 |
|
|||
|
|
Online Photography Course
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||
| Benefits: You get direct feedback on your photos from world-acclaimed, professional photographers. You can learn photography in this way from anywhere in the world. |
||||
|
||||
Jennifer L. WuHer images, featured in magazines and books, have won dozens of awards. Canon uses her spectacular sky photographs in their professional camera brochures. She exhibits her images at numerous nationally recognized galleries.
Jennifer attended CSU, Sacramento where she received a BA in Photography. She offers classes at Betterphoto.com and teaches photography at California State University, Sacramento, Aspen Photo Workshops, Afilm International Workshops (Barcelona, Spain), Lepp Institute, Canon U.S.A., and the Sierra Club. www.jenniferwu.com
 © Jennifer Wu |  © Jennifer Wu |
View photos by previous students. You can make pictures like this too!
 © Philippe Remels |
 © Philippe Remels |
Lesson 1: Composition Guidelines
You will learn compositional guidelines to help you take better photographs. Learn subject placement and the rule of thirds; where to place the horizon in the image; when to fill the frame and when not to; the elimination of dead space in your images; how to check backgrounds for clutter or distractions; and the use of repeating elements such as waves, lines, or flowers to create more drama. You will also learn the use of the "S" curve, when to photograph an image as a vertical and/or a horizontal image, and to check the edges of the frame.
Assignment: Repeating patterns and bending the Rule of Thirds.
Lesson 2: Techniques for Composition
Why do some landscapes look great while others lack interest? Learn how to look at an image and see what works and what does not. Discover how to simplify composition for stronger impact and the techniques to create these images. This includes the use of wide angle lenses to create impact with the near far effect by having a close foreground and distant background by the use of hyper-focal distance. In addition, the lesson covers the use of telephoto lenses and f-stop choices for creating blurry foregrounds and having just the subject in focus to draw attention to it as well as how to photograph motion.
Assignment: Fun with reflectors and creative use of lenses.
Lesson 3: The Thing Itself
The subject that is photographed will look different as a flat image than it does in reality. We don't see all the other distracting things surrounding the Thing Itself, thus our vision of the subject when photographed is a simpler version than reality, conveys a permanence that will not always remain so, and is a clearer representation of the subject than if we were standing there in person looking at it. Learn how to deal with the subject, whether that is a mountain goat, wildflowers, or a sea scape and convey a vision of the subject by the placement of it in the image.
Assignment: Attention-getting subjects.
Lesson 4: The Detail
What we choose to include in the photograph by the way of The Detail tells us a story about the subject without revealing the larger picture of what is going on. By making a conscious effort to seek out details, such as pealing bark on a eucalyptus tree, frost on a flower petal, or furry feathers on the ground, we hint at the the size of a tree, time of year, or the age of a bird. In this lesson we learn how to tell a story with just The Detail.
Assignment: Working the details.
Lesson 5: The Frame
Our most important focus in creating a photograph is deciding what to include and what to eliminate in order to make the image. The Frame is the edge of the photograph and holds what is included up to that edge. It defines the content of the photograph. The Frame does not exist until we create it and that is how come it is important to look around the subject and freely move the camera around, when it is not on a tripod, to find the best vantage point. In this lesson we will explore: using the edges to cut off part of a subject for more impact while still letting the viewer know what it is, using the frame to capture two or more subjects to isolate them and create a sense of importance on one, creative use of wide angle or telephoto lens, creating silolettes and using the edge of the frame to create stronger compositions.
Assignment: Creating the frame.
Lesson 6: Time
By focusing on isolating a particular segment of Time we can imply the past, such as seeing the many layers of rock in the Grand Canyon, or into the suggested future with just a bud of a flower knowing it will soon be blooming. Time can tell us the season or the weather without including a large grand image of a location. Blurry leaves created by the wind suggests time as does a long exposure on water with the soft wispy look of the waterfall. In this lesson we explore how to compose Time in an image.
Assignment: Expressions of time.
Lesson 7: Vantage Point
When a subject, such as a mountain or tree, stays were it is then we must move around the subject to find the best way to convey it. By moving the camera to be above or below the subject or moving in closer or farther away will create a viewpoint that is not normally seen. This will place an emphasis on a subject and can make it appear larger or smaller than life and thus place importance where we want it to be. Learn to create compositions that best convey the subject by use of depth of field, camera angle, and lens choice to create emphasis and meaning.
Assignment: Using vantage point.
Lesson 8: Expanding Vision
When we find a way of taking photographs that works, it is easy to keep repeating that same style of photography. We can start to take images that are repetitive. Expand your vision by developing new ways of seeing. When you think an image is complete, recompose and ask yourself how else can I see this subject? How can I make this image different from how I am seeing it right now? In this lesson we will review compositional guidelines and then discus how to alter them to have it work. Then you will move beyond the ordinary to find your unique point of view.
Assignment: Developing a theme.
Review: Voting on Best Work
 © Jennifer Wu |  © Jennifer Wu |
|
 © Jennifer Wu |  © Jennifer Wu |
What does it mean to "Get Started Today"?
|
|
Copyright © 1996-2009 BetterPhoto.com, Inc.® All Rights Reserved.
