In this short conclusion to his instructional DVD, Norwegian photographer Erik Almas gives 10 basic “steps” to becoming a photographer that caught our eye. It’s not that they’re groundbreaking; in fact, you’ve probably heard most of these at least once before.
But put all together, and following on the heels of the humorous Onion article on pursuing your dreams, they make for a great set of inspirational steps to follow if you’re trying to go from hobbyist to professional. Read more…
If you’ve been looking for a basic photography course online, here’s something to hold you over until you find the right one for you. This “Photography (Basic)” course was put together by the U.S. Navy in 1993. And thanks to Reddit user clutch70706, you now have access to the full thing in PDF format. Read more…
For beginners in the world of photography, getting a good grasp on the types of lenses available and when you might want to use them is an important step. So, given that there’s a lot of glass out there, we thought we’d share this basic lens intro from Pentax. Read more…
French photographer Serge Ramelli made this short 30-minute tutorial that teaches the basics of using Lightroom 4 to post-process your digital photographs. If you’re just getting into using Lightroom and shooting in RAW, it’s a helpful primer that will allow you to hit the ground running.
Photography instructor Mike Browne of PhotographyCourses.Biz has a clever way of teaching the basic principles of flash photography. He uses water from an ordinary garden hose as an analogy for light, showing different ways you can go about soaking your portrait subject. Read more…
Matthew Gore of Light & Matter created this beginner-friendly video tutorial on the three basic elements of exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It’s explained with easy to understand illustrations and examples, and features graphics and sounds that are reminiscent of old 8-bit video games. You can also find a text-based version of the tutorial here.
Destin of Smarter Every Day made this helpful video in which he and his daughter explain the basics of light painting and digital camera sensors using “super simple speak”.
Google+ is becoming pretty popular among photographers as a way to share work and connect with others. If you’ve been thinking about jumping in but don’t know where to begin, Scott Kelby and Co. made this helpful (and free) hour-long primer with tips on how to use the service effectively. Read more…
Here’s a helpful 22-page guide by National Geographic that explains many of the basic concepts of photography, from lens types to composition. It’s a free excerpt taken from the 400-page book “National Geographic Ultimate Field Guide to Photography“, and is a great read for anyone just starting out.
Here’s a beautifully designed cheat sheet by Miguel Yatco that you can use to introduce people to the fundamental concepts in photography. You can also order it as a poster for your wall over on Zazzle.
