Composition is Hard
There are no absolute laws of composition, only expressive possibilities. And that makes composition a messy art. Not to mention that our vision and our sensibilities are constantly changing, along with the way we see the world. So our sense of what makes a good composition is constantly changing as well.
Sure, there are some well-known tactics like the Rule of Thirds and Leading Lines, but they aren’t applicable to every situation. So how do you know when to use them, when to break them, and when to ignore them?
And why does composition seem to contradict itself so often? Why does it make sense to include lots of sky in one photo, yet cut the sky almost completely out of another? Or why does a tree on the left sometimes perfectly balance a mountain on the right, while other times it overshadows it completely?
In 2024 when I was out in the field on a backpacking trip in the High Sierra, these types questions got me thinking: because composition feels so abstract, how exactly do I find and create compositions that are impactful and harmonious? When I show up to a place that I’ve never been before, what steps do I take to ensure that I come away with photos that I’m pleased with, that are aesthetic, and that represent my experience in that place?
Pondering this made me realize that every time I go out to shoot, I actually do follow a process. Rather than thinking in terms of tactics, I employ an overall strategy for finding compositions. So now, in this course, I present to you my 4-part system for finding and creating powerful landscape photography compositions. It’s packed full of useful strategies and ideas to help you compose amazing photos. Enjoy.
– Joshua Cripps
What's this Course About?
What's Inside this Course?
- 14 instructional video lessons packed with quality education. Each lesson is simple, to-the-point, and digestible. Tons of examples, visuals, and downloads make learning easy and succinct, with clear takeaways for each lesson. No filler and no blather means you get results today.
- Additional, complete bonus lessons showing my actual in field approach to composing in different scenes.
- Guided learning at your own pace. You can start and stop the course whenever you like, watch lessons as many times as you want, and skip around in the course curriculum.
- Bonus materials to help your learning. There are tons of example images, handouts, notes, and guides to accompany the lessons, helping you get the most out of the course.
- Q&A. Ask questions and get answers from the instructor. AKA Joshua Cripps. AKA me!
Key Takeaways You’ll Learn
- The 4 ways you need to learn to see like a camera.
- Three critical questions to ask yourself to consciously understand your artistic vision.
- How to find locations full of photographic potential.
- The secrets of discovering beautiful scenes to shoot.
- Why scouting is a composition super power, what it entails, and how to master it.
- Low pressure exploration and how it yields high-powered results.
- The importance of angles, light direction, and the compass rose.
- Choosing a focal length to tell the story you want.
- The #1 rule of composition.
- How to see shapes, not objects, and why this is another composition super power.
- Using camera position to control the visual flow of your photo.
- Forget the rule of thirds. Instead, learn simple fine tuning techniques to make your compositions as powerful as possible.
Common Questions
How long do I have access to the course?
How is this different than learning composition on YouTube?
Can I download the course materials?
What equipment do I need for this course?
What is the Virtual Teacher Weekly Email Series?
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Hi! I’m Joshua Cripps
I’ve helped thousands of people improve their photos. Here’s how I can help you.
I’ve been teaching photography for over 15 years. In the beginning I was teaching only myself. But as I began to understand what made a good photo I quickly moved on to assisting other photographers on their workshops, and then to teaching my own. Since then I’ve instructed thousands of photographers in person in some of the most beautiful places in the world.
But I didn’t stop there. I also created Joshua Cripps Photography, one of the most popular photography channels on YouTube, which has over 400,000 subscribers and 10’s of millions of video views.
Throughout these years of teaching (as well as refining my own photography) I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good photo and what doesn’t.
I’ve also come to realize when you’re learning photography you need more than just endless tips. You need practical approaches, step-by-step processes, and go-to ideas about how to craft a winning image. You need a framework to start from that you can build your own creative ideas off of.
That’s why I created Landscape Composition Secrets. To give you a process you can use to create powerful, unique compositions in any scene.
This course lays out the process in black and white. There are 14 lessons teaching you my my complete composition workflow, plus multiple complete start-to-finish composition walkthroughs in a variety of scenes.
