Home » Arts & Design » Photography » Digital Photography

Review Photo By Design Online Workshop

Ranked #8,200 in Arts & Design, #134,653 overall

Photo By Design

Recently, I enrolled in an online photography class taught by Kim Manley Ort. The class is called Photo by Design and the subject is visual design. This is my review of the first couple weeks of the course.

Many photographers enjoy taking photos of certain kinds of things like people, flowers, sunsets or any other subject they are passionate about, but in this workshop Kim challenges you to look beyond what you normally see. Experimenting with light, lines, shapes and other things in one week lessons with critiques and encouragement from others in the class.

Below you will see a few of my photos from the class, unfortunately I cannot share the other people's but believe me there are some wonderful photos being posted in the private Flickr group. The participants all have varying degrees of skill behind the camera. In the Photo by Design course you learn about building on the basic elements of photography, which is something we all can do regardless of whether we like photography as a hobby or are more serious about it.

Kim Manley Ort's second Online Photo Workshop started on January 16, 2012.

The picture here was the first one I submitted for the subject of light.

Two Main Questions about Workshop

How experienced do I need to be?
" You just need to know how to operate your camera and a desire to learn more about how to express what you see through photography".

What equipment do I need?
"A camera and computer. Any camera is fine, since it is your eyes that will be doing the most work. The computer is so that you can, of course, read the materials and upload pictures to the Flickr group".

This is what Kim stated on her blog.

Kim Manley Ort and The Photo by Design Workshop

a 6 week course in photography design

leaning to see light and lines photo by Kathy McGraw

When I received an email last summer about Kim's workshop I wasn't sure how it would work. Those who know me know that I question everything to make sure I know what the expectations are. Anyway, I love Kim's photos and got to know her on Squidoo from our writing group. I was fascinated with how she made posters and some of the other things she did with photos, so of course I was excited to really spend time just on photography with her.

Kim's Photo by Design workshop is 6 weeks long. One week for each of what Kim calls the building blocks of design. The elements of the course are provided via download and several times during the week we receive an email about the lesson with hints, tips, and other resources. These emails are very encouraging and some of the links helped me see things differently.

The participants in the class join a private Flickr group. This is where we share our photos, ask questions, and give each other feedback and a critique of what we see in their photo. Not all of the photos we take are put into the group, just 3-5 of the ones we took during the week. For me, I wanted to know if we could use photos we had already taken previously as I have thousands. The main focus according to Kim is "training your eyes to see". She wants us to focus on a new way of seeing, and post the ones from each lesson. This was both exciting and a little scary for me, as I would be posting pictures that I normally would just delete, but it turned out that everyone had the same trepidation, and the group turned out to be hugely supportive of each other.

You can read more about the Photo by Design Online Workshop on Kim's blog Being Inspired .

Online Photo Class? Yes or No

When I heard about Kim's class I wasn't sure how it would work, as I'd never taken an online photography class before. How about you?

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Photo by Design Lesson Photos

photos taken by Kathy McGraw

These are a few of the pictures I took during the lessons on light and lines. The picture in the intro was also one of these from the first 2 weeks. The goal wasn't for a professional shot, just to start noticing the different elements of the building blocks of a well designed photo.
Loading

Creating with Photos

photo from workshop made into a greeting card

I loved the soft feel of the lines made from the sun streaming in the window. I took this shot and thought it was so soft that I would make a card from it. It made me think of missing someone, so that is the card I made. Sweet Dreams from one person to another...a feeling I got from my photo for the Photo by Design workshop. So, not only did I learn to see differently, but it awakened even more creativity.

I Miss You card
Sweet Dreams by SunsetArtWorks

Would You Like To Learn How To See More

through different building blocks of design

Tell us if you would like to learn to see more, and create more with your photos.

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Types of Cameras

these are the types of cameras used by participants

The camera is really just a tool, but like all tools some are better than others for different jobs. With photography we are the ones that see the subject then use the camera to capture it.

I noticed right away the people that had the blurred backgrounds and beautiful close-ups, macro shots, and decided to find out what kinds of cameras everyone was using. It turned out that it was a pretty even split between Nikon and Canon with one more person having a Canon than a Nikon. There was also one Fuji and one Olympus also.

What Kind of Camera Do You Have?

like all tools or toys we want to know what others have

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Canon Powershot G10

There were two Canons that more than one person was using, and this was one of them.
Canon Powershot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Canon Powershot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Amazon Price: $979.00 (as of 02/23/2012)Buy Now

Canon EOS 30D DSLR

of the two most popular cameras used this is one of them

Canon EOS 30D DSLR has a lot of features, way too many to list. This camera was also the most used one in the Photo by Design Workshop. If you're interested just click and read all the specs as well as the 126 reviews...all 5 stars.

One of the big differences of this camera and the other Canon, is you can change the lenses and filters. That's the simple explanation.
Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Amazon Price: $774.00 (as of 02/23/2012)Buy Now

This Nikon D3000

affordable DSLR

This Nikon D3000 is a step above the better point and shoot cameras. My grand daughter had used the D40 in school and wanted one, but they discontinued it and the school recommended this one. I borrowed it for some of my shots and was pleased with the picture quality. I wouldn't say it's the best professional camera, but not everyone wants all the bells and whistles and this is a good starter DSLR. Read all the specs by clicking below.

Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Amazon Price: $399.99 (as of 02/23/2012)Buy Now

This camera comes with a lens already and has a lithium rechargeable battery.

Nikon D200

professional DSLR

I was most curious as to what camera Kim was using. She takes some beautiful photos and as the organizer and leader of the Photo by Design Online Workshop I wanted to know what camera she used. This Nikon is body only so obviously Kim invests in her camera. Before digital cameras basically made film cameras obsolete I had several lenses, wide angle, macro, and zoom, as well as all sorts of filters. This camera is more for professionals or serious hobbyists that prefer Nikon over Canon.

Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Amazon Price: $899.99 (as of 02/23/2012)Buy Now

Review of Photo by Design Online Workshop

I am halfway through the course and I have already learned a different way of seeing. In fact from the comments of the other participants, so have they. One participant stated, " I really appreciated being able to see how everyone found shapes this week. It really helped to expand my seeing as I felt it harder for me this week to see shapes I wanted to photograph." That's how I felt with lines, but in the end I loved my feather picture, and one of a piece of seaweed. Common things, but interesting subjects for photos.

I would highly recommend the Photo by Design Online Workshop for anyone who likes photography, regardless of the type of camera you have, or the amount of experience.

If you liked this article please give it a thumbs up and share it

and leave your comments below :)

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Photo by Design Review Guestbook

Comments are very much appreciated

Oh I love photography. I love trying to capture something that I want to remember or share with others. What do you think about this Photo by Design Online Workshop Review? Sometimes when you're really passionate about something you want everyone else to like it too. But in this case, I think anyone who loves photography and uses their camera to "see the world" will get something from this workshop.

So, tell us what you think!

submit
Show All

by

KathyMcGraw

A review from the first half of the Photo by Design Online Workshop with Kim Manley Ort. This was a great Photography Workshop and I would highly recommend... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags