How to Be Creative | NEW Creative Photography 101 Course!

Pye Jirsa

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creative photography 101
“You should quit, you just aren’t good enough.” Those were actual words of my high-school art teacher. In fairness, I wasn’t good, and he was just trying to help guide my career towards something he thought was better for me. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I decided to pick up a camera and explore photography. After falling in love with the medium, I committed myself to the process … books, videos, test shoots, internships, putting myself out there for critique and feedback… these were the tools I used to TRAIN MY CREATIVITY.

Here’s the secret, most of us AREN’T born creative. We don’t just inherently know how to create great photographs. Well, maybe there’s the 1% that do, but I sure as heck wasn’t one of them. So instead, I created frameworks and education that train photographers to understand HOW your camera sees the world. From there, you’ll know exactly how to translate what’s in your head to a real tangible image.

Creative Photography 101 is my “Creativity Framework.” It teaches creativity from the ground up, and for that reason, we’re ditching all the crazy gear. EVERY IMAGE in this workshop is shot and edited on a Phone. If you have a DSLR, mirrorless, or advanced system. Fantastic. You can take everything you learn and translate it into the gear you have. But, if all you have is just your phone. I’m going to show you how to create magic with it.

Look, your life’s moments deserve better than boring photos to remember them by. No matter what your goals are in photography, I’m going to teach you how to turn the most basic camera, the one that everyone has, into incredible photographs! This workshop is set to be released this fall but here’s the sneak peek trailer.

Creative Photography 101 Trailer

Limited Time Launch Discount!

This course is designed to be the ULTIMATE iPhone photography tutorial made up of frameworks for training your creativity so you can stop settling for boring photos! We wanted to make this course affordable and accessible for all photographers, no matter what skill level you are. For the launch of this course we are offering $30 off – here are the details:

If you are an SLRL Premium member, you can start streaming this course now on desktop and mobile using the Kajabi App for Google Play or iOS! 

Stop Settling for the “Walk-Up” Shot

creative photography 101 1The most common challenge photographers face when it comes to creativity is the tendency to settle for the standard “walkup shot.” We call it this because it’s the angle and effort a stranger would give you if they walked up and took a photo.

Every Image In This Course Was Taken Using an iPhone

Why did we do this? We want to show you that creativity is not about the camera but how the photographer uses it. These creative principles will apply to your everyday photos of your food, family and travels as well as your professional creative photography. We used an iPhone 11 Pro Max, a Peak Design Travel Tripod, and Visual Flow Presets on Lightroom Mobile to photograph and edit all of the images in this course.

Common Myths About Creativity

These common myths often hold people from exploring creativity in their photography. In this workshop, we teach you how these are simply NOT TRUE.

Myth: “I’m Just Not That Creative”

Here’s the secret … most of us aren’t born creative. Creativity, like anything else, is a muscle you can train with the right framework and approach. Learn our system and apply it to everyday photos of your family or to your professional photography.

6 iphone photography tutorialMyth: “I’m Too Busy for Creative Photography”

Creative photography isn’t just for pros willing to wake up at dawn to hike to beautiful scenes. Learn how to take better photos while out with your family with a few tricks.

The photos on the left were taken in midday sun on a random weekend family hike. We’ll show you the creative process in the workshop.

Myth: “I Need Expensive Software to Edit Photos”

Mobile Apps are more powerful than ever. For EVERY image we take in this workshop, we’ll show you how to polish and finalize within Lightroom Mobile using our best-selling lighting condition-based Visual Flow Preset system!

Turn Everyday Scenes Into Creative Studios

4 iphone photography tutorialWith easy light shaping, ANY home or office can create professional-level photography and become your creative playground. Understand the basics of lighting and how to control and modify it. Here are some of the concepts we cover in this course:

  • Control Existing Light
  • Overcome Common Challenges
  • Get Creative In Your Own Home!

Train Your Eye To See Creative Compositions

iphonographyThe tutorials in this workshop will take you through the entire process of each image, from the idea to capture to post-production. By seeing the “walkup shot” for each scene, you’ll get to follow Pye’s creative process. Below are more key concepts you’ll learn in this workshop.

We’ll walk you though frameworks to find and use creative angles and compositions. You’ll learn powerful compositional techniques like the “leading lines” you see in the image to the left.

See how to use reflective “Dollar Store” decorative items to make boring scenes interesting. The images on the right were taken in the exact same location, with the final image utilizing light patterns from a plastic globe from the thrift store.

See how using simple GOBOs (Go-Between Objects) like shades with direct window light can help you create captivating, dramatic portraiture. The images on the left were taken steps apart, with the final image utilizing the blinds on the window.