Circle of Focus

Lesson 26 from: Fine Art Photography: The Complete Guide

Brooke Shaden

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26. Circle of Focus

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Circle of Focus

So this brings me to the Circle of Focus. And this is a concept that's been talked about many times in different ways, and this is just my way of thinking of it. So what is a Circle of Focus? You'll notice my really awesome graphic here in which there is a circle in it. I know, I was very proud of that. So in my opinion what is the outer ring of this Circle of Focus, think of three concentric circles, bigger, smaller, smaller. And what is the outer ring, so what do you do? If you think about, let's say you're on Instagram, you're scrolling through Instagram and you stop on something, it catches your eye, the first thing you're gonna see is what is this? It's just like an automatic, is this a picture, is this a video, is this a song? Well you can't see a song on Instagram but you know what I mean. So what is it, literally. And then you have the middle ring which is how. So this is the ring that might get skipped over for some people. For example, for somebody who's hiring me for a commi...

ssioned shoot, they might not say to themselves, how did they do that? Because they're not a photographer, they might not care how I did it. But generally how is the next question. So when I, let's say I'm on that train, and I meet somebody and I'm showing them my work for the first time, and they see this picture, this is how it always goes. What is that, they say, what is that, like is that a painting, is that a photo, what is this? And I'll tell them this is a photograph and I composite things, and they'll say but how? Like how are you hanging there in that picture? And I'll say Oh well I did it like this, I say on a stool and I had this hula-hoop, and you know I did this whole thing, and then I'll explain. And then they'll say but why. I mean like I have been asked that so many times, in that same tone, but why, like, I don't, what are you, I don't understand this. And then I'll explain why, so we've got how, and then we've got the why. Why is the center ring of your Circle of Focus. And I try to work this from the inside out. So when I'm posting online, whenever I have something that I want to share with people, I make sure that first and foremost, yes you're gonna see what it is first, because that is nature of social media. You're going to look at the image first. But I want to make sure that as quickly as possible, I skip over that how and I make people funnel into the why. And I'm gonna make them see why I created that image. I'm not gonna, I'm just not that kind of person that says, well I used f/2.8 on this picture, because that's not me, and if it is you then that's you and that's why you're doing it, you see. That's why, because you love f-stops, or something, I don't know. But that is why, because you love the technique. I don't love the technique, I love the why, so that's what I'm really focused on. And I believe that you should be at the center of your circle. That no matter what you're doing, no matter what you're putting out there, if you're trying to get a target audience to look at what you do, you need to be at the center of that. And then you work your way out, and you say this is why I created this, this is how I created this, this is what it is but that's not really that important. What's important is that you understand why this came to be. And that's been really important for me in figuring out how to create. So then I've got this idea that everyone is scared of sharing why, because that means that you're alienating people. You know the more I tell you, okay, um, I love kale. I eat a head of kale every single day for lunch. This is true, I love kale. Then you're gonna be like, she's a hippie, I don't like her anymore. And I'm gonna be like, fine, I only want people in my life who love kale. This is an extreme example, but my point is, that the more you start to share why about yourself, the more people are going to disconnect from you, right? Like if you say, you know I grew up in a really bad situation, I didn't feel like I was loved, and these things happened to me in my childhood, and this is why I'm creating, a whole bunch of people are gonna be like, whoa, TMI, I don't wanna know that, that's, I don't connect with that, I don't need to know this, and they're gonna go away. And then you're gonna be sad, you're artist self is gonna be like, I lost people. But the real part of you that actually matters is gonna say but I didn't lose people, The people who didn't actually matter to begin with, who didn't connect with me, are now not here anymore, and the people who are still here are the ones who connect so deeply, that they are the ones who are going to buoy my career from here on out. And that's what I'm trying to get people to do with the Circle of Focus is to think about why and let that be okay. You have to make your work unique, you have to make it personal and in my opinion, it should be important, it should be important to you, what you're doing, and to other people as well. What's important to you is necessarily going to be important to somebody else. I really believe that. I think that there are just too many people on this planet for that not to be true. I have found that to be true for me, that a lot of people will say to me, I don't care about what you're doing, it's not important to me. Fine, that's okay, but it's important to one person at least. I know that much because I've made a dollar. So I know that it's important to somebody in some way. The celebrity test. This is one of my favorite things in the world. Imagine this, imagine you're about to post a new photo online and right before you hit post, your favorite celebrity has just started following you. What are you gonna do, are you just gonna hit post and be like, oh well. Or are you gonna really read again what you wrote, and really look at that image that you're posting and be like, my favorite celebrity just followed me online so if I post this right now, they're gonna see what I've just posted. Is this good enough for them? And you might be like, I don't care about celebrities, this doesn't, who cares? Just think about your favorite person in the world, the person who you would most want to look at your images and read what you're having to say. It totally changed the way that I post online. I would post things sometimes where I was like, ehhh, I could have worded that better, but I'm running late to the grocery store, because I only go to the grocery store so that's what I'm running late to I guess. So I stopped doing that. I started really looking at my work and saying, what if this person who I hold in such high regard is going to see this post, is this good enough for them? And that's how I think we should look at all of the people who are looking at what we do. Not just that one celebrity that you hope will one day follow your work, but every single person who is looking at your work is equally important to that person. And what they need to see might be what you have to put out. So I think it's really good to just remember everyone is a celebrity, that's my little hippie way of wrapping that up. So I'm selling an idea, and an emotion, but most of all a story. And I think that that's why people feel connected, because they understand your story and they see part of themselves in that story. And in fact the more you start to build your audience they become part of your story. And that's a really good thing to acknowledge, that, you know what? We're sitting here in the same room together, you are all now part of my story, no matter what. I will always look back at this and I will think, whatever happens here today, you four people are part of my story, and I'm part of your story. And if we can start to include people on that level? That's amazing isn't it? To have a community that feels included in something, I think that's just the best thing in the world. Oh we're back on branding. So let's just get through this really fast, okay?

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Guided Daydream & Writing Exercises Workbook (Lessons 1-11)

Creating an Original Narrative Workbook (Lessons 12-18)

Finding Your Target Audience Workbook (Lessons 19-27)

Planning Your Series Workbook (Lessons 28-34)

Set Design Workbook (Lessons 35-41)

Compositing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 42-49)

Editing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 50-55)

Location Scouting Workbook (Lessons 56-60)

Stock Image Downloads for Practice (Lessons 61-72)

Organizing Your Portfolio Workbook (Lessons 77-81)

Pricing & Editioning Your Work Workbook (Lessons 82-89)

Writing Contracts & Licensing Images Workbook (Lessons 90-98)

Gallery Best Practices (Lessons 99-106)

Pitch Package Workbook (Lessons 107-111)

Writing Your Brand Workbook (Lessons 112-117)

Marketing Workbook (Lessons 118-122)

Social Media Workbook (Lessons 123-127)

Printing Methods Checklist (Lessons 128-133)

Self Critique Workbook (Lessons 134-137)

Bonus Materials Guide

Syllabus

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Brooke Shaden

Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear.

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topics covered in this class

Fine Art Digital Photography

Ratings and Reviews

April S.

I tuned in for most of Brooke's lessons in this course and watched some of them more than once as they were rebroadcast. First I want to say that Brooke is a very good instructor. Her easy-going, friendly, down-to-earth, somewhat quirky manner cannot be mistaken for unprofessional. She is very prepared, she speaks well (not a bunch of hemming and hawing), she is thoughtful, she is thorough, she is very relatable and at ease, and she is definitely professional in her presentation. I really thought when I first tuned in that it would mostly be background noise while I was at work, sound to keep me company. Not because I didn't like Brooke but I really didn't think I was into fine art photography nor did I think I cared about the business side of things much. Not now anyhow. I was really wrong. Brooke sparked a deep interest in me to delve into fine art photography, to consider creating images for myself, from my imagination. In fact, I realized that this was something I'd been thinking about for a couple of years though I hadn't put a name to it (the idea of creating pre-conceived images based on my own creative goals). I gleaned many little treasures from her about image sizes, working with printers, different types of paper, selling, interacting with galleries, and so much more. I may not need all of what she taught right now because I'm definitely headed in another direction at the moment, but she planted ideas and information in my head that I know will be useful at some point. Things I may not have thought of on my own, but that seed is in my head now so when the time comes, I'll know. I'd really like to buy her course but at the moment, with the holidays right around the corner, it's not in my personal budget. I'm grateful to have caught the live and rebroadcast lessons though, and her course is on my list to own. I think it's a great reference to be consulted over and over again, not watched once and forgotten. Kudos Brooke for really putting together an excellent course.

Angel Ricci

When the title says comprehensive, it means comprehensive! I loved every part of this course. It's inspirational, motivating, and insightful towards creating art work. Even if you are not necessarily considering a fine art specialty, the concepts discussed in this course are applicable to many areas! I find this super useful as a videographer and photographer and look to apply all of these exercises and concepts for my personal and business work moving forward. It is lengthy, but you will not regret a single minute. Brooke Shaden is an amazing artist and educator. I recommend keeping up with her work, presentations, and any future courses that may come in the future.

Ron Landis

I'm retired now, but spent decades in the people and training business. Brooke is extraordinary! Even though this course is extremely well organized and she's left nothing unattended, she moves through it with friendly conversational manners and without a sense of it being stilted. It's as though we are all her friends, not students, as she shares her heart and passion with us. What a joy it is to listen to her. And what a clear, unambiguous command of her subject. Wow! She explains it with such ease using explanations and techniques that won't overwhelm artists just starting their portfolio or the Photoshop-squeamish among us; but despite its simplicity her resulting art is breathtaking and beyond original. I wish more of my professors at school were as engaging. This was by far my best buy at Creative Live yet.

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Circle of Focus

Circle of Focus

Lesson Info

26. Circle of Focus

Lessons

Class Introduction

Storytelling & Ideas

Universal Symbols in Stories

Create Interactive Characters

The Story is in The Details

Giving Your Audience Feelings

Guided Daydream Exercise

Elements of Imagery

The Death Scenario

Associations with Objects

Three Writing Exercises

Connection Through Art

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Layering Inspiration

Creating an Original Narrative

Analyze an Image

Translate Emotion into Images

Finding Parts in Images

Finding Your Target Audience

Where Do You Want Your Images to Live?

Create a Series That Targets Your Audience

Formatting Your Work

Additional Materials to Attract Clients

Which Social Media Platforms Will be Useful?

How to Make Money from Your Target Audience

Circle of Focus

The Pillars of Branding

Planning Your Photoshoot

Choose Every Element for The Series

Write a Descriptive Paragraph

Sketch Your Ideas

Choose Your Gear

How to Utilize Costumes, Props & Locations

What Tells a Story in a Series?

Set Design Overview

Color Theory

Lighting for the Scene

Props, Wardrobe & Time Period for Set Design

Locations

Subject Within the Scene

Set Design Arrangement

Fine Art Compositing

Plan The Composite Before Shooting

Checklist for Composite Shooting

Analyze Composite Mistakes

Shoot: Black Backdrop for White Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Color Clothing

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Accessories

Shoot: Miniature Scene

Editing Workflow Overview

Add Fabric to Make a Big Dress

Edit Details of Images

Add Smoke & Texture

Blend Multiple Images Into One Composite

Put Subject Into a Miniature Scenario

Location Scouting & Test Photoshoot

Self Portrait Test Shoots

Shoot for Edit

Shoot Extra Stock Images

Practice the Shoot

Introduction to Shooting Photo Series

Shoot: Vine Image

Shoot: Sand Image

Shoot: End Table Image

Shoot: Bed Image

Shoot: Wall Paper Image

Shoot: Chair Image

Shoot: Mirror Image

Shoot: Moss Image

Shoot: Tree Image

Shoot: Fish Tank Image

Shoot: Feather Image

View Photo Series for Cohesion & Advanced Compositing

Edit Multiple Images to Show Cohesion