We're excited to bring you a behind-the-scenes peek into the STEAM Studio portrait lighting workshop!

This summer, VITA PHOTO lead photographer Nicoletta Ruane was invited to host a portrait lighting workshop at YouMedia's STEAM Studio in the Chicago Cultural Center. 

Five young people participated in the lighting workshop which opened with an overview and history of some of the elements of portrait lighting. Then we got right to work experimenting on each other!

We spent a lot of time studying each other's faces, positioning our light to get a desired effect, and testing exposure.

And then we did it again, and again, and again.

We also learned that when it comes to photography, patience is key!

YouMedia Digital Learning Instructor Jeff Lassahn was an excellent facilitator. He made sure everyone was able to experiment with the different lighting patterns and had a partner to work with. (Don't miss any updates to Jeff's website as he documents life during wartime.)

The portrait lighting workshop was a terrific experience. It was well-prepared, the participants had high expectations for what they were going to learn and they came away with a much improved ability to control light and exposure.

We can't wait to work with YouMedia and the Chicago Public Library again!