Find Artistic Satisfaction …
Learn how to create – Extraordinary photographs from ordinary scenes.
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I teach how to create artistic and engaging Photography. – Combining the wisdom of old master painters with Digital Photography, we create beautiful photographs as works of art: all the feeling of a painting but the detail of Photography. – Engaging photographs infused with light, mood, drama, and atmosphere. Works of art that ignite our curiosity, imagination, thoughts, and feelings. – Creative Photography that gives us artistic satisfaction.
We can create an incredibly stimulating photograph if we clearly understand the photograph’s purpose and the viewer’s human nature. However, pictures fail when the natural flow from pictures to people breaks. Most pictures don’t fail for technical reasons but for reasons beyond Photography, at the artistic or human nature level. – I take a broader view of Photography, identifying and resolving the photographers’ core weaknesses.
I have 40 years of experience as a professional photographer. I offer personal online and In-person workshops for enthusiasts who want to create artistic photographs and gain artistic satisfaction. Mastering Photography means less focus on Photography skills and greater emphasis on learning broader ‘picture-making knowledge.’ – I teach you the Human Behavior behind ‘How pictures work,’ Artistic Knowledge to ‘Make pictures that work,’ Photography, and Photoshop techniques. – I teach one short, in-depth photography course. – I am your personal tutor.
Buckingham Palace, London, England. – David Osborn Photography.
“The ‘Story’ of my Photography is light, form, and distance on beautiful subjects.”
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.
Fountains Abbey, England 17 - (Press Esc to Return)
Artistic Knowledge To Create Like Painters …
Ian Strachan
Architect, France
… He’s a great tutor and very easy to get along with, making learning both easy and enjoyable …
Jerry Park
Professional Photographer, USA
… My images are more refined and professional-looking, with beautiful, rich tones and atmosphere …
Edward Cooley
Professional Photographer, USA
… I now utilize his step-by-step digital fine art Photography workflow in all my landscape Photography work …
Being ‘Different’ sparks curiosity. – Click on the image for the sequence.
Short In-Depth Personal Tuition …
One Week
Achieve excellence through knowledge.
Photographs succeed when the natural flow from pictures to people is unbroken. – A break can happen for reasons beyond Photography, at the human nature and artistic level. By fixing all our weaknesses, we create a seamless flow again. Engaging photographs for viewers and better pictures for ourselves. – Improvement means seeing Photography within the world of art, Photography, and art within the broader context of human nature. This forces us to learn subjects beyond Photography – never learned if Photography is limited to the ‘enjoyment’ of taking pictures. – Before creating photographs that work, we must know why pictures work. – I teach a short, in-depth course in artistic Photography. – Not superficial Photography.
The Knowledge
Understanding how to be creative.
Think of the workshop knowledge like a Pyramid. – The base contains the broadest subjects: human nature, behavior, and perception. The middle is artistic knowledge and principles; the top is Photography and Photoshop techniques, and the tip is our picture. – Every level on the Pyramid relies on the broader knowledge below it. The workshop starts at the base and ends at the top: ‘The Picture.’ – This methodical approach irons out every weakness that breaks the flow and causes pictures to fail. – The beauty is that this approach applies to any subject you photograph. The subject is only specific at the top of the Pyramid. The knowledge below the top is fundamental and universal – it applies to all your Photography, not particular subjects.
The Benefit
Freedom from making literal images.
I’m not teaching you a preset style. I’m not teaching you architecture, natural landscapes, or still-life Photography – I am teaching you the common denominators that underpin all those subjects – ‘How you create engaging pictures.’ – The only difference the subject makes is you emphasize certain qualities more or less in the picture; the fundamental principles of pictures are universal and don’t change. – What does this mean for you? – You’re no longer a prisoner of literal, generic-looking photographs because the lack of knowledge forces you to depend on the camera to do all the work. The workshop identifies and removes all your weak points.
My Clients
Busy people with limited time.
My workshops are designed for busy people with limited time who want a short, in-depth, solid grounding in Photography and Photoshop post-processing to refresh their travel and landscape Photography with a new creative approach and personal artistic style. – I teach you all the knowledge and technical skills to create pictures like the ones on my website.
Jump to ‘The workshop syllabus‘ …
Houses of Parliament, London, England.
Fast view 1:4. Jump to ‘What is an engaging picture‘ or keep reading …
David Osborn Photography
Venice, Italy – Before & After Image.
Tutorial: The Engaging Picture …
“If I can explain Photography to you simply
– I can teach you Photography easily.”
To make engaging pictures as photographers, it helps to understand what we find engaging as viewers. – The key is making pictures people relate to. Therefore, we learn about people at the human nature level. – How do we evaluate other people’s pictures, and what do we find engaging in other people’s pictures? – To find the answers, we need to take a broader view, look beyond Photography and pictures, and ask how we evaluate anything in life. The fact is, we evaluate pictures the same way we evaluate anything else. – Pictures are no exception.
Wildenberg, Switzerland.
Let’s evaluate ‘Pictures as Products.’ – Even if it’s only a tool for teaching and a way to make learning easier, evaluating ‘Pictures as Products’ gives us a framework to create pictures and a benchmark for judging pictures against. It’s a common sense, logical approach that explains ‘good’ Photography. We all have personal likes and preferences, but all products and pictures have identical core principles. – If we learn those principles, we create engaging photographs that resonate with people. We make pictures for ‘People.’ – Let’s look at these ‘Principles.’
Silvaplana Castle, Switzerland.
Human nature dictates our need for ‘Purpose and Benefit.’
Human nature dictates that everything we do and buy is motivated by ‘Purpose and Benefit.’ It contradicts our human nature to do anything that has no purpose and gives no benefit. The purpose of a picture is to stimulate the viewer and evoke an emotional response. Pictures are like conversations; our picture makes a statement, and the viewer reacts. – A ‘good’ picture is thought-provoking. Viewers may not ‘like’ our photograph. – Still, it must stimulate them, and pictures with ‘nothing to say’ are dull, boring, dead-end conversations. – We take pictures for our benefit, but. – We must give the viewer a purpose and benefit to look at our pictures.
San Gian Church, St Moritz, Switzerland.
Human nature dictates our desire for ‘Different.’
Human nature also dictates we prefer ‘Different’ over ‘Better.’ ‘Different’ ignites our curiosity and imagination, ‘Better’ only sparks appreciation. ‘Generic’ or ‘Literal’ encourages disinterest or boredom. ‘Different’ gives the viewer an even more significant ‘Benefit.’ – From the human nature perspective, the perfect picture gives a ‘Benefit’ and is ‘Different.’ – As photographers, ‘Different’ helps fulfill our natural desire for self-esteem. Seeking personal fulfillment gives us a sense of purpose in our lives while gaining recognition and respect from others and being seen as individuals and unique. – ‘Different’ ignites curiosity and offers excellent rewards.
Let’s look at ‘What is an engaging picture’ Next …
What Is An Engaging Picture …
Engaging pictures have three components – The Purpose, The Photograph, and The Viewer.
If we factor in ‘The Purpose’ and ‘The Viewer,’ we create engaging photographs.
The Purpose of The Photograph is to give The Viewer a thought-provoking visual experience.
Fast view 2:4. Jump to ‘How to create engaging pictures‘ or keep reading …
All Engaging Pictures Have …
A Purpose
Good products have a clear purpose.
Photography is art. Art is communication. The function of art is to stimulate the viewer’s mind and evoke an emotional response. To stimulate curiosity, imagination, thoughts, and feelings. What pictures ‘stimulate’ is more important than what pictures ‘show.’ Stimulating viewers is the picture’s purpose. This initiates thoughts and feelings – stimulation every viewer expects. Images are similar to books; the purpose is what the book ‘says,’ not the book itself. We enjoy books with something interesting to say; the same applies to pictures. A good product has a clear purpose and provides a clear benefit. – Our photograph must stimulate the viewer.
The Photograph
Good products are effective solutions.
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 no benefit because we can’t engage with them. Engaging photographs are 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 treatment takes the picture beyond the literal, stimulating our minds and igniting our curiosity and thoughts. – We must offer something ‘Different’ but ‘Understandable.’
The Viewer
Good products know their end user.
Our end user is the viewer. We can’t create pictures people respond to unless we know how people respond to pictures first. – More critically, by knowing how people perceive and then respond to pictures, we can use this knowledge to influence the viewer’s response when we create pictures to evoke an even greater response. – Learning about human nature, behavior, and psychology means understanding how human communication ‘works.’ How can we push the viewer’s emotional buttons and communicate an idea effectively if we don’t understand ‘How’ people relate to pictures first? – We must understand our end user – The Viewer.
Artistic Knowledge
Good products are produced correctly.
The ‘Purpose’ and ‘End User’ are only helpful if we know how to create photographs properly. Photography is visual art, and visual art uses a visual language. ‘The Artistic Principles’ codify our ‘production process’ into artistic guidelines that help us to create engaging photographs infused with light, mood, drama, and atmosphere. – Artistic knowledge translates sterile and clinical raw files into functional artistic ‘products’ full of life and energy. – Writers use written language. Photographers use artistic language. Artistic knowledge is artistic freedom, the key to making art communicate with people. – We must create a good artistic ‘User Experience.’
The Conclusion
Why this approach helps you improve.
Very often, we overlook the obvious, and academics overcomplicate the obvious. We need a common-sense approach to understanding Photography, or we won’t learn anything quickly. Engaging photographs are, by description, photographs ‘People’ find thought-provoking and exciting to look at. – Evaluating ‘Pictures as Products’ applies the universal approach product designers use to create successful products, and we use to judge which products to buy. Our human nature dictates that we evaluate successful pictures like any successful product. – So, it’s common sense to use this approach to creating pictures. – We create successful pictures.
Some may argue this is a commercial way to see Photography: it offends some artistic ‘egos.’ It’s not about money; it’s about understanding reality. Human nature is the ultimate law that governs people; if we contradict human nature’s laws, we fail. Photographers make pictures that don’t resonate with ‘People’ because it contradicts basic human nature for their picture to resonate with people. This happens if people only learn Photography and only learn ‘How to take a picture.’ We can create incredibly stimulating pictures that resonate with people if we understand Human Nature. – If we isolate and disconnect pictures from ‘People,’ they fail – To create engaging photographs, we must start by understanding ‘people,’ not cameras.
“Process benefits photographers. Pictures benefit viewers.”
Let’s look at ‘How to create engaging pictures’ Next …
David Osborn Photography
How To Create Engaging Pictures …
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).
The Photograph Must:
- Do not show us what we’ve seen many times before (Be different).
- Be thought-provoking and stimulating (As viewers).
- Stop, Captivate, and Reward us (As viewers).
Fast view 3:4. Jump to ‘The workshop syllabus’ or keep reading …
Florence, Italy. – Before & After Image.
Why I Provide Better Training …
Don’t confuse ‘content creators’ and ‘photographers.’
Digital Photography has made Photography accessible for everyone’s enjoyment. – Sadly, it’s also created an enormous flood of unqualified teachers, generally amateurs wanting to make money in Photography. The first ‘go-to’ option to make money is teaching, despite having no work experience in Photography as a job taking photographs. These ‘teachers’ now dominate the worlds of photographic knowledge, education, and workshops on the internet, YouTube, and social media. – They have a very superficial view of Photography because they have only taken pictures for themselves as self-enjoyment. – There’s so much more to Photography.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE.
The massive influence of YouTube ‘content creators.’
YouTube ‘teachers’ have the highest visibility and influence of them all, by an enormous lead. There’s a high chance that much of your knowledge has come from YouTube ‘photographers’ advice. People prefer watching videos to reading websites; many get hundreds of thousands of views per video. – Their massive influence is a serious problem for Photography education. Why? – They’re professional ‘content creators only,’ NOT professional photographers. – Their priority isn’t to give people what they need; it’s to give people ‘what they enjoy watching’ to get the maximum number of YouTube views possible so they make money. – Entertainment.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
You need cold hard, factual knowledge, not deception.
Next, intentional deception: YouTubers describe themselves as ‘Professional Photographers.’ Why? – It gives them authority, credibility, and trust. – It’s a deliberate manipulation to make you trust them more so they get more views, subscribers, and followers. ‘Follow my channel, and I will tell you the mystical secrets only professionals know.’ On top of that, they sell you photography as enjoyment, self-expression, and even mental well-being; you become good through mere enjoyment, huh! – It’s a line that appeals while deflecting attention away from having proper in-depth knowledge. – it’s all rubbish; pure insanity and ignorance, it’s criminal.
Bernina Pass, Switzerland.
People don’t want – What social media ‘Professionals’ teach.
They teach you to make literal, generic-looking postcard-style pictures, which are clinical and sterile. – It contradicts human nature to want them; they don’t stimulate us. They show ‘what we expect to see’ in a style we’ve ‘seen many times before.’ – They don’t tell us anything new or show us anything ‘Different;’ they’re not thought-provoking to spark our curiosity. – Taking pictures, basic composition, and using camera settings are all they teach; no conversation on what makes an engaging and compelling picture because they simply don’t know. – Working photographers could never survive on their elementary and superficial knowledge.
The Alps, Switzerland.
Why do I provide better training? Very easy …
Let’s get serious. This is not about some geriatric, senile, old English bloke in London having a rant on his website about how Photography standards have fallen. – Where do you go to get the knowledge that improves your Photography – if the world is dominated by teachers who do not have the knowledge and have no work experience in the jobs, you pay them to teach. That is the crazy reality today. – Maybe I don’t have the knowledge you ask? – Ultimately, the only proof I have is that businesses were willing to spend their hard-earned money on me to take pictures for them and did so non-stop for over 30 years. – Experience gives me the right to say most of what you hear is rubbish. – You are being fooled so they make money.
Vauxhall Bridge, London, England.
“Content creators have dumbed down Photography. Being ‘good’ demands knowledge they don’t have.”
Let’s look at ‘The workshop syllabus’ Next …
David Osborn Photography
I Cost Less Than Group Workshops …
One Workshop: Two Options – Only 24 Students A Year.
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 practical, proven, in-depth, and actionable knowledge mean I get booked up in advance. – Please book early.
Prices rise 10% on 1st January of each year.
The first available workshop is April 2024.
The Workshop Syllabus …
The workshop subjects are taught in this running order.
Knowledge: The Artistic Principles.
- We start the workshop by explaining my structured workflow and then a Photoshop demonstration.
- Understanding the world – The realities, context, and environment of creating photographs in today’s world.
- Understanding the viewer – Human nature won’t adapt to our picture; we must adjust our picture to human nature.
- Understanding the picture – Photographs must stop, captivate, and reward. – How to make photographs stimulate people.
- Understanding the language – Fluency in visual language makes pictures people respond to. Artistic principles and visual energy.
- Understanding Black & White – The structure and foundation of all photographs. The language of light, form, distance, and atmosphere.
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.
The Result: You Learn Photography In-Depth.
You learn. – The principles behind picture-making. A structured workflow, artistic knowledge, and technical skills to create engaging pictures in your own artistic style with technical perfection and aesthetic quality. – Artistic satisfaction through creative knowledge.
Plus: Free video recordings of the entire 27 hour workshop as documentation if your workshop is online.
* A summary of the most significant subjects, not a list of every subject.
Fast view 4:4. Jump to ‘Two workshop options’ or keep reading …
Lofoten, Norway – Before & After Image.
Relax At Home While Learning Online …
Comparison
£8,868 +
National Geographic Expeditions.
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 10% on 1st January of each year.
Online – Free video recordings of the entire 27 hour workshop. (9 x 3 hour sessions).
Having your entire workshop video recorded live is worth the cost of the workshop alone. – Videos provide lifelong documentation of every step and principle to continue learning for many years. – This is unique knowledge you won’t even find at university; it’s based on 40 years of real-life work experience, refined through 8 years of teaching Photography and many years of personal research. The workshop videos are an independent workshop in their own right, self-contained, comprehensive knowledge to refer to at your convenience for years.
Go to ‘Reserve your workshop dates‘ …
David Osborn Photography
Science proves what I teach you works: Where we look in the first 3 seconds.
Details & Questions Answered …
Go to ‘Reserve your workshop dates‘ …
David Osborn Photography
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy – Before & After Image.
How I Make Learning Easy …
I simplify learning by teaching you just one workflow in small modules. Each module is taught step-by-step, and each step has a concise, explainable reason, so nothing is ambiguous. Add the modules together, and you learn my structured workflow in the sequence used to create my photographs. – If your workshop is online, you receive detailed workshop notes for each module and every step taught, the Photoshop files, and all the live video recordings of every session. – After your workshop, I’m available for free follow-up advice, answering questions, and critiques of your photographs. – Email me your pictures, and we talk on a WhatsApp call. – The aim is to give you all the knowledge and resources to continue learning efficiently.
A Decisive Plan Removes Financial Risk.
A clear, concise, and structured plan minimizes your risk of not benefiting from my workshop or getting a profitable return on your investment. Trial and error learning is slow and painful, takes years, and does not guarantee success. The most efficient and cost-effective solution is personal one-to-one tuition. – With a personal tutor, you learn more knowledge in less time. – Improvement needs a one-off investment in your artistic knowledge, not cameras.
Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE.
“Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Go to ‘Reserve your workshop dates‘ …
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.
The first available workshop is April 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