Digital Photography for Beginners with DSLR cameras

This lecture serves as a welcome to the course and contains a brief overview of what you can expect. At this stage you are probably tempted to skip to the fun, more creative lectures in Section 5 and onwards, but it's best to rather go through the whole course without skipping lectures.

This lecture provides a more in-depth look at what you can expect to learn from each of the eight sections of which this course is comprised, namely.

• Section 1: Introduction to the course and what you'll need to get started.

• Section 2: Camera Equipment

• Section 3: Camera Settings

• Section 4: Aperture and Shutter speed

• Section 5: Light

• Section 6: Composing your shots

• Section 7: Creative photography

• Section 8: Course summary

In this lecture, I list everything you will need to have with you for the duration of the course.

This lecture comprises an exercise in identifying common mistakes that new or amateur photographers often make, but which are easily corrected with a better understanding of the settings and functions on a DSLR camera.

The equipment you use doesn't need to be top-of-the-range for you to get great shots. In this brief introduction to Section 2, I run through the questions you can expect to have answered in the lectures that follow on DSLR cameras, lenses, and other useful photographic equipment, namely:

• What is the difference between a DSLR and a compact digital camera?
• Which camera make is best?
• Is my camera good enough?

In this lecture I briefly discuss Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras and why this course focuses on these brands specifically. In the Supplemental Resources you'll find two external links to Wikipedia that list all the Canon and Nikon camera models, allowing you to compare your camera's specifications with others.

The most important thing to remember is that your camera is good enough! The challenge is to learn how to use it correctly...

Lenses are by far the most expensive facet of photography, whether you've chosen photography as a hobby or a career. This lecture explains which lenses work best for which types of photography, for example: why wide angle lenses are best for landscape photography and indoor marketing shots, while zoom lenses are better for portrait photographs and other shots that look best with a blurred background. We also take a look at the correct way to change lenses to minimise damage to your camera body.

In photography, how you stand can influence your photograph as much as what settings you use. In this lecture, I provide a brief demonstration on the correct stance and positioning when holding a DSLR camera and an explanation as to why this is so important.

In this lecture I discuss why photographic supports are necessary indoors or in low light conditions. I also explain the differences between monopods, tripods and beanbags, what situations they're likely to be of use, as well as the advantages of using supports to get sharper shots.

A good photographer knows that it takes more than an understanding of your camera settings to get the best shots. In this lecture I discuss the differences between what we see and what the camera 'sees', and demonstrate how to compensate for these differences by getting a firm understanding of your camera's limitations and how to work around them to get the best photographs possible.

This lecture is a summary of everything covered in Section 2: Camera equipment (including camera makes and models, lenses, photographic supports like beanbags, monopods and tripods), holding your camera correctly as well as the limitations of DSLR cameras.

This introductory lecture details the camera settings this course focuses on, namely:

• Shooting modes
• File format, size and quality
• White balance and metering mode
• Drive mode
• Auto focus mode
• Auto focus point selection
• ISO, and
• Exposure compensation

In this lecture, I highlight the various Shooting modes (all the pictures and letters on that little dial at the top of your camera) DSLR cameras are capable of, what they control (or allow you to control), and where and how to change them on both Nikon and Canon camera bodies.

By the end, you'll understand why you'll need to change your shooting mode to P (Program Mode) for lectures that follow.

In this short lecture, I give a brief explanation of the difference between Jpeg and RAW files and what they mean to you, as an amateur photographer, in terms of camera function, file size and processing.

I also show you how to select the right file format, size and quality, namely: Jpeg, large, fine.

In this lecture, I guide you through the White balance and Metering mode functions on both Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. White balance is useful when the light conditions you're photographing in affect the temperature of your photograph, in other words, when your photographs come out too blue or too orange. Setting your Metering mode to evaluative metering (Canon) or matrix metering (Nikon) will ensure the camera reads the light across the whole frame. I demonstrate where you can change these settings on Canon and Nikon cameras, when to adjust them, and which default settings are best to leave them on.

Sometimes, a single shot just isn't enough to capture an extended moment of action. It's in moments like these that knowing how to change your camera's Drive mode from taking single shots to taking multiple shots one after the other comes in very handy. In this lecture, you'll learn where to find this setting on your camera, and in what situations you're likely to want to change it.

The setting includes the following options:

• Single shot (only one photo when you press the shutter button)
• Continuous shooting (a burst of photos in short succession when you press the shutter button), and
• Timer (which waits between 2 and 10 seconds to take the photo after you've pressed the shutter button).

Many amateur photographers don't realise that modern DSLR cameras are capable of not only focussing on still-standing objects, but on moving objects too. In this lecture, I explain, in basic terms, how the camera does this and how Auto focus mode function can benefit you in everyday photography.

We look at the following three options within this setting:

1. One Shot (Canon) / AF-S (Nikon) for still-standing subjects
2. AI Servo (Canon) / AF-C (Nikon) for moving subjects, and
3. AI Focus (Canon) / AF-A (Nikon) for subjects that are standing still, but that are likely to move soon.

Moderns DSLR cameras provide photographers with multiple focus points to choose from. In this lecture, you'll learn when it's valuable to have all of those focus points activated (the camera chooses what to focus on), and when it's best to select your own focus point (you choose what to focus on). Also, when you're selecting your own focus points, I explain a process known as focus-recompose, an easy way to keep your focus point in the middle without sacrificing good composition in your photograph.

Nobody likes a blurry photograph, and one of the easiest ways to prevent them is to change your camera's ISO-value. In this lecture I demonstrate how low light conditions cause blurry photographs and how an increased ISO-value will allow you to get faster shutter speeds, which in turn, gives you sharper photos. I also warn you about the fact that very high ISO-values create result in grainy photos.

Make a mental note: Higher ISO-values give you a faster shutter speed in low light, allowing you to eliminate blurry photos.

As a photographer, there are always going to be times when you want to make your photos lighter or darker. Exposure compensation is the easiest setting to change to make that happen. In this lecture, I guide you to your camera's shortcut for Exposure compensation and provide some tips on when you're likely to need to change it for subtle or dramatic changes in the white areas and black areas of your photographs.

This lecture provides a quick summary of all the settings covered in Section 3 of the course, namely:

• Shooting modes
• File format, size and quality
• White balance and Metering mode
• Drive mode
• Auto focus mode
• Auto focus point selection
• ISO and
• Exposure compensation

This introductory lecture leads us into Aperture and Shutter speed, two of the most important aspects of photography in any field.

In this important lecture, I explain Aperture in simple, easy-to-grasp terms, by guiding you into the shooting mode 'Aperture Priority', where to find this function on your camera, how different quality and size lenses affect aperture, and most importantly, how photographing in Aperture Priority affects the depth of field (how much or how little of the photograph is in focus). By the end of this lecture, you'll have a good understanding of how low f-values on your camera gives you a shallow depth of field and how high f-values give you a great depth of field, and the importance of this to you as a photographer.

Aperture Priority shooting mode = Av (Canon) and A (Nikon)

Remember:

Low f-values = shallow depth of field (only a little bit is in focus)

Large f-values = great depth of field (a lot is in focus)

Though Aperture Priority is the shooting mode amateurs and professionals generally choose to photograph in, in this lecture on Shutter Priority (a shooting mode where you choose the shutter speed) I explain how changing the shutter speed-value can help you freeze action or even capture movement. You'll see examples of both frozen action and captured movement for some ideas on how this shooting mode can enhance your own repertoire of photographic skills.

Shutter Priority shooting mode = Tv (Canon) and S (Nikon)

This lecture is a summary of all that we've covered in the Aperture and Shutter Speed section of the course, a reminder that Aperture Priority allows you to choose your f-value, which affects your depth of field, and Shutter Priority allows you to choose your shutter speed to freeze action or capture movement.

This introductory lecture focuses on what you can expect from this section of the course, namely, light, its various forms, and how to use them all to enhance your photography.

When you first pick up a camera, it seems instinctive to take photographs with the light behind you. The subject, whatever it is, is then lit from the front and it is therefore known as Front light. There are advantages and disadvantages to photographing in front light, and by the end of this lecture and the examples I have included, you will understand why this type of light is usually good for representative, guide book-type photos, but not necessarily for landscape photos or for highlighting texture.

In this, second lecture on light, I explain Side light, as well as how to apply it in situations where you want to highlight texture, detail and depth in your photos with the help of shadows. Though this lecture falls within the 'Creativity' section of the course, in this lecture I challenge you to start merging what you learned about camera settings earlier on in the course with what you see when you start noticing light and its uses from different angles.

Initially, photographing into the sun goes against the grain, but once you've completed this lecture on Back light, and you've had a good look at the stunning silhouettes and striking silver and gold haloes you can create by mastering it, you'll understand just how valuable this kind of photography can be. Again, I not only explain the use of back light, but also challenge you to apply some of settings you learned earlier on in the course for the best results.

Many amateur photographers leave their cameras at home on overcast days, but those who understand light will tell you they're some of the best days to take photographs. In this lecture, I discuss how you can use Diffused light to capture photos that are well-exposed and often beautifully vibrant.

Your camera's flash can be a little daunting to use, but this lecture will demonstrate how useful it can be, especially in conjunction with diffused and back light. You will learn where and how to change your flash exposure for situations where you find your flash is a little too harsh or too dim.

This lecture provides a brief summary of the most important points from this section on front, side, back, diffused and flash light.

This introductory lecture on Composition highlights what I'll be discussing in the following seven lectures, namely:

• Camera orientation
• Blurring the background effectively
• The Rule of Thirds
• Giving your subjects space
• Leading lines
• Using different angles, and
• Five steps to perfect composition.

Camera orientation comes naturally to very few people, so in this lecture I share some of the pointers or things to watch out for that will help you decide whether to hold your camera horizontally or vertically. The shape, height, width, or quantity of what you're photographing plays a very big role in how you should hold your camera, and though there isn't always a right way and a wrong way, you'll notice the difference in the effect of the photograph immediately once you start noticing these things before pressing the shutter button.

Blurring the background can turn a mediocre portrait shot into a great one, and it's often easier to do than you'd think. In this lecture, you will learn four important steps, a combination of common sense and some of what you learned in the 'Settings' section of this course, to help you blur the background of your portrait photos.

The four steps are:

STEP 1: Make sure the background is far behind your subject

STEP 2: Make sure the background is uncluttered

STEP 3: Zoom in as much as possible with a long zoom lens, and

STEP 4: Choose a low f-value in Aperture Priority.

You may have heard that it's useful to have a good eye for composition, and while that's true, it isn't something you need to be born with. There are a few easy-to-follow rules to guide you to well-composed photographs, and in this lecture I explain one of the most important: the Rule of thirds. Essentially, there is a natural division on a photograph that creates lines that are naturally pleasing, points that the eye is automatically drawn to, and by the end of this lecture you will know where they are an how to manipulate the composition of your photographs to take advantage of them.

Never underestimate the value of space around your subjects – it can often play as important a role in the composition of your photograph as the subject itself. In this lecture I demonstrate how easy it is to consider the space all around your subjects and the direction they're looking or moving, and the difference it makes when you've harnessed the whole picture without chopping bits off or boxing-things in.

In this lecture, I explain how there are times when its all about lines and how they draw the eye into a scene or picture. These are called leading lines, and when captured well, they can turn a moment into a journey for the eyes – a very effective tool for any photographer. By the end of this lecture, you will have a better idea of where to look for and how to harness leading lines in your photography.

One thing you may have noticed about professional photographers anywhere is that they seldom stay in one place for very long, but you may not have noticed that they never photograph at one level for very long either. They crouch, squat, crawl and climb, even to the point of lying on the floor or climbing trees if the occasion calls for it. In this lecture, you'll find out what an enormous difference these changes in angle can mean for your photography.

This lecture incorporates a rundown of what you've learned from the previous lectures on composition in a step-by-step, easy to remember guide to perfect composition. Following these five basic steps will have you composing beautiful shots naturally in no time.

The five steps to perfect composition are:

STEP 1: Decide on the camera's orientation - horizontal or vertical

STEP 2: Decide how close or how far you want to be to the subject (i.e. is it a portrait or landscape shot)

STEP 3: Move around your subject to change the light and background

STEP 4: Move up and down to change the angle, and

STEP 5: Make small in-hand movements to place all the elements in the right places within the frame.

Good composition combined with a firm understanding of settings makes for excellent photography. This lecture is a summary of the main points covered in the 'Composition' section of this course, including:

• Camera orientation
• Blurring the background of portrait photos effectively
• The Rule of thirds
• Giving your subjects space
• Leading lines
• Using different angles, and
• Five steps to perfect composition.

In this short introductory lecture you will find out what you can expect from the 'Creativity' section of this course, namely how to:

• Photograph reflections
• Use natural frames
• Make the most of colour
• Use repetition
• Harness scale, and
• Tell a story.

Mirrors are everywhere, and we can't resist them – nor should we when it comes to photography. In this lecture, I demonstrate how to capture reflections in all manner of surfaces, both natural and man-made, by combining what you've learnt about settings and composition from previous lectures. By the end you'll find you can capture them almost anywhere.

Framing photographs comes naturally to most, but not usually before taking the shot. In this lecture you'll learn to be aware of natural frames in the environment you're photographing in, and how to use them to enhance your photographs.

The word 'photography' literally means 'to draw or paint with light', and like a drawing or a painting, how you wield your colours plays a big role. Outside of a studio, it's not always possible to choose the colours you're looking for, but in this lecture, I show you how a little knowledge of complimentary and analogous colours can have you lining up some absolutely stunning shots.

Like a reflection, natural repetition is hard to resist in a photograph. In this lecture, you'll learn how identical objects can lend themselves to a stunning photograph, and how to apply some of the settings and composition tips you learned earlier on in the course to make sure they do.

It's not always obvious to see how big or small an object is in a photograph, so in this lecture I demonstrate how to emphasize the size of a subject using known objects, both natural and man-made. It's all about harnessing scale.

It's easy to fall into the habit of taking the same kinds of photographs, especially once you've become comfortable with a certain lens or camera setting. In this lecture, I emphasize the importance of varying your photographs so that you don't just end up with photos of things, but also capture the story of where you were, how you came to capture them, who was there to share them with you, and why you were there in the first place. Photography becomes incredibly rewarding when your photos can tell their own stories.

Create a star effect around light sources by using a very large f-stop.

Creativity comes naturally for some and takes a bit more effort for others. Thankfully, it doesn't take much to try a new angle, setting, or viewpoint, and in this final lecture on creativity I point out that even the smallest changes in how you look at the world can result in some beautiful creative photography.

In this lecture, I stress the importance of doing something with your photographs - printing them for a frame or for your wall, putting together a photo book or just sharing them on social media – your photos should never be left unseen. Sharing and seeing them, as well as the response you get from them, can be a great motivator and a sure fire way to ensure your photography goes from strength to strength.

This lecture is an overview of everything we've covered in this Digital Photography Course for Beginners with DSLR cameras, from the equipment you use and the settings you choose to the way you look at colours, lines, and light when you pick up your camera to take a shot.

You can download a set of notes in the Supplemental Resources that summarises this course.