Composition and Control

with instructor Rosalie Winesuff

A Photography Composition Workshop


Saturday & Sunday, May 25 & 26, 2024 from 11 am - 4 pm

Gualala Arts

$80 for Gualala Arts Members, $110 for Non Members, sign up at the Gualala Arts Front Desk or online at GualalaArts.org

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Join Rosalie Winesuff for her upcoming photography workshop, “Composition and Control,” promises on Saturday & Sunday, May 25 & 26, 2024 from 11 am – 4 pm. The workshop is structured to explore the intricacies of photographic composition, delving into how balance, shape, and color can be manipulated to create striking images. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises, cutting and arranging construction paper to understand the visual weight and emotional impact of different hues. The practical sessions are designed to challenge perceptions, encouraging students to consider how color influences a composition’s mood, whether it’s the tranquil hues of a sunset or the ominous tones of a dark forest.

Rosalie’s philosophy that ‘the stuff in front of me becomes some sort of image’ reflects a deep engagement with the visual world, where even the mundane can be transformed into art. Her approach to teaching is equally immersive, focusing on the dynamic interplay between color, space, and form. This workshop is not just about learning the technical aspects of photography but also about fostering a new way of seeing, guided by Rosalie’s expertise and passion for composition and color. It’s an opportunity for photographers to expand their creative boundaries and discover new dimensions in their work.


Class Description

Lecture 1. Composition using the principles of composition. Balanced or in balanced. Square or rectangle. How many colors?

Lecture 2. How many colors are good, great or too busy? What is the visual weight of a color? Which are soothing, which are exciting.

Exercise: cut construction paper in shapes and strips to assemble a composition. Use glue stick to assemble a picture.

Lecture 2. What weight does color contribute to a composition? Does it matter in a sunset? Walking in a dark forest?

Lecture 3. Which color seems peaceful, which aggressive?

Exercise: se the construction paper to produce a somber image and another an happy image.

Lecture 3. Three images outdoors that have one ,two and three object=.Note: lighting will depend on the weather. Use window light or artificial.

Lecture 4. Photographing a person. The demonstration will take an hour or two. Discuss lighting, position, dress colors


About Rosalie Winesuff

Always the stuff in front of me becomes some sort of image. The pen on the desk or the shadow on the wall. The order of my life is a constant shift. Not that I’m a neat freak, just seems to be ingrained. Two dimensional or three, it’s the same. Even in my greenhouse. Sometimes an image has a space that works more effectively than an object.

A student once said “if you want composition, go to Winesuff”.

The other thing I always watch is color. Clothes, objects, it doesn’t matter. The color, position, or background. Is it soothing or jarring?

I love teaching. The students show me how much I don’t know and the questions to ask myself .


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