Photography - Become a Better Photographer

What's inside

Learning objectives

This course will give you a greater understanding of your camera's features and settings.
This greater understanding will allow you get more consistent exposures, better focussing and improved image quality.

The real world examples provide best settings in typical scenarios, ensuring great results

This course will give you a greater understanding of your camera's features and settings.
This greater understanding will allow you get more consistent exposures, better focussing and improved image quality.
The real world examples provide best settings in typical scenarios, ensuring great results

Syllabus

Introduction

Introduction to the course

Basic Settings

Get out of the Auto mode and learn about exposure using the so-called Exposure Triangle

The Exposure Triangle explains how the individual aspects of exposure, i.e aperture, shutter speed and ISO, affect the final exposure and look of the photo.

It's a useful way of describing the relationship between the three aspects of exposure. Each corner of the triangle represents one of the three variables, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Adjusting just one of these could change the appearance of the photo, or might make the image lighter or darkerr, depending on the current exposure mode.

The lens aperture controls the amount of light entering through the lens, and also controls the depth of field. It's not really complicated, so don't be put off by the weird numbering and the back to front system!

There's no doubt that with a good understanding of apertures you'll see an improvement in your photos

What's a shutter and what is 'shutter speed'

Very basically, shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open. In film photography it was the length of time that the film was exposed to the scene you’re photographing, but similarly in digital photography shutter speed is the length of time that your image sensor ‘sees’ the scene you’re attempting to capture.

Bear in mind that it's not usually a good idea to think about exposure and Shutter Speed in isolation from the other two elements of the Exposure Triangle (aperture and ISO). As you change shutter speed the camera will (in any of the auto modes) automatically change one or both of the other elements to compensate for it.

The ISO setting is very important, especially if you want take photos indoors, or if the light is failing outside, and that's because the higher ISO values on your camera will allow you to take photos in much lower light.

This video explains what it is, why you need to understand it, and how to change the ISO settings on your camera.

Ever had your photos come out too light or too dark?

If so, congratulations, you've just fooled your camera's metering system!!

Too much brightness in a scene can cause and image to be too dark. Weird eh? You'd think it would be the other way around!

This lecture shows the problem in more detail and describes how the simple exposure compensation setting can be used to brighten or darken your pictures.

Slightly more advanced features & settings

Depth of field in photography

Improve your photos by using depth of field to control which parts of the image are in focus. Aperture size is the main control for depth of field, but focal length and how far away you are from your focussed subject also make a difference.

It's much easier to show than it is to explain, so get a better understanding of depth of field in photography by watching this film.

Semi auto modes on your DSLR. Aperture vs Shutter Speed priority, which is best?

As well as the fully automatic green Auto mode, all DSLR's have several other very useful exposure modes.

Aperture Priority and Shutter Speed Priority are semi-automatic modes that will give you exactly the same exposures.

So why use one over the other, aperture or shutter speed priority, which is best? This is where you start to get creative, watch the video for full information.

Understand Spot metering, Evaluative/Matrix metering and Centre Weighted metering

Exposure metering modes explained

Metering is the brains behind how your camera determines the shutter speed and aperture, based on lighting conditions and ISO speed.

The most common types of metering options on DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras are Evaluative zone or Matrix, Center-Weighted and Spot Metering. Each of these have their own strengths and weaknesses, so understanding these can improve your photographic intuition for how a camera measures light.

What exactly is the 'P' mode for, and how is it different from Full Auto

This question comes up quite a lot, what's the difference between the full Auto mode and the 'P' Program mode? You might even switch from one to the other and not notice any changes in your settings, but in fact they're quite different. My advice would be to get out of the habit of using the Auto mode as soon as you can, and the 'P' mode might be just the thing for you.

Advanced exposure techniques

Why use Manual Exposure Mode on your DSLR or mirrorless camera?

Why bother using Manual Exposure Mode, surely the camera does it all for you anyway, erm... not really, no!

Manual exposure mode allows you to set your aperture, shutter speed and ISO without the camera automatically changing any other settings. It's the preferred setting for many professional photographers.

There are various reasons why it's sometimes very useful to use Manual mode instead of one of the other semi-automatic modes like Aperture or shutter speed priority. When taking several shots of the same subject or within the same lighting scenario, why allow the camera to set the exposure for every single photo, the light isn't usually changing by the second changing is it?

In this video I concentrate on the consistency of exposures when using the Manual Exposure Mode.

The best open secret - Manual Mode and Auto ISO

Aperture and Shutter Speed priority
When using Aperture priority, you select the ISO and aperture, and then the camera selects the shutter speed. Similarly in Shutter Speed priority, you select the ISO and shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture. In both cases, you are in control of the ISO, but what if you could select the aperture AND shutter speed and then just allow the cameras to choose the ISO?

Manual Mode and Auto ISO
Auto-ISO is a relatively new feature that lets the camera take control of the ISO. Generally speaking it will provide a correctly exposed final image based on the calculations from the camera's metering system in combination with your chosen shutter speed and aperture. Although it can be used combined with Aperture or Shutter Speed priority, I personally find Auto-ISO to be the most useful in M mode.

Caution
There are several situation where Manual and Auto-ISO is not useful, and so I'd recommend turning off Auto ISO:-
1. Where light is abundant and fairly constant, i.e where every shot turned out to be iso 100, this might yield some over-exposed images where the camera was unable to lower the ISO below 100.
2. No point in using at all when you're using flash.
3. Where lighting is completely controlled. e.g in a studio where typically you would be using full manual.

Nail the exposure using a photo histogram

For todays' photographers, the image histogram is a very powerful tool, the trouble is that many people either don't know of their existence or think that they are too complicated.

The good news is that the histogram is actually very simple to read, and once a few simple concepts are grasped, it will enable you to get more consistent exposures.

What is Exposure Bracketing and when is a good time to use it?

At one time or another in your photography career, you'll come across what you might call a 'difficult lighting situation'. No matter whether you're using Aperture or Shutter speed priority, the photo or maybe just parts of it, will be too dark or too light.

One way around this problem is to take several photos at different exposure, and either just use the one that turned out best, or merge the photos together to create one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image

In a nutshell, exposure bracketing allows you to take three photos (sometimes more), with only one click of the shutter, each in different exposures. The result will be one photo a bit too bright, one just right (depending on which part you’re looking to expose properly) and one a bit darker.

Focusing tips

Some great focusing tips and tricks to get sharper photos

This video shows 5 ways to help you get sharp focus:-

Get out of Auto and select your own focus area
Focus and re-compose
Make use of edge-contrast
Manual pre-focussing
Use 'Live Mode' for improved manual focussing

Some great DSLR tips and trick for photographing moving subjects

This video shows how you can make use of your cameras continuous focussing and multiple focus points to help you get sharp focus.

Your DSLR features has two basic autofocus modes, there's one for shooting stationary subjects and one for moving subjects. Single shot autofocus (AF-S - Nikon) and One-Shot AF (Canon) are well suited to a wide range of subjects, from portraits to close-ups to landscapes. The downside is that once the focus is locked at a certain distance, it stays locked there for as long as you keep the shutter release half-pressed. If your subject moves closer or further away from the camera, then they’ll drop out of focus and appear blurred. The only way around this is to take your finger off the shutter release and half press it again to trigger the autofocus system. As you can imagine, repeatedly doing this to keep track of a rapidly moving subject soon becomes tedious.

When photographing moving subjects, choose the continuous autofocus setting on your camera, also known as AI Servo (Canon) or Continuous-servo AF-C (Nikon), and the camera will continuously adjust the focus of the lens while light pressure is maintained on the shutter release. If the subject moves before you take the shot, no problem – the focus system will continue to track it right up until the moment you release the shutter.

Back button focusing, what's it for, how to use it, and what are its advantages?

With back-button focus, you use a button on the back of the camera to focus, and use the shutter button just to set the exposure and take the picture. The shutter button never tries to achieve focus because it is re-configured not to focus.

I made the permanent switch to focusing using the Back button a while ago, and I’ve become a huge advocate for this type of focusing. Alongside using the Manual exposure mode, I'd say it was one of the most revolutionary changes I ever made to how I take pictures. It seems like such a small thing, yet it’s such a huge difference in the way your camera works, and should probably be the standard setting on all DSLR.

There are several advantages to this technique, and they are explained in this video, however it must be said that some people try back button focusing, and just don't get on with it, so it's not for everybody. But it is worth investigating, you could be missing out and might just find that it's something of a revelation!

Creativity and Real World Scenarios

Utilise shutter speed to freeze or create motion

A camera's shutter speed controls exposure, but it's also one of the most powerful creative tools in photography, this video shows how it can convey motion and freeze action.

A camera's shutter is like a curtain that opens and lets in light to start the exposure, then closes to end it. A photo therefore doesn't just capture a moment in time, but instead represents an average of light over a timeframe. The term "shutter speed" is used to describe this duration.

Whenever a scene contains moving subjects, the choice of using fast and slow shutter speeds therefore determines which of these will appear frozen and which will be recorded with a blur. However, one cannot change the shutter speed in isolation — at least not without also affecting the exposure or image quality.

Slow down your shutter to get a more dramatic 'running water' creative image

If you just use your camera's full auto mode to photograph moving water, most if not all of the motion will be frozen by a reasonably fast shutter speed. While this might give an accurate depiction of the moving water, it probably won't look very dramatic.

Water in motion is ever-changing and ever-magical, and by slowing down the shutter speed you can get a beautiful creamy effect in the water, conveying a sense of soft movement. This fluid-motion technique can be applied to all types of waterfalls, streams, ocean surf, fountains, and even lawn sprinklers.

Unless you have very steady hands, or something to rest the camera on, you're going to need a tripod for this to prevent camera shake and blurriness, but the result will be dramatically different from an image taken using the full-auto setting. The slower the speed of the shutter the smoother the running water will become, giving it a softer and opaque appearance.

Exposure and metering modes and focussing for portraits

This film describes the settings I use most for portraits

Many factors come into play when taking portraits, lighting, composition, clean backgrounds etc..., and although I touch upon these in this video, the emphasis is on camera and lens settings.

Best exposure settings when photographing churches

Churches are usually quite dark, and trying to get a great shot showing the church interior with the lovely ambient light can be a little challenging.

This film provides some tricks and tips for getting the best exposures without resorting to flash, which is not only frowned upon in many churches, but is also guaranteed to ruin all of that lovely light.

This section is a general introduction to landscape photography, there are also 2 live shoots, and image walkthroughs with advanced landscape photographer Colin Mill

Before we start on actual shooting, take time to watch this short introduction to the wonderful world of landscape photography.

In this video I provide my thoughts on locations, the weather, the light and tides.

What are the best camera settings for landscape photography? Well of course there's no one specific answer, it all depends on what you're trying to achieve, and the look and feel of the photo.

But in this video, I talk about the various considerations for camera settings including exposure and focusing.

Neutral Density (ND) filters are vital for landscape photography, especially if you don't like to spend ages in Photoshop tweaking exposures. This video describes the various types and shows some examples of their effect, taken quickly in my garden

This is a shoot at golden hour on the hill around Ashridge / Ivinghoe Beacon. Got a couple of good shots, but disappointed with one or two of the others.

Watch the video to see my rather harsh critique of my own work!!

A very quick session along the Grand Union Canal in Leighton Buzzard. I was very pleased with the final result, using the twisting canal and tress and some ducks for the best composition.

Landscape image walkthrough with Colin Mill - Part I

Take a look at these stunning images

Learn how Colin creates these great images, and listen to the stories behind them. He's taken so many that I've had to split this video into three parts - <strong>this is Part I</strong>

Each image shows the camera setting, plus Colin explains his reasoning for using specific camera and lens settings, along with his use of Graduated Neutral Density filters.

Landscape Walkthrough Part II, with settings and explanations

Landscape Walkthrough Part III, with settings and explanations

Image quality

Which format should you use, RAW or JPG?

At some point in your photography 'career' you'll face the question, should I be shooting in RAW or JPG. The answer is not always straightforward as much depends on your shooting style, your subject, and what you intend to do with the final images etc...

This video is designed to show you the differences between RAW and JPG from a pragmatic real world point of view. I'll show you a great fun analogy with a certain character I'm sure you'll recognise, plus some actual image examples being processed in Adobe Lightroom to help show some 'real world' differences.

Proper camera white balance has to take into account the "colour temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light.

Our eyes are very good at judging what is white under different light sources, but digital cameras often have great difficulty when used with the auto white balance mode (although not as much as in the early days of digital), and can create unsightly blue, orange, or even green colour casts.

Understanding digital white balance can help you avoid these colour casts, thereby improving your photos under a wider range of lighting conditions.

Using Flash

On-board flash basic camera settings

My favourite settings when using flash indoors.

Although I much prefer to use natural lighting, sometimes there's no getting away from using flash indoors at family or friends get-togethers, parties, evenings out etc... Most people will just put their camera in one of the auto modes and hope for the best. Generally speaking you'll get a good exposure whatever exposure mode you use as the auto mode of the flash will help to keep the flash output just right.

But the basic camera settings that I show in this film will quite often give you a more natural looking image, especially in fairly dark environments where your subjects might otherwise look like they've been photographed in a cave somewhere in the black hole of Calcutta!

Maximum sync speed and High Speed Sync explained

What exactly is a flash sync speed, why does it happen, and what's the way around it

Maybe you're already aware that your camera's shutter speed is limited to (usually) around 1/250th of a second when using flash. But why is that, and what happens if you ignore it, (assuming your camera allows you to ignore it?) There is a way round it using High Speed Sync, but it's not a perfect solution.

This film includes some focal plane shutter animation to explain in detail what it's all about.

Fill flash explained

Using a flash when outside It might not occur to you to use a flash outdoors, especially when it's quite bright and your photos are exposing ok. But hang on, look closely at your subject's face, is it a little dark, do they have shadows round the eyes, if a close-up shot, can you see the colour of their eyes.

Or maybe it';s mid-day with the sun directly overhead and you have no choice as to how to position your subject, what can you do?

Fill flash to the rescue!! This film explains what it's all about, and provides examples of when you might want to use it, (and when you might not!)

Supplementary Documents

Camera Settings FAQ

Some of my photos and their settings

My workflow

Conclusion

Course wrap-up

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Photography - Become a Better Photographer - Part II with these activities:

Review Exposure Triangle Concepts

Show steps

Reinforce your understanding of the exposure triangle to prepare for more advanced settings.

Show steps

Read articles or watch videos explaining the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Practice adjusting these settings on your camera in manual mode.
Take photos of the same scene with different exposure triangle settings and compare the results.

Read 'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson

Show steps

Deepen your understanding of exposure with a highly-regarded photography guide.

View Understanding Street Photography: An... on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book chapter by chapter.
Complete the exercises at the end of each chapter.
Apply the concepts learned to your own photography projects.

Depth of Field Practice

Show steps

Practice controlling depth of field to enhance the 'wow' factor in your images.

Show steps

Choose a subject and experiment with different aperture settings.
Observe how the background blur changes with each setting.
Consider how focal length and distance to subject affect depth of field.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Mastering Manual Focus

Show steps

Refine your focusing skills by practicing manual focus techniques.

Show steps

Select a subject with fine details.
Switch your lens to manual focus mode.
Carefully adjust the focus ring until the subject is sharp.
Use live view and focus peaking (if available) to assist with focusing.

Read 'The Photographer's Eye' by Michael Freeman

Show steps

Improve your compositional skills with a guide to visual design in photography.

View The Photographer's Eye - Definitive Edition:... on Amazon

Show steps

Study the compositional techniques presented in the book.
Analyze the composition of your favorite photographs.
Practice applying these techniques in your own photography.

Create a Photo Series on Metering Modes

Show steps

Solidify your understanding of metering modes by creating a visual guide.

Show steps

Select a scene with varying light and dark areas.
Take photos using evaluative, spot, and center-weighted metering.
Compare the exposures and write a short explanation of each mode's strengths and weaknesses.

Landscape Photography Portfolio

Show steps

Apply your knowledge of landscape photography settings to create a stunning portfolio.

Show steps

Plan several landscape photography shoots in different locations and lighting conditions.
Experiment with different camera settings, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and filters.
Select your best images and create a cohesive portfolio.

Career center

Learners who complete Photography - Become a Better Photographer - Part II will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Photographer

The role of a Photographer involves capturing images for various purposes, such as artistic expression, documentation, or commercial use. This often requires a deep understanding of camera settings, composition, and lighting to create compelling visuals. This course helps build a foundation in these areas through its comprehensive coverage of DSLR and Mirrorless camera settings, including the exposure triangle, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Moreover, the 'Real World Settings' section, with examples such as photographing inside a church or for natural light portraiture, provides practical knowledge. The tips and tricks given on the course support your development as a Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photographer

Photography Assistant

A Photography Assistant supports professional photographers in various tasks, including setting up equipment, managing lighting, and assisting with shoots. This role benefits greatly from a solid understanding of camera settings and techniques. This course provides a detailed exploration of both basic and advanced camera features, enabling you to understand and assist with various photographic scenarios. By learning about exposure modes, metering, and focusing techniques, you will be well-prepared to support photographers in achieving their creative vision. Furthermore, the course's real-world examples and easy-to-follow teaching style make it a valuable resource for any aspiring Photography Assistant.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photography Assistant

Real Estate Photographer

Real Estate Photographers specialize in capturing images of properties for sale or rent. This requires a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of camera settings to showcase properties in the best possible light. This course helps you to improve your skills in this area. The course's coverage of basic and advanced settings, including exposure modes and metering, are relevant skills. The inclusion of 'Best settings for photographing inside a church or cathedral' demonstrates applicable knowledge. Learning about white balance and exposure compensation will also allow you to capture better images of properties, highlighting their best features and attracting potential buyers or renters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Real Estate Photographer

Event Photographer

Event Photographers document various events, such as weddings, parties, and corporate gatherings, capturing key moments and creating lasting memories. This requires a strong understanding of camera settings and the ability to work in dynamic and challenging environments. This course helps you improve your skills in this. The course's coverage of basic and advanced settings, including exposure modes and focusing techniques, helps you tackle the challenges of event photography. Learning about flash settings, maximum sync speed, and fill flash is useful in low-light conditions and helps you to capture better images of events. The tips provided may support your development to being a wonderful Event Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Event Photographer

Digital Content Creator

As a Digital Content Creator, you will develop and produce engaging content for online platforms, which often includes high-quality images and videos. This course may be useful in improving your photography skills, as it covers essential camera settings and techniques that help you capture better visuals. The course's focus on real-world settings and practical examples allows you to apply your knowledge to create compelling content. Understanding depth-of-field, metering, and white balance, as taught in this course, enhances your ability to produce visually appealing content that attracts and retains your audience. The section on image quality, comparing RAW and JPG formats, prepares you for optimizing images for online use.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Content Creator

Portrait Photographer

Portrait Photographers specialize in capturing images of individuals or groups, focusing on capturing their personality and creating flattering and memorable photographs. This requires a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of camera settings, lighting, and composition. This course may be useful in improving your skills in this area. The course's coverage of 'Exposure and metering modes and focusing for portraits' is directly relevant to portrait photography. Learning about depth-of-field, white balance, and focusing techniques helps you capture better images of subjects, highlighting their best features and creating flattering portraits.

See salaries and explore the career path for Portrait Photographer

Photojournalist

Photojournalists capture visual stories for news outlets, documenting events and conveying information through images. A strong understanding of camera settings and techniques is essential for capturing impactful and informative photographs. This course helps you develop your skills in this area. The course's focus on real-world scenarios and practical examples helps you to apply their knowledge to various situations. Learning about manual exposure mode, auto ISO, and focusing techniques allows you to capture compelling visuals. The tips and tricks provided help you to develop into a highly-skilled Photojournalist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photojournalist

Wildlife Photographer

A Wildlife Photographer captures images of animals and their habitats, often requiring patience, technical skills, and a deep understanding of camera settings to capture stunning images. This course is useful in developing your skills. The course's coverage of focusing tips, especially for photographing moving subjects, is particularly valuable for wildlife photography. Learning about shutter speed to freeze motion and utilizing continuous focusing techniques helps you capture sharp images of animals in action. The tips and tricks included on the course may support your development to being a wonderful Wildlife Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Wildlife Photographer

Social Media Manager

Social Media Managers create and curate content for social media platforms to engage audiences and promote brands. Visual content, including compelling photographs, is a crucial aspect of this role. This course may improve your visual content creation skills, covering a range of camera settings and techniques to help you produce high-quality images. The course's real-world examples and focus on practical application enable you to create engaging content. Learning about exposure compensation, depth-of-field, and focusing techniques, as taught in this course, will allow you to produce visually appealing posts. The course's tips on landscape and portrait photography will be very helpful for visual creation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager

Food Photographer

Food Photographers capture visually appealing images of food for various purposes, such as menus, cookbooks, and advertising campaigns. This requires a strong understanding of camera settings, lighting, and composition to make food look appetizing. The course may be useful in improving your skills. The course's real-world examples and easy-to-understand teaching style enables you to create appealing images. Learning about depth-of-field, white balance, and exposure compensation helps you capture better images of food, highlighting its textures and colors. The tips and tricks included may support your development to being a Food Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Photographer

Fashion Photographer

Fashion Photographers capture images of clothing and accessories for advertising, editorial, and commercial purposes. This requires a strong understanding of camera settings, lighting, and composition to showcase fashion in a visually appealing and creative way. The course may be useful in improving your skills in this area. The course's coverage of basic and advanced settings, including exposure modes and focusing techniques, may help you to tackle the challenges of fashion photography. Learning about flash settings, maximum sync speed, and fill flash may be useful in studio environments and helps you to capture striking images. The tips provided support your development to being a Fashion Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Fashion Photographer

Product Photographer

Product Photographers specialize in capturing images of products for e-commerce websites, catalogs, and advertising materials. This requires a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of camera settings to showcase products in a clear and appealing way. The course may be useful in improving your skills in this area. The real-world examples will help you to apply your knowledge to various situations. Learning about depth-of-field, white balance, and exposure compensation may allow you to capture better images of products, highlighting their key features and attracting potential customers. The tips and tricks included on this course may result in your development to being a Product Photographer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Photographer

Studio Manager

Studio Managers oversee the operations of a photography studio, including managing equipment, coordinating shoots, and ensuring a smooth workflow. A solid understanding of camera settings and techniques is beneficial for managing the technical aspects of the studio. This course may be useful in developing your skills in this area. The course's coverage of basic and advanced settings, helps you to understand and troubleshoot technical issues. Learning about flash settings, maximum sync speed, and fill flash helps maintain studio equipment and assist photographers. This course may provide you with the skills to be a wonderful Studio Manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Studio Manager

Camera Store Sales Associate

Camera Store Sales Associates assist customers in selecting and purchasing cameras and related equipment. A comprehensive understanding of camera settings and features is essential for providing informed recommendations and addressing customer inquiries. This course helps you develop a strong foundation in camera technology. The course's detailed exploration of DSLR and Mirrorless camera settings, including the exposure triangle, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, enables you to explain camera features effectively. The ability to discuss metering, white balance, and focusing techniques improves your ability to help customers find the right equipment. The tips may support your development to being a better associate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Camera Store Sales Associate

Graphic designer

Graphic Designers create visual concepts for various media, including websites, advertisements, and marketing materials. While graphic design primarily involves digital manipulation and layout skills, a basic understanding of photography principles can be useful for selecting and editing images effectively. This course may be useful in improving your understanding of photography. The course's coverage of image quality, including the differences between RAW and JPG formats, helps you make informed decisions about image selection. Learning about white balance and exposure compensation helps you to edit and enhance images for design projects. The tips and tricks included on this course may support your development to being a Graphic Designer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic designer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Photography - Become a Better Photographer - Part II.

Understanding Street Photography

Save

Provides a comprehensive guide to mastering exposure in photography. It covers aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and metering in detail, with practical examples and exercises. It commonly used reference for photographers of all levels. This book adds depth to the course by providing a more detailed and practical approach to understanding exposure.

Understanding Street Photography: An Introduction...

Paperback

Understanding Street Photography: An Introduction...

Kindle Edition

The Photographer's Eye (Definitive Edition):...

Save

Focuses on composition and design in photography. It explores various compositional techniques and how they can be used to create visually compelling images. It valuable resource for photographers looking to improve their artistic skills. This book adds breadth to the course by focusing on the artistic aspects of photography.

The Photographer's Eye - Definitive Edition:...

Paperback

Photography - Become a Better Photographer - Part II

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

Get out of the Auto mode and learn about exposure using the so-called Exposure Triangle

What's a shutter and what is 'shutter speed'

Ever had your photos come out too light or too dark?

Depth of field in photography

Semi auto modes on your DSLR. Aperture vs Shutter Speed priority, which is best?

Understand Spot metering, Evaluative/Matrix metering and Centre Weighted metering

What exactly is the 'P' mode for, and how is it different from Full Auto

Why use Manual Exposure Mode on your DSLR or mirrorless camera?

The best open secret - Manual Mode and Auto ISO

Nail the exposure using a photo histogram

Some great focusing tips and tricks to get sharper photos

Some great DSLR tips and trick for photographing moving subjects

Utilise shutter speed to freeze or create motion

Slow down your shutter to get a more dramatic 'running water' creative image

Exposure and metering modes and focussing for portraits

Best exposure settings when photographing churches

Which format should you use, RAW or JPG?

On-board flash basic camera settings

Maximum sync speed and High Speed Sync explained

Fill flash explained

Save this course

Activities

Career center

Reading list

Share

Similar courses