Making It Click: A Beginner's Course on Composition
with Cornell Watson
Date: October 28, 2026 - December 9, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Course Fee: $700
Course Duration: 6-weeks (no class during the week of Thanksgiving)
Course Location: Duke Center for Documentary Studies, 1317 W Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC 27705
Contact Hours: 12
Composition is the bridge between a fleeting moment and a photo that makes us stop and stare. In Making It Click, we'll build, stretch, challenge, and flex your composition muscles until creating photos with intention becomes second nature.
In this six-week in-person course, we'll deep-dive into different composition tools through real-life examples, behind-the-scenes video, live demonstrations, and guided practice with feedback, which will give you a strong foundation for greater control over your photos and help you consistently make your best work.
Whether you're just starting out or have been photographing for years, if you're looking for a fresh perspective on composition and a supportive space to grow, this course is for you.
Materials:
Students are responsible for bringing a DSLR camera.
By the end of this workshop you will be able to:
- Configure and customize your camera for better creative control
- Identify and use techniques like leading lines, triangles, and framing to guide the viewer's eye
- Use light as a composition tool
- Create visual and narrative depth using layers and space
- Scout and anticipate to plan compositions
- Tone, crop, and make selective edits that strengthen your composition
Cornell Watson is a photographer based in Durham, North Carolina. His work has appeared in national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TIME magazine. He has also photographed national advertising campaigns for brands such as T-Mobile, MeUndies, Bombas, and Adidas.
Watson’s work has been exhibited at institutions such as The Mint Museum, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, and the National Civil Rights Museum. He has served as an artist-in-residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently a fellow at the Center for Contemporary Documentation. In 2025, he was named Photographer of the Year by the North Carolina Press Association.