David Osborn Photography. London. 2024.
Learn Artistic Photography
Learn How To Create – Extraordinary Photography From Ordinary Scenes.
Learn Artistic Photography
Photography is more than ‘Click The Shutter.’– A pen doesn’t make us good writers; a camera doesn’t make us good photographers. – Like a written or spoken language, creating beautiful, engaging Photography infused with light, mood, and drama needs learning. – I have 40 years of experience as a professional photographer and as a personal tutor; I offer live online and in-person workshops. – I will teach you Artistic Knowledge, Photography Skills, and Photoshop Techniques to create beautiful, engaging Photography in your own artistic style.
“My Photography is about light, form, and distance on beautiful subjects.”
Fountains Abbey, England 17 - (Press Esc to Return)
The Artistic Knowledge To Create Like Painters
Hi David,
One of the most valuable things I did in my Photography journey was spending time with you. – Since then, I have always adapted your methods to my Photography and last November 2023, I was awarded International Photographer of the Year – in the People section, and, much more importantly, I won the Lucie Award as a non-professional photographer.
So, thank you, David. I hope you are fine.
My best regards.
Carlo Marrazza.
IPA People Photographer of the Year 2023. Bakkarwals of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
David Osborn Photography, London, England, 2024.
Good Photography
Think of Photography as making a ‘signal,’ like an electronic signal. – Photographers create the signal by taking a photograph; the photograph transmits the signal to the viewer, and the viewer decodes it. – When decoded, the signal stimulates the viewer, and the viewer generates an emotional response. – A percentage of the signal gets ‘lost in transit.’ Therefore, the more pure we make the signal, the more efficient and effective it is. – A signal that is weak, confused, or noisy, fails. – As photographers, our job is to control the content and quality of ‘The Signal.’
My job is to teach you: ‘How to create Good Photography’ …
Venice, Italy – Before & After Image.
Good Photography Explained …
A Product Analogy
Human Nature influences everything.
Imagine going to a shopping mall to buy a jacket. – A jacket catches your eye; it’s stylish and suitable for work. It’s warm, waterproof, and has a pocket for protecting your phone from the heavy rain. So, you buy it. It gives you benefits and is aesthetically pleasing, and the designer gave the jacket a purpose by understanding the end user’s needs. – People will use the same evaluation logic to judge your picture because human nature dictates we do so. – Would you call a photograph ‘Good’ if it has no purpose, gives no benefit, and is not visually interesting? People judge Photography at the subconscious human nature level first – NOT Photography level alone. – Human Nature influences everything we do; this includes your Photography.
Pictures Have Viewers
Make pictures that benefit your viewers.
Seeing Photography only as self-enjoyment means we’re so fixated on Photography that we overlook the larger knowledge needed to ‘Make Good Signals.’ The result is our photographs don’t resonate with people; they’re literal, not engaging photographs. However, if we factor in a viewer, it forces us to consider these wider issues. – Improvement begins with accepting a picture has a viewer, seeing your picture from a viewer’s perspective, and that viewers will expect a benefit. – Photography is self-expression, but it fails as self-expression if people do not understand what we’re expressing. – By making good pictures for others, you learn ‘How to create better photographs for yourself.’ – Let’s look at ‘Creating Good Photography’ next.
Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE.
“By learning to make good pictures for others, you learn – How to create better photographs for yourself.”
David Osborn Photography
Create Good Photography
Photography doesn’t live in isolation. – We must see Photography in the context of Art, Photography and Art, in the context of Human Nature. – Human Nature is people at a fundamental level, the common denominator we share with everyone worldwide; Human Nature sets the rules. – If we know ‘How people respond to pictures,’ we can use the same rules to ‘Create pictures people respond to’ using our Artistic Knowledge. – Photography alone can only record the image. – ‘The Signal’ has Human Nature, Artistic, and Photography elements. – Therefore, we need less attention on Photography skills and more concentration on learning Human Nature and Artistic Principles.
The components of ‘The Signal.’
Elements Of Good Photography …
1. Clear Purpose
The purpose is to stimulate viewers.
Good Photography is thought-provoking. – What a photograph stimulates is more important than what it shows. The purpose is to stimulate the viewer’s curiosity, imagination, thoughts, and feelings. Evoke an emotional response. Pictures are like conversations; our picture makes a statement, and the viewer responds. – Photography that doesn’t stimulate us is a dead-end conversation, dull and uninteresting; viewers get no benefit or reward. – The viewer may not ‘like’ your picture, but it must ‘stimulate’ them. – Your ‘Purpose’ is self-enjoyment. The viewers ‘Purpose’ is wanting to be stimulated. – If the viewer gets no benefit, the photograph fails.
2. Human Nature
Human Nature dictates all the rules.
We create pictures that stimulate ‘People’ by understanding ‘How pictures appeal to Human Nature’ because Human Nature dictates how we perceive the world, including pictures. If we don’t make pictures comply with Human Nature, they instantly fail. – We’re hoping a viewer’s Human Nature will adapt to our pictures; it will NOT do this. We must learn how to adapt our pictures to comply with Human Nature. – We can’t create pictures people respond to unless we know how people respond to pictures, and by knowing how people respond to pictures, we can influence their response to create a more powerful response, when making pictures.
3. Artistic Knowledge
Makes pictures that stimulate viewers.
Artistic knowledge tells us ‘How to make pictures that appeal to Human Nature.’ To stimulate the emotional response, we must push the viewer’s emotional buttons in a visual way. Visual art uses a visual language. – Artists use visual language the way writers use written language. Visual language allows us to communicate. – ‘Artistic Principles’ are creative guidelines used by old master painters for creating Works of Art. – Visual language is how we implement the ‘Artistic Principles’ to create engaging Photography. Artistic knowledge translates unrefined raw images into refined, artistic pictures that stimulate our senses. – Art is our ‘Translator.’
4. Photography
Photography captures the image.
As a viewer, literal pictures don’t provide a benefit because they show us what we expect to see. Not showing anything new, they don’t ignite our curiosity. Pictures we don’t understand, give us no benefit because we can’t engage with them. – Good Photography is in the sweet spot between the two extremes. – Light, three-dimensional form, and atmospheric distance give the picture a foundation of realism, a point of reference to understand the picture. Then, the artistic interpretation makes the picture different, stimulating our minds and evoking the viewers’ curiosity, thoughts, and feelings. – Create ‘Different but Understandable’ pictures.
The Conclusion
The key is to ignite people’s curiosity.
We learn Human Nature first, then Artistic Knowledge, then Photography. Then, we have a foundation to make good Photography because you have the knowledge to understand the logic of what you’re doing; this also gives you artistic freedom and personal style. Enthusiasts looking to improve turn to Photography for the answers, unaware the answers they need are not found in Photography. – Nowadays, digital cameras are so good and easy to use that the problem is probably not photographic; it’s most likely an Artistic and Human Nature problem; the pictures feel cold and clinical; they lack feeling. They don’t resonate with us as ‘People.’
Houses of Parliament, London, England.
“Photography alone will not make you a good photographer. – It’s not broad enough knowledge.”
David Osborn Photography
Good Photography Defined
Photography has three criteria – The Purpose, the Picture, and the Viewer.
– To create a Benefit for the Viewer, we must learn Human Nature and Artistic Principles.
The Purpose of The Photograph is to Benefit The Viewer with a stimulating Artistic Experience.
My Workflow Next
How I Create My Photography …
1. Photograph Assets
I use a tripod so they align in Photoshop.
Today, photographs aren’t the product of the camera but software. The camera only records ‘assets’ for Photoshop; where we create the photograph. The more assets we take, the more choices we have to create pictures. These assets are the Base image first: I try to get the final image in a single frame, to which I add improvements. Technical assets improve the technical quality: Exposures for shadow detail, etc. Artistic assets improve the content: Subjects not lit in the Base image, extra people, etc. Finally, various skies to improve mood and atmosphere. – I take one composition using a tripod so everything aligns, and I often stitch Panoramics.
2. Technical Perfection
Create the three-dimensional quality.
After compositing the assets with blending and masking, I make the photograph feel real but looks impersonal. – The aim is technical perfection. I make a strong three-dimensional illusion, enhancing the picture’s qualities of light, three-dimensional form, and spatial or atmospheric distance. This gives the picture a foundation of realism, a point of reference to understand it. Once the realistic three-dimensional illusion of reality is created, that underlying realistic feel is always present in the picture, no matter how radical the artistic treatment is. Creating rich and detailed shadows is critical. – Realism helps the viewer connect with the photograph.
3. Artistic Transformation
Making the picture personal and unique.
The final stage is to make the photograph feel unreal and personal, an interpretation. I apply the Artistic Principles of light, form, emphasis, contrast, variation, and cohesion, each in turn, to the picture. The workshop explains all of these principles. The emphasis is now on creating visual order and structure for the viewer’s efficiency. Mood and atmosphere for the viewer’s response. The picture should fit in one or more of these categories – Symbolism, connection, ambiguity, or innovation to ignite the viewer’s curiosity, again, all explained in the workshop. – I apply my personal artistic preferences to create photographs in my own artistic style.
The Conclusion
Aim to be ‘Different’ first, ‘Better’ later.
The ideal photograph has a purpose, is different but understandable and benefits the viewer and ourselves. The aim is to be different first, not better. Then be ‘different’ done well. Human nature dictates that people prefer ‘different before better.’ Different ignites our curiosity and imagination; better only sparks appreciation. Generic or literal only encourages disinterest or boredom. Creativity allows us to be different and provides great creative satisfaction. Quality requires knowledge, skill, and craftsmanship – but artistic pictures have underlying principles that can be taught and learned. Cameras are tools. Cameras record; it’s people who create.
City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Spain.
“Artistic knowledge translates unrefined raw images into beautiful, refined artistic Works of Art.”
David Osborn Photography
How To Create Good Photography
Ask Three Questions:
- What is the ‘hero’ of my photograph? (The subject).
- What do I want to tell you about the ‘hero’? (The message).
- How am I going to tell you this in a visual way? (The artistic style).
Good Photography:
- Avoid showing what we’ve seen many times before; be different.
- Be thought-provoking and stimulating for viewers.
- Stop, Captivate, and Benefit the viewer.
Lofoten, Norway – Before & After Image.
My Job Is Your Improvement …
I Have A Plan For You
Let’s look at the problem first …
Photographers make uncreative photographs because they lack artistic knowledge – not a lack of photographic knowledge. The lack of artistic knowledge makes them rely on cameras to do all the work. If we only know ‘How to take a picture,’ we disconnect Photography from the artistic knowledge that would make our pictures creative, and if we don’t make creative pictures, we make literal pictures that are dull and uninteresting for ourselves and others. To solve these problems, we must expand our knowledge beyond Photography alone. – That is the purpose of my workshops – To teach you the knowledge other workshops don’t cover. – A comprehensive tuition in Photography. – Let’s look at what my workshops cover next.
“Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. – Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
David Osborn Photography
The Workshop Knowledge
Think of the workshop knowledge as a Pyramid. – The Pyramid base has the broadest knowledge: Human Nature, Behavior, and Perception. The middle is Artistic Knowledge and Principles; the top is Photography and Photoshop Techniques. The Picture is the tip. Each layer of the Pyramid needs the broader knowledge below it. – Workshops start at the base and finish at the top. – Subjects are only relevant at the top; the rest is fundamental knowledge that applies to Photography in general, not specific subjects. – This covers every aspect of ‘Making Good Signals.’
‘Good Photography’ starts by learning the fundamentals first.
Who Are The Workshops For …
Enthusiasts Worldwide
Those with a passion to learn.
My Photography workshops are designed for busy people with limited time. – Enthusiasts who want short, in-depth, quality tuition in Photography and Photoshop. – The methodical approach solves every weakness you have – because it covers every element of ‘The Signal’: Human Nature, Art, and Photography. – The online workshop can be taken over time to fit in with your work, and my job is to give you all the tools to reinvent your travel and landscape Photography with newfound passion and enthusiasm when things feel stale. – However, I’m not teaching you to make pictures in my artistic style, but an understanding of Photography so you create pictures in your own artistic style. – Let’s look at the workshop details next.
“I am not teaching you my preset style. – I’m teaching you an understanding of Photography.”
David Osborn Photography
I Cost Less Than Group Photo Tours …
As a perfectionist, my priority is quality tuition. This can only be achieved as a personal one-to-one service. – However, this limits my available time and the number of students I can teach. – My 40 years of experience as a professional working photographer and my comprehensive approach means I do get booked up in advance. – Please book early. Prices rise on 1st January 2025.
One Photography Workshop: Two Options – Only 24 Students A Year.
The first available Photography workshop is June 2024.
I Make Learning Easy
I simplify learning by teaching you one workflow in small modules, and each module is taught step-by-step. Each step has a concise, explainable reason, so nothing is ambiguous. Add all the modules together, and you learn my structured workflow in the sequence I use to create my Photography. You will receive detailed workshop notes for each module and every step taught, Photoshop files, and live video recordings of every session (online only). After your workshop, – I am available for free follow-up advice, answering questions, and critiquing your pictures. Email me your pictures, and we talk on a WhatsApp call.- I give you all the resources to continue learning afterwards.
My workshop is your investment in knowledge.
Your Investment In Knowledge
The Photography Workshop Syllabus
I start the workshop by explaining my structured workflow and a Photoshop demonstration. – Then I cover human nature, behavior, and perception for ‘How pictures work’ followed by the Artistic Principles of light, form, emphasis, contrast, variation, and cohesion to ‘Make pictures that work,’ finally Photography skills and Photoshop techniques. The purpose of the Photoshop techniques is to apply the Artistic Principles. We do this by working on photographs from start to finish, so you have at least one file with every step as documentation to accompany the videos.
Techniques: Photography & Photoshop.
- Photography – Creating the Photoshop assets with rich shadow detail.
- Align, clean, and sharpen images. Black & White conversion.
- Compositing – Advanced masking for sky replacement.
- Compositing – Exposure blending techniques.
- Dodge & Burn to create visual energy.
- Creating three-dimensional form.
- Create atmospheric distance.
- Create Rembrandt light.
- Create moody colors.
- … and much more.
Create Photography with Technical Perfection and Artistic Quality.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy – Before & After Image.
Learn Online While Relaxing At Home …
Group Photo Tours
£8,868 +
National Geographic Comparison.
National Geographic Expeditions. Average cost of their Photo Tours excluding international travel and extras. Maximum group size of 88.
Average calculations are based on 31 tours shown on their 2023 website.
* Prices rise on 1st January 2025.
Free video recordings of your entire Online Workshop.
Having your entire workshop video recorded live is worth the cost of the workshop alone. – Videos provide a lifelong documentation of every step and principle to continue learning for many years to come and in your own time when convenient. – Trial and error learning is slow, painful, takes years, and does not guarantee success. – The most efficient and cost-effective solution is personal one-to-one tuition. 27 hours of live video is the perfect backup resource. It’s scary just how much we forget in such a short time. Videos solve the problem.
David Osborn Photography
Creativity sparks curiosity. – Click the image.
Details & Questions Answered …
David Osborn Photography
The Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic – Before & After Image.
Reserve Your Workshop Dates …
Please email me the information below. I will get back to you quickly and personally.
Until then, many thanks and my best regards, David Osborn.
The first available Photography workshop is June 2024.
The ‘Mastercard System’ accepts all major bank cards worldwide, not only Mastercard.
David Osborn Photography
Let’s Talk …
Let’s chat live on a Zoom call first, free of charge, and answer any questions or concerns you may have before making a booking or payment. Just email me, and we’ll arrange a date to talk in person.
David@DavidOsbornPhotography.com
David Osborn Photography
69 Grange Gardens, Southgate,
London N14 6QN, England.
UK +44 (0) 771 204 5126
