Portrait session, 23 March

There are times when, while arranging the portraiture group, a sitter cannot make it, for whatever reason. It’s a bit of a shame, but it happens. This session was one of those, so I stood in for the sitter as I couldn’t find another on such short notice.
The set-up for these portraiture sessions is really pretty simple; the only equipment needed is a cheap photography screen, two lights (preferably with intensity and a warm/cool colour adjustment controller) and some chairs. This allows for up to 6 (7 at a push) artists to paint one sitter.

Portrait session layout for two sitters, or more than 6 artists.

I’ve found that overhead lights are often needed, as artists often need a lot of light on their palettes to work comfortably. The issue is that overhead lights often flood the face, removing most shadows, so having a strong LED lamp is essential to have some interest. Ideally, I would have two lights on each sitter (a warm and a cool light), or a reflector, but the issue with that is that the second light source is more likely to be in the eyes of one or more of the artists.
It can be difficult to get a good balance of lighting and attendees’ comfort. But this set-up works.