Saturday

August 8

10 AM - 5 PM

Class Size Max: 12

How can the construction of a photoshoot become a stage to look at one another and ourselves? This one day workshop will immerse students in the possibilities and challenges of photographing people collaboratively. Topics covered include the complex and nuanced dynamics between photographer and subject, performance for the camera, best practices when directing subjects, and introducing play into one’s work. Through lecture, assignments, and guided photographic exercises, students will explore the genre of portraiture. Students will make portraits of one another using natural light in Highlight Studios, Manhattan's only authentic northlight studio, and on Penumbra’s rooftop. The group will discuss their associations with this genre, and through the act of photographing, each student will experiment and collaborate to produce original portraits. The group will actively define and redefine what a portrait is and what it can look like through reflection and production .

All students should bring any camera, film or digital, that they can confidently use to make photographs. A camera can be borrowed from Penumbra for the workshop if arranged in advance. No prior experience photographing people is required. Students will leave the workshop with the comfort, confidence, and framework to continue making portraits in their own practice.

If your desired tuition option is unavailable, please email info@penumbrafoundation.org and we will do our best to accommodate you. If the entire class is sold out, we can add you to the waitlist.

Sophie Joseph Schwartz is an artist and educator living between Brooklyn, NY and Cleveland, OH. Their practice positions collaboration as an entry point to explore grief, memory, and queer connection. Schwartz earned an MFA from Yale School of Art in 2023 where they were awarded the Richard Benson Prize and the Harvey Geiger Travel Fellowship, following a BA in Modern Culture + Media from Brown University in 2017. They’ve been a recent artist in residence at Visual Studies Workshop, WORTHLESSSTUDIOS, Flower City Arts Center, Penumbra Foundation, and Haystack. In 2023, Schwartz published their debut book, With and For, through Tall Poppy Press in Melbourne. They have previously taught at Rhode Island School of Design, School of Visual Art, Yale Norfolk School of Art, and currently serve on the faculty at New York University, Steinhardt and Penumbra Foundation. Schwartz is the director of Rubylith Darkroom in Brooklyn, NY.

Images © Sophie Schwartz