Digital Photography for Beginners with DSLR cameras
<< The first of six digital photography courses by Villiers Steyn >>
UPDATED in November 2021.
Master the most important settings on your Canon or Nikon DSLR camera and learn how to look at your surroundings through new, more creative eyes, so that you too can take magazine-quality photographs of your friends, family, vacations, events and anything else that is beautiful and important to you.
Learn how to take Beautiful Photographs with your DSLR Camera
Learn what equipment is necessary and how to use it correctly
Master all the most important camera settings
Become aware of different light sources and how they influence the look of your photos
Develop and eye for striking composition
Learn to look at your surroundings with more creative eyes
Develop the ability to capture moments and memories
Ever wonder how the pros get those stunning shots? Believe it or not, most of the breathtaking photographs you see in magazines and online every day are photographed with DSLR cameras just like yours. DSLR cameras are powerful tools that give you the ability to take stunning photographs that capture all those special things you see and moments you experience – photos that you will cherish for the rest of your life. The key to success is to use the camera correctly and that's what you will learn in this course.
As a beginner, you may feel overwhelmed and intimidated by all the camera's dials, buttons and settings, but that will be a thing of the past once you've completed this course. My goal is to fill you with confidence, not only when it comes to choosing good settings, but also when you compose your images. By the end of this course, you too will take stunning photos with your DSLR camera.
Content and Overview
This course is divided into two broad components: first we cover all the technical aspects, like camera equipment and support, as well as the camera's most important settings. After that we look at the artistic side of photography, which focuses on light, composition and creativity.
It has been structured in such a way that you won't ever feel overwhelmed by technical jargon, complicated camera functions or obscure principles. The aim is to keep everything as clear and simple as possible, and this was achieved by tackling each important photographic element separately in short and concise lectures that last between 2 and 5 minutes each. The majority of lectures consist of both teacher-style video clips (where I explain a setting, principle or tip) and slides, both of which contain photographic examples and audio (where I interpret each photographic example).
Which lenses to use for which photos, so that you can best capture a specific subject or scene.
How to change lenses correctly in order to prevent irritating dust spots from forming on each photograph.
What your DSLR camera's limitations are and how to compensate for them when you're photographing scenes with high contrast.
Why and when you should support your camera on tripods and bean bags.
How and when to change Camera Settings:
Different Shooting modes (which allows you to be more creative).
File size and format (ensuring that you take the best possible quality shots).
White balance and Metering mode (which allows you to influence the 'warmth' or 'coolness' of your photos and the way that the camera exposes what it sees.
Drive mode (which allows you to shoot like a pistol or like a machine gun).
Auto focus mode (which tells the camera whether you're photographing something standing still or something that is moving).
Auto focus point selection (which allows you to focus on either the whole subject or scene, or on a very specific part of it).
ISO (which allows you to take sharp photos in low light conditions)
Exposure compensation (which allows you to quickly make a photo lighter or darker).
How to influence the depth of field in your photos in Aperture Priority.
How to freeze action or capture movement in Shutter Priority.
How to use the little pictures, or Scene selections, on your camera's Shooting mode dial.
How Light influences your photos:
How to take colourful, representative images in front light.
How to highlight detail and texture in side light.
How to capture dramatic back light images that contain silhouettes and golden rim light.
How to take photos in diffused light on overcast days.
How to use your camera's built-in flash effectively.
What perfect Composition is:
When to change the camera orientation from horizontal to vertical.
How to blur the background of a perfect portrait photos in 4 easy steps.
How to apply the Rule of thirds to ensure beautifully balanced photos.
Where to leave the correct amount of space in your photos.
How to draw your viewers' eyes into your photos with the help of leading lines.
How to compose striking images by changing your angle.
5 simple steps to perfect composition.
How to become a more Creative photographer:
How to use reflections in your photos.
What a natural frame is and how to find and use it in your images.
How to incorporate different complimentary colours in your photos.
How to use repetition effectively in your photos.
How to highlight the size of something by incorporating and element of scale, and finally,
How to tell a story with your photos.
Take a moment to view the course Promo Video, as well as those lectures that have been made available as free previews.
Keep in mind, if you're not happy with the material, there's a 30-day no-questions-asked full money back guarantee. So don't hesitate and enrol today, and watch as photography quickly becomes your new favourite hobby….
“Villiers's presentation skills are superb and better than anything else I've attended or enrolled in before. Not only is his technical knowledge of his subject outstanding, but he is also willing to share practical advice accumulated over years."
Helgard de Preez – South Africa
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| Rating | 4.6★ based on 538 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.5 total hours |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $16 |
| From | Udemy |
| Instructor | Villiers Steyn |
| Download Videos | Only via the Udemy mobile app |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Art & Design |
| Tags | Photography Digital Photography Photography & Video |
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What people are saying
looking forward
I’m looking forward to referencing this material frequently.
I live on the border of the Kruger Park so am looking forward to taking great wildlife photos!
Looking forward to the advanced course.
This course was very useful as a beginner and I'm looking forward to continuing my photographic journey with my new set of tools.
thank you Mr. Steyn looking forward for you updates.
Thanks, Villiers, I am looking forward to practice everything I have learned.
Having had this camera for several years and never getting beyond point and shoot before I'm quite excited and looking forward to getting out and about and making the camera do what I want rather than being a slave to the camera.
Looking forward to more from this instructor.
Looking forward to the rest of the course.
Looking forward to the remainder of this course.
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so far it
So far it’s basic enough I am learning so much!
so far it is too basic Wow what a great course!
so far it has told me more than i could read in the manual, now that i have seen the whole course i can go out and try to take better pictures.
So far it has been informative.
very informative so far very good Such easy info but so helpful and didn't take forever to do Clear, easy to understand information So far it's very well explained Excellent tips/pointers Great content, well presented It is easy to understand and informative good info but general so far So far ,so good!
So far it has been good.
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learnt so much
I have already learnt so much!
I learnt so much from Villiers and have been trying things out.
I learnt so much!!
very informative and digestable So far it has been great Seems good so far Being a complete novice, I've already learnt so much!
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my new camera
Has built my confidence in getting more from my new camera.
I now have the confidence and am very inspired to go out and explore the world with my new camera!
Now, I feel ready to master my new camera and I now have a good idea about what all the dials and buttons on my camera are for.
I'm looking forward to experimenting and learning how to put what I have learned into taking great photographs with my new camera.
He has encouraged me to not be afraid of my new camera and has given me ways to look at my surroundings in a new way.
Imformative Excellent training easy to follow - enjoying how to see my new camera.
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villiers steyn
Thanks to Villiers Steyn I enjoyed it very much.
Well done Villiers Steyn.
shots Villiers Steyn directed the course to the 'beginner' in a way you could apprehend the technical and the creative points of photography.
It was a good learning experience, the course was short and to the point.The one thing i liked a lot about the course was there are many real life examples shown on how to take stunning photographs along with the examples of mistakes that an amateur(like me ;) ) photographer does.Time to switch to other modes from "Auto" :) Thank You Villiers Steyn for creating the course :) I really enjoy with this course.
Villiers Steyn is an amazing instructor, and really hits the key points that you need to know.
Villiers Steyn is an excellent instructor and was very well organized in his course presentation.
I really like Villiers Steyn's teaching style.
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exactly what
It was short and to the point exactly what I needed.
This course was exactly what I needed.
I found myself saying wow that is exactly what I needed to know so many times!
Exactly what I am looking for so that I can better understand my camera without being confused by my manual.
Covering exactly what is stated in the introduction.
And so far, I have not been disappointed - it's exactly what I was looking for.
great It was good Audio was not captured very well Very informative without being to lengthy love it Amazing course, exactly what I need!
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different settings
The course should show a single picture with different settings to make it easy to understand the difference.
I enjoyed the course, it certainly helped me understand what all the different settings on my Nikon camera are for.
This has been a great eye-opener about the usage of different settings with other basics to taking great pictures.
It's not a big difference compared to how he does it, but I think it would help a lot to become more comfortable changing all the different settings for different circumstances.
Update: He explains things that makes sense and combines it with images so you can "see" the effects of using different settings on the camera.
I'm a beginner and it is lovely to follow all the steps to get to know my camera and how the different settings influence my photographs.
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dslr cameras
Very good for beginners in DSLR cameras.
Very good beginners course on DSLR cameras.
Good basic understanding of DSLR cameras.
Our instructors often don't allow us time, instruction, and assistance in learning how to use our DSLR cameras from out of the box.
alt yazı Turkcell'den de eklenmeki I guess I would not start a course immediately talking about different types of lenses for DSLR cameras.
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start taking
Now it’s time for me to start taking pictures it was good.
I feel like I have a basic understanding of the concepts discussed in the lectures and feel like I can start taking great photos right away.
Great introduction to your camera and easy ways to instantly start taking better photographs.
Thanks to this course I feel more confident to use my DSLR and start taking pictures again!
Excellent beginners course explain all the thing one needs to know to get the camera out of auto mode and start taking control.
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well presented
Excellent material and very well presented.
So well presented...
very well thought out and well presented.
Very well presented and I can understand whats being said polecam wszystkim poczatkujacy swietny program pomaga ulepszyc zdjecia Great Info for beginners,really breaks everything down!!!
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go back
I am able to go back over the course material again and again until it sinks in.
It's also organized well to be able to easily go back to certain topics and review them.
Naturally I won't remember some of it so I can always go back to refresh my memory.
found the course really helpful and I like the idea that I can go back over any topics to refresh my memory.
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better understanding
Loving this course so far, so glad decided to take this course, it has given me such a better understanding of my camera.
This class gave me a better understanding of my Canon.
Compared to other courses I left with a better understanding of why I should use certain settings and modes.
So far I have gained a better understanding of my Canon camera, and how to properly use it in different modes other than auto, or the pre-programmed modes.
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Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.
Assistant Camera Operator 1 $57k
Assistant Camera Operator Trainee $60k
Freelance Camera Operator Manager $63k
Professional Camera Operator Scuba Diver $66k
Camera Operator 5 $68k
Field camera Op $77k
Assistant Duck Dynasty Camera Operator $81k
Combat Camera $84k
Product Manager, Digital Still Cameras $129k
Product Manager, Digital Still Cameras $129k
Senior Camera Systems Engineer $142k
Assistant Junior Camera Operator Lead $145k
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| Rating | 4.6★ based on 538 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.5 total hours |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $16 |
| From | Udemy |
| Instructor | Villiers Steyn |
| Download Videos | Only via the Udemy mobile app |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Art & Design |
| Tags | Photography Digital Photography Photography & Video |
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