The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

MORE and more people are taking up photography as a leisure pursuit or even a career choice. Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure, photography is rapidly growing in popularity.

However, many who engage in this activity know very little about what a camera can do, including how exposure to different types of light or environments can produce a great variety of shots.

Lots of people who think of themselves as aspiring photographers simply work with a simple point-and-shoot or a cell phone camera.

But the professionals know, although it may be easy for just about anyone to take a picture, it takes a lot of work and experience to turn a simple photo into a work of art or a bankable product.

It is in this vein that well-known Bahamian photographer Scharad Lightbourne hosted a photography workshop called “Shoot, Share, Sell” last week.

He told Tribune Arts and Entertainment that he believes the workshop was an enlightening experience for participants.

It was his third time hosting the workshop, which was held at the New Providence Community Centre.

Throughout the workshop, participants learned how to fully utilise the digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera settings instead of just relying on the automatic settings.

They were taught about understanding different lenses and their uses; how to find inspiration in their surroundings; what to do from start to finish when planning a photo shoot; working with different lighting conditions in the studio; creating the mood of the set and branding their work by creating a logo, website, stationery, promotional materials and social media profiles.

The seminar also included a special session on taking better images with smartphones for social media.

Scharad said over the past few months he has gotten numerous calls and messages from people asking to join him on set to learn about what he does. He said he thought it was the appropriate time for him to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with others.

“The workshop has been a good outlet for me to meet people and for them to learn a little bit of what I know as a photographer. This is the reason why I decided to do another workshop this year,” he said.

The workshop demanded of participants to engage in several interesting challenges, Scharad said.

“I had two teams create ad campaigns for Dasani and for Coca-Cola, and I told them to come up with the direction they want in the campaign using the Coca-Cola bottle or the Dasani bottle. I had models come in, a make-up artist, a fashion stylist. Each person on the team had to shoot a photo that would go into the campaign,” Scharad said.

“It was really awesome watching everyone come together and utilise all the skills that they learned on the first day of the workshop. Day three was the last day and that was when they learned about the business side of photography, how to position themselves when they are on social media and the dos and don’ts of being a professional online; someone who is in the public eye.”

For persons who were unable to be physically present at the workshop, they were able to participate and learn from the event via the internet.  

“I have gotten some attention from persons in the US and the Caribbean, and especially Jamaica, so I created a webinar where people could log in and learn from the classes online. I really did not know that the workshop would have gotten as much interest as it did,” he said.

After the course, participants at the workshop and those following along at home thanked Scharad for the opportunity to learn more about photography.

Christina Yasguirre of Freeport said: “I have learned so much more that I thought I would, especially from watching the live broadcast from Monday’s session. I have already started using some of the things (Scharad) said and I can see the benefits already.”

Gabre Cameron from Jamaica said: “I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your workshop. Really wished I could have been there, maybe next time you could do one in Jamaica. Day three was very informative. I will re-watch it just in case I missed something. I still have questions, but I will wait until you post the links and documents. Again, just want to say a big thank you.”

Scharad said there he has several projects planned for the remainder of the year.

“I have not stopped working since January. I do not think I had a break all year. Right now, I am in the middle of producing new work for my website and portfolio. I have been working with a lot of local Bahamian talent,” he said.

“Hopefully in the near future I will enter some photo competitions and start building up some real credits to my name, because right now I am just a photographer who can take good photos.”