Photo
Meditations
Our modern world is a visual world. We carry smart phones everywhere we go, recording our lunches and our pets, our kids and our selves. But there’s quite a gap between a quick snapshot and making a photograph that reflects what we see and how we feel.
Your eyes, your heart and your state of mind all influence what you see through the lens.
In Photo Meditations I teach you how to capture what you feel and intentionally infuse it into every photo you take. We unravel what makes a photograph work visually and explore the different ways we can layer more meaning through our images. We study composition, light and shadow, colour theory and some of the more useful photographic rules (so we know when to break them!). We begin to develop our own photographic style, play with symbolism, dip our toes into portraiture and street photography, and find ways to take selfies that feel aligned with who we really are.
Photography is so much more than lenses and f-stops.
It’s about communicating ideas, evoking memories and creating pictures that make the viewer FEEL something. While we’ll be briefly looking at post-processing — and I’ll explain f-stops and depth of field in layman’s terms! — please note that this isn’t a technical photography class. The key to making images with soul is learning how to translate what you see and feel into a photograph. Your camera doesn’t do that, YOU do that. So I’ll be encouraging you to use your smartphone camera lots in this class to help you focus less on the distracting technical stuff and more on what and HOW you see the world.
My published photography...
“I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a wonderful course. I signed up for the class because I always find the winter in Rain-Couver tough, and wanted a fun project to bridge the drizzly months. Your class really re-invigorated my love of photography. I walked around with your lessons in mind, using a more distinct eye when capturing images. I really felt like my photographs got a genuine boost from your course. Without a doubt, my favourite aspect of the class were your slideshows. I would save them for the weekend, get up before my family, brew a nice up of coffee and be in bliss, listening to your commentary about what you were looking for in a shot. I hope you do more courses like this - it truly was fantastic and I'm sad that it's already over.”
– KELLY
Composition dynamics and application
Colour theory
Understanding light and shadow
Self-portraiture
Portraiture
Tips and ethics of street photography
Photo
Meditations
- In-depth photo theory lessons
- Challenges and photo exercises to expand your creativity
- Narrated photo slideshows to inspire you & bring you inside my creative thought process when shooting
- Interviews with inspiring and intuitive photographers
- A fully-comprehensive resources section
“Watching the slideshow, with your narration, just touched me so deeply. To be unearthing the how of seeing for its emotional impact, to hear another artist deciphering the beauty in images that move them, is a generous slice of heaven that you are sharing with your students. From my perspective, the simplicity of your voice beneath the pictures is as magical as radio – it feels so personal, and yet like community. I can already tell that i will be reaping rich rewards from this experience for a very long time to come.”
– BRENNA
Here’s what we'll be doing...
The Bones
Cultivating Awareness
In the first module we look at the bones of a photograph, the compositional elements that form the foundation of an image, and explore how to cultivate more awareness as we use our cameras to filter the world around us. We’ll explore line, shape and form and investigate the Rules of Thirds and Odds, negative and positive space, and why it’s necessary to break the rules once in a while!
The Flesh
Lightness of Being
In the second module we examine the flesh of a photograph, the layers of information that give an image more depth and resonance. We’ll explore colour, texture and pattern, and spend a whole lesson diving into the wonders of light — how to use it, capture it and be mindful of it when shooting. We’ll also look at how we can start to expand our visual vocabulary.
The Heart
Shooting from the Heart
In Module Three we figure out how we can layer more emotion through our shots, diving into different ways to capture our loved ones and start nurturing the genesis of our own unique style. We’ll explore how to use details and symbolism in our images, and how to play with perspective, focus and scale.
The Soul
Going Within
In the fourth week we turn our cameras on ourselves, experimenting with self-portraiture as a way to create metaphors for how we feel. We’ll explore the healing benefits of putting ourselves in front of the camera, adding real emotion to our shots and taking back control of our own image. We’ll also explore how to take meaningful portraits of other people.
The Tale
Telling Stories
In Module Five we’ll bring together everything we’ve learned so far as we explore the art of photographic story-telling. We’ll practice the four Ws and explore crazy-useful stuff like shot check-lists and how to put images together when editing. We’ll learn how to create beautiful still lives and “flat lays” and explore how to up our Instagram game!
The Art
Claiming Our Voice
After the last module you’ll never have to ask yourself “What should I photograph?” again. We’ll dive into the creation of your own photographic projects and explore the creative potential of black & white photography and abstraction. We’ll also take a peek at contemplative photography and the different ways we can use our camera to free up our creativity.
Questions & Answers
HOW DOES THE COURSE WORK?
WHAT SORT OF CAMERA SHOULD I USE?
I DONโT HAVE MUCH TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE โ CAN I STILL TAKE THIS CLASS?
THE PRICE IS IN BRITISH POUNDS โ DO YOU ACCEPT PAYMENT IN OTHER CURRENCIES? /ย REFUND POLICY
WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO GET OUT OF THE COURSE?
CAN I CONNECT WITH OTHERS TAKING THE COURSE?
I'm Susannah
I'm a writer and teacher and I’ve been sharing my heart online since 2006. I’m the author of This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart and two photography books, LONDONTOWN and INSTANT LOVE. My heart-led mission is to help people access their creative joy and nurture a deeper kinder relationship with themselves.
I studied photography for three years at art school back in the 90s and it’s been my constant companion ever since. After a stint as a family portrait photographer I started teaching photography evening classes locally; now I share my creative courses with people all over the world. I’m so glad you’re here! xo
"The most revolutionary thing the course has given me is confidence. Where my past perception of myself was that I was a really crappy photographer, that I couldn't capture the feeling or take a beautiful photo. And now - well, I guess I really have started to take photos with soul. With intention and presence. And - I like my photos now. I've realized that using filters and editing them is actually not "faking" it, but rather tools to bring out the magic that you experienced when you took it. I'm forever grateful for the possibility to take this course. It has literally changed how I see the world and I will return to it again and again. Thank you for creating this beauty." -- ULRIKA
I'M READY! SIGN ME UP!
