Foundations of Photography: Composition [repost]

Composition can make an interesting subject bland or make an ordinary subject appear beautiful. In this course, photographer and author Ben Long explores the concepts of composition, from basics such as the rule of thirds to more advanced topics such as the way the eye travels through a photo.

The course addresses how the camera differs from the eye and introduces composition fundamentals, such as balance and point of view. Ben also examines the importance of geometry, light, and color in composition, and looks at how composition can be improved with a variety of post-production techniques. Interspersed throughout the course are workshop sessions that capture the creative energy of a group of photography students; shooting assignments and exercises; and analyses of the work of photographers Paul Taggart and Connie Imboden.

Topics include:

* Looking versus seeing
* Understanding when and why to use black and white
* Analyzing lines
* Arranging the elements into lines and shapes
* Working with perspective and symmetry
* Changing focal length, camera position, and depth
* Dividing rectangular frames into thirds
* Weighting the corners in square pictures
* Composing photographs of people
* Composing landscape photos
* Working with light: direction, texture, and negative space
* How to shoot color
* Guiding the viewer’s eye
* Controlling depth
* Improving composition in post-production

Content:

Introduction 08m 58s
Welcome 01m 47s
Using this course 04m 21s
What you need to know 02m 50s

1. Understanding Composition 02m 47s
What is composition? 02m 01s
All form, all the time 00m 46s

2. Seeing 12m 32s
How your camera is not like your eye 02m 52s
Looking vs. seeing 02m 23s
Vision and attention 02m 13s
Dynamic range 01m 59s
Seeing exercises 03m 05s

3. Composition Fundamentals 36m 48s
What all good compositions have 01m 08s
Subject and background 03m 05s
Balance 07m 20s
Point of view 03m 22s
Simplicity 02m 59s
Finding and capturing a good photo 02m 11s
Working the shot: Why one is never enough 06m 41s
Practicing 03m 24s
Why black and white? 02m 21s
Exercise: Practicing the fundamentals with points 04m 17s

4. Geometry: Lines and Shapes 45m 55s
Lines 07m 07s
Analyzing lines 06m 35s
Exploring a town 04m 07s
The Franklin Hotel 02m 07s
Shapes 10m 13s
Repetition: Arranging the elements 01m 37s
Rule of threes 01m 36s
Perspective 05m 54s
Symmetry 01m 10s
Focal length, camera position, and depth 02m 27s
Intersections 01m 41s
Exercise: Practicing fundamentals with geometry 01m 21s

5. Shooting Best Practices 10m 37s
Working a shot, revisited 03m 21s
Understanding the photographic impulse 02m 58s
Warming up 02m 15s
Exercise: Get your feet moving 02m 03s

6. Balance Revisited 35m 07s
Thirds: How rectangular frames are weighted 02m 20s
Tonal balance 03m 52s
Content balance 01m 20s
Squares: Weighting the corners 02m 24s
Composing people 03m 42s
Composing landscapes 03m 53s
Sometimes you can't get the shot 01m 12s
Practicing thirds with points and geometry 01m 45s
Practicing squares with points and geometry 01m 12s
Image analysis: The work of Steve Simon 13m 27s

7. Light 19m 06s
It's the light 01m 50s
Direction of light 08m 30s
Texture 02m 07s
Shadows and negative space 01m 19s
Exposure concerns 02m 44s
Keeping one eye on post 00m 58s
Light as subject 01m 38s

8. Workshop: Finding Light 18m 59s
Introducing the workshop location and instructors 01m 02s
Assignment: Finding light 05m 17s
Critiquing the light assignment 03m 14s
Shooting the light 09m 26s

9. Color 24m 59s
The basics of color 03m 43s
When to shoot color 03m 56s
How to shoot color 02m 47s
Practicing color composition 01m 04s
Image analysis: The work of Paul Taggart 13m 29s

10. Guiding the Viewer 16m 48s
Entry and exit 05m 41s
Framing 02m 17s
Examining the composition of this set 02m 28s
Narrative 01m 55s
When the scene doesn't fit in the frame 03m 13s
Guiding the viewer's eye 01m 14s

11. Workshop: Foreground and Background 13m 36s
Assignment: Foreground and background 03m 04s
Shooting foreground and background relationships 02m 19s
Critiquing the foreground and background assignment 08m 13s

12. Layers 34m 23s
Planes 05m 13s
Controlling depth 04m 54s
Juxtaposition 02m 58s
Fear 04m 02s
Layers 00m 55s
Image analysis: The work of Connie Imboden 16m 21s

13. Post Production 37m 13s
Recomposing an image with the Crop tool 07m 23s
Resizing an image 08m 09s
Tone 08m 54s
Altering the perspective in Photoshop 00m 30s
Changing composition through retouching 06m 16s
Vignetting to drive attention 06m 01s

14. Workshop Exhibition and Wrap-Up 10m 22s
Workshop wrap-up and exhibition 03m 13s
Workshop students' final thoughts 07m 09s

Conclusion 01m 00s
Final thoughts 01m 00s


also You can look my other last: Photography-posts