The Arts Advocates Gallery is located inside the Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Enter the mall through the doors next to Connors Steak & Seafood and turn left.

Learn how to make creative portraits with your digital camera by watching, listening, and doing it yourself with help. We will use various types of lighting: continuous, flash, and moving flashlights. We will experiment with lighting placement, intensity, color temperature, modifiers, and reflectors. You will take turns being the model, posing the model, dressing the set, lighting, choosing camera settings for different effects, and more. You can watch and learn some techniques for development. 

Think about your portrait in advance and bring things to experiment with: hats, costumes, makeup, props, backdrops (fabric, a large painting, mat board).  Bring your camera, extra batteries, cards. If you have flash unit(s), tripod(s), a laptop computer, software for photo development, a thumb drive to move files, bring them. If you don't, no worries – you can collaborate with those who do. Bring your own lunch/snacks and beverages and we will take breaks. From serious to silly, we will make portraits that capture facets of our personalities.

About the Playshop Leader

Suzanne Havens has been making pictures her whole life: drawing, painting, photographs, and videos. Suzanne has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Masters in international business. She was first an art teacher then a marketing and advertising strategy professional. Her most recent solo art exhibit was at Arts Advocates in June with photos and photo montages focusing on flora and fauna. She is a volunteer photographer at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and a member of Englewood Camera Club. She has given programs to four area camera clubs and photo demonstrations at Selby. Before she was a volunteer at Selby, her photo won Selby's Best of Show in the 40th Annual Juried Photo Competition.