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Lesson 2: What Makes a Strong Photo? Your goal as a photographer is usually to grab the attention of the viewer, and communicate an idea, or share an experience. What photos do this best? Usually the strongest photos are those that are simple and present the subject in a clear, uncluttered way. Photographers work with line, shape, texture, color and pattern. Let's take a look at a few pictures and see if we can identify the visual elements that make them work, or not work. Assignment Here are three pictures of the same subject. Write a paragraph or two explaining which one you like best. What patterns are present? What are the lines? What are the textures? Colors? Why did you make this choice? In the lessons that follow we will explore some of the things that make photos work for the viewer. Lesson 1: Starting Out Lesson 3: Unclutter Lesson 4: The Rule of Thirds Lesson 5: Framing Your View Lesson 6: Getting Up Close Lesson 7: Photography Projects Lesson 8: Other Resources