Join Chicago commercial photographer John Gress and special guest instructor Alvaro Balderas for a two-day bilingual lighting workshop designed primarily for Spanish-speaking photographers who want hands-on experience with studio lighting, portrait photography, and creative problem solving in a collaborative learning environment.

This workshop will be taught in both English and Spanish with live translation throughout the event, creating an approachable educational experience for photographers traveling from Mexico, across the United States and beyond.

Over the course of two days, we’ll explore a wide range of lighting techniques while photographing professional models in John’s Chicago studio. We’ll begin with foundational lighting concepts and progressively build toward more advanced multi-light setups, experimenting with different modifiers, lighting ratios, color, contrast, shaping techniques, and creative approaches used in real-world commercial and portrait photography.

Throughout the workshop, we’ll discuss not only how to create specific looks, but also why each lighting decision affects the final image. The goal is to help photographers develop a stronger understanding of light so they can create more intentional and consistent work long after the workshop ends.

Because this is a collaborative workshop, attendees will benefit from two instructors with different perspectives, approaches, and experiences while also participating in a highly interactive shooting environment with direct feedback and discussion throughout both days.

This workshop is designed for photographers who want to strengthen their technical foundations, gain confidence with lighting equipment, refresh their portfolio, and spend two days creating alongside other passionate photographers in a supportive environment.

We’ll also discuss workflow, tethering, modifier selection, light control, and post-production throughout the workshop.

For more information about my workshops please click here.

This workshop is limited to only 15 participants.

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

The Oakland intermediate lighting workshop is a hands-on learning experience designed to strengthen your understanding of studio lighting through practical shooting experience. We’ll begin the day working with a single light and progressively build toward multi-light setups while photographing professional model(s) and recreating some of my most recognizable images alongside new concepts and experiments.

Throughout the workshop, we’ll discuss modifiers, exposure, ratios, light placement, problem solving, and post-production while working through real-world lighting situations together. Most importantly, I want everyone to leave with a stronger understanding of how and why each light affects the final image so you can create more consistent and intentional results in your own photography.

This workshop is designed to be approachable for photographers who are newer to flash as well as photographers looking to refresh their work, strengthen their lighting foundations, or gain more confidence with studio lighting techniques.

At the end of the day, I’ll also demonstrate my post-production workflow in Capture One and answer Lightroom-related questions as well.

For more information about my workshops in general, please click here.

This workshop is limited to only 12 participants.

Wheelchair Accessible