Archive 2021 · Learning resources for a beginner

zurura
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Learning resources for a beginner

Hey guys,

A friend recently showed interest in learning photography and asked me for help on resources. I tried to collate some material that I had used when learning about 10 years ago. But things have definitely moved on since then, I'm sure.

I'm looking for references on YouTube channels, series or specific courses aimed at beginners that you know would help her in getting the basics sorted out. What I thought she should learn is

Basics about exposure triangle - Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO - What they are and how they work in tandem
Understanding Light
Composition and references to good compositions
Processing and the importance of it

Not looking to master these topics right away but getting her started in the right direction rather than creating Instagram friendly photos using click-bait type titles from YouTube. I also understand that there may not be a single channel/series which would cover these in substantial depth. But I'm trying to see what would others recommend.

I remember I learnt a lot then from the BnH series, Gavin Hoey and a few other free tutorials form Youtube. What I was looking at was something that is more structured and paces it right for her, if possible.

Cheers,
Gautam

PS : If it doesn't seem a correct board for this, please let me know. I posted here since this is the board where I hang out the most.

Apr 07, 2021 at 12:14 AM

junglialoh
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Learning resources for a beginner

Zurura. Thanks for your sharing. I am also interested in learning from basic.

Apr 07, 2021 at 05:23 AM

Camperjim
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Learning resources for a beginner

I look at skill in photography as consisting of 3 components:
Camera/gear technical considerations (settings, exposure, DOF, processing, etc)
Composition (organization of all of the visual elements in an image)
Artistic style, intent and goals
We can look at these as a Venn diagram where all of the components work for the skilled photographer.

It is relatively easy to find learning aids for the first component. Learning to use the camera can begin with the manual and lots of practice. There are endless numbers of books and YouTube videos explaining the basics and beyond. Practice is of the utmost and in my experience it takes 100s of hours of shooting before use of the camera becomes automatic and easy. There is no shortage of information on post processing and with some screen time you can learn more than you will ever want to know or use. In fact it is easy for many people to become sidetracked and become absorbed by the intricacies of the available software.

Learning composition is a whole lot more difficult. Most photographers, even the full time pros, have limited background. It is even hard to find any useful books or videos. A couple of B&H event space videos can help. David Brommer has one titled Beyond the Rule of Thirds. Many of his examples are from paintings, not photography. Study of art and paintings of the masters is likely to be way more valuable than looking and photography.

The final component and the last "skill" gained involves artistic goals. That is personal and typically develops as the photographer gains mastery of the technical aspects and the visual language of composition.

Sources for learning can be books, videos, camera clubs, formal instruction in photography or the arts, from a mentor or fellow photographers and artists. The sources are less important than the dedication of the photographer. Few people really want to devote the effort needed to excel, master the skills and develop artistic expression. Another big factor in learning is feedback. This can come from mentors, from groups such as camera clubs, from working with gallerists, art teachers and the like. It is often difficult to find useful forms of feedback which help to foster artistic growth. Again, few are interested in that journey as can be seen by even the Fred Miranda forum, Photo Critique. The forum suffers from lack of interest because few photographers are interested in any sort of negative or challenging feedback.

My response is likely to be more involved that the OP expected. One can put a toe in the water, learn to swim or even excel and compete as a champion swimmer. It is easy to put a toe in the water, but lots of work is needed to excel in swimming.

Apr 07, 2021 at 06:23 AM

gdanmitchell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Learning resources for a beginner

zurura wrote:
PS : If it doesn't seem a correct board for this, please let me know. I posted here since this is the board where I hang out the most.

Since you did ask: No, it is not the right forum for a general question about learning about photography.

There is a general forum for such question. Hit the link to forums and you'll find it.

You could also Google something like "beginning photographer guides" and you'll come up with a ton of stuff.

Apr 07, 2021 at 11:22 AM

zurura
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Learning resources for a beginner

Camperjim wrote:
I look at skill in photography as consisting of 3 components:
Camera/gear technical considerations (settings, exposure, DOF, processing, etc)
Composition (organization of all of the visual elements in an image)
Artistic style, intent and goals
We can look at these as a Venn diagram where all of the components work for the skilled photographer.

It is relatively easy to find learning aids for the first component. Learning to use the camera can begin with the manual and lots of practice. There are endless numbers of books and YouTube videos explaining the basics and beyond. Practice is of the utmost and in my experience it takes 100s of hours of shooting before use of the camera becomes automatic and easy. There is no shortage of information on post processing and with some screen time you can learn more than you will ever want to know or use. In fact it is easy for many people to become sidetracked and become absorbed by the intricacies of the available software.

Learning composition is a whole lot more difficult. Most photographers, even the full time pros, have limited background. It is even hard to find any useful books or videos. A couple of B&H event space videos can help. David Brommer has one titled Beyond the Rule of Thirds. Many of his examples are from paintings, not photography. Study of art and paintings of the masters is likely to be way more valuable than looking and photography.

The final component and the last "skill" gained involves artistic goals. That is personal and typically develops as the photographer gains mastery of the technical aspects and the visual language of composition.

Sources for learning can be books, videos, camera clubs, formal instruction in photography or the arts, from a mentor or fellow photographers and artists. The sources are less important than the dedication of the photographer. Few people really want to devote the effort needed to excel, master the skills and develop artistic expression. Another big factor in learning is feedback. This can come from mentors, from groups such as camera clubs, from working with gallerists, art teachers and the like. It is often difficult to find useful forms of feedback which help to foster artistic growth. Again, few are interested in that journey as can be seen by even the Fred Miranda forum, Photo Critique. The forum suffers from lack of interest because few photographers are interested in any sort of negative or challenging feedback.

My response is likely to be more involved that the OP expected. One can put a toe in the water, learn to swim or even excel and compete as a champion swimmer. It is easy to put a toe in the water, but lots of work is needed to excel in swimming.

...Show more →

Thank you for the elaborate reply. I can't agree more on this and it is pretty much the path followed by most photographers that I personally know and shoot with. It always is a much longer journey but one that is quite enjoyable and rewarding. Appreciate your reply and I'll stick to this for now. Thank you.

Cheers,
Gautam

Edited on Apr 07, 2021 at 11:29 PM · View previous versions

Apr 07, 2021 at 11:24 PM

zurura
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Learning resources for a beginner

gdanmitchell wrote:
Since you did ask: No, it is not the right forum for a general question about learning about photography.

There is a general forum for such question. Hit the link to forums and you'll find it.

You could also Google something like "beginning photographer guides" and you'll come up with a ton of stuff.

Thank you. I was looking for a way that someone has already found out more recently with regards to beginner stuff. But it makes sense for her to labour it out a bit in the learning part probably.

Also, the entire forum structure is arranged as Presentation, Assignments, Gear and Trading part and I could not relate this to a generic board within those. If someone can please report my original post so that Mods may move this to an appropriate board.

Cheers,
Gautam

Apr 07, 2021 at 11:29 PM

Camperjim
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Learning resources for a beginner

As you can quickly determine by looking at the list of forum topics, there is no forum dedicated to general topics such as learning photography. The forums are mostly presentation, where the presenters are looking for likes, or gear related or related to buying and selling gear. That limitation says a lot.

There are also the assignment and critique forums. I have never had much interest in shooting some sort of cutesy topic. The Photo Critique forum comes and goes in value. Participation is typically pretty minimal with even more limited attempts at critique and learning.

Apr 08, 2021 at 08:45 AM

Rajan Parrikar
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Learning resources for a beginner

Camperjim wrote:
The forums are mostly presentation, where the presenters are looking for likes...

I wasn’t sure these likes could be exchanged for Bitcoin. Now that you have confirmed it, I will be looking for a whole lot more of these likes.

Apr 08, 2021 at 08:55 AM

Camperjim
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Learning resources for a beginner

Rajan Parrikar wrote:
I wasn’t sure these likes could be exchanged for Bitcoin. Now that you have confirmed it, I will be looking for a whole lot more of these likes.

You will get way more if you just post on Facebook.

Apr 08, 2021 at 10:29 AM


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