Photography isn’t the only way to capture the world, but it certainly is one of the most effective. Look no further than the nearest social media feed, news station, magazine article, or book cover to see it – photographs have power. If you want to harness that power and learn how to take the best possible photos, welcome to “Photography Basics: The Beginner’s Guide.” This comprehensive tutorial explains the fundamental concepts you should know about photography from start to finish.
Why We Wrote “Photography Basics”
Where would you go if you wanted to learn the most important basics of photography, starting from scratch?
Today, many people today like learning about photography online, which is a great way to search through large amounts of information (and carry a reference in your pocket). But as good as the internet is for answering questions, it’s not always geared toward studying a large topic from start to finish.
After operating Photography Life for more than a decade, we decided it was time to fill this gap for beginning photographers. As we see it, people should be able to start learning photography with little to no prior knowledge, dig down for a bit, and emerge with a solid understanding of the most important concepts. So, Photography Basics – a completely free, online guide to photography – was born.
Where to Begin
Photography Basics is like a book, and it reads from front to back. Each chapter of the guide builds on prior chapters. If you start at the very beginning and work your way through, the information will flow naturally and in the right order. However, if you want to learn something more specific, you’re welcome to skip ahead to a later chapter. Here is the overall organization of the guide:
Photography Basics Organization
- Chapter 1: Photography Basics Introduction (You are here)
- Chapter 2: What Is Photography?
- Chapter 3: Shutter Speed
- Chapter 4: Aperture
- Chapter 5: F-Stop
- Chapter 6: ISO
- Chapter 7: Composition
- Chapter 8: Metering
- Chapter 9: Camera Modes
- Chapter 10: Focusing
- Chapter 11: Flash
- Chapter 12: Camera Settings
- Chapter 13: How to Take Sharp Pictures
- Chapter 14: Photography Tips for Beginners
- Chapter 15: Photography Ideas