class by Lindsey bergstrom

Portrait Revolution

Learn to create photography portraits so raw, beautiful, and meaningful they become timeless treasures. 

This class helps you discover yourself as a portrait artist, learning to trust yourself so that your subjects can trust you with their most vulnerable moments.

I'm interested
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COURSE LENGTH

2 weeks

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class start date

16th March 2026

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INVESTMENT

$250 / $300

Independent / Guided

A young girl lying on a paved surface with her eyes open, her long hair spread out around her head, and her hands resting on her chest. Shadows of leaves create patterns of light and shadow on the ground.
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LINDSEY bergstrom

Taking a portrait is an intimate act—there's this wordless trust that happens between you and your subject. But here's the thing: portraits aren't just photos of people. 

They're stories frozen in time, where your artistic voice and their story meet like an eclipse.

We've become passive viewers of art in our social media world, but as artists, we need to be active observers. This class builds your art history foundation—teaching you how to really see art and experiment with new ideas and vocabulary. Through lessons focused on crafting and finding portraits, you'll discover as much about YOUR unique approach as you will about the technical side of taking portraits.

Because honestly?

The real magic happens when a portrait is made with your distinct artistic voice.

A black and white portrait of a young girl with long hair, staring directly at the camera, with one hand on her face and the other resting on her shoulder. 
LINDSEY bergstrom
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  • Ready to revolutionize your portraiture?

    • Dive into the history of portrait photography 

    • Define portraits and what they mean for you in your artistic journey

    • Practice art analysis to hone your own artistic practice and technique

    • Learn approaches to portraiture (environmental, storytelling, documentary)

    • Practice composition and natural/available lighting strategies for portraiture

    • Put portrait techniques to practice for purposeful portrait making

    • How to integrate the unexpected into portraiture so you can “portrait” anywhere, anytime 

    • Lightroom editing for portraits

    • Freelensing portraits

    • How to use relationships and timing to create tension and authentic rapport between the viewer and the subject

  • This two week online interactive class will include:

    • a space for supportive connection with fellow photographers that welcomes curiosity, celebrates breakthroughs

    • 19 thoughtfully written and video exercises designed to reveal your unique photographic voice and expand your approach to portrait making

    • helping you hone your art critic eye, taking you from a passive to active art viewer 

    • daily interaction from me regarding presented material and discussions

    • 3 assignments (1 written assignment and 2 photo assignments) 

    • Bonus photo challenges to help you stay on top of the material (detailed feedback will not be given on bonus assignments)

    • individual feedback for guided students on all photo assignments plus screen capture editing feedback. While this is not an editing class we will cover the ideas behind editing specifically for portraits

    • Several editing videos to get an idea of how I approach culling and editing for portraits

    • Independant students will be provided a section of the classroom to interact with one another but should not ask questions outside that area or submit assignments

    • 1 x Live Zoom Meet & Goal Make - an informal time when we introduce ourselves and talk about each person’s goal for the class so I can craft the best individual experience for each student’s unique goals(recorded if you can’t attend live)

    • 1 x Live Wrap up Q&A Zoom Session  (recorded if you can’t attend live)

    • at the conclusion of the workshop, a 60 page digital PDF will be provided containing all the lessons presented during the course

  • In order to participate in this class you need to be comfortable shooting in manual mode with a DSLR. All photographers: professionals and hobbyists are welcome. To get all you can from this workshop it is important that you are able to shoot daily for assignments/exercises. While this workshop covers many portrait techniques it also covers learning your own approach and working with people. It is imperative for this workshop that you have access to children or adults so that you have subjects to photograph. 

  • Interactive classes are held online and registration opens seasonally.

    Guided students can participate fully in class, by asking questions, submitting assignments, and getting personalized feedback from your teacher.

    Independent students have full access to class content and can participate in class discussions —they just don’t get teacher critique and feedback on images or assignments.

“Lindsey transformed my thinking about portraits, it truly was revolutionary. It totally deepened and expanded my understanding of portraits as art... with purpose and intention... and the ability to capture and communicate relationship and emotion... I am truly grateful for this class.”

juliet biagi
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MEET THE TEACHER

Lindsey

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Bergstrom

Hello, I’m Lindsey. If you knew me 30 years ago, you would have found me in a darkroom that doubled as a saddle shop..

If you knew me 25 years ago, you would have found me working at the Smithsonian, helping archive collections—from 3D imaging of huge historic airplanes to tiny Women's Right to Vote pins. The highlight? Direct printing Edward Curtis 8x10s.

If you knew me 20 years ago, you would have found me pursuing my Master's degree, focusing on portrait-heavy documentary work: military spouses during deployment, World War II veterans, rural motherhood, and Welsh shepherds.

And if you know me now, you'll find me documenting my own children's lives, and despite all my artistic pursuits before, this phase of my photographic journey is my favorite.

As an artist, I'm drawn to documentary photography's boldness and truth-seeking while also finding a deep connection to intimate family portrait work. I'm always seeking that sweet spot where documentary meets fine art.

For almost ten years, I've been teaching online, helping photographers develop their vision—work as meaningful as creating my own images.

See lindsey's instagram
Visit lindsey's website 
Any questions?

Email your teacher directly here and they will get back to you.

Alumni Student?

We’d love to have you back! Email your teacher here and they will send you a link.

Registration opens January 7th

6pm EST

REMIND ME
A person is sleeping on a bed in a dimly lit bedroom with a window covered by curtains, and crumpled bedding on the other bed.
A young boy standing outdoors near a small tree, holding a paper and with serious expression, in a black and white photo.
Two girls sitting closely, one behind the other, on a porch in black and white.
Two young women sitting on the front porch of a house with trees in the background. One is lying down with her head on the other's lap, both looking at the camera. Sneakers are on the ground in front of them.
Close-up black and white photo of a person's face focusing on the left eye, with detailed skin texture visible.
A young girl in an orange dress standing in a lush green garden with tall trees and sunlight filtering through the foliage.
A young girl with long brown hair lying on the ground, looking up at the camera. Sunlight filters through leaves, creating dappled light patterns on her face, clothing, and the asphalt surface.
A close-up black and white photo of a young girl with dark hair, partially obscured by tall grass or leaves, with a serious expression on her face.
A young girl standing outdoors in front of large snow-covered evergreen trees during dusk or dawn, wearing a bright green jacket and orange boots.
A young girl with long curly hair lying on her back on a teal slide outdoors, looking at the camera.
A woman with long, curly hair covering her face, holding her hands over her chest, in black and white
Two young girls standing close together outdoors, looking serious, with leaves behind them.
A black-and-white photo of a young girl with long, wavy hair, resting her chin on her hands and looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.
A young girl with wavy hair lying on the grass, looking up at the camera with a relaxed expression in black and white.
A young child's head peeking up from the bottom of the frame with a blue background and bokeh light reflections.
A young girl standing beneath a large, drooping willow tree with her arms crossed.
Black and white photo of a young girl with curly hair, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, with her hand on her forehead and her arm crossed over her chest.
A boy standing in front of a rustic wooden wall with a deer head mounted above, and a camouflage jacket hanging on a hook to his right.
A person holding a newborn baby close to their chest.
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What other students had to say

Lindsey is a very committed teacher who gave us her full attention, detailed information, and encouraging, honest critique. I especially appreciated the photography masters whose work we looked at and the contemporary portrait photographers Lindsey introduced us to and had us write about. The class could have gone on much longer!

beth

I love how Lindsey teaches her students the history of portrait making and brings it to present time. You will clearly be able to see which work you find yourself drawn to during the class and feel excitement as you move forward when making your own portraits. Lindsey is very present during class time which is what I surely look for when signing up for a class

candy
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I just finished the fall run of Portrait Revolution and I really loved it. Lindsey was a wonderful instructor, very thoughtful and engaged with the class, and quick to respond to comments and answer questions.. Her critiques are thorough, helpful and honest. The lessons have introduced me to new techniques for shooting portraits, inspiring new artists to learn from that I hadn't encountered before, and a new way of approaching portraits that I think will inspire more meaningful and authentic work. I know that I will refer to the material again and again and I can't wait to keep practicing the concepts.

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melanie
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