If you read some of my other posts about online education I'm sure you've noticed that I really like taking classes on Udemy. One of my favorite classes that I am currently taking is the Photography Masterclass: Your Complete Guide To Photography taught by Sam Shimizu-Jones and Phil Ebiner.
From taking a lot of beginner classes I'm realizing that in the past I tended to jump into a part of a topic that interests me while not really learning the fundamentals. This has proven to be very limiting. With photography I already knew how to manipulate some things to achieve what I wanted my photo to look like, but I still found shooting on full manual mode very daunting. I've read books, websites, photography magazines, but this is the first time the concepts and practical applications of how to utilize the skills has really sunk in. I guess I'm more of an auditory learner than I had thought!
Sam and Phil have really put together a very easy to follow comprehensive course that covers the beginner basics and more advance topics. Each video focuses on a different topic and shows the practical application of the concept. The videos are very short, so you learn about the topic and then you are encouraged to go out and put the concept into use.
The very beginning of the course goes over how a camera works and the different types of cameras out there. Nothing too intense, but good to watch just to get used to their teaching style.
For me, the real meat of the course is in the 3rd section which focuses on dropping auto and learning manual. The absolute best takeaway from that section is their video and diagram of the exposure triangle. I always wondered how to evaluate whether to adjust ISO, Aperture, or Shutter Speed, honestly, not being sure how to balance them is the main reason I stayed away from using full manual. I have seen the three represented together as part of the exposure triangle in the past, but I don't know why it didn't click until now.
The main takeaway is to remember that even though all three help determine how much light reaches the camera's sensor, they each control a different aspect of the final photograph. The below are pretty basic, but for me it was a good reminder of what to be thinking about when deciding what to adjust.
The ISO will determine how grainy the picture is, the higher the number, the more light and the more grain.
How you set the Shutter Speed determines whether or not your image will be sharp or include motion blur.
The Aperture controls the depth of field, the wider open the aperture (smaller number) gives more of a shallow depth of field while a deeper focus is achieved as aperture becomes more closed(larger number).
For a beginner getting used to shooting in manual mode, when evaluating a shooting situation, determine what kind of look you want for you images and adjust two of the settings to what you think should achieve that look, then as you are shooting, adjust the third to gain the correct exposure. For example, if I am shooting outdoors in the sunlight, I may determine an ISO of 200 works for the situation. I know I want to isolate my subject and decrease my aperture to 1.7. Then as I am shooting, I would adjust my shutter speed to make sure I have the correct exposure.
The second bit of knowledge that I gained from that section is how to utilize the camera's light meter to determine if the chosen settings will over expose or under expose the photograph. I know this makes me sound like a complete photography incompetent when I say this, but just those two parts of the class have really completely changed how I see manual mode. I actually now prefer it to any other mode on my camera!
Just that bit I wrote above has taken manual mode from something complicated and scary to something enjoyable. As with everything, knowing the basics isn't enough, but practicing the technique builds skill.
Below are just a few shots I've taken trying to get correct exposure. I'm already seeing a difference in how I can change the look of the photograph based on how I change the settings.
Just for reference, these photos are taken with the Panasonic GF7 with the Lumix 45-150mm f/4-5.6 lens.
From taking a lot of beginner classes I'm realizing that in the past I tended to jump into a part of a topic that interests me while not really learning the fundamentals. This has proven to be very limiting. With photography I already knew how to manipulate some things to achieve what I wanted my photo to look like, but I still found shooting on full manual mode very daunting. I've read books, websites, photography magazines, but this is the first time the concepts and practical applications of how to utilize the skills has really sunk in. I guess I'm more of an auditory learner than I had thought!
Sam and Phil have really put together a very easy to follow comprehensive course that covers the beginner basics and more advance topics. Each video focuses on a different topic and shows the practical application of the concept. The videos are very short, so you learn about the topic and then you are encouraged to go out and put the concept into use.
The very beginning of the course goes over how a camera works and the different types of cameras out there. Nothing too intense, but good to watch just to get used to their teaching style.
For me, the real meat of the course is in the 3rd section which focuses on dropping auto and learning manual. The absolute best takeaway from that section is their video and diagram of the exposure triangle. I always wondered how to evaluate whether to adjust ISO, Aperture, or Shutter Speed, honestly, not being sure how to balance them is the main reason I stayed away from using full manual. I have seen the three represented together as part of the exposure triangle in the past, but I don't know why it didn't click until now.
The main takeaway is to remember that even though all three help determine how much light reaches the camera's sensor, they each control a different aspect of the final photograph. The below are pretty basic, but for me it was a good reminder of what to be thinking about when deciding what to adjust.
The ISO will determine how grainy the picture is, the higher the number, the more light and the more grain.
How you set the Shutter Speed determines whether or not your image will be sharp or include motion blur.
The Aperture controls the depth of field, the wider open the aperture (smaller number) gives more of a shallow depth of field while a deeper focus is achieved as aperture becomes more closed(larger number).
For a beginner getting used to shooting in manual mode, when evaluating a shooting situation, determine what kind of look you want for you images and adjust two of the settings to what you think should achieve that look, then as you are shooting, adjust the third to gain the correct exposure. For example, if I am shooting outdoors in the sunlight, I may determine an ISO of 200 works for the situation. I know I want to isolate my subject and decrease my aperture to 1.7. Then as I am shooting, I would adjust my shutter speed to make sure I have the correct exposure.
The second bit of knowledge that I gained from that section is how to utilize the camera's light meter to determine if the chosen settings will over expose or under expose the photograph. I know this makes me sound like a complete photography incompetent when I say this, but just those two parts of the class have really completely changed how I see manual mode. I actually now prefer it to any other mode on my camera!
Just that bit I wrote above has taken manual mode from something complicated and scary to something enjoyable. As with everything, knowing the basics isn't enough, but practicing the technique builds skill.
Below are just a few shots I've taken trying to get correct exposure. I'm already seeing a difference in how I can change the look of the photograph based on how I change the settings.
Just for reference, these photos are taken with the Panasonic GF7 with the Lumix 45-150mm f/4-5.6 lens.
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