On Location Portraiture In London with Mark de Paola - May 2026

Back by popular demand, join New York City based fine art and fashion photographer Mark de Paola for this two-day portraiture masterclass.

Expanding on Mark de Paola’s one-day masterclass "Photography Wide Open," this two day intensive shooting workshop is designed for those interested in delving deep into storytelling through portraiture and fashion. Students will be presented with two sets of creative concepts over the course of two days to capture portraiture stories with Mark’s guidance, with pre-scouted locations and model agency talent.

Since he was twelve years old, Mark has used Leica cameras and lenses, especially the 50mm Noctilux, to deliver projects for clients ranging from Vogue and Gucci to Superbowl commercials and fine art photographic exhibitions. His first hand experience and wealth of still and motion imagery will provide a foundation for the class, and serve as a point of inspiration.
 

TOPICS:
- Building and crafting a narrative in portraiture and fashion
- The elements necessary to produce fashion photography
- Mark’s creative process from concept to completion in photographic storytelling
- Impact of lens choice on the creative process
- Working with natural light on-location
- Techniques for working at minimum focusing distances
- Capturing motion in a still image
- Understanding the collaboration between photographer and model
- Adapting a creative concept to your own visual style

Schedule

Saturday, 23rd May

The first day will begin with an opening lecture by Mark de Paola and will progress into an afternoon of shooting sessions introducing a creative concept for students to understand and capture.

10:00AM-12:30PM - Lecture + Student Introductions
12:30PM-1:30PM - Lunch Break
1:30PM-2:00PM - Transfer to shoot location
2:00PM-5:30PM - Creative #1: Shooting Sessions

Sunday, 24th May

Day 2 will include a morning shooting session with a second creative concept and concludes with one on one reviews and a group review to discuss each students final photographic stories.

10:00AM-12:30PM - Creative #2: Shooting Sessions
12:30PM-2:00PM - Lunch Break
2:00PM-4:00PM - One on One Student Reviews
4:00PM-5:30PM - Group Review and Discussion

What’s Included
- Individualized instruction by Mark de Paola
- Shoot production
- Talent and shoot team
- Leica UK Akademie support
-Loan Leica Camera Equiptment from the M, Q and SL range free of charge.
 

Please note that travel and accommodation are not included in this program and should be arranged individually by each participant.

Participant Requirements:

Laptops are required for the Sunday afternoon editing session with suitable post-processing editing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Capture One.

Who Should Attend:

This workshop is open to all levels of photographer who are keen to grow their skill set.
*A Leica Camera is not required for this class. Students must have a basic operational knowledge of their camera, however Leica Akademie Tutors are on hand to offer technical advise at all times.
An assortment of the latest Leica Cameras and lenses will be available on loan at no further cost for the duration of the workshop (please see T&C's).

Date: Saturday, 23rd & Sunday, 24th May 2026

Time: 10am to 5.30pm

Location:
Leica Akademie UK (Leica Client Services)
First Floor, 15 Greek Street, London, W1D 4DP