put together a Facebook group after the event for all of the attendees on the day. This is a great place to share the shots you took at the event, connect with the other attendees and of course ask me any questions that you didn't ask on the day. This is also a great way to get feedback on any future shoots you may have using the skills learned at the workshop too.
I take training very seriously so I am more than happy to offer feedback and advice on your future shoots that incorporate what you’ve learned here at the event. That private Facebook group for the workshop attendees is a great tool for you to get that feedback as you implement what you've learned from my workshops.
