Composing the Photograph (Learn the rules, then break the rules)

Specific rules of picture composition can be immensely helpful when setting up a shot. But despite what’s often written and taught, these rules aren’t set in stone. Not following them does not mean your photograph will turn out badly. In fact, blindly adhering to even the most accepted of these rules can keep you from creating truly interesting and inventive images. The various rules of picture composition will be demonstrated and discussed in class. This will be done using images made by me, the instructor, a professional commercial and editorial photographer, as well as those of other photographers. Further, we will explore how and when to apply these rules to our photographs. It will be emphasized that specific rules are useful only when they improve a picture. Otherwise, they should be ignored. In addition, we’ll be discussing and critiquing each other’s pictures. This will be done both as a way to further understand photographic composition and aesthetics, as well as to explore specific shooting issues you may be having with your own images. So, please bring to class ten to twenty of your photographs (as JPGs or in the RAW format), saved to a flash drive. Include both the great images and the problematic ones. I’ll be distributing a series of printed notes I’ve compiled from several photographic and art composition books. These notes will be used for our exploration of the topic. By the way, one of the more intriguing books is The Simple Secret to Better Painting by Greg Albert (books dealing with painting and drawing often apply just as well to photography, as does this one). He professes to solving the problem of creating interesting compositions by simply following his mantra: “Never make any two intervals the same.” That’s definitely a topic we’ll investigate! Finally, we’ll put some of our pictures through one or more digital editing programs. You’ll learn how your photographs can be improved and even transformed through the use of these remarkable software packages. Please don’t forget to bring your JPG or RAW photos to class. For teens and adults, ages 14 and up. Registration is required, and spaces are limited. With professional photographer Peter Glass. To learn more about Peter Glass, please visit his website at https://www.peterglass.com/