Phase 2 -Step 3: Technical Choices in Service of Intent (Week 7)
Theme: Nothing Is Neutral
Concept: Settings are no longer neutral. Every technical choice either supports your intent—or it’s arbitrary.
This lesson teaches you to decide first and dial second.
Intent First (Required)
Before touching your camera, formulate one thought answering:
What am I trying to say about this moment?
Examples (use your own):
- “This person feels isolated despite being in public.”
- “This place feels chaotic and restless.”
- “This moment feels suspended, like time briefly paused.”
If you can’t state intent, you’re not ready to shoot.
The Constraint
You will make one photograph, but you must commit deliberately to all three of the following choices:
- Depth of Field. Choose one:
- Shutter Speed. Choose one:
- Focal Length. Choose one:
No “because that’s what I usually use. ”No, “it just worked out that way.”
Shooting Rules
- One scene, one idea
- No bracketing or “options.”
- You may take multiple frames, but only submit one at a time
- No cropping to change focal intent after the fact
Submission Format
Post each image with the following:
1. Intent (1 sentence)
What you wanted the photo to communicate
2. Technical Choices (bullet list)
- Depth of field: why this choice
- Shutter speed: why this choice
- Focal length: why this choice
3. Reflection (2–3 sentences max)
What changed once you stopped treating settings as neutral?
Critique Focus (for reviewers)
When giving feedback, do not start with sharpness or exposure.
Instead, answer:
- Do the technical choices reinforce the stated intent?
- Is anything working against the meaning?
- What technical choice feels most intentional—and why?
Success Metric
A strong submission makes viewers say:
“It couldn’t have been shot any other way.”
If it could have been shot ten different ways and meant the same thing, the choices weren’t intentional enough.
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Phase 2 -Step 3: Technical Choices in Service of Intent (Week 7)
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