Dates: February 9 - March 2, 2027
Meetings: Tuesdays, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST (4 sessions ; 1st class until 1:00 PM)
Location: Online Zoom Classroom
Cost: $290 (HCP members can receive a 10% discount)
Instructor: M.H. Rubin
Skill Level: Intermediate
What makes a great photograph? Why do certain images stay with us, while others, perhaps of the very same subject, leave us indifferent? This course shows how principles that define haiku, including rhythm, simplicity, organic formality, a connection to time, and an appreciation for the ordinary, can also help explain why certain photographs resonate. More importantly, they provide a grammar for creative ideas and instincts that photographers often recognize but struggle to articulate.
This course explores these principles through assignments and through analyzing photographs by some of the medium's great masters, examining how they can transform the way we see, compose, and create images. This is not a course about poetry, Zen, or minimalist photography; the course offers a practical approach to understanding what makes photographs compelling, moving beyond conventional rules and formulas.
For beginners, the course provides an intuitive foundation for creating stronger images. For experienced photographers, it offers fresh perspectives, opportunities to challenge established habits, and new ways to experiment and grow.
Objectives:
Develop new ways of understanding composition, separation, structure, simplicity, and rhythm
Explore fresh approaches to your photographic practice and creative decision-making
Gain a deeper understanding of your work within the context of photographic history
Rediscover enthusiasm for photography, overcome creative plateaus, and find new inspiration for image-making
Understand how the principles of haiku can inform photographic observation, composition, and expression
Develop a stronger visual vocabulary to articulate your creative instincts and choices
Prerequisites: None
Course Prep:
Students should prepare 4 photos that are indicative of their work and/or direction to share with the instructor and the class.
Dates: February 9 - March 2, 2027
Meetings: Tuesdays, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST (4 sessions ; 1st class until 1:00 PM)
Location: Online Zoom Classroom
Cost: $290 (HCP members can receive a 10% discount)
Instructor: M.H. Rubin
Skill Level: Intermediate
What makes a great photograph? Why do certain images stay with us, while others, perhaps of the very same subject, leave us indifferent? This course shows how principles that define haiku, including rhythm, simplicity, organic formality, a connection to time, and an appreciation for the ordinary, can also help explain why certain photographs resonate. More importantly, they provide a grammar for creative ideas and instincts that photographers often recognize but struggle to articulate.
This course explores these principles through assignments and through analyzing photographs by some of the medium's great masters, examining how they can transform the way we see, compose, and create images. This is not a course about poetry, Zen, or minimalist photography; the course offers a practical approach to understanding what makes photographs compelling, moving beyond conventional rules and formulas.
For beginners, the course provides an intuitive foundation for creating stronger images. For experienced photographers, it offers fresh perspectives, opportunities to challenge established habits, and new ways to experiment and grow.
Objectives:
Develop new ways of understanding composition, separation, structure, simplicity, and rhythm
Explore fresh approaches to your photographic practice and creative decision-making
Gain a deeper understanding of your work within the context of photographic history
Rediscover enthusiasm for photography, overcome creative plateaus, and find new inspiration for image-making
Understand how the principles of haiku can inform photographic observation, composition, and expression
Develop a stronger visual vocabulary to articulate your creative instincts and choices
Prerequisites: None
Course Prep:
Students should prepare 4 photos that are indicative of their work and/or direction to share with the instructor and the class.
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