FREE

This course includes:

4 hrs 59 mins of video courses
Full lifetime access
Go at your own pace
Certificate of completion

Stay up to date:

What you'll learn

You'll learn everything from camera settings, lighting, exposure, framing, how to take amazing outdoor portraits, how to get better flash photos indoors, understanding image quality, resolution and the different camera types, getting better landscape photos, and taking better photos in specific environments like snow, etc.

Requirements

Any type of camera will do, but for some units or videos, DSLR or compact camera were specifically used for demonstration. The more you practice, the better you’ll become!

instructor

Best seller

Essential Photography Skills for Beginners

Jun 03 2021 - Video Course (4 hrs 59 mins)

In this course, you'll learn how to improve your photography skills on a DSLR, Mirrorless or Compact Camera. This set of video tutorials of photography tips and tricks will bring out the best in your photos, whether you are a professional photographer or want to upload pictures on your social media feeds. This course is for beginner and intermediate amateur photographers. The course is easy to follow and understand with a fun teaching style and start seeing immediate improvements in your photos.

Created by Bernie Raffie

Photography

FREE

This course includes:

4 hrs 59 mins of video courses
Full lifetime access
Go at your own pace
Certificate of completion

Stay up to date:

What you'll learn

You'll learn everything from camera settings, lighting, exposure, framing, how to take amazing outdoor portraits, how to get better flash photos indoors, understanding image quality, resolution and the different camera types, getting better landscape photos, and taking better photos in specific environments like snow, etc.

Requirements

Any type of camera will do, but for some units or videos, DSLR or compact camera were specifically used for demonstration. The more you practice, the better you’ll become!

Course Content

1 Unit - 50 video lessons

Skills to Become a Better Photographer 50 lectures - 4 hrs 59 mins

Lesson 1: Exposure Triangle

The exposure triangle is a basic fundamental principle of exposure and a good understanding in the use of it will help you get good exposures and more consistent ones too. The exposure triangle is made up of three aspect- the aperture, shutter speed and iso. In this video, you will learn how the individual aspects of exposure affect the final exposure of the photo.

06:55

Lesson 2: Basics of Apertures

The lens aperture controls the amount of light entering through the lens and also controls the depth of field. In this video, I am going to demonstrate how apertures work using my SLR camera and lens. You can make a large and small aperture. The smaller the focal length, the larger the aperture, and more light is let in. I will take a couple of pictures alongside some trees using different apertures and compare them afterward.

06:14

Lesson 3: Basics of Shutter Speed

This is a short lecture just to explain the basics of your camera shutter, what it does and how it works. You can think of the shutter in your camera as a window shutter. You open up the shutters to let more light in and you close the shutters to cut out the light. In this video, I will show you in more detail how a camera shutter works, what it does, and shutter speed.

02:52

ISO is a particularly important setting, but it is quite often overlooked or misunderstood, especially by beginner photographers. The ISO setting is very important if you want to take photos indoors or if the light is falling outside because the higher ISO values on your camera will allow you to take photos in much lower light. This video explains what it is, why you need to understand it, and how to change the ISO settings on your camera.

07:27

Lesson 5: Exposure Compensation

Sometimes, a picture comes out too light or too dark. Exposure compensation is a camera setting that allows you to lighten or darken a photo just before you are about to take it. This video describes and shows in detail how the simple exposure compensation setting can be used to brighten or darken pictures

07:18

Lesson 6: Depth of Field- SLR

Depth of field is the term uses to indicate how much of an image from front to the back is in sharp focus. It can help you get more creative images. You can improve your photos by using depth of field to control which parts of the image are in focus. In this video, I am going to demonstrate shallow and wide depth of field. Aperture size is the main control for depth of field, but focal length and how far away you are from your focused subject also makes a difference.

06:43

Lesson 7: Camera Shake

No matter how careful you are, when you press the shutter button, there is always some movement of the camera, making some pictures not in focus and look blurry. Camera shake is worse when you are zooming in the lens because it becomes difficult to keep the camera steady. In this video, I am going to demonstrate with a special tool. You can always put the camera on a tripod or table. You can also change the camera setting to increase the shutter speed, which will then freeze the action.

07:28

Lesson 8: Depth of Field

Depth of field is the term uses to indicate how much of an image from front to the back is in sharp focus. It can help you get more creative images. You can improve your photos by using depth of field to control which parts of the image are in focus. In this video, I am going to demonstrate using the built-in scene mode of your compact camera to provide some control of depth of field in order to determine what’s sharp and what’s not.

04:01

Lesson 9: Histograms

The image histogram is a very powerful tool, but many people either don’t know of their existence or think that they are too complicated. The histogram is actually simple to read, and once a few simple concepts are grasped, it will enable you to take much better pictures if you can’t see the LCD screen. In this video, I will show you how the histogram looks and how to display it on your camera.

07:44

Lesson 10: Sharp Focusing

In this video, I am going to show you how to improve your focusing skills. I will give you 5 tips you can use to help you get sharp focus. Although aimed at DSLR photographers, there are also helpful tips for compact camera users.

09:38

Lesson 11: TopShade

Top shade is sometimes known as open shade. Top shade is a technique used by professional photographers to improve the quality of light on their subjects’ faces. It is easy to do, and once you have seen how great it works, you will want to use the trick whenever you can. In this video, I will share with you a few tips to help improve your portraits.

05:43

Lesson 12: Sun and Shade

Trying to take portraits of people on a sunny day can prove difficult, especially if you want to flatter your subject because the sun creates shadows. In this video, I will share with you a simple way of getting a beautiful portrait on a sunny day. Always be aware of the light and make a few adjustments before pressing on the shutter.

03:23

Lesson 13: Direction of Light

The direction of light in photography is one of the most important aspects of any picture, even though many people don’t consider it. When you give a little thought to the position of the sun before taking a photo, you will be able to capture more details, add depth to your subject and add impact using shadows. In this video, I will show you how the direction of light affects photos.

08:05

Lesson 14: Blue Skies

Blue skies can really add color to a scene and improve your photo. We have no control over the weather, but sometimes the sky goes completely white and thereby reduces the impact of the photo. In this video, I will explain to you the effect of white skies on photos and how you can avoid white skies in your photos.

03:06

Lesson 15: Ambient No Flash

When you leave your camera in auto mood when taking a photo in a lovely room with great light, it results in your camera’s flash firing, which can spoil the photo and you will end up with just a snapshot which doesn’t do the scene justice. In this video, I will show you how to capture in a nicely lit room and make the best of a lovely interior scene.

04:12

Lesson 16: Window Light- Part 1

Using the window light during the day is much better and produces brilliant results than switching the flash on. In this first part of a two parts video, I will describe an alternative to using your camera’s flash indoors to get a better result.

06:32

Lesson 17: Window Light- Part 2

Using the window light during the day is much better and produces brilliant results than switching the flash on. In this second part of a two parts video, I will describe an alternative to using your camera’s flash indoors to get a better result.

03:04

Lesson 18: Backlighting

Backlighting is a simple lighting technique that can be used to produce wonderful images and stunning photographs when shooting into the light. In this video, I will demonstrate how you can make use of this simple technique called backlighting to produce stunning photographs.

05:36

Lesson 19: Reflectors

A reflector is a must-have accessory when taking photos of people. In this video, I will demonstrate to you in a local park the use of reflectors in outdoor natural light portraits and how you can improve your natural light portraits using a reflector. Watch as I take you through some simple steps to make a great portrait.

06:31

Lesson 20: Rule of Thirds

The rule of third is a fundamental principle of good composition and can have quite a dramatic effect on your images. It is a very easy technique to master and requires no special camera settings. In this video, you will learn how to use the rule of the third to improve composition.

04:41

Lesson 21: Diagonal Lines

Diagonal lines are a simple compositional tick that can imply action and add depth to your photos. It is easy to do and can be very effective. In this video, I will demonstrate to you how you can use diagonal lines to add impact to your photos and make your photos interesting and dramatic.

07:49

Lesson 22: Landing Lines

Leading lines can add drama to images, giving the photos a more emotional and compositional power. Any time there is a strong line in a photograph, the viewer's eye will naturally follow along it towards the actual subject. A leading line can be anything from telephone pole, road, paths, etc. In this video, I will demonstrate to you how you can use leading lines to create more dramatic images.

08:21

Lesson 23: Repeating Patterns

Capturing repetition in a photo can add drama to the image and gives the image a great feeling of depth. In this video, I will demonstrate how you can use repeating line in your photos to add drama to the image, and I will also show you a number of images with repeating patterns. Note that high contrast images look good in black and white.

02:36

Lesson 24: Frame in Frame

Frame in frame is having the subject in a frame work or architecture, which can be a doorway or window, beach bar, etc. framing is a great technique for helping direct the viewer’s eye right to the photo’s star attraction. I this video, I will demonstrate how you can take shots of your subject in a frame and I am going to show you a number of examples of frame in frame images.

03:12

Lesson 25: Blur Background- SLR

Some subjects just seem to pop right out of the image. You can use light and color to achieve this. But a popular method is to blur the background while keeping the subject sharply in focus. In this video, I will demonstrate the blur background technique in detail for SLR and mirrorless camera users.

04:34

Lesson 26: Blur Background Compacts

Some subjects just seem to pop right out of the image. You can use light and color to achieve this. But a popular method is to blur the background whilst keeping the subject sharply in focus. In this video, I will demonstrate the blur background technique in detail for compact and bridge type camera users, but bear in mind that due to the small sensor size of these cameras, the effect is not like on a SLR. However, even a slight blurring of the background will still help to improve a portrait.

03:09

Lesson 27: Cluttered Backgrounds

Don’t let cluttered background ruin your portraits. Plain background can be distracting if they are a different color or too bright. A busy or cluttered background can be quite distracting, ruin an otherwise nice portrait, but even slight mistakes in the background can lessen the impact of photos. In this video, I will demonstrate the problems caused by cluttered background and offers some solutions to the problems.

03:30

Lesson 28: Unusual Backgrounds

You can jazz up your images using different backgrounds from the trees, flowers, or fountain. In this video, I will demonstrate how industrial-looking background can add a new dimension to your portraits. They are not difficult to get. This video will show you some examples and ideas.

03:12

Lesson 29: Abstract Backgrounds

Improve your portraits using nature’s own abstract background. There are easy ways you can use nature in all of it’s colourful glory to really improve your images and make them stunning. In this video, I will demonstrate the techniques that I use and you can use to get a very pleasing abstract, textured, or patterned background.

03:21

Lesson 30: Full Length Posing

When taking pictures of people, obviously, you want them to look good, but when it comes to posing, you need to make them look relaxed and make a nice pose so that the picture looks good. In this video, I will demonstrate different poses, including models pose of both male and female.

05:04

Lesson 31: Standing Family Poses

This video shows you several specific family poses and small group poses that you can use to improve your group photos. This video deals with standing poses which are arguably a little more difficult than the seated posing and can look a little too stiff and formal if not careful. This video also provides definite ways of flattering people so that they look their best.

11:43

Lesson 32: Seated Family Poses

This video shows you several specific family poses and small group poses that you can use to improve your group photos. This video deals with seating poses and also provides definite ways of flattering people so that they look their best. You are going to learn quick fire posing tips that you can practice yourself, which can make a real difference to family and group photos.

08:14

Lesson 33: Female Poses

In this video, I will demonstrate several relaxed or natural-looking poses for women. The poses are easy to do and can make all the difference when you’re taking a portrait of your mum, your sister, girlfriend, wife or even a friend.

07:59

Lesson 34: Shooting Children 6 Months and Younger

Taking pictures of children is not difficult. It can be quite hard. In this video, I will demonstrate a number of ways to take specific type of photo of a baby who is 6 months old or younger. In this video, I will demonstrate how to place the baby, location, camera settings.

07:20

Lesson 35: Shooting Children 9 Months and Younger

This video demonstrates tips on taking photos of babies when they are sitting up or crawling. You can use SLR or a compact camera and get fantastic photos that the parents will love. Remember to have fun with the baby for some great expression, find some good light, avoid distracting background, and more.

06:43

Lesson 36: Landscapes

In this video, I will be talking about landscape photography, and I will be doing this with the help of my friend who is a landscape photographer. She will share with you her wonderful photos, and landscape photography tips and tricks. She is going to show you her great images from around the world and she will demonstrate how she approached each photo opportunity and what she had to do to get the type of image she wanted.

21:25

Lesson 37: Snow

During snow, people are always having fun, throwing snowballs. In this video, I will demonstrate how to take better pictures in the snow and capture some of the most exciting atmosphere without having a dull, grey, or even boring photo.

08:00

Lesson 38: Bounce Flash- Part 1

Some cameras have a connector on the top of the camera where you can use an external flash. Most of them, you can move them left, right, up, and down. Using either built-in or an external flashgun directly creates hard shadows on the walls or background behind the subject. In this video, I will demonstrate the dramatic difference bouncing the flash can have on your indoor flash photos instead of direct flash.

04:48

Lesson 39: Bounce Flash- Part 2

You have already seen in the previous video how you can bounce the flash off walls and ceilings when using external flashgun that has a swivel head. Bouncing the flash gives a nice overall soft light. Watch this video to learn more about bouncing flash.

04:36

Lesson 40: Diffused Built in Flash

Portraits taken by the built-in or popup flash tend to reduce the attractiveness of the photo and this is because of the small size of the flash and that it’s pointing directly at them. In this video, I will demonstrate the few things you can do to improve that harsh lighting look by diffusing the light and how you can improve indoor flash photos.

05:30

Lesson 41: Balance Flash Ambient

In this video, I am going to demonstrate other great tips that shows how you can improve indoor photos taken with your camera’s built-in-flash. This tip can be used regardless of the type of flash used. The video shows an easy tip that helps to balance the light from the flash with the ambient light in the room to get much more pleasing results.

05:10

Lesson 42: Lenses

Zooming your lens can cause your shutter speed to slow right down and cause your otherwise stunning image to be spoilt by camera shake. This video is about camera lenses and discusses and compares zoom and prime lenses. This video will give answers to the difference between the lenses used by professional photographer and the lens that came with your own SLR camera.

07:42

Lesson 43: Focal Length- Perspective

Zooming your lens in and out makes the subject larger or smaller in the frame but it affects the look of the photos in other ways. In this video, you will learn about lens focal length and perspective. It is really the subject to camera distance which affects the perspective and which can have a big impact on your images. You will find more in the video.

04:49

Lesson 44: Focal Length- FOV

Zooming your lens in and out makes the subject larger or smaller in the frame but it affects the look of the photos in other ways. In this video, you will learn about lens focal length and how it affects how much of the scene is in the frame i.e., the field of view. Even keeping the foreground subject, the same size, the field of view will vary depending on the focal length.

03:16

Lesson 45: Focal Length-DOF

Zooming your lens in and out makes the subject larger or smaller in the frame but it affects the look of the photos in other ways. In this video, you will learn about depth of fields and how changing the focal length affects how much of the image, from front to back, is in focus.

04:16

Lesson 46: Half Press Shutter

Sometimes, there is a delay before the camera actually takes the photo after pressing the shutter button. This is because the camera has to meter the scene and adjust the exposure, then has to set the lens so that the subject is in focus. In this video, you will learn how to avoid ‘shutter lag’ whilst improving your focusing and exposure skills at the same time.

06:39

Lesson 48: Fireworks

Fireworks are beautiful and spectacular to watch, and they are often used to celebrate momentous occasions. Taking photos of fireworks is not that difficult, and it is best done with an SLR. In this video, I will share with you a few tips which describe how taking photos of fireworks can be done even with a compact camera.

09:37

Lesson 49: Fun, Dramatic Images

In this video, I will share with you a few tips that shows a specific way of creating a fun, dramatic portrait. In this video, I will share with you some easy-to-do techniques to create fun, dramatic portraits. Watch this video to see the amazing results you can get from this easy-to-do technique.

01:57

Lesson 50: Shoot Longer Legs

In this video, you will learn how to add a touch of glamour to your portraits by using perspective to give your subject the appearance of longer legs. It is a simple trick that fashion photographers use all the time.

01:21

Lesson 51: Myth of MP

You need a canvas that has more megapixel if you want to print the photo and if you want to show small portion of the image. In this video, I will share with you a chart of the number of megapixels required for printing, and more.

06:16

About Instructor

instructor

Bernie Raffie

Photographer

Bernie is a professional photographer based in the UK, and has been passionate about photography ever since his parents bought him his first camera when he was just 11 years old (a Kodak Brownie 127)! He's qualified as a photographer to 'Associate' level with both the MPA (Master Photographers Association), and the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) in the UK.} Bernie loves sharing his passion for photography, and students really enjoy his fun teaching style which has earned him over 100 five star reviews. These entertaining and informative films will demonstrate, without blinding you with science, how you can be a better photographer, taking more creative and dramatic photos that will wow your friends and family. He is in demand as a speaker to other professionals and to beginner and keen amateurs at camera clubs... he's also an occasional guest speaker on cruise ships.

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