Between Light and Shadow: The Architecture of Visual Storytelling

Amber Damour and Kenzie Hunter
Track: Digital Post-production

At a Glance

• Develop meaningful visual stories by transforming ideas, emotions, and experiences into intentional photographic artwork.
• Capture storytelling portraits with purpose using lighting, composition, posing, wardrobe, props/set design, and creative direction.
• Photograph and construct believable composites by learning perspective, scale, light, and planning before opening Photoshop.
• Master painterly Photoshop techniques including advanced retouching, color grading, compositing, atmosphere, and creating depth and dimension.
• Strengthen your creative process through hands-on exercises that build artistic confidence, problem-solving skills, and a repeatable workflow from concept to finished image.

Class Description

Every unforgettable image begins long before the camera is ever lifted. It begins with an idea, an emotion, or a human experience waiting to be transformed into something visual. In this immersive, hands-on class, you’ll learn how to translate inspiration into compelling photographic art by combining intentional storytelling, artistic foundations, portrait photography, and painterly compositing into one cohesive creative process.

Together, Amber Damour and Kenzie Hunter will guide you through the complete journey from concept to finished artwork. You’ll learn how to identify the emotional center of an image, develop meaningful visual narratives, and make intentional creative decisions that strengthen your story. Through live demonstrations and guided shooting exercises with models, you’ll photograph your own elements while learning how lighting, composition, posing, wardrobe, perspective, lens choice, and creative direction work together to create believable, emotionally resonant imagery.

Along the way, you’ll discover how thoughtful scene design, carefully chosen props, handcrafted elements, and artistic problem-solving transform simple concepts into richly layered works of photographic art. You’ll also participate in creativity-building exercises designed to help you think beyond the obvious, overcome creative roadblocks, and develop ideas that are uniquely your own.

Once your images are captured, you’ll move into the digital darkroom and build a complete composite from start to finish using the elements photographed during class. Through live Photoshop demonstrations, you’ll learn how to seamlessly combine multiple images while mastering advanced skin retouching, painterly editing, color grading, atmospheric effects, and techniques for creating believable light, shadow, depth, and dimension. More importantly, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the artistic principles behind successful composites, learning how perspective, form, color, and light work together to create images that feel authentic rather than manipulated.

This class is about far more than Photoshop or compositing techniques—it’s about learning to think like an artist. Whether you’re an intermediate or advanced photographer looking to elevate your client work, competition images, or personal projects, you’ll leave with a repeatable framework for developing concepts, photographing with purpose, solving creative challenges, and constructing imagery that connects with viewers on an emotional level.

Rather than simply teaching you how to create a composite, this class will transform the way you approach visual storytelling, giving you the artistic confidence and creative process to produce work that is intentional, emotionally impactful, and unmistakably your own. The skills you develop will strengthen not only your artwork but also your ability to stand out in today’s competitive photography industry by creating images with greater meaning, originality, and lasting impact.

Students should bring: a camera, a portrait lens suitable for indoor photography, and a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop installed for the editing portion of class.

• CLASS INTENSITY: Blue
• CLASS BREAKDOWN
  Classroom instruction & demos: 30%
  Hands-on: 30%
  Post-production: 40%
• PREREQUISITES:
  Lighting 3: Confident with additive light and OCF
  Post-Production 3: Can work with layers, layer masks & understand blend modes.
  Studio Business 1: All levels

What do these mean? Learn More