Photography Composition Course

What is a Photography Design Course?

Instructor(s):

John Barrett

Lesson Length:

Videos are between 10-15 minutes full of facts, tips, insights and JB's decades
of experience to keep your attention & concentration with no wasted time.

Category:

Photography, Creativity, Education

A single payment to access to the full training video

Upgrade offer

The Mastershot Workshop

All 6 mastershot modules in one special pack

Course Preview

John ; Photography Composition Course

Over the previous lessons we have learned how to develop a Creative Idea and pre-visualise the Creative Image we want to create. We’ve explored how to apply the functions of the camera and lens to capture our raw image and how to paint the subject with the most important ingredient to our photographic recipe, light.

Now we have to bring the ‘photographer’s eye’ into play. It’s time to combine our photography and design courses. To take the elements of a photography design, mix the creativity of a photography composition course and add the last ingredient: posing. These are so important to lead the viewer through our Creative Image.

Light is the most important component of photographic art. However, from a purely artistic perspective, the application of design, composition and the posing of the subject will allow us to capture a compelling image that resonates with the viewer.

In John’s work, he likes to ‘Evoke & Provoke’. His images trigger the viewer by evoking an emotion and provoking a reaction. You’ll learn how to do the same.

Design & Composition Overlap

Composition in photography means taking elements and colours and placing them in a balanced and persuasive manner, helping you best tell your visual story. Composition has general rules that lead the viewer’s eye to a specific point within the image. A secondary benefit of composition is that a balanced image is more subconsciously appealing.

This lesson will explore:

As with anything applied to creativity in photography, these are just guidelines. The story you tell with your photography may not be beautiful and balanced. You may want to be jarring and provocative. That is your creative choice.

However, ‘You must know the rules before you break them’. More importantly, applying good composition, no matter what the subject matter, will lead the viewer to what you want them to focus on in the image— either jarring or beautiful.

As always, practice makes perfect. Over many captures you will start to apply the rules through habit.

Elements of Design Photography: Posing

Finally, we look at posing and its impact on the final image.

Posing is the composition of the human form in relation to the image. You’ll learn how to understand why certain poses enhance your image. Even though there are no rigid rules for posing, you’ll discover how this vital step will add the “one percenters” to your image and make it a more complete creative execution.

Now we have all the ingredients to take our Creative Idea and capture a raw file in the studio. We have our ideas and can pre-visualise. We select aperture and shutter speed. We know the lens that will best create our image. We’re ready to paint the image with light, and we now know how to design, apply composition, and decide on poses. All we need to do now is to enhance the image in post production, adding those last few percentage points that makes the capture our personal Creative Image of which we are so proud.

Until then, practice makes perfect.
Keep shooting.