Learn photography with GMax Studios' The Beginner's Guide to Photography. If you want to learn photography, it is here at GMax Studios that you will find all that you need to know. This is primarily a video guide to photography for beginners. Watch all the sections and see how easy it is to learn photography.
Photography might seem daunting at first but the first thing that you need to remember that technically there are only four things that you need to master when you learn photography.
Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO
White balance
Yes. You read that right. Only four things. So read the short description and watch the video under it to fully understand the concepts of photography. Some intros also have a link attached to longer articles on the same subject. Click on them (they open in a new window) to know more about the subject.
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How is a photograph made?
Before you start learning photography, it is important to understand how is a photograph taken. Understanding this process will help you mentally visualise how your camera captures an image and help you understand the basics of photography better. This will also help you understand what an underexposed photograph and overexposed photograph is.
What is aperture?
Aperture is the hole in the lens through which the light enters the camera.This is the primary function of the lens. Depending on the shooting conditions, we can either open the aperture more to let in more light or close it to let lesser light enter the camera. You can read a more detailed explanation about aperture here.
What is shutter speed?
Apart from the aperture, the shutter speed is the second factor that controls the amount of light entering the camera. A longer shutter speed allows more light to enter the camera and hit the sensor while a shorter shutter speed allows less light to enter the camera. Once you have set the aperture, you can also control the amount of light entering the camera by controlling the shutter speed. You can read more about shutter speed here.
What is ISO?
Apart from aperture and shutter speed, ISO is the third element that controls your exposure. ISO defines how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. Higher ISO levels allow us to capture photographs in the dark when our maximum aperture and shutter speed fails to deliver the photographs that we want. This does come at a cost. See the video below to find out more. You can also read about ISO in photography here.
What is the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO?
When you first learn photography, the terms aperture, shutter speed and ISO can be confusing but there is nothing to be scared of. Once you understand the relationship between these three, learning photography becomes a cakewalk. We also have a more detailed post on the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
How does shutter speed affect photographs?
Shutter speed not only controls the amount of light entering the camera, but it is also a factor in freezing or blurring motion in our photographs. We can use the shutter speed to get some great creative control over the kind of photographs we take. You can read more about how shutter speed affects our photographs here.
How does aperture affect photographs?
Like shutter speed, aperture not only controls the amount of light entering the camera but also plays a very important role in how your photographs look. Aperture controls the depth of field which means that it controls how much your background is blurred when you take a photograph. You can also read a longer article on how aperture affects photographs here.
How to shoot in Manual Mode in photography?
The much-dreaded shooting in manual mode is made out to be something of a nirvana - that only a few can attain. The fact is that it is really simple and if you have watched all the videos above, you will master it in exactly 5 mins and 36 seconds. Yeah! That's the duration of the video!
How to photograph in Program or P mode?
As opposed to the manual mode, the program mode or P mode is made out to be something that only newbies or idiots use. Or maybe both! The fact is that the P mode is an extremely powerful mode on the camera that really allows you to stretch the limits of your photography. Watch the video and see it yourself. You can also read a longer article here.
Learn photography | What is white balance in photography?
White balance influences the colour/color of your photographs. Therefore, it is often referred to as color balance. To get truly natural and real colours in a photograph, you need to understand how white balance works in photography.
Also read: How to white balance Nikon cameras and How to white balance Canon cameras.
Metering Modes in Photography - How to get the perfect exposure
When you learn photography, it is often frustrating to not get the exposure that you want. It is like your mind sees a different picture and the camera sees something else and it is true. The way our eyes see something and the way the camera looks at things are quite different and that is the reason why almost all cameras be Nikon, Canon, Sony or Fuji have got quite a few metering modes built into them. To make matters worse, different camera companies call them by different names. So while you might be a Nikon user and be talking about Matrix metering, your Canon user friend will have no clue because Canon calls it Evaluative metering. Then there is spot metering, centre weighted metering, partial metering and God knows what! The good thing though, that these are just names! Once you know the basics of metering modes on the camera, you will be able to get that perfect exposure on any camera. So watch the video below and don't forget to share it. You can also read more about metering modes in detail by going here.
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