The Photographer’s Eye

Date  | Thursdays, September 4 – October 2, 2025

Time  |   6 – 8 PM (MST)

Location |  Online via Zoom

Cost  | $297 Member and $330 Non-Member

Instructor  |  Mari Howells

Skill Level  |  All skill levels welcome

CPAC adheres to a strict payment, cancellation, and refund policy. Please review our Payment & Refund Policies prior to registration.

Objective:

In this workshop, students will learn how the decisions made when taking a photograph create structure and meaning, and will learn how to communicate with specificity and intention.

Course Description:

Our eyes see the world one way; how the world is shown in a photograph is completely different. In order to make pictures that say something, a photographer needs to understand this key difference. This is the essential point of John Szarkowski’s The Photographer’s Eye. Through class lectures, weekly shooting assignments, and in-class exercises based on the ideas in Szarkowski’s book, students will dissect the elements of photographic grammar. The problem of communicating through a photograph is solved through the photographer’s decisions about where to stand, when to press the shutter, what to include and exclude, and what part of the subject best speaks to a larger whole. Class exercises will refine the way students observe, take, and read images. The process results in photographs that are more personal and expressive, clearer, and made with a point of view.

Materials Needed:

If you have questions about camera equipment or resources, contact us at edu@cpacphoto.org in advance of the class. For online classes and workshops please register as you normally would, and CPAC will update you with the proper links. To participate in an online course, students will need access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet with adequate internet connection and storage space.

• Any camera will work for this class (film, digital, or iphone)
• Zoom account (free) for access to class