Programs: (Zoom) – No More Rules: Human Perceptions in Composition with Colleen Miniuk

Oftentimes photographers spend much time forcing their scenes to fit the rules (which yields technically “perfect” but perhaps boring photographs) rather than arranging the subject matter based on emotional responses and human perceptions. This insightful and educational presentation, outdoor photographer/writer Colleen Miniuk goes beyond reviewing the predominant composition rules and shares how we can leverage the reasoning behind human perception (not rules!) to help elicit specific responses from our viewers. Hear how subject matter placement, the use of different types of lines, relationships between shapes, and other visual language help us arrange our scenes to communicate meaning and messages more effectively with our audiences.

Bio:

Colleen Miniuk is a corporate-America-escapee turned full-time freelance outdoor photographer, author, educator, and motivational speaker from Chandler, AZ. Through her work, she aims to inspire adventures in the Great Outdoors and encourage others to live their most fulfilling life, “the big Life with a capital L,” with or without a camera in hand. Her work has graced the pages of publications such as National Geographic, Arizona Highways, AAA Via, On Landscape, National Parks Traveler, and a broad variety of other outlets. She has penned several award-winning books, including Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers; The Current Flows: Water in the Arid West, and Photographing Acadia National Park: The Essential Guide to When, Where, and How (after serving thrice as Acadia’s Artist-in-Residence). Her first adventure travel memoir, So Said the River: Life, Loss, and Pie on the Colorado, was published in July 2024. She writes an online photography advice column called “Dear Bubbles.” She leads photography workshops (including all-women sessions called Sheography™), teaches classes, and offers one-on-one mentoring. Learn more at http://www.colleenminiuk.com.