After I decided to improve my photography skills, I was left with the obvious question. How? Any one who has tried to learn the technical side of photography knows that it can be like learning a new language (and I've never been very good at languages). ISO, shutter speed, white balance, Fstop, aperture, depth of field ...its really enough to make your head spin. Take Wikipedia's definition of aperture:
Huh? Did I mention that math was also not my forte? But I was firm in my belief that although I might be confused at the beginning, it would be worth it in the end.
I was left with some options. I could just keep shooting, hoping that practice would make perfect. I could try to teach myself by reading the plethora of online resources or picking up a photography book or two. Or I could go to the experts and take a photography course. For my best chance of success, I figured I'd do all three. In future posts, I'll zero in on what's working, what isn't and show you my progress.
First off, if you're looking for a good overview of the basics of the technical side of photography (described in a rather non-technical way), here are some online resources:
The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Exposure - One of the best explanations of exposure that I've read, straightforward and clear.
It's Overflowing Photography Course - Conversational, easy to follow tutorials. Written by an amateur photographer, so she explains things in layman terms.
Digital Camera Modes - A simple explanation of the various modes available on your DLSR camera.
The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the
ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter...The photography term "one f-stop" refers to a factor of
√2 (approx. 1.41) change in f-number,
which in turn corresponds to a factor of 2 change in light intensity.
Huh? Did I mention that math was also not my forte? But I was firm in my belief that although I might be confused at the beginning, it would be worth it in the end.
I was left with some options. I could just keep shooting, hoping that practice would make perfect. I could try to teach myself by reading the plethora of online resources or picking up a photography book or two. Or I could go to the experts and take a photography course. For my best chance of success, I figured I'd do all three. In future posts, I'll zero in on what's working, what isn't and show you my progress.
First off, if you're looking for a good overview of the basics of the technical side of photography (described in a rather non-technical way), here are some online resources:
The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Exposure - One of the best explanations of exposure that I've read, straightforward and clear.
It's Overflowing Photography Course - Conversational, easy to follow tutorials. Written by an amateur photographer, so she explains things in layman terms.
Digital Camera Modes - A simple explanation of the various modes available on your DLSR camera.
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