Principles of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production

A writer must understand what nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and other word forms are, before putting them together in sentences that make sense to a reader. Similarly, an artist must understand the essential elements of design that must be put together to create a composition that will "make sense" to a viewer of their artwork. In this first module you will learn about the Elements of Design so you can understand their functions and use them effectively to guide your viewers to the content you wish to be conveyed by your photographs, whether it be creative, or documentary, regardless of the subject matter.

Most successful photographs are the result of impactful content, control of exposure and focus, and well designed composition. When you finish the courses and lessons in this Module, you will have the understanding of fundamental principles in those essential areas to begin creating expressions you can be proud of. From the knowledge you gained in Module 1, you can now identify Design Elements that are most significant to you and your content. In this Module, you will learn fundamental principles of organization of those Elements through the purposeful communication that comes from Composition.

In this Module you will learn the fundamental elements of "post-production workflow," for image files created with a digital camera. We will cover the fundamental aspects of the widely accepted software tool Lightroom™. Whether you are using a point-and-shoot, mirrorless, compact, or DSLR camera, the resulting pictures are of limited value unless they are organized and edited beyond the camera in a computer-based environment. You will begin learning the "best practices" involved in using the most widely accepted software platforms, and have a foundation from which you can begin the journey of growth in skills in future efforts and studies of "post-production."