Mastering Composition Course

On Saturday I went on Steve Davey’s Mastering Composition Course in London. It was my first ever photography instruction course so I was hoping to get some good advice on technique and critique on my style.

I met Steve at Costa Coffee house just before nine in the morning and awaited the arrival of the rest of the group. There were six of us in total, including Steve, and he began by showing us a laptop presentation on the following topics:

1. Look for angles
2. Change your viewpoint
3. Shoot vertical
4. Lens Choice
5. Subject distance
6. Check your crop
7. Composition for balance
8. Mise en scene

We were give a printout of the notes too which we could refer to at our leisure – so far so good. With the session over it was time to get moving.

After walking through the tunnel that goes under the rail bridge sandwiched in between the two sides of Hungerford bridge, we were taken to the steps leading up to the bridge. We were encouraged to look for new angles, shapes and anything else that we might want to capture that illustrated the bridge.

We then crossed over to the Southbank and saw one of the faberge egg hunt eggs on display. A few obligatory snaps later and it was time to walk down towards the London Eye.

Along the way – just before the London Eye where the Houses of Parliament can be seen on the opposite bank, Steve stopped us to explain about how manual focus points and servo focus could help us take better images. He also showed us how moving further away from our subject we could create an arch from the London Eye and the trees to surround the view of Big Ben.

I had no idea how to set manual focus on my Canon 550d so nodded politely as we moved closer towards the London Eye booking office. Luckily at our next stop under the London Eye, Steve asked if I got the manual focus bit. After confessing that I didn’t, one of the group pointed out that the * button brought up the focus points and you could select any of them to fix a point. This was a revelation to me and I began to feel as if I could finally gain control of my camera!

We moved up to Westminster Bridge and were encouraged to take a vertical photo of Big Ben and a London taxi or bus as a foreground interest. I wasn’t too successful here, as one of group seemed to be continually in front of me. I was too polite to say anything so cursed myself that I missed my chance to get the perfect shot. Note to self: This isn’t a race so it is better to take your time and be patient.

We crossed over the bridge road to the opposite side and were amused to see what looked like a number of rude shadows that were cast by the low sun as it shone through the bridge decorations. See if you can guess what they were.

So amusement over we crossed to the other side towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. We took our lives into our own hands and managed to get across to the green grass of Parliament Square. Here we could see the latest peace protests and another photo opportunity.

We then walked towards Birdcage Walk but were too late for the Changing of the Guard parade. So instead we stopped in St James Park and looked for opportunities for more snaps. We saw another Egg in the faberge egg hunt and then moved towards Horse Guards Parade. In the corner is a Canon and we each took turns taking photos of it as foreground interest to the buildings in the square.

Canon shots over, it was time to take snaps of the guards on duty. You can walk under a tunnel and back onto Whitehall which is quite a shortcut. We spent a bit of time here before moving up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. At Trafalgar Square, Steve challenged us to take break up and take some shots that captured the essence of the place. I chose to take photos of people clambering over the lions and statues to get their tourist shots. I also took a few shots of a guy who seemed a little worse for wear, as he slept next to a small group of three men who seemed to be ignoring him completely.

We met on the steps of the National Gallery and Steve showed us a shot that enables you to get Big Ben and a Lion in the same picture. Great if you have a long lens around 400mm. As we all got back together it was time to go back to the embankment and review our photos.

We were asked to select up to ten photos each for critical review. After a brief critique session that left me a bit, well I won’t say annoyed more like put-out because I was told that my SD card was cheap (thanks) I left without much knowledge of how to specifically improve my photos. So I went and did the circuit again on my own.

Verdict Overall I enjoyed the day. I found out how to use manual focus points, and I think that I my photos will get better if I practice his tips. I think that if Steve had spent some time before we began to find out what level each of us were at with our photography it could have got off to a fast start. During the actual tour I think we could have done with more challenges, so that we could explain what we were trying to convey, during the critique – instead it felt rather rushed.

Here is the route we took:

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Here is the photo set - Tell me what you think, an improvement? I hope so…

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