One Room. Two Lights. Unlimited Portraits with Kersten Luts

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 9/26/2026 from 12:00–3:00 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event.

In this practical three-hour class, portrait photographer and educator Kersten Luts shows how one small room and two strobes can become the starting point for an almost unlimited range of portraits.

Rather than rushing through a fixed collection of lighting recipes, Kersten teaches a repeatable system for creating variation. Beginning with a simple portrait setup, he changes one element at a time so students can clearly see how decisions involving light, background, colour, lens choice, camera position, posing and expression transform the final image.

Students will learn how to move from soft and natural-looking portraits to dramatic low-key lighting, beauty, hard light, bold colour, patterned shadows and creative effects—all within the same limited space and without relying on window light.

Throughout the class, Kersten explains not only how each portrait is created, but why each change works, what problems to watch for and how the same principles can be adapted to different subjects, rooms and equipment.

The goal is not to copy a set number of finished images. It is to give photographers a practical creative framework they can use to generate their own portrait variations using the space and equipment they already have.

This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Kersten Luts.

What You'll Learn

• Build a repeatable lighting system using just two strobes in a single small room.
• Change one variable at a time — light, background, colour, lens choice, camera position, posing, and expression — to see exactly how each decision affects the final image.
• Move between soft, natural-looking portraits and dramatic low-key, beauty, hard light, bold colour, patterned shadow, and creative-effect looks, all without window light.
• Understand not just how each portrait is created, but why each change works and what problems to watch for.
• Adapt the same principles to different subjects, rooms, and equipment you already own.

Who It's For

• Portrait photographers working with limited space who want to get more variety out of the room they have.
• Photographers who rely on window light and want a repeatable studio lighting system instead.
• Anyone who owns two strobes and wants to understand how to use them to their full creative potential.
• Photographers who want to understand the "why" behind lighting decisions, not just copy a fixed set of recipes.

How to Join

• This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube.
• The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.
• After the live event, the class will be available for purchase.

About the Instructor

Kersten Luts is a UK-based portrait photographer, educator, and host of The Camera Shake Podcast. Known for his clean, cinematic style and practical teaching approach, Kersten specializes in helping photographers create high-end results using simple, accessible techniques.