How to Learn Photography (The Online Guide for More Complete to get started)

Do you want to learn photography? You are in the right place. In this complete guide you will find everything you need for a proper initiation to photography , from your home, a self-taught, saving you frustration and time loss due to not knowing where to start.

I’m going to mark the way, so you don’t miss out. My advice is for you to follow him, but if you want to skip any stage, the decision is yours, according to your wishes and needs. My goal is for you to learn photography in the easiest way possible, that your initiation to the world of photography is not a path of thorns, and that you end up throwing in the towel, but any frustration natural it becomes a motivation and not a disappointment.

Wait just a moment! This article will be your travel buddy for some time. Not pretend to learn photography in an afternoon, right? What I recommend is that you put him at hand, as a bookmark, in a place that will be accessible easily. And now yes, let’s start!

Best camera to learn photography

The first thing that you’re going to ask in your introduction to photography is what camera you need, or which one is the best. Maybe you’ve already passed this phase and you have your treasure in your hands, if it is not, in this section you I will cast some light at the time of choosing a camera to learn photography.

Hey! don’t dawdle, because this point is very important. I know many people who have thrown in the towel by having in his hands an excellent camera, but that he “was too large”. Can you imagine someone who is learning to drive a Formula 1? Each camera has an ideal user, and to begin with, you should not have performance that will go into overdrive and buttons that help to hinder.

However, in the market there are many types of cameras, there is life beyond the world of dslr cameras, for this reason, the first question that I would like that you answer is: do you really need a dslr? .

If you’re making a mess with all this information, here you have this tool that will help you in the decision of which camera to purchase. With it, you will discover what is the camera that is made to your measure.

Tips to buy a camera

Once you’ve decided on the type of camera, comes the time of the acquisition. Purchases usually are not easy. Decide the place of purchase, for the model, whether new or second-hand, etc, it always does we are assaulted by many doubts. That’s why, from the blog we always try to destroy you a hand with all these indecisions.

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The camera, the first tool in the introduction to photography

As I have said before, this step is important, especially if desembolsas a significant amount of money. And it is not because you are not going to succeed with a camera with which to make good pictures, the problem is that you acquire a that make you throw in the towel because it is too heavy to carry, or difficult to manage. Looking for a companion to your needs.

Other technical aspects of the camera

The turn of the more technical aspects in terms of cameras. To some people this sounds like a hieroglyph, but you already know that we try to make it easy.

Of course you can make photos really impressive and emotive without knowing much or anything of these concepts, however, it is possible that at some point, you are assaulted by doubts, you need to clarify some of these concepts or, simply, that you are interested and want to go deeper into them.

The team to learn photography

The team is not just the camera. In fact, there is a widespread obsession for having the best camera when it is a tool and will depend largely on your needs.

The goal

However, we forget many times the importance of the objective. It is preferable to invest more in lenses in the camera, because it is really where you will find the difference when taking pictures. It is with the choice of the objective with which you can extend your creativity to infinity. I leave you a video in which I do an experiment to show you all this:

Then, I leave you also with some articles very useful to place you in the topic objectives. But if you still do not know well here are The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Focusing in Photography Now yes, you can continue with these.

Bright lens

Accessories for learn photography

On the other hand, there are plenty of accessories. With time, you will discover, in function of the type of photography you like to do, that you need. Although if I had to recommend one for your initiation into photography, it would be the tripod, for all the possibilities it offers you, for all the doors that are open. Yes, you should be clear that you have come to stay, for there is no accessory more economic. If you decide on one, in this guide you will find everything you need to know to buy a tripod.

What to do you use a tripod? Although you can see it in detail at the beginning of the article that I just recommend, here are the main types of photography that you need a tripod:

The first step to learning photography: exposure

The first and most fundamental to learn photography, to be able to shoot beyond the automatic mode, is to know the triangle of light (or triangle of exposure). Understanding how it works is key to making your photos are well exposed. That is, that there are not too dark, not too white, not moved or full of noise when you need to sharpness.

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As you can see in the chart, this is composed of three elements:

It may take you a while to master these three elements, not much, everything will depend on the time you devote to practice with your camera. To do this I recommend you to use the various shooting in auto modes.

And what was said, that you, a lot. Even if it is at home.

We are making headway. Now that you control the triangle of exposure, you should know that there are other aspects to keep in mind when taking a photo. Have you ever noticed that some of your photographs had a predominant color that you do not seemed to be in the scene? For example, how a picture very blue? Or, on the contrary, an image that is too orange, and not just the sky, until the skins of the subject that appeared in it.

Important! Each one of these items that I’m featuring requires time and practice, not for you to have a binge. Learn long exposure in photography step by step if you have a whole free day. Like the rest of the subjects. Keep Calm and… ¡¡¡ practice !!!

Time to master the technique

Learn photography: the creative part

There is something crucial to do photography and it’s far from taking photos. Beyond the technical part that we have seen up to now, a photographer should have other qualities, such as the observation, the sensitivity or the passion to improve every day.

What I tell you in this paragraph will serve you as a dslr or a mirrorless, mixed with a compact, smartphone, or with the camera that is. Since the goal is not to achieve the photo technically perfect, but to captivate the viewer. And that passes through light, composition, emotion, etc, let’s See step-by-step.

Creative photography

Photographic composition

The way in which you put the items into the framing of your photo the difference between an interesting photo or a photo with no appeal. That is why it is very important that you learn the basic rules of composition,

Light as a creative element

We have spoken of the light exposure photo, but the light is much more, it is also a creative element that helps you tell stories or to excite. Mastering the light is to dominate the picture.

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Light as a creative element

The soul of photography

The domain of the composition and the light, as I advance, help you to tell your photo stories, are the wand to thrill your audience, because this really should be your goal as a photographer, tell them that you have to fill your photo of soul, of feeling, far beyond the pixels.

All of this is much more important than the mastery of the technique. The technique is important because it is the basis, but a domain all of this in a picture without the soul, the friend, has zero interest.

Photography as an art requires cultivating creativity

Learn to photograph with sharp

The sharpness is an issue that tends to give a lot of headaches for photographers, especially to the newly initiated.

The approach is one of the main points to achieve sharp photos. How many of these questions you’ve done it before on the approach in photography? We tend to make many mistakes at the time of focus, the luck is that they have the solution

It is more, here we have a detailed guide to achieve the best focus in your photos depending on the situation.

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Focus and sharpness

Since I am speaking of focus and sharpness, it seems to me very important that you completely understand these two concepts. The depth-of-field, or area in focus in an image is something that you must learn from the beginning. And, level a little more advanced, when you want to achieve a larger area in focus of a picture, accounts with the hyperfocal distance, it sounds ugly, but here it is explained very clearly.

Photo formats

Certain that you’ve ever read or heard something from a JPG or RAW. Once you take seriously this to learn photography beyond to make a few photos with your smartphone, you must know both formats, and know when to use each of them and why.

The obstacles in the way of learning photography

Learning photography is not something that happens overnight, nor is it a path of roses. In your introduction to photography you will encounter difficulties, problems, commit errors, you frustrate. Nothing happens. It is normal. It is part of the deal when you immerse yourself fully into a hobby and you also want to achieve good results. We’ve all been there. The important thing is not to throw in the towel, use those potholes to take a step back and taking his run-up.

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After the storm the sun comes out, don’t throw in the towel

How to learn photography with the practice

It is clear that the best way to learn is to practice. Practice makes the master, what you have heard endless times, but it is a real truth. If you want to overcome all the problems which we have just spoken, it is best to get to practice.

Disciplines photographic activities to learn photography

When you’re learning photography, you do not realize the amount of subjects or disciplines that you have access to or be able to enjoy, to choose the more you attract and you will not miss the ideas or opportunities to practice.

Learn how to edit photos

Here I have to clarify something. When we talk about editing, we thought of retouching and in reality it is not. Although normally, and to understand each other, we refer to as an edition to the processing, the editing is actually the selection of photos; then we revealed to you, that is what they were doing labs in the analog era, and is to adjust the light brightness, contrast, etc; and, retouching, that is what many are afraid of or criticize and where it is to enter into debate, but we can’t deny that it’s another creative world.

Put it here, quito and beyond and I can even create a completely different photo to the original. This is all part of the processing or postprocessing, each of which elects up to where he wants to go, and depending of the idea and the picture between the hands. I, I think that a photo is not complete until it passes by the revealed. Other prefer to shoot in JPG and who is the machine who is the reveal for them. Whatever your choice, it is your decision, I’ll just leave an articles that may help:

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Editing and revealed part of the process of taking a photograph

Your photo projects

If you’ve reached this level of learning, not a quick read, it may be time to embark on your own photo project. Take it out will help you to improve as a photographer, it doesn’t matter the final result as the process, that is to say, your evolution throughout its development.

Care of photographic equipment

Did you think that we’d already finished? Not really, because this has only just begun . The road is long, or I hope so, because it will signal that you stay, that you love this world as much as me and want to continue capturing life with your camera. Now, both your camera and the rest of the team require some care. Here are some tips to ensure that your equipment will last longer (and better).

Books for learning photography

How not, I want to recommend our photo library, in which you can find Digital Photography Complete Course: Learn Everything You Need to Know in 20 Weeks 

On the other hand, for very practical that is the internet and it is very comfortable to be the digital books, we can not deny that a book on paper it is a pleasure to work with. Some people prefer to play, read on paper, not on screen. And not to mention having a shelf at home with a good photo library.

For our part, here are our recommendations, Stunning Digital Photography Paperback

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Books introduction to photography and inspiration

The biggest mistake when learning photography

A lot to learn photography, but in the end, most fall into the same error. An error so serious as sad. Digital photography has huge advantages, but it has brought us a really serious problem: we don’t print our photos.

So true and so terrifying. Why do you want to learn photography if then those photos so awesome that you’re going to achieve it are lost on your hard drive? Don’t you think it catastrophic? Then put the remedy. When you achieve a photo that you pinch it, that makes you jump satisfaction, please print it out. Do me a favor to me, and do it to you. If not, none of this will have been worth it. Or my effort in writing all this, nor yours to learn, to practice, to invest money, time, etc

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Print your photos

Other readings that will help you in your learning photo

“After this extensive article are more topics that we have not touched you?” So, colleague. This is just the beginning. There is so much more. It all depends on how far you want to go with this hobby.

Like any discipline requires effort and time. A good photographer is not the night to the morning, and a photograph E S P E C T A C U L A R is never the fruit of luck, but the work and dedication of those who presses the shutter. You decide where you want to go.