Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 May 2027
Taught in English · Limited to eight photographers
The Classical Portrait: A Two-Day Masterclass in Geneva (Rory Lewis Photographer)
Geneva is where heads of state, diplomats and leaders of the world’s institutions come to meet. For one weekend in May, it hosts a masterclass from the photographer who makes their portraits.
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Over two days in the studio, Rory Lewis teaches the methods behind portraits now held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Royal Collection. His sitters include five British Prime Ministers, members of the British Royal Family and reigning monarchs. His practice spans London, Los Angeles and New York, and its foundation is the light of the Old Masters: Holbein, Caravaggio, Van Dyck and Rembrandt.
The weekend opens and closes with a lecture. In between, you photograph four professional models across two days, working on two lit sets in groups of no more than four.
The four shoots
The weekend moves from a single light to the full classical three-light build. Every delegate works on all four sets.
Saturday: one light
Rembrandt lighting. A single key light, set high at 45° to form the triangle of light on the shadow-side cheek. You learn how small changes in the light’s height and angle open or close that triangle, how to feather the light so it falls away across the face, and when to turn the sitter rather than move the light.
Chiaroscuro. The same single source pushed toward tenebrism, so the face emerges from darkness the way Caravaggio painted it. You learn negative fill to deepen the shadows, a tightly controlled beam that keeps light off the background, how short and broad lighting change a sitter’s character, and how to pose hands so they read in near-darkness.
Sunday: two and three lights
Two lights. A second source added with intent. First you use it as fill, at ratios from 8:1 to 2:1, to see how a portrait moves from dramatic to approachable. Then you move it behind the sitter as a rim light to separate the head and shoulders from a dark ground. You also learn when a reflector does the job better.
Three lights. The full classical build: key, fill and rim, with a background light to shape the tonal gradient behind the head. You build it one light at a time, judge each addition, and keep the drama of chiaroscuro within the complete setup. This is the lighting used for formal and state portraiture.
Programme
Saturday 29 May
10.00 – 12:30 · Lecture: The Grammar of Shadow. The portrait tradition from Holbein to Caravaggio, Van Dyck and Rembrandt: how the Masters placed light, how to read a face, and how to direct a sitter.
12:30 – 13:30 · Lunch break (not included)
13:30 – 16:00 · One light: Rembrandt lighting and chiaroscuro. Two models on two sets; the groups swap at 14:30.
Sunday 30 May
10.00 – 13:00 · Two and three lights: fill, rim and the classical build. Two new models; the groups swap at 11:15.
13:00 – 14:00 · Lunch break (not included)
14:00 – 16:00 · Lecture and critique: From Frame to Portrait. Selecting, editing and presenting your work, a review of every delegate’s strongest images, and questions on commissions and building a portrait practice.
Included
Two full days of tuition with Rory Lewis
Four professional models, two each day
All studio lighting, modifiers, flags and grids
Individual critique of your images