Great photography can help level-up a business, grow your social media presence and tell stories powerfully.

Learn how to capture your work or others' with Hacker Lab's studio-grade equipment, lighting and techniques.

This hands-on, 1-on-1 session is great for anyone looking to create high-quality studio images or members looking to capture their work (not a member yet? Explore a free tour).

How It Works

Schedule your 1-on-1 session to learn how to use our equipment. If you are a member, this class gives you access to the photo studio.

Open to all, sign up for your own one-on-one session with Hacker Lab instructor Qiana to cover all things photography. When selecting your ticket, simply choose which class you'd like to cover.

Please be aware: if you have not taken Hacker Lab photo classes before you must start with Photo 101.

Qiana can teach you:

• Photo 101: Intro to Studio Photography & Lighting - start here
• Photo 102: Product & Still-life Studio Lighting - Photo 101 is a pre-requisite
• Photo 103: Portraiture and Modeling Studio Lighting - Photo 101 is a pre-requisite

Introducing: Double Trouble Twosome-Tickets! We've added tickets for twosomes! Parent + child (15yo+), partners, couples, or BFFs that just live together. Sign up for a Twosome-Ticket if you and someone in your bubble want to take the class together. Please, no unaccompanied minors.

Please be aware: due to the nature of the 1-on-1 sessions, we have a 48 hour cut-off for scheduling - you must schedule your session at least 48 hours ahead of the session. Our normal cancellation policy of 48 hours advanced notice also applies.

See below for the overviews of what each class covers:

Photo 101: Intro to Studio Photography & Lighting

If this will be your first Hacker Lab photography class, start here

In this class, we will introduce the key elements needed to create high-quality images in a lighting studio. Learn about the different types of strobes, hot lights, reflectors, and materials, and how to manipulate light in order to create stunning images.

This course is an orientation to the Hacker Lab photo studio, and an introduction to studio lighting. The main goal of this lecture and demonstration class is for you to become familiar with the equipment available to you in the Hacker Lab photo studio. In addition to an overview of the equipment you will be given an introduction to the basic functions of a DSLR camera as well as studio lighting. A basic understanding of your camera is recommended.

We will cover:

• Studio Overview:
  • An overview of what equipment is available
  • Safety precautions for working with studio lighting
  • Studio usage procedures (logging in and reserving studio time)
• Lighting Concepts:
  • Quality of light, discussion, and demonstration
  • Studio lighting exposure techniques for strobe and continuous tone lights
  • How to control shading and contrast
• Product Lighting:
  • Basic techniques to light small products
  • Basic techniques to light flat art
• Portrait Lighting:
  • Lighting ratios
  • Head positioning

What to bring

• A pen and notebook
• No camera required, however you may bring a DSLR if you have one
• This class is both a lecture and a demonstration

Photo 102: Product & Still-life Studio Lighting

Pre-requisite:Photo 101: Intro to Studio Photography & Lighting

This course focuses on lighting skills specific to Product and Still Life Photography. The goal is to familiarize students with the lighting tools available to members at the Hacker Lab. We will cover composition, lighting, and capture techniques to create compelling images that can be used to market products and to showcase texture, color, scale, and purpose. It is encouraged to bring a product or object with you and the instructor will explore options for photographing your object to showcase its unique characteristics. This class will be part lecture and part demonstration.

We'll Cover:

• Essential Equipment
• Lighting Equipment
• Exposure Techniques
• Controlling Light
• Using Backgrounds, Sets and Props
• Composition & Aesthetic
• Techniques for Reflective Products
• Techniques for General Products

What to bring

• A pen and notebook
• No camera required, however you may bring a DSLR if you have one
• This class is both a lecture and a demonstration

Photo 103: Portraiture and Modeling Studio Lighting

Pre-requisite:Photo 101: Intro to Studio Photography & Lighting

This course will provide an introductory understanding of lighting techniques for creating compelling images of people for catalog, editorial, and classical portraiture. Techniques for composition, lighting skin and hair, and posing will be introduced, as well as tips for how to make your subjects more comfortable in a studio setting.

We'll Cover:

• Camera Concepts
• Lighting skin and hair textures
• Hard Light vs Soft Light
• Controlling shadows, contrast, and color
• Posing the model and finding flattering angles
• Head shots (Butterfly, Rembrandt etc.)
• Half shots
• Three-quarter shots
• Full length shots
• Positioning to avoid asymmetry and unflattering head and body shapes

What to bring

• A pen and notebook
• No camera required, however you may bring a DSLR if you have one
• This class is both a lecture and a demonstration

Important information for all classes:

• Please make sure to arrive 10-15 minutes early and sign our general release of liability agreement.
• Please review Hacker Lab's current COVID precautions by clicking here.
• Do not come into the Lab if you have a cough, fever, or feel sick in the past 14 days.
• If you sign up for and show up to the 102 or 103 classes but have not taken the 101 class, the instructor may teach you the 101 class instead, at their discretion.