I attended Precision Camera University (PCU) again this year, run by the local full-service camera store. Earlier this year, I blogged about my 2023 PCU experience. The themes and styles can change dramatically from year to year, as seen from the PCU 2023 post, but the classes revolve around portraiture.

I dabble in portraiture, but they are a small fraction of the pictures I make and post on the blog. However, I’m increasingly enjoying the challenge and attending more classes. Sometimes, I just shoot pictures, but I also get to play with new techniques.

Of the four classes at PCU this year, I enjoyed the Matrix-themed one the most. In this photo, I’m lighting the subjects with a strobe and a giant softbox. This allows me to expose the background slightly darker to reveal the details. Typically, under these conditions, the background would be overly bright to get a good exposure of the subject without extra light. It’s a technique I knew about but rarely used since it involves clumsy, large gear necessitating assistants. Having the environment set up for a class makes it significantly easier.

I have also made a significant equipment change since PCU 2023. During last year’s university, I borrowed Sony gear to test. I was unfamiliar and clumsy with the new system. With a year of use under my belt, I was fluently using the Sony A7C, which allowed me to concentrate more on making portraits.

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