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Finding Inspiration

Lesson 9 from: Mastering the Art of Photography

Chris Weston

Finding Inspiration

Lesson 9 from: Mastering the Art of Photography

Chris Weston

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Lesson Info

9. Finding Inspiration

Where does inspiration come from? Chris looks back at the past to discover what inspired his approach to photography, and passes on ideas about how to find inspiration in the world around us.
Next Lesson: Slowing Down

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Class Introduction - Three Steps To Creative Photography

03:48
2

Firing The Creative Mind - Part 1: The Camera Points Both Ways

03:10
3

Firing The Creative Mind - Part 2: Letting Go Of Judgement

06:53
4

Firing The Creative Mind - Part 3: Detaching From Outcomes

04:12
5

Practicing Mindfulness In Photography

02:43
6

Finding The Visual Narrative

02:39
7

Behind-the-scenes: Naples

07:52
8

Seeing Beneath The Surface Of Things

02:30

Lesson Info

Finding Inspiration

as a young kid learning the ropes, I looked outside of just photography for inspiration. Sure, I read lots of photo magazines and books by famous photographers, which taught me a lot about cameras and technique, but hardly anything about composition. So I visited art galleries and studied the great painters to learn about color and texture. I went to cities to learn about shape through architecture, both ancient and modern, and I borrowed my dad's classical records and listen to them on my record player to learn about depth and structure. Yeah, at first I went for the experience and the enjoyment of it. Then I learned to stand back and look more analytically. I still do it today. I watch movies twice, for example, the first time because I want to see the film and I want to be entertained. The second time I go to learn how and why the film was edited the way it was. That's how I learned about composition, and much of that knowledge went into the content of part two of this series. Just ...

as importantly, I got inspired to create, and I still am. I learned that photography is about creating something new out of the moment life presents us with, and that while composition looked outwardly simple, the truly great compositions have a hidden complexity that beguiles. You'll also find that you start to notice what inspires you most by exposing yourself to different types of art. You'll learn what you like and what you don't like. I like money, for example, and I don't like Dolly. There is a style to Manet's work that resonates with me, and the more I study it, the more I recognize the artistic thread that runs through it, which has helped me to understand my own artistic demeanor form an A. For example, Light was everything. In his earlier days, he would often be found working on several paintings of the same subjects simultaneously. He'd have a dozen canvas is set up in a row and switch between them as a light change from moment to moment. That's why you often see several Manet paintings that at first glance appear much the same. But on closer inspection reveal the nuances of light. Look at these four almost identical paintings of Ruwan Cathedral. These last three were painted at the same time from the first floor of a shop on Rue Grande Pong, which is just over there. In what Money describes as an obstinate overlay of colors, he uses light to differentiate between the changing mood of the scene in this one, which he called morning effect, he adds a magenta hue and darkens the yellows. In this one, the hue is more neutral and the yellow softer. And in this one painted at dawn, the light and mood changed completely. This isn't a serene dawn, but a harsh, almost frightening one influenced, no doubt by his own frame of mind, which had turned towards depression in the face of what he considered his own failings. What I'm saying is go and look at art and different types of art as artists, and that's what we are. There's so much we can learn from the great creators of the world

Ratings and Reviews

Gary Hook
 

Wow, what a wonderful journey. I love the concept of telling a story with one's photos and as I go through past images, I'm seeing them in a much different perspective. That's the good news, The bad? The lost opportunities I never 'saw' before; however that is a good thing. There is so much to internalize with the material so that it can get out of the head and into the 'heart'. I also found the concept really helps me with composition, both in camera and post. Biggest take away, as Chris underscored in his closing, is to slooooow down, take the time and feel it. Don't be so quick to leave one scene as there remain other aspects, yet to be discovered. A great experience that I truly enjoyed Thank you

Glenda
 

I loved this course - in particular the latter part of it in which he demonstrated how post processing lets you really tell the story of the image. Another fabulous course. Thanks Chris & thanks Creative Live.

Abdullah Alahmari
 

Thanks a lot to mr. Chris Weston This course is great and It is a 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 course for me. Beside the other course ( mastering photographic composition and visual storytelling) both courses are Complementing to each other and highly recommended.

Student Work

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