Advanced Course: Studio Photography

By the end of this course, you will know how to conduct a studio photo shoot, set up lighting, use the appropriate equipment, and handle commercial assignments. Ionuț Staicu will guide you through different types of equipment, portrait and product photography, commercial brief creation, specific post-processing, and building a studio photography portfolio.

What you will learn/do:

• Studio photography fundamentals – learning about basic equipment, light setup, and technical settings of the device;

• Lighting schemes and practical exercises – from classic (split, Rembrandt, butterfly) to creative colored lighting and special effects;

• Portrait photography in the studio – how to create expressive, natural or dramatic portraits, using backgrounds, accessories and advanced lighting techniques.;

• Product photography – highlighting textures and shapes for commercial or editorial images, with exercises for complex products such as glass or reflective materials;

• Advanced post-processing – color correction, detailed retouching and preparing images for print or advertising;

• Commercial photography and portfolio building – simulating a real project, from brief to final delivery, and selecting images for a professional portfolio.

  
  

Course schedule:

• Saturday, February 21, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Introduction to Studio Photography and Technical Fundamentals

• Sunday, February 22, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Basic Lighting Schemes

• Saturday, March 7, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Studio Portraiture - Basic Practice

• Sunday, March 8, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Studio Portraiture - Advanced Practice

• Saturday, March 21, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Product Photography - Basic Practice

• Sunday, March 22, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Product Photography - Advanced Practice

• Saturday, April 4, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Advanced Studio Photography (Artistic Project)

• Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Post-Processing for Studio Photography

• Saturday, April 25, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Commercial Photography - Project Simulation

• Sunday, April 26, 2026, 11:00 - 17:00 - Final Evaluation and Portfolio Building

Course details:

This course is intended for those who already know how to use their camera in manual mode and have basic post-processing knowledge (Lightroom/ Capture One/ Photoshop etc.) and who want to learn more about studio photography.

You will need a digital camera with manual control and detachable lenses. You will also need a laptop or tablet with post-processing software installed.

The course will be held entirely in the studio (Studio 82, Luterană 13bis and/or at Opera Studio, Sfinții Apostoli, Bucharest).

About the lecturer (short bio):

Ionuț Staicu photographs fashion, beauty, artists and products; he is passionate about analog photography and is a studio expert. Ionuț started in 1999 as a fashion photographer, collaborating with all the Romanian magazines and modeling agencies. In addition to fashion pictorials, he is passionate about performance and has photographed entire series of artists, especially from theater and dance; he was Adi Bulboacă's mentor, and they’re still sharing the same studio. He feels at ease when he has the camera in his hand, knows how important teamwork is and is very generous with information when teaching. In recent years, he has moved to product photography and creates visual stories for clients. He likes the border between photo and video, often using elements of movement in photography.