
Create timeless, painterly images inspired by the Renaissance and Baroque masters. Through on-location workshops, in-person classes and live online editing sessions, award-winning photographer Karen Pretorius shares the light, posing and editing behind her signature style. Dates open a few times a year.

Master the posing, natural light and painterly editing behind timeless bridal portraits. A hands-on day on location at a stone chapel or forest setting, working with a real couple.

Learn to work with the last light of the day to create dramatic, romantic couple portraits. We cover directing couples, using sunset backlight, and the forest-and-field style Karen is known for.

Turn an ordinary field, forest or waterfall into a painting. We cover scouting light and weather, placing your subject in the landscape, and shooting for scale and atmosphere.

A studio-and-screen workshop on recreating that Baroque-inspired signature. We break down dramatic lighting setups and the editing workflow that gives images their painterly, old-master feel.
A relaxed half-day class for beginners. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO explained in plain language, then practised on real subjects until manual mode finally clicks.
The part nobody teaches. How to pose couples, families and groups so they look natural, keep nervous subjects at ease, and direct a shoot with quiet confidence.
Bring your laptop and your own files. We build a simple, repeatable edit - culling, colour, tone and skin - so your images look consistent instead of accidental.
A private session, just you and me, screen to screen. Bring your own images and we work through them in real time - your files, your questions, your style. Book a single session or a series.
A small live class you can join from anywhere. I edit a set of images from start to finish while you follow along, ask questions and watch the painterly look being built layer by layer.
Every live class is recorded, so an on-demand library is on the way - the same lessons, watched in your own time and rewatched as often as you like. Join the notify list to hear when the first ones go live.
I'm Karen Pretorius - fine-art wedding and portrait photographer, Top Vendor Award winner in 2024 and 2025, and guest mentor teaching photography on kykNET's Toerbroers. I've taught up to 60 students a month in three-day classes. Small groups, practical work, a workflow you can repeat.
1st place Best Bridal Portrait and Best Scenic Photo at the Top Vendor Wedding Awards 2025, 1st place Best Scenic Photograph in 2024, and over 50 Viewbug international awards.
Front cover features in Garden Route Wedding & Function Magazine, editorial features across seven issues of Kruger Magazine, and monthly winning-image features in the local press.
Head photographer and guest mentor on kykNET's Toerbroers, teaching photography on air, plus a guest-expert interview on IFM 102.2 on the art behind luxury wedding photography.
A few things people usually want to know before booking. If your question isn't here, get in touch and I'll gladly help.
Any camera that lets you shoot in manual mode is enough - entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless bodies are perfect. Bring one lens you love, a charged battery and an empty memory card.
Both. The in-person classes are built for beginners and hobbyists, while the on-location workshops suit photographers who already shoot and want to develop a fine-art style. Each listing says who it's aimed at.
Dates are released a few times a year, and pricing is confirmed with each date since it depends on the location and length of the session. Join the notify list below and you'll get the details first.
At the same venues and locations I shoot at - forests, stone chapels, farms and waterfalls around the Vaal Triangle and Pretoria. The exact venue is confirmed with each date.
Yes. Live one-on-one editing runs online, screen to screen, so you can join from anywhere in the country. Get in touch with what you'd like to work on and we'll set up a time that suits you.
Leave your email and you'll be the first to hear when new workshop, class and online lesson dates open. No spam - just dates, locations and a little behind-the-scenes.
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