Composition – The Art & Science of Good Photos

What is it that makes a good photo? Your subject makes a difference. The lighting makes a difference. But, what makes it all hang together and work as an image? The answer is composition. The way we arrange the elements within the frame and the technical skills used to create it all work together to bring us the final photo. Composition is how we speak about those elements working together (or not!). It can be something we do intuitively but it is also something that we can study and improve upon. In this workshop we will be exploring aspects of the art & science of composition and discover the sorts of things that can help you create great photos.

You may have heard of the “rule of thirds” and perhaps you use it regularly. But, there is much more to putting an image together than simply relying on 1 so-called “rule”. Sometimes, in fact, it can be best to break that “rule”! There are many ideas that we can use to construct an image and make it work. Each of these are tools that can help us when we are taking a photograph. If we understand how they work, we can also understand how and when we might want to “break the rules”. Photography is an art form like painting & drawing. So, we can use ideas from artists throughout the centuries, not just the work of other photographers.

Spend an evening enlarging your photographic toolbox with options to fuel your creativity. Analyse images & understand how they have been composed. By studying composition, you can increase the number of great images you create and understand why the bad ones don’t work. These are essential skills whatever type of photography you enjoy. They are also vital skills for any level of photographer from beginner to aspiring professional and beyond.

Find out about dynamic symmetry, points of coincidence, colour theory, colour harmony, the use of contrast and more!

Bring an open mind and something to take notes with. We will be equipping ourselves to take better photos and to have ideas that will help with the editing process too. You don’t need to bring your camera. We will be analysing images to see what works and what is less successful. There will also be an opportunity for you to show some of your images to the group for us to apply our understanding of composition to in a (friendly!) critique. If you are ready to discover new ways of creating photos and move beyond one simple “rule” then this workshop is for you!

Can’t make the date? We’ve got an alternative session in November