Photography for Beginners

Photographers on YouTube

/ Seattle Park Lover / 2 Comments

Over the last few months I’ve been watching a lot of photography videos on YouTube. I’ve learned quite a bit in general and picked up some useful tips, but a lot of my enjoyment comes from the video footage some landscape photographers shoot of beautiful locations, including from drones.

I’m never going to be the kind of photographer who travels long distances just to get a specific shot, or who hikes up a mountain, down a steep cliff, or miles through a forest to get to a great location. But I can do that vicariously through others and enjoy the fruits of their labors.

Below I’ve listed four of the channels that I’ve especially liked so far in case you’re interested in checking them out.

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Photography for Beginners Part 7: Focusing

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Each post in this series builds on information discussed in previous posts. See the Photography for Beginners page on the menu for links to all the posts.

Part 6: Manual Mode

 

In this post we’ll talk about focusing, primarily autofocus (AF).

It’s easy as a beginner to mostly ignore the focus aspect of photography because digital cameras handle automatic focus well. But being more thoughtful about how you focus, and where you focus, can enhance your photography. There are also situations in which you have to think about it or you’ll end up with disappointing or outright bad photos.

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Photography for Beginners Part 6: Manual Mode

/ Seattle Park Lover / 5 Comments

Each post in this series builds on information discussed in previous posts. See the Photography for Beginners page on the menu for links to all the posts.

Part 5: Depth of Field

 

In this post I am going to discuss using Manual Mode. Manual Mode is usually designated by an M on your camera mode dial, if it has one.

For most beginners Manual Mode sounds intimidating. But modern digital cameras have your back. As long as you pay attention to what your camera is telling you, there’s no reason to treat Manual Mode as something scary that only experts know how to use.

Anyone who understands the exposure info displayed on the camera screen or viewfinder can successfully use Manual Mode.

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Photography for Beginners Part 5: Depth of Field

/ Seattle Park Lover / 5 Comments

Each post in this series builds on information discussed in previous posts. See the Photography for Beginners page on the menu for links to all the posts.

Part 4: Aperture Priority Mode

 

In this post I am going to discuss depth of field (DOF).

DOF is one of the most important basic aspects of photography. It’s fairly complex because depth of field constantly varies based on three primary factors and how they interact with each other.

It takes a while for all of this to sink in and it’s very easy to forget at times, or simply misjudge. (I do both all the time.) As always, studying your own photos to see what you got right and what didn’t work will teach you as much or more than reading about photography will.

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