“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius
How do we make life complicated? By slowly adding more and more things and activities to our lives until everything feels overwhelming. It’s insidious and much of what we add is not essential. How can we make sure that our lives moving forward reflect what we discovered?
The same goes for photography. We find ourselves drawn to a particular subject. Here’s what can happen next.
- We include other elements to the scene to make our subject more “interesting”.
- We include other elements without even being aware of them.
- We don’t give our subject enough space.
For example, I was drawn to the silhouetted branches of this tree at the lake. A straight on image included both the lake and the sky. But, it wasn’t the lake or the sky that I noticed; it was the branches. So, why include them? Sometimes, you want to include other elements for context. But, in this case, simply tilting my camera up and filling the frame with the branches produced a simpler image that showed what I saw in the first place. Excluding the horizon is one quick and easy technique that can be used to simplify an image.
Keeping it Simple Outline
In the Keeping it Simple course, you’ll learn other compositional techniques too, but most of all, you’ll practice slowing down and noticing what really resonated with you in the first place. Each section contains a lesson for simplifying a photograph and simplifying your life.
Section #1 – What is simplicity?
Section #2 – Simplicity versus Minimalism
Section #3 – Design
Section #4 – Space
Section #5 – Expressing Significance
Section #6 – Expressing Emotion
Section #7 – Silence and Stillness
Section #8 – Impact
This offering is now available in PDF form through Gumroad for $7.50 USD.
Is this e-course for you?
* Yes, if you’re someone who wants to focus on what’s most important – in your images and your life.
* Yes, if you enjoy the structure of regularly paced reflections, tips, and exercises.
* Yes, if you like to practice photography consistently.
No matter what type of camera you have (even a smartphone will work), or whether you’re a beginner or more advanced practitioner, you will benefit from this workshop.
More on Simplicity in Photography
Learn why I created this workshop in the first place.
Here are some blog posts I’ve written on the subject of simplicity – Keeping it Simple and Creating Space through Simplicity.