Shape It, Understand It, Control It: Inside the Master One Light Workshop

Shape It, Understand It, Control It: Inside the Master One Light Workshop

By Conrad Knuist · Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist · 18+ years in photography

We love seeing South African photographers share what they know, and this one is worth shining a light on. Photographer Ohentse Kgarebe (@ovkphotos) recently ran the Master One Light Workshop, a hands-on session for beginner and intermediate photographers built around a simple but powerful idea: you do not need a room full of lights to make beautiful images. You need to understand one.

The workshop was about far more than where to put a light stand. It was about understanding light, learning how to shape it, and knowing how to use it to bring a creative vision to life. Here is a look inside, in Ohentse's own words.

Watch: The Master One Light Workshop

Video and workshop by Ohentse Kgarebe, @ovkphotos.

Behind the scenes at the Master One Light Workshop

More Than Just Lighting

For a lot of photographers, lighting starts and stops with the gear: buy a light, put it on a stand, point it at the subject. Ohentse's workshop set out to change that thinking. Working with beginner and intermediate photographers, the focus was on what is happening between the light and the subject.

"Lighting is not just about setting up a light and pointing it at your subject. It's about understanding how light behaves, how it falls on your subject, how it creates shadows, and how to use it intentionally to tell a story."

That shift, from placing a light to understanding it, is what separates snapshots lit by flash from portraits that feel deliberate. Once you know why a shadow falls where it does, you stop guessing and start making decisions.

Behind the scenes

A look behind the scenes

The Moment It Clicks

Ask any teacher what they remember most, and it is rarely the lesson plan. For Ohentse, the highlight of the Master One Light Workshop was watching the participants put it all together.

"It was such an amazing experience sharing what I've learned over the years, but the most memorable part for me was seeing everything finally click for the participants. Watching them go from trying to understand the fundamentals to actually creating the images they've always wanted to create was something special."

Behind the scenes on the day

That moment, when the theory turns into an image you are proud of, is what makes hands-on workshops so effective. Reading about light helps, but there is no substitute for moving a light yourself and seeing the result on the back of your camera, with someone experienced beside you explaining why it changed.

More from behind the scenes

The Beauty of Teaching

Workshops like this matter for the wider photography community. Every photographer who learns to understand light, rather than just own it, raises the standard of work being made, and many go on to share that knowledge in turn. Ohentse put it best:

"That's the beauty of teaching. It's not just about sharing what you know, it's about helping someone else see what's possible when they understand it for themselves."

Behind the scenes at the workshop

Follow Ohentse's Work

A huge well done to Ohentse and to every photographer who took part. Follow @ovkphotos on Instagram to see more of Ohentse's work and to hear about future workshops.

Conrad Knuist

Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist

Conrad Knuist is Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist at CameraStuff, South Africa's specialist camera and lighting retailer. With over 18 years of hands-on experience across portrait, event, and commercial photography, Conrad loves celebrating the South African photographers who are teaching and inspiring the next generation of creatives.

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