Portrait Photographs that Tell a Story
A course by Ricardo Pinzón HidalgoPhotographer
A course by Ricardo Pinzón Hidalgo, Photographer
Learn to tell a person's story through editorial portraits
A large part of a photographer's job is to try to capture in an image everything that our eyes cannot see, such as the essence of people, spaces, and the stories behind them. Ricardo Pinzón is a renowned photographer who has that innate talent of capturing the aura of individuals and portraying it in his editorial photographs.
In this online course, Ricardo teaches you how to tell stories through portraits. Take a series of photographs of a person of your choice, learning how to convey their essence to create images that say more about them than words.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 10 downloads
What will we do in the course
1 minute, 36 seconds
Editorial Assignment
7 minutes, 10 seconds
How to search the story
14 minutes, 40 seconds
Investigation
5 minutes, 32 seconds
The preproduction of the portrait
5 minutes, 56 seconds
Preparation I
11 minutes, 23 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course with an introduction from photographer Ricardo Pinzón, who tells you a bit about himself and his professional career, along with the influences that have shaped his style.
Learn more about the publishing world and what taking on editorial assignments entails.
Next, get to work on your own project, thinking about the story you want to tell in your photographs. Define your concept by getting to know your subject and start planning your photoshoot, envisioning your ideas into images.
After covering equipment and materials, Ricardo talks you through his process for a shoot, including tips on how to interact with your subject to make them feel comfortable at all times.
See how to create lighting set-ups as well as how to improvise with the light during the photo session.
Once you've finished, choose the photographs that best convey your concept to edit. Ricardo teaches you how to reveal and retouch your images to express your vision.
Wrap up by piecing together your story in an editorial layout, ensuring that the photographs are coherent with one another and that they convey your idea clearly.
What is this course's project?
Create a series of three photographic portraits of the same person that tell a story for an editorial article.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in photography and photo editing who wants to learn to tell stories through images, especially for editorial projects.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you need basic notions of photography, as well as a camera and a computer.
Reviews
- juanquintero6PLUS1 month ago
Muy bueno el curso, super ilustrativo. El presentador te lleva paso a paso, compartiendo su experiencia y entiendes muchas cosas útiles en el día a día, desde el origen de la idea hasta la diagramación para la publicación. Recomiendo totalmente el curso, ha ampliado mi visión fotográfica desde la preproducción hasta la entrega del producto final.
- 1 month ago
"¡10 de 10! Un curso totalmente práctico que transforma tu forma de mirar. Pasas de tomar simples fotos a capturar historias reales desde el primer día."
- 3 months ago
Un curso muy explicativo y didáctico.
- 9 months ago
The content was good but the subtitles were not easy to follow. Ricardo is clearly passionate about his work and what would otherwise have been an excellent video was let down by the quality of the subtitles.
- 1 year ago
Buenísimo!!! Es mucha la información que nos regala, de verdad me sorprendió todo lo que aprendí en este curso.
Totalmente recomendado!
He went on to study a master's degree in photography at the Centro Internacional de Fotografía y Cine (EFTI) in Madrid where he discovered contemporary photography, which changed the way he approached editorial work. After returning to Colombia, he began to make a name for himself as an editorial photographer, portraying all kinds of celebrities and working with renowned international magazines such as Vanity Fair UK, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Esquire México, and El País (Spain). He later became a director of photography at the renowned magazine Esquire Colombia.
With more than two decades of experience under his belt, he currently works as a freelance photographer specialized in editorial and advertising photography for important clients around the globe, including Mango, Sony Music, Falabella, DDB, Leo Burnett, and Mullen Lowe.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course
- U2
The assignment
- Editorial Assignment
- How to search the story
- Investigation
- The preproduction of the portrait
- U3
Day of photos
- Preparation I
- Preparation II
- Model Management
- Shooting (lighting and composition) I
- Shooting (lighting and composition) II
- U4
Postproduction
- Selection of photos I
- Selection of photos II
- Retouching and developing
- Editorial Diagramming
- FP
Final project
- Narration in the editorial portrait
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Editorial photography focuses on storytelling and portraying characters for publications like magazines, while advertising photography aims to sell products or services. Editorial photography prioritizes visual narrative and emotional expression.
The course is designed for people with intermediate photography skills who want to specialize in editorial and portrait photography. You don’t need to be an expert, but basic experience with camera handling and lighting is recommended.
You’ll learn how to plan and execute editorial shoots, manage models, use lighting techniques, build visual narratives, and edit images for publications, with an emphasis on portraiture and emotional expression.
You’ll need a camera (digital or analog), portrait lenses (ideally 85mm), light sources (natural and/or artificial), basic lighting accessories, and a computer for image editing.
Yes, the course covers experimental and developing techniques in analog photography, including working with Tri-X film to achieve professional black-and-white results.
Yes, you’ll learn how to direct models, create a trusting atmosphere, capture authentic expressions, plus techniques to correct poses and convey emotions through portraiture.
Yes, the course teaches visual storytelling strategies, moodboard creation, and planning character-driven visual stories for editorial media.