On Friday, May 15th, Samy’s Camera Los Angeles on Fairfax opened the doors to its new 4th Floor Event Space with a full-day creative workshop dedicated to the art, science, and power of lighting. Dakar Foundation’s Apprenticeship program had several of team there to take in all of the festivities.
Dakar Foundation was part of a sold-out free workshop entitled “Lights Action,” the debut event brought together photographers, filmmakers, content creators, lighting brands, educators, and working professionals for a hands-on experience designed to help creatives level up their visual storytelling.
Shout-out to Marcus Couvson, who from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. orchestrated the room that was alive with sights, sounds, textures, and creative energy. Cameras were rolling. Lights were shifting. Models were posing. Creators were testing gear, asking questions, building setups, and learning how professional lighting can completely transform a shot.
The Dakar Foundation media team captured the day as a cinematic recap, focusing on the movement, mood, and hands-on learning that made the workshop feel more like a live production lab than a traditional product demo.
The event featured top lighting brands including Astera, Godox, Nanlite-Nanlux, Profoto, Rosco, and Westcott, each bringing tools, techniques, and creative activations to the floor. Attendees had the chance to walk through live lighting setups, experiment with different looks, and see how each brand’s equipment could support photography, video production, podcasting, portrait work, and content creation.
The day included:
Live model shoots with real-world lighting setups.
Hands-on workshops led by industry professionals.
A podcast setup demonstration for creators building their own media platforms.
Swag giveaways from participating brands.
And an on-site barista keeping the creative fuel flowing with espresso drinks throughout the day.
The featured sessions gave the event its educational backbone. At 11 a.m., photographer Ian Spanier opened the day with a session on Strobe vs. Continuous Lighting, helping creators understand when, why, and how to use each approach. At 1 p.m., George Simian led a workshop on Backlighting with Strobe, demonstrating how light placement can create separation, drama, and depth. At 3 p.m., internationally recognized portrait photographer Rory Lewis closed the featured lineup with Mastering Portrait Lighting, giving attendees a front-row look at how precision lighting shapes emotion, character, and cinematic presence.
What made the day special was the combination of access and atmosphere. This was not just a showroom. It was a working creative environment where beginners, professionals, and emerging artists could stand shoulder to shoulder, test tools, watch masters at work, and immediately apply what they were learning.
For Dakar Foundation, the event represented exactly the kind of experiential learning environment that helps bridge education, workforce development, and real industry practice. Capturing the sights and sounds of Samy’s 4th Floor debut gave our apprentices and media team an opportunity to document not only the gear, but the culture of learning that surrounds professional image-making.
The visuals told the story: softboxes glowing across the room, colored LED washes transforming the space, portrait stations buzzing with camera shutters, creators comparing notes, instructors shaping light in real time, and brands demonstrating the tools behind today’s cinematic and photographic workflows.
Lights Action was more than a workshop title. It was a declaration that Samy’s Camera Los Angeles is creating a new home for creative education, professional development, and hands-on media production in the heart of Fairfax.
From lighting fundamentals to high-end portrait techniques, from podcast setups to live shooting stations, the debut of Samy’s 4th Floor Event Space gave Los Angeles creators a powerful new place to learn, connect, and build.
Stay tuned for the recap, behind-the-scenes moments, and highlights from a full day where light became the lesson, the tool, and the story.
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