CARA HODGE PHOTOGRAPHY/
spring 2025
mentoring
Learning Family Photography with Cara.
Want to learn more about taking photos of your own children? Worried about challenging lighting conditions, or wondering when to click the shutter button - what makes a good photo, anyway?
My courses are designed for people who already know the basics of their camera, and ideally have a grasp of manual mode, but would like to start telling fresh stories with their photography. This could be a fine art portrait with a little staging, and use of simple props lying about the home. Or it could be a photo story that tells a complete narrative, in an honest and unposed way. We will pay particular attention to expression and gesture for authentic, emotive child photography. We will look at creating and editing in black & white as well as exploring colour family photography together.
Bio at a glance: You can read about Cara and see my published photos here.
(Also, I promise you, we will have fun creating these beautiful memories!)
THE CLASSES/THE 4 DIRECTIONS
cara hodge photographer: family photographer dublin & child portrait photographer. learn photography with cara. based in blackrock, south co. dublin
as a gift? vouchers available towards all workshops
half length workshop 4 hours: 375
The emotive child
(flexible hours)
650
2 weeks in person & online interactive workshop. Including going out on shoots together and liaising with me in person. or on Zoom.
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This course is designed to create more emotive, expressive, storytelling family portraits.
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A focus on the lifestyle environmental portrait & exploring connection. Going deeper by exploring gesture & "in between" expressions.
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Using every day objects lying around the environment, readily at hand, to create focal points to create more passionate, unusual & storytelling themes.
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Exploring the influences on own personality we can explore our personal creative voice. We see the world as we are & our most powerful emotive pictures will be a reflection of who we truly are. An expression of our hopes, dreams, and everything we have ever experienced.
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Creating 2 photo stores of 10 picture each based on a theme you would like to explore.
Letting go of perfection
(flexible hours)
650
2 weeks online & in person interactive workshop. Including shoots and liasing with me in person or over Zoom.
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Understanding the textbook definitions of what makes a good picture. The exposure triangle, light, composition e.g, rule of thirds. And then why we need to break the rules sometimes.
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Let go of "perfection" and explore what scares - imperfection, getting it plain wrong. Tricky lighting conditions, such as hard light & low (or little to no) light.
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Embracing old cameras and equipment that aren't top of the range to show that a picture is more than equipment. It really is the ghost in the machine!
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What creativity resides in the flawed. How imperfect child & family portraits can hide treasure for expressive storytelling pictures.
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Themed photo shoots and 2 photo stories.
The documentary child
(flexible hours)
650
2 weeks online & in person interactive workshop. Including going out on shoots together and liaising with me in person. or on Zoom.
This course is aimed at people who want to capture portraits of their children as honestly as possible.Including our older children, teenagers & young adults.
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The fundamentals of documentary family photography & focusing particularly on environmental child portraits with some staging when appropriate.
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In this Insta generation, there is a push for flawless, unquestioning beauty.
However a smile can eclipse every other emotion. We look at all expressions, including the smile
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Exploring connecting with our children that allows us to capture honest emotions & gestures in more powerful ways. Moments of uncertainty that create intrigue.
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A project centered around child portrait photography: gesture, including hands, and facial expressions
Using props in fine art child portraits
(flexible hours)
650
2 weeks on line & in person interactive workshop. Including going out on shoots together and liaising with me in person. or on Zoom.
Ever wondered how to use props naturally in child portrait photography?
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This workshop is about creating fine art child portraits that are compelling and have a story telling, sometimes quirky, element.
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You can be influenced by any objects you find lying around your home to create stories. There may be a still life element to these portraits.
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You will be asked to explore the art that you are drawn to - it may be paintings, music and other photographers that inspire you to tell a story.
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There will be time dedicated to editing the black & white child portrait.
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Project developed around working with 3 props that can be easily found in your environment or purchased if you wish.
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