You get the call from the art director at a national magazine. He wants to hire you to photograph an award-winning doctor in your area for an upcoming issue. The doctor’s schedule is tight and the magazine’s deadline is even tighter. Can you handle the assignment? Join photographer Allison Leach to gain hands-on, behind-the-scenes experience creating images for the editorial market and confidently say “Yes!” when the call comes your way.

Allison begins this lively week by defining editorial photography and showing you examples of her past assignment work. She talks openly about what went into creating each shot and provides the back-story to some of her most memorable assignments. She discusses the elements that go into coordinating a production—from making travel arrangements, hiring a crew, styling and scouting—to identifying your equipment needs. You practice creating a concept, interpreting and working within the parameters of a given assignment, communicating with photo editors, and adapting to specific and sometimes challenging shooting situations. Throughout this mini-intensive course, you are given three distinct assignments to shoot on location, which you complete while working in small groups. These assignments are modeled after real-world scenarios and range from producing a standard business portrait, to photographing a personality for a human-interest story, to fulfilling a “typical” celebrity shoot—all from concept to job delivery. Allison provides ongoing critiques of your work and encourages you to take advantage of her insights and secrets before entering the editorial photography market.

Visit Allison’s bio to learn more about her photographic accomplishments.