Beginner Photography Course

Lesson 1 – Introduction to Photography

Here we question what photography actually is. We study the science of this craft by
referring to photography from the past and the camera obscura.

Lesson 2 - Camera Kits and Recommended Equipment

A look at different types of camera kits, which ones are best to use for learning and
what are the essential pieces of equipment you will need.
Lesson 3 - Introduction to camera settings
Here I teach you the different auto and manual modes found on your camera and
why you will never use auto again! A task will be set allowing you to take your first
steps to going fully manual.
Lesson 4 - Focusing - Getting your pictures pin sharp!
This will be a lesson showing you how to get every picture in focus with ease. You
will learn techniques and camera settings to assist you in controlling focusing and a
task will be set to get that focus point exactly where you want it, every time!
Lesson 5 - Composition
In my opinion, composition is the most important thing to get right. Getting it wrong
will make the most beautiful scene look awful. This lesson is an in-depth exploration
into how different compositional techniques can really enhance the look of your
photography. You will also be set a task to get you out there and put these
composition rules into practice!

Lesson 6 - Lenses, Focal Lengths, Crop and Full Frame sensors

Here we look at prime and zoom lenses and the effects of different focal lengths. You
learn what focal lengths are and what ones are commonly used in landscape and
portrait photography. We’ll also look at how the visual effects of focal lengths change
between different camera models.
Lesson 7 - Metering
This lesson will teach you how to use the metering settings on your camera and
more importantly how to control metering for different situations. You will also be set
tasks to control your metering enabling you to get perfect exposures every time!

Lesson 8 - ISO
Here you will examine what ISO is and how you can control it to reduce noise in your
photography. Via a set task you will learn how to use your camera’s ISO setting so
you can control it manually and adapt it for various situations.

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 Lesson 9 - Apertures and Depth of Field
Here you will learn about apertures, depth of field and their relationship with each
other. You will also learn about two more important elements of photography that
effect depth of field. Then you will fully control this effect using your camera’s manual
modes via your set task.

Lesson 10 - Shutter Speeds, controlling movement and slow sync flash

In this lesson, you’ll be taught how to control movement in your photos via the
shutter speed. You will learn how to freeze motion, creating panning effects and how
to do a technique called slow sync flash. You will take full control over movement in
photography using your camera’s manual settings in the lessons set tasks.
Lesson 11 – Balancing exposures
This lesson will see you take full control over the exposure of your photography. You
will combine your newly learnt knowledge of Apertures, Shutter Speeds, and ISO to
manually expose for varied creative effects. You will gain in-depth knowledge on
what stops are in photography and how you control them to take full control over the
exposure and visual effects of your pictures. You will also be shown how to use your
camera in fully manual mode and put all this into practice in set tasks.
Lesson 12 – Resolution
In this lesson, you will learn about the resolution of images, its relationship with print
and web image sizes, and when you should use low or high-res images. You’ll also
be taught how to set the correct resolution on your camera and put this into practice
in a set task!

Lesson 13 – Understanding Light and White Balance

Here you learn about the many different light sources available to photographers, the
effects they give to a photo and how to control lighting for varied looks. You will also
learn about white balance on cameras and how you can use it to get accurate
colours or obscure the look of scene. You will learn how to use the white balance
settings on your camera and put this into practice in a night time urban shoot!
Lesson 14 – Night photography, Painting with Light!
Here we push your newly acquired knowledge of working fully manual by doing
some night photography! We use torches, flash lights and our knowledge of working
fully manual to create varied visual effects. Great tasks are set to test that you are in
full control of your photography!

Lesson 15 – Balancing exposures with Flash

Here you will learn how to control your exposures with flash! This pushes your use of
stops and control of exposure one step further. You will learn how to darken a

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 background by balancing out ambient light with flash and put this into practice
yourself via a set task.
Lesson 16 – Post-production and Raw Files
Here you will be introduced into your next stage of photographic excellence – The
post-production of images! We will look at how post-processing programs such as
Lightroom and Photoshop can enhance the look of your photography. You’ll also be
shown the benefits of shooting in Raw and how to process a Raw file!

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