Photography Basics Every Beginner Should Learn
Photography is a great skill that allows you to capture memories, tell stories, and express creativity through images. Whether you’re shooting on a pro camera or dealing with a phone, grasping the fundamentals of photography can help take the quality of your photos exponentially. A lot of beginners fall into the trap of buying expensive equipment. Get the basics right and you are well on your way to great photography.
Learning important photography concepts such as lighting, composition, focus and camera settings will help you to create visually appealing images and grow in confidence behind the camera. These are the basic things in photography that every beginner should know.
Know Your Camera
Before you begin to shoot, take some time to learn how your camera works. Modern cameras and phones have lots of features that create better quality images.
Discover settings such as:
- Auto mode
- Portrait mode
- Landscape mode
- Manual mode
- Focus modes
- Exposure compensation
Knowing what these features are will put you more in control of your images and allow you to compensate for the different shooting conditions.
The Exposure Triangle Explained
The exposure triangle is one of the most important things you need to know about photography. Three controls work together to determine the lightness or darkness of an image.
Aperture
Aperture is how much light gets into the camera lens. A wider aperture will give you a blurry background – good for portraits. The smaller the opening, the greater the depth of field, the more of the scene will be in focus. Good for landscapes.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is the duration for which the camera sensor is exposed to light. High shutter speeds stop motion. Motion blur effects are created by slow shutter speeds.
ISO Sensitivity
ISO is the measure of how sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the ISO, the greater the chance of image noise. You’ll get cleaner images at a lower ISO setting. You can use high ISO settings when light is low.
Knowing the connection among these three elements will allow the accurate exposure to be achieved.
Rule of thirds learning
Composition is a very important part of taking good photos. The rule of thirds is an easy technique for a beginner to use to create images.
This is like dividing your image in 9 equal parts by 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines. To create a more balanced, interesting photo, position your subject along these lines or at the points where these lines intersect.
The rule of thirds is a composition guide that can help you take more appealing photographs. Most cameras and smartphones have a grid function that will help you use the rule of thirds.
Don’t Forget About Lighting
Light is the most important thing in photography. The best camera in the world can not help you take good pictures in bad lighting conditions.
Natural Light
Natural light is best for beginners. The soft, warm light of morning and late afternoon is best for photos.
Avoid Harsh Midday Light
The strong sun cast harsh shadows and overexposed highlights. If you are shooting midday try to find some shade if possible or diffuse the light as much as you can.
Indoor Lighting Tips
Shooting indoors? Keep your subjects near windows to benefit from natural light and use flash sparingly.
Focus & Image Sharpness
Blurred pictures are a common problem for beginners. Focus. Proper focus ensures your subject is sharp and detailed.
To enhance sharpness:
- Hold the camera steady
- use the autofocus properly
- Portraits – Focus on the eyes of the subject
- Low light photography? Use a tripod
The sharper the image the better it will look to the eye and the more professional it will look.
Try Different Viewpoints
Many times beginners shoot at eye level and don’t experiment with different perspectives. Changing your angle can make a huge difference to your composition.
Give it a try
- Shooting from low angles
- Shooting from a bird’s-eye view
- Getting closer to your subject
- Capturing different perspectives
Experimenting can add visual interest to your photos and spark your creativity.
Simplify backgrounds
Busy backgrounds can detract from your subject. Prior to taking the photo, scan the entire frame and eliminate any distractions you don’t need.
Simple backgrounds help your subject pop out more and make cleaner compositions.
Plenty of practice
The more you practise, the better you get. Photography is an art. The more photos you take the more you will learn about lighting, composition, timing and camera settings.
Study your own pictures a lot and find ways to improve them. There are plenty of mistakes made when learning to become a better photographer.
Summary
Photography is an art and a craft. By learning camera settings, understanding the exposure triangle, composition and working with light, beginners can take more professional-looking images. Good fundamentals are the key to success but equipment can make a difference in your photography. Keep practicing and experimenting to develop your own style and confidence behind the camera.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. The one skill beginner photographers need to learn more than anything else?
For the beginner photographer, learning lighting and composition is often the most important skill, as they have a huge impact on the quality of the image.
2. What is the exposure triangle in photography?
The exposure triangle consists of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, which all work together to control image brightness and exposure.
3. Is it possible to learn photography on a smartphone?
Yes. There are so many principles of photography like composition, lighting and framing that you can learn quite easily with a smartphone camera.
4. How can I get better at photography fast?
Practice, practice, practice. Look at your photographs, learn the basic settings on your camera, and try out different ideas for lighting and composition.
