How to Look: Developing Your Photographic Eye - Winter 2027

What do we notice when we slow down and really look? In this four-session workshop, students will develop their photographic eye through sustained attention to photographs and the world around them. Through assignments in portraiture, still life, and photographing places and everyday details, students will practice turning what catches their attention into intentional photographs.

We’ll explore how light falls across a face, how a gesture changes a portrait, how objects relate to one another, and how a shift in position changes what a frame includes. Students will spend time with their subjects, notice details they might otherwise overlook, and experiment with photographic choices that express what they want to communicate.

Close looking at existing photographs will support this work, helping students recognize how another photographer’s choices direct attention and create meaning. Students will bring that awareness into their own image-making, asking: What am I noticing? What do I want this photograph to communicate? What choices will help me get there?

Each week combines guided exercises, photographing, and supportive group discussion, with assignments to pursue between sessions. Students will review their images, consider the relationship between their intentions and their results, and return to their subjects with new possibilities in mind. By the end, participants will have a small selection of photographs and practical habits of attention they can carry into the work they want to make.

Prerequisites and Materials
No prior photography coursework is required. Bring a digital camera or smartphone you are comfortable using, and be prepared to share digital images for group discussion. Manual operation is not required, but familiarity with manual controls can offer more nuanced control over how you translate what you notice into a photograph. Please bring a notebook, and plan to photograph between sessions.

COURSE OUTCOMES

• Observe closely and with intention, and recognize photographic possibilities in people, places, and everyday details.
• Make deliberate choices about light, framing, perspective, gesture, and visual relationships.
• Use close looking at existing photographs to inform your own image-making.
• Evaluate how well your photographs communicate intentions and refine your choices through practice and feedback.
• Select a small group of photographs that reflects a more deliberate way of seeing.

Images © Zorn Taylor