Know Why Your Photos Work. And Why They Don’t.
A digital photography learning bundle with guides, editing lessons, practical challenges, Lightroom presets and an iPhone planning app.
The Photographer’s Method helps you make better decisions about subject, light, composition, camera settings and editing.
Make the choices yourself and understand the result, with a process you can come back to.
Subject → Light → Composition → Settings → EditSubject, Light, Composition, Settings, Edit
A technically correct photo isn’t always a good photograph.
You can find the right exposure and still feel that something is missing.
Maybe the subject is unclear. Maybe the light is working against it. Maybe the composition has no real point of attention.
You can keep changing settings and editing the file, but it helps to identify the problem first.
The Method gives you a way to work out which decision matters and what to try next.
Here is how I used it at Grand Pier
Start with the original, unedited photograph below. The useful part is not the settings. It is identifying what needs to change before touching the sliders.
Light And Separation: Grand Pier, Weston
The problem was separation
The soft light preserved detail, but the pier, sea and sky needed clearer separation. That gave me something specific to work on, rather than an open ended edit.
The choices behind the photograph
Subject
The Grand Pier is the clear point of attention.
Light
The soft, even light means I need to adjust the brighter and darker areas carefully so the pier, sea and sky stay distinct.
Composition
Centring the pier and leaving space around it emphasises its structure and scale.
Settings
f/5 · 1/320 sec · ISO 100
Edit
Keep the result natural while creating clearer separation between the different areas of the scene.
The camera settings describe the exposure. The decisions explain the photograph. Your scene may need different settings, but you can work through it in the same way.
What happens after you buy?
Access the Method in your Squarespace member account. Start with the Five Decisions and work through one photograph you have already taken. Then use the same questions before your next shoot.
You get the Method, the supporting learning and review resources, and the Before The Shot iPhone browser app. Work at your own pace, with lifetime access and future Method updates. Personal feedback is not included.
£99.99 once, or two payments of £49.99 at checkout. No subscription.
Five decisions to work through
The Five Decisions are questions you can use to understand a scene, make a choice and see what happened.
Sometimes you’ll work through them before a shoot. Sometimes you’ll use them in the moment. Sometimes you’ll only recognise a decision when reviewing the result. There’s room to experiment and change your mind.
SUBJECT
What is the photograph actually about?
Decide what deserves the viewer’s attention.
LIGHT
What is the light doing to the subject?
Look at its direction, quality, colour and contrast and decide how to use it.
COMPOSITION
How should everything be arranged?
Decide what stays, what goes, where you stand and where you want the viewer to look.
SETTINGS
What settings support the photograph you’re trying to make?
Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus and white balance now have a reason behind them.
EDIT
What should the finished photograph become?
Know the direction before editing becomes endless experimentation.
Subject → Light → Composition → Settings → EditSubject, Light, Composition, Settings, Edit
Try it on a photograph of your own
Pick a recent photograph you don’t like. Before editing it again, ask:
- Is the subject obvious?
- Is the light helping it?
- Is something in the frame competing for attention?
- Did the settings support what you wanted to make?
- Do you know what you want the finished photograph to look like?
You might find more than one problem. Choose one to work on first, then look at what changed. This is the starting point, not the whole Method.
Use it before, during and after a shoot
Plan
Decide what you want to photograph and what you want the result to feel like. Think through the subject, light and frame before you start reacting to the scene.
Shoot
Work through the scene in front of you. Choose settings to support the photograph, then check whether the result matches what you intended.
Review
Look at what worked and what didn’t. Identify the decision you would change and take that into your next shoot.
Two landscapes, different problems
Making it clear where to look
Winding Reservoir
Select either photograph to view it larger.
The scene needed a clearer path for the viewer’s eye. I used the framing and differences in brightness to guide attention through the landscape, so the near and distant parts were easier to distinguish.
f/9 · 1/400 sec · ISO 100
Giving the scene a stronger sense of depth
Countryside Landscape
Select either photograph to view it larger.
The near and distant parts of the landscape were blending together. I worked on the relationships between those layers to create clearer separation and a stronger sense of space, while keeping the result natural.
f/11 · 1/40 sec · ISO 100
The same thinking applies to cars
A whole car in its setting and a close detail ask different questions about subject, light and framing. These are two of my own photographs.
The car in its setting: The wider view keeps the whole car and surrounding road visible. The light bodywork stands out against the darker hillside.
A detail as the subject: The closer frame makes the rear light, reflections and bodywork the point of attention. Changing the framing changes what the viewer notices.
Meet Josh
I’m Josh Ball, a photographer with a BA (Hons) in Editorial and Advertising Photography from the University of Gloucestershire.
I created The Photographer’s Method to help you make sense of the decisions behind a photograph. The examples on this page are my own photographs, showing how I work through real scenes and review the results.
What you get with the Method
The Five Decisions connect the teaching, guides, practical challenges and editing resources. Here is what is included and how each part helps.
Learn the process
The Photographer’s Method
Learn how subject, light, composition, settings and edit work together, then use that thinking to approach and review your own photographs.
Photography Roadmap
A guide to the order to follow, what to work on next and why it matters, so the different parts of your learning connect.
Photography Fix Guides
Five practical guides covering common photo problems, exposure, framing, RAW versus JPEG and camera confidence.
The bundle includes The Photo Fix Guide, Fix Your Exposure, How to Frame Photos That Actually Feel Right, RAW vs JPEG and Camera Confidence.
Use it on a shoot
Before The Shot
The iPhone browser app is included. Plan your Five Decisions, keep reminders and references close while shooting, save plans and review the result afterwards.
Internet is needed for the initial Home Screen setup, then it works offline. This is not an App Store download.
Learn By Doing Challenge
A seven day practical photography challenge with shooting prompts to help you apply the ideas, practise your decisions and build confidence through your own photographs.
Edit and review your work
5 Minute Photo Audit
A quick self review tool to identify what is working, what is not and which decision to work on next.
Flat To Feeling
The editing course covering tone, light and colour, with the supplied RAW file or your own photographs to work on. Learn to create a balanced, natural finish that supports the image.
Finding Your Style
A creative direction guide to help you recognise what you are drawn to, understand patterns in your photographs and develop a consistent look that feels like yours.
All Three Lightroom Preset Packs
Everyday Light, Everyday Moments, and Family & Travel Moments.
Use the included presets as editing starting points, then adjust them for the light, colour and feeling of your photograph.
Lifetime updates
Future updates to The Photographer’s Method are included with your purchase.
Open everything in your Method member account after purchase. Start with the Method, then use the resource that fits the photograph you are working on.
Who is the Method for?
The thinking applies to photography at any level. The full Method is most useful once you understand basic camera controls and want to make better use of what you know.
You’ll get the most from it if
- You know how to take a photograph but aren’t always sure why one works and another doesn’t.
- You want to make more deliberate choices instead of trying settings at random.
- You want to recognise what needs improving in your own photographs.
- You already have experience but want a clearer way to explain, repeat or review the decisions behind your work.
What it isn’t
- A replacement for learning how your camera operates.
- A list of settings that guarantee a result.
- A rulebook that tells you what or how to photograph.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S METHOD
Know Why Your Photos Work. And Why They Don’t.
Get a repeatable process for approaching a scene, deciding what deserves your attention and understanding what to change when a photograph isn’t working.
INCLUDED
- The Photographer’s Method
- Photography Roadmap
- Photography Fix Guides
- Before The Shot
- Learn By Doing Challenge
- 5 Minute Photo Audit
- Flat To Feeling
- Finding Your Style
- Preset Packs
- Lifetime Updates
£99.99
Pay £99.99 once, or choose two payments of £49.99 at checkout. Lifetime access. No subscription.
Open the Method in your member account after purchase. The Before The Shot iPhone browser app is included.
Refund policy
Yes. If you genuinely work through the Method and don't gain more clarity and confidence, you can request a refund. Contact: jb@joshuajball.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Why pay for this when photography information is free online?
You do not need to pay to learn what aperture or composition is. The Method is for the next problem: deciding which part needs your attention in a real photograph and using those techniques together. The examples, exercises and review resources help you practise that.
Do I need an expensive camera?
No.
The Method is about the decisions behind the photograph, not the price of your equipment.
Do I need Lightroom?
No.
The decision making process isn’t dependent on a particular editing program.
Is this for complete beginners?
You can start thinking about subject, light and composition from your first photograph.
The full Method does assume some understanding of camera controls, so if aperture, shutter speed and ISO are completely new to you, parts of it will make more sense once you’ve learned those basics.
You don’t need expensive equipment or years of experience.
Will this make my photography too rigid?
No. The Five Decisions help you recognise your options. You can make a choice quickly, experiment, change your mind or deliberately do something different. Understanding why helps you learn from it.
Will you tell me what settings to use?
The Method teaches you how to decide what settings your photograph needs.
Settings depend on what you’re trying to create.
How quickly can I use this?
You can start applying the Five Decisions to your photography immediately.
You don’t need to complete every included resource before using the core process.
Will this save me time?
The Method gives you a process for identifying what deserves your attention rather than changing multiple things without knowing what the problem is.
How much time that saves will depend on the photograph and how you work, but the aim is to make your experimentation more deliberate.
Will every photograph improve?
No system can guarantee that every photograph will work.
The Method gives you a structured way to make decisions and review what happened so you can identify what to work on next.
Do I get future updates?
Yes.
Future updates to The Photographer’s Method are included.
How long do I have access?
Lifetime access is included with your purchase.
Is there a guarantee?
Yes. If you genuinely work through the Method and don't gain more clarity and confidence, you can request a refund.
Put it to work on your next photograph
Start with the Five Decisions, try them on your own work and use the review to decide what to practise next.
The Photographer’s Method: £99.99
Pay once, or choose two payments of £49.99 at checkout. Lifetime access. No subscription.
Questions or refund requests: jb@joshuajball.com