If you’re just beginning and want to learn photography, it’s always a good idea to start with the basics. Photography basics include things such as ISO, exposure, shutter speed and other techniques photographers use to get their best shots.
Your introduction to photography should include basic camera settings for various conditions, the fundamentals on how to use a tripod correctly, photography ideas and if you’re new to your DSLR or mirrorless camera, you should know a little bit about the history of your new hobby.
I’ve written a lot of information on the basics of photography and have a number of tutorials and guides here on the site.
Photography Basics for Beginners
For those who want to learn photography with a little more guided structure, I’ve put together a free photography basics course which you can enroll in, completely free of charge. If you want to take the next step, there is a complete beginner photography course with a money back guarantee.
Here are some good resources for where to begin:
Photography basics for beginner photographers. The free course for those who want to learn more about photography but don’t know where to start.
Learn Photography
The first thing you’ll need in order to learn photography is to know how the camera works.
Camera Basics
-
Camera Shooting Modes
Learn about camera modes and what your camera does in Manual Mode, Aperture, and Shutter Priority Modes. Knowing which mode to use for your specific conditions will help you be more successful in getting the best exposures.
-
ISO
-
Exposure
-
How to use depth of field
You’ll want to know the basics of how depth of field works, what it is and how to use it to create stunning out of focus backgrounds. In a photograph, the area within the depth of field appears sharp, while the areas in front of and beyond the depth of field appear blurry and it can vary depending on camera type, aperture, and focusing distance.
-
Shutter Speed Settings to Freeze or Blur Motion
In this article on shutter speed, we’ll take a look at how to use the settings on your camera to either freeze moving subjects or blur them intentionally. Today we’re going to talk about motion and how to use it to create the images you want
-
What the numbers on your lens mean
An article I wrote for Digital Photography School in which I explain what all those numbers on your lens mean.
Basic Photography Tips
Practical practice in the field
Next, and quite likely most importantly, you’ll want some practice using your camera.
Otherwise known as “Get out and get shooting!”
Sometimes it can be tricky to find something interesting to shoot or to know how to actually apply the knowledge as you start to learn the basics of photography. This is where getting out, using your camera every single day comes into play but where do you start?
I put together a 10 Photography Challenges guide for exactly this reason.
In this free guide, you’ll be able to choose from one or all of the photography challenges and start practicing with purpose. It gets an enormous amount of good feedback and helps beginner photographers find structure in their lessons.
Go ahead and get it here.
Download the free PDF E-Book, go through the challenges and share your photos in our highly engaged Facebook group.
Photography History
What would we be without those who went before, exploring this new craft of photography? Knowing our roots helps us in our hobby I think.
Famous Photographers to Learn From
If your goal is to learn about photography, who better to start with than the most famous photographers in history? Read more here.
20 Most Famous Photos in History
A selection of the most powerful and influential photos ever captured by some of the most famous photographers. Read more here.