why composition?

I've been pretty obsessed with composition for some time now (yes, I realize how ambiguous that is), and I feel like it's an oft-ignored aspect of photography, especially in the wacky world of workshops. I mean we might talk about the rule of thirds and what not (golden rule, whattup?!), but the why and what of it all, why we need composition (do we even) and what it even is, how it works and why it works, we are left to figure out on our own.

Composition is not just where in the frame to stick our subjects so all looks good. Composition is to images what grammar is to words (or maybe it’s just what composition is to words?). Without it, our stories can be incoherent, aimless, and confusing. It’s what takes a plot and turns it into a story, maybe even poetry. In this workshop you will learn what composition is and isn’t, how to use all the elements of photography; focal length, aperture, shutter speed, etc (not like how to shoot in manual or whatever, that stuff is easy and there’s a lot of great courses on that) and the world out there (the “things” that come together to make a photo) to tell remarkable narratives (actually that's a bit of a stretch. If you have a remarkable narrative, then this workshop will help you express that via the photos you take, and it may even help you figure out what you want to say in the first place). Yikes, far too many parentheses. Get with the program!