Expanding Your Photographer Eyes

We are living in a Golden Age of photography, with near-universal access to high-quality, portable cameras. Yet, the bridge between a casual snapshot and an artful creation often feels elusive. This course offers an accessible, unintimidating introduction to the foundational principles that can revolutionize our understanding of photography. From learning how to create a dynamic relationship between human figures and their environment to deleting unnecessary elements from a composition to make it sing; we learn simple but effective concepts that transform a basic image into a compelling photograph. Some of our advanced lessons involve Photoshop or alternative software, but other lessons are universally applicable even to smartphone photographers. Two field trips to the Getty Villa and the Huntington Library and Gardens are included. There will be abundant opportunities for in-class critiques and advice from the instructors on students’ photographs. No advanced photographic gear or prior training in photography is required.