The event will be held on September 29, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

NOTE: This is a two-part workshop (September 29 and October 6). Registration in Part 1 will automatically enroll you in both sessions.

About This Workshop

Join Jim on an interesting and entertaining journey as he explores techniques and tools to improve composition.  Good composition is an exercise in judgment.  You can improve your composition skills by understanding some basics about how we see, how we look at pictures, and what tools are available.  Learn how to forget what you first saw that captured your attention and think instead about the final image you want to produce.  

In previous workshops, Jim concentrated on the tools of composition.  This time, Jim has altered his approach:  it is all about what can actually be done in the field, before you take a picture, when you take a picture, and afterwards, how to find the picture you wanted.  In this practical and fun workshop, Jim shows what we can do with composition to improve the visual impact of our photos.  Drawing on information from both scientific and artistic sources, Jim uses his own photos, and some famous photos and paintings to illustrate every tool and technique he talks about.   Participants will be invited to become engaged in the process of making decisions about composition.  There is no mystery.  It is just a matter of understanding how we see, how others will see your photos, and which tools to apply in the circumstances.

At the end of the first session, members will be invited to submit photos to Jim for discussion in session two.  Maybe you have a photo that was not what you hoped it would be, or maybe you have a specific question about composition, or what tool might be used in your particular case.  

All participants will receive Jim’s written notes and select references the day after the presentation. 

This workshop is available and suited to anyone in the Club.  For many members, the workshop will provide a good survey of the whole field of composition.  For others, it will be a refresher as well as an opportunity to see examples they may not have associated with a particular technique.  In case you have participated in one of Jim’s excellent Composition workshops in prior years, he has completely revised his material and has added lots of new and informative illustrations.

While camera technique and software tools may be mentioned as a means of affecting composition, the workshop is not about using your camera or software.  It IS all about looking for elements that will give a photo structure.   

About Jim Fowler

A lifelong photographer, Jim joined VCC in 2016 and quickly became active in a. wide array of roles in the club.  From writing for the CloseUp club magazine to delivering workshops, Jim has demonstrated an ability to communicate what was new and exciting.   This high level of activity continues to this day.  Jim is a regular contributor at the Creative and Nature SIGs, Tuesday and field trip galleries, a guest commentator on the Advanced Image Review, chair of the External Competition Committee, member of both CAPA and PSA, and has three times attended the CAPA Image Judging workshop. Jim still gets excited when he talks about images.