Learning Photography
Learning photography can be a daunting task with all the technical terms like exposure, f-stop, depth of field, shutter speed, etc. Moreover the automatic settings of most cameras today make learning the technical aspects of photography a totally optional activity. Point and shoot cameras have become the norm, with most cameras taking acceptable and even beautiful images with only a few minutes of familiarization with the basic controls.
However, with just a little more instruction on the fundamentals of photography, a hobbyist can take more control of the camera and learn the basics of composition and the art of photography. The sites below have helped me to understand and enjoy this fascinating and rewarding merger of technology and artistic expression.
Technical Tools
The sites listed below will help you to understand the technology of photography: how to manipulate light to get the most interesting and pleasing image possible.
- Canon Canada - Play - a virtual lab where you can manipulate the settings of a Canon EOS Digital SLR, take a picture and immediately see the results, along with a basic criticism of the resulting image. This is a very helpful "hands-on" tool that will show you exactly what manipulating the most basic manual settings will do.
- Canon Canada - Learn - this page explains how to adjust a photographs exposure. A camera's Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO settings directly affect exposure, but more importantly, they allow you to control how each photo will look. This page gives examples of how changing these settings can get you different effects.
- C|Net Photography 101 - this page of the consumer electronics news and review site, C|Net, explains how to get acquainted with the technical features of a digital camera, reading photographic information and where to go for more instruction on digital photography.
- How to Protect Your Website from Image Theft by Tom Ewer - this article discusses how to protect your images by disabling right-click, adding a copyright notice, adding watermarks and other useful techniques.
Artistic Techniques
Science and technology alone do not create great photographs. You need also to develop your artistic eye. The sites below will help you add artistic vision to your technical skills.
- Digital Photography School - perhaps the most basic principle of photographic composition is the "Rule of Thirds," explained very well here by Darren Rowse.
- ImprovePhotography.com - this page does a great job of explaining the difference between getting a "scientifically correct" photograph and how to get the best "artistic expression."
- PixelTango.com - 20 Useful Photography Techniques for Snapping Beautiful Pictures, shows examples and explains in detail how to achieve them.