What to expect

In this course, you will move beyond basic tabletop, flat-lay and lighting setups and focus on what matters most—making compelling images of plants and other natural objects in your studio—even if your studio is little more than a portable setup in a sunny windowsill.. Over the six weeks of this course, you will:

• strengthen your compositional and arranging skills

• work more effectively with light and color (even if your preferred color palette is black and white)

• create more compelling nature photographs

• develop or refine your unique sense of visual style

Offered as an e-course via the Ruzuku educational platform, you can work at your own pace and on your own schedule. View weekly video lessons, complete creative exercises and suggested photographic assignments, share your images, and engage in discussion via posts with your instructor and classmates—all in the classroom and when it is most convenient for you. Each time a new lesson is posted, you will receive an email with a link. The online classroom is easy to navigate and materials are all kept in one place. You will have access to course materials for three years.

Course elements include:

• video presentations, written posts and downloadable handouts

• exercises to get your creative juices flowing

• suggested photographic assignments and feedback

Even though this is an e-course, you will go through the course with classmates. You’ll have a chance to see their work, learn from their posts, ask questions and engage in a supportive environment. New lessons will be posted each Monday morning; you may access and review them at your convenience and return to them as often as you like.

Visual design-oriented course content

Designed as a followup to Photographing Plants in the Studio, this is an advanced course, so you should already be familiar with basic studio photography setups, studio lighting, camera operation and image processing techniques. You may work with natural light, continuous studio lighting or both. A discussion board will be available for technical questions that arise, as well as for general conversations not directly related to the week’s lesson. Some of the topics we’ll explore in this course include:

• Exploring visual style

• Designing an image

• Creating more compelling images with form, texture and gesture

• Harnessing the emotional power of color

• Creating mood and drama with light

• Moving beyond image capture

You will complete this course with a better sense of visual design, what makes images work, and thoughts about how you want your own photographs to look and feel.