The composition course
This course is for you if you don’t feel confident in your photography but don’t know what you need to improve upon or you don’t know how to put your creativity into your photos. This course will teach you multiple techniques to photographers who photograph people. After this course, your technical abilities as a photographer will grow tremendously.
The first step is to learn how to use your camera effectively. Most cameras have an auto mode which automatically picks shutter speed, ISO, and aperture but using this mode limits the creativity and artistic elements that you could add to your photos. The shutter speed is the length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. Slow shutter speeds are used for low light and night photography while fast shutter speeds help to freeze motion. ISO controls the amount of light your camera lets in. Aperture controls the depth of field of your photos.
The second art learned is composition. You’ll want to study the rule of thirds which is to divide your frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Then you place key focal points along these lines. This will help your photos to become more aesthetically pleasing. Other compositional techniques that we’ll cover are leading lines, framing, symmetry, and balance to increase the overall look of your photos.
Another technique that we’ll work on learning about is lighting. When you are using natural light, you need to know ahead of time how that will affect the look of your photos during different times of day. Artificial lighting can help you to change the way your photos will turn out if the light isn’t where you need it at the correct time.
Perspective and depth are other variables that can change the impact the photo will have. Just by changing the direction a photo is taken can give it a whole new appeal and increase its look. Focal length can change the perspective by varying the depth applied to your subjects also.
Framing and focus are also variables of composition. If you only see the distractions in the background after you’ve taken a photo, the moment to get the best shot will be gone. If you can learn how to alter the depth of fields to isolate the subjects in the photos to stand out, you can increase the visual appeal of your photos.
The ability to tell a story through your photographs is an art form that takes practice and experience. A sequence of images combined to tell a story can be very powerful. Consider what story you want to tell and the emotions you want to convey.
Once your photos are taken, you’ll want to utilize tools such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to enhance your images to the best quality possible. These tools should be used minimally to take a good photograph to great.
Practice and experiment with different styles. The more you do this, the more you’ll learn. Take photos of different landscapes as well as people so you gain experience in a variety of subjects. Let others give feedback on your work so you can gain perspective on what to work on.
Learn from others. There are photographers that offer workshops to help you improve your photography skills. Consider attending one or more to learn from their experience. Also, study the work of some other photographers and their use of light and storytelling. Once you’ve studied from others, determine what you can do differently to help your own individual style stand out from others. If you keep an open mind, you will continue to learn different photography techniques and tips as you go. Learning can be continuous throughout your career as a photographer.