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one and three-person workshops. In Asia,
he teams up with another photographer to
handle 20- to 30-student workshops. He mar-
kets workshops primarily through social me-
dia and by word of mouth.
For his workshops in Asia, Caparas en-lists the help of a designer, a makeup artist,
and a local stylist to arrange a photo session
in the style and color scheme Caparas de-
sires. “Every step of the way, I am involved,”
he says of the process, which begins three
months prior to the workshop. He prepares
and presents a mood board to the makeupartist, stylist, and designer, who put together
a wardrobe and look for the models. “I try
not to have expectations because if I have
expectations I am usually disappointed,” he
says. “I am going with the mood board and
with what they can do.” He tells them, “Just
surprise me,” knowing that the color scheme
is the most important element. Otherwise,
he’s happy to be surprised. Many of his own
PPA Loan Collection and merit images have
been made during these workshops.
Caparas’ workshops are typically two days
—the first day for shooting, with lessons
on lighting, and the second for editing and
post-processing. One-on-one sessions are
three days long, allowing the student an ex-
tra day to soak in post-processing.
“Anybody can do the light, but the post-
processing is where you get your signature,”
Caparas says. How you process, the way you
tone the image and crop it says a lot about
your own sensibility. “I advise them on the
tools they need to create an impactful im-
age. Everybody has their own preferences
that come out naturally for them. Whether
you like it or not, your personality comes out
after you have the tools to work with.” He
teaches students how to use channel mask-
ing, color balancing, blending modes, and
other tools in Adobe Photoshop.
To supplement his workshops, Caparas
creates video lessons that are given to stu-
dents before their class so they can begin
learning in advance. “I don’t like people
to attend the same workshop over and over.
I feel bad about them doing that. I think they
should just pay for it one time. It’s not good
for me moneywise, but it’s a matter of prin-
ciple,” he says. Releasing the videos ahead
of time also allows for more advanced inter-
action during workshops. Students who have
viewed the videos ask informed questions.
After the workshop, Caparas encourages
students to join a closed Facebook group,
where he posts tips and tricks. Students are
encouraged to message him with questions
about their own work. And if the question
is difficult to answer in writing, he asks for
the raw file and sends the student a video
demonstrating his process for editing the
image—at no cost.
“That is why I’m poor,” he jokes. But no
doubt rich in photographer friends. •erich3d.com