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Course Outline & Syllabus
Learn To Critique Photography Film & Digital
by Brian Ratty © 2010
(Guide to Critiquing Images)

There is a lot more then just ‘making’ pictures if the professional photographer is going to be successful. They must keep up with the latest technology in both camera systems and accessories. They must keep up to date with the ever-changing business practices if they are to profit from their image making and they must constantly market their services if they want those profitable assignments. But most important of all the professional photographer must learn the discipline of critiquing photography if they want to improve their image making capabilities. That’s what this workshop is all about: Critiquing Photography, Yours and Others. Here we will take a close look at over 75 images and begin to understand why some images work and why others don’t. We will review images that have different types of themes: light, color, focus and composition. We will see how to find pictures in simple locations and what makes the difference between snap shots and images that communicate. We will examine images from different photographic disciplines: people, action, travel and nature. Learning how to critique photography is a very important discipline and this workshop will help you build the skills needed. This workshop contains 84 minutes of optional instructional video clips.

There is one free sample lesson for this workshop. To access the remaining lessons you may obtain a user id and password by registering at Admissions.

This workshop was designed for the
beginner, amateur and photographic teacher .

This is a self-paced web workshop containing 53 minutes of instructional video clips and 41 pages of printable text and sample images. 



Web, Video & Print

View Video Clip
Workshop Introduction 
 (1:38 Mins.)

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Visual Themes: Light (Lesson 1)

  • Middle gray
  • Quality of light
  • Multiple themes  
  • The hardest environments
    Video Clip (7:02 Mins. 35 MB)

Visual Themes: Color (Lesson 2)

  • Color Contrast
  • Polarizing Filter
  • The Color Yellow
  • The Color Blue
     Video Clip (4:56 Mins. 22 MB)

Visual Themes: Focus (Lesson 3)

  • Draw Attention To Your Subject
  • Using A Large Depth Of Field
  • Using The Right Equipment
  • Optimum Lens Aperture
     Video Clip (5:10 Mins. 22 MB)

Visual Themes: Composition (Lesson 4)

  • Framing
  • Power Lines
  • Balance
  • Rule Of Thirds
     Video Clip (6:48 Mins. 37 MB)

Critiquing Images (Lesson 5)

  • Critiquing Off Television
  • The 'Comp Book'
  • Snap Shots
  • Using The Internet
     Video Clip (6:30 Mins. 40 MB)

People Photography (Lesson 6)

  • Finding Character
  • Foregrounds & Backgrounds
  • Expressions
  • Balance & Dominates 
     Video Clip (5:45 Mins. 27 MB)

Action Photography (Lesson 7)

  • Implying Action
  • Blurred Shapes
  • Perspective
  • Lines & Shapes
     Video Clip (5:30 Mins. 25 MB)

Travel Photography (Lesson 8)

  • Light And Texture
  • Color And Depth
  • Changing Weather
  • Lines That Lead
     Video Clip (4:48 Mins. 22 MB)

Nature Photography (Lesson 9)

  • Lens Selection
  • Camera Position
  • Composition
  • Ansel Adams And The Wilderness
     Video Clip (5:30 Mins. 21 MB)