Cinematic Inspiration and Creative Portrait Hacks Workshop given by Masha Glievoba

A workshop review written by Shelly England

Masha’s class was creativity and ideas for shooting like no other class I have taken.  First, she showed us how she gets her inspiration from different artists and movies.  Then she explained how she uses the leading lines in pictures to replicate the parts that she wants in her image. Then she showed us how she creates some of the unusual shots she sees that she likes.Using a sheet of plexiglass, she used beer and epsom salts to make the edges look like a haze or frost.  Then she showed us with a model how she would light the scene and use a hairdryer on the models hair while she shoots.  The final image was very cool and I’m sure attendees got different versions of it. Other ideas she showed us were using hair gel on the plexiglass, using a metal template with a pattern and a light to create a background, using a spray of water for effect and using aerosol atmosphere spray as well. Did I mention that Masha taught this class in Russian?  She had a translator so we also got to hear it in English.  I left so inspired to create something different and out of my box.  If she teaches this again, you will definitely want to take it!

Behind the Scenes pictures of Masha’s class. Photo credits to Fred Rogers.