Seeing and Understanding Composition: A Course in Photographic Design
© Blue Flier
All great photographs combine technical expertise with excellent composition. In this course, the fine art of composition will be explored in-depth. First, we will look at how our brain sees and how this relates to photography. Then we will move into the basic elements of design, followed by how depth of field and shutter speeds can change the look of your images. The basic compositional strategies of using color and its psychological meanings vs. black and white will be explored, as well as the specific compositional elements of shooting people, scenics, travel, and still lifes. Light in all its glorious forms will be thoroughly explored. You will also learn about FOCAL, Blue’s unique guide to compositional shooting. Learn how to create beautiful compositions and “see” your imagery before capture!
Each class will be divided into lecture, critiques of student photos, and an on-location assignment in and around the Venice Beach environment. Blue’s book, Composition Photo Workshop, will be used as the class textbook. (The book may be purchased online, at any major bookstore, or in-class at the first class meeting.) Students should bring the book and a manually-operated camera to each class meeting.
Blue Fier (www.bluefier.com) is a photographer specializing in the vigorous field of location photography. He has photographed numerous advertising campaigns for major corporations, specializing in panoramic images of people and products in exotic environments. He has two master’s degrees in Art (M.A. from Cal State University, Northridge and a M.F.A. from UCLA) that have given him the background to explore photography. His unique perspective as a working photographer and years of creating order out of chaos has lead to his recently published book, Composition Photo Workshop, now available wherever books are sold. He teaches at Santa Monica College.
