"Seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions".
Quote from Freeman Patterson's book, Photography & the art of seeing.
The purpose of this course, Lessons in Photography, is simply to help guide the photographer, at any level, to an understanding of what are the elements of a good picture.
I hope the information provided, accumulated from many different sources, helps you. I take no credit for the suggestions presented. They are simply a combination of guidelines I have learned from those I consider artists first, photographers second. I hope you come away with at least one path to better express your vision.
Harv Churchill
Photographic "Rules"
I hesitate to say that making a photograph requires following certain rules, perhaps a better term to use as guidelines. After all, rules are meant to be broken, right?
Having said that, there are three guidelines that consistent in every good photograph:
1. What is your subject? (Theme)
2. How do I focus attention? (Emphasis)
3. How do I simplify?
Once you master these, you are well on your way to expressing your vision through photography. Any other suggestions I post on this page will amplify these three statements.