Photography Lesson – Program

The Basis of Photography or What Photography Is:

Photography is first and foremost: I was here, I saw this, and I chose that.

Simply put, the essence of photography is framing. What is present and included within the frame. More simply, awareness of the frame. How much awareness is present in it, in the process of observing and thinking about one subject or another.

1- The Language of Photography:

• The subject of the photograph
• The details
• Arrangement of details (the composition)
• Focus or depth of focus (emphasizing the subject)
• Lighting (light and shadow, flat or prominent)

2- Getting to Know the Camera:

• Aperture (depth of field) or the focus
• Shutter speed
• Film/sensor sensitivity or ISO
• Lens (type of lens and choosing which one will suit a unique photographic subject)

3- Creating a Series of Images and the Importance of this Process:

• The vast majority of photographs require a series of images. It is this series that creates a world with intent and meaning, where each picture adds more details for the viewer, thereby creating a language that is visual in its essence.

4- The Subject of Photography and Photography in Practice:

Choosing a Subject:

• If the subject we wish to deal with is known, we will prepare by understanding the environment and what it requires of us as photographers (a certain camera, lens, lighting, season, or time of day).
• If the subject is unknown, we will search based on our motives—what interests us in photography, what photographs have already caught our eye, our personal past, present, and future.

5- Sorting and Selecting Photographs:

• The sorting process is necessary and even one of the most important, where we upload all the pictures from the day of shooting to the computer. It is there that we essentially discover the thing/subject that interested us, and through this, we can choose the pictures and proceed to image processing.
• This process is repeated back and forth a few times after a day of shooting (preferably a day or a few days, and not too long a period of time).

6- Processing (Editing):

• Image processing is essentially the place to shape our impressions, sharpen the unique perspective we have for ourselves and the subject (project), and create order and logic by sculpting the basic material and giving it a form that matches the needs of the image and the entire series.

7- Arrangement (Order of Image Presentation):

• The order of image presentation is of great importance. The sequence in which the pictures are shown is the statement through which the viewer can feel, decipher, and interpret the entire work. Your thoughts and emotions are expressed in it.

8- Display (Exhibition and/or Photo Book):

• The format of the submission, whether a book, an exhibition, or both, is the presentation—or how the entire work will be submitted and displayed to the viewer.
• In the case of a book, we will look for printing houses, and if you want the book to include an introduction, it is recommended to find a suitable art critic.
• In the case of an exhibition, you should look for a curator who matches your artistic views as an artist and as a person.

Don’t forget to smile before you click! And,,, to check the battery, memory card/film ect..