On-line classes about Fashion and Style through SKILLSHARE

I love photography, but have never taken a class on the subject and really want to advance my skillset. So what to do? I came across a site called SKILLSHARE that is an online platform for classes on a bunch of topics, including now classes from their new School of Fashion and Style. They provided me with a free code and I opted to take the class "Introduction to Fashion Photography: Capture the Look". I selected this class from a broad selection of classes on all kinds of fashion-related topics because it is outside my comfort zone and I felt that I could really benefit from learning about how take pictures of people. I usually prefer landscapes and animals because they are good subjects for spontaneous images that never looked staged.

So I have always been hesitant about taking images of people for fear they looked staged. I started the first lesson and I really like the vibe of the class. There was a brief video with images from a real fashion shoot and the photographer gave a brief overview of her approach to taking fashion images. But what I really liked was the assignment. It provided a step-by-step instruction on what to do and really tied in well with the class. In addition, it was a basic assignment that was suitable for an introductory class and is certainly something that I can handle. 

I can actually see myself taking this picture after completing the class, I love the background mood.

One concern I had with taking classes related to a hobby that I hope I can turn into a side-job and maybe even a career was the time that I would have to commit to such a class. I work full-time and work pays the bills, so I cannot afford to miss work and really need a flexible class schedule. Online classes are perfect and the prices for these classes are just right. They are affordable; my class was less than $30. Plus, you can tell that the instructors and the people teaching you the class are passionate about their subject and want to help you succeed in learning new skills. 

again, I really like the mood that the background sets and I never noticed how important the background is to taking pictures of models. The mood is mostly background and complements the fashion.

 

My first lesson was on “Inspiration and Model Scouting“and this was perfect for me. I usually select landscapes that emit a mood and one of the lesson topics was selection on a background for a fashion shoot. I can basically move from my favorite landscape backgrounds to fashion photography by including a friend in the image. I never thought about fashion photography in combination with my usual landscape topics, but it all of a sudden clicked. And the ability to progress from my favorite scene of a landscape to a fashion shoot makes the task a lot less daunting. I also liked the fact that the instructor did not make the assumption that you have a portfolio and connections to real-life models or their agencies. I appreciated her recommendations to start off with friends and generate your portfolio that you can then use to approach agencies for future shoots. 

This set of images shows the breadth of classes that are offered. Something totally different, but still quality

 

Overall, what I like about the SKILLSHARE online classes from their School of Fashion and Style is the online format, the step-by-step instructions they provide, the passion the instructors have for their subject and the feasibility of the class assignments that can easily fit into the schedule of someone like me who works full-time. I am really happy I discovered these classes and feel confident, yet even after only one lecture, that I can gain valuable skills from this class that enable me now to expand the subject matter in my photographs.

SKILLSHARE also offers classes on how to start a fashion business and make industry contacts!

So if you are curious about SKILLSHARE, visit their homepage at http://marker.ly/b/skillshare8369/10666/2. If you are like me and you are interested in Fashion and Style classes, the broad range of topics offered here http://marker.ly/b/skillshare8369/10666/3 will probably surprise you as much as it surprised me. You will definitely find a class in your area of interest.  

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by SKILLSHARE. Nevertheless, the opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.