NEW FEATURE - Photography Tutorials

Overread · Sep 15, 2012

Some of you might recall that we have an already started list of tutorials on the site listed here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum/123160-tutorial-thread.html

However that list has grown old, some of the camera brands have moved on and the tutorials are now out of date. Furthermore many people simply don't know about it, they overlook or simply miss out the tutorial section and thus never make full use of it to help reference the material to new members to the site or to each other.

As such we are starting again with a fresh thread, fresh articles and fresh submissions from the membership. This is your chance to help really craft together a comprehensive list of guides, both advanced and basic, to help other photographers.

These articles can be of any kind, from threads on the site through to review and articles written on external websites. Remember also that we don't just deal with digital photography here, film photography and video articles are both additional valid topics that we need helpful guides on.

So this is your chance - you, the members, are going to help build this and this is your way to give back to the community and also have a chance to have some great articles to reference. We want your articles - post them up and link to them and I'll work at building them into a comprehensive resource of tutorials right here. Also note that you can also go through the linked tutorial thread above, many of the articles will still be valid and thus there is no problem listing them all over again.

General FAQs:

Lens FAQs:

Camera FAQs:

Lighting FAQs:

PP or Post Processing FAQs:

Equipment review sites, etc.

Books/general reference websites:

KmH · Sep 15, 2012

Here is a good starting point - Digital Photography Tutorials

For visual image composition - 10 Top Photography Composition Rules | Photography Mad

Advanced Composition -- Part I

Overread · Sep 19, 2012

*new posts appearing bump*
maybe I should unstick this so people notice it more ? - it does seem that sticky activates the invisibility cloak ;P

macpro88 · Sep 19, 2012

Overread said:
it does seem that sticky activates the invisibility cloak ;P

Stickies are important, so everyone ignores them

Thanks for this! **Initiate friendly bump**

MLeeK · Sep 19, 2012

Business topics?

off the top of my head...
Lighting: Studiolighting.net; www.strobist.com

Equipment reviews: Digital Photography Review is my favorite!

Basics:
Composition Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition.

Overread · Sep 19, 2012

Mleek - off the top of my head I think there is a business sticky for them in the business section; but considering how often they come up I wouldn't be opposed to adding some to this sticky as well as a good central resource for the site

zarekr · Oct 12, 2012

I've written a few tutorials aimed at beginners with an emphasis on travel photography, but of course the principles apply to everything:

How to get sharp photos every time - Photography - 25 Days Off - an explanation of the factors that make an image sharp or not.

Why understanding dynamic range is vital for travel photography - Photography - 25 Days Off - dynamic range for beginners.

25 non-technical tips to improve your travel photography - Photography - 25 Days Off - mostly composition tips.

9 ways to make your travel photography easier - Photography - 25 Days Off - this one is really about making photography a convenience rather than a burden.

Hope this is helpful!

LisaCadwell · Oct 17, 2012

KmH said:
Here is a good starting point - Digital Photography Tutorials

I really like this link. It's asnwering most of my technical questions right now. I'm looking forward to the hours of reading that I have in store for me. Just thought I would mention that I'm using this "sticky"

Steve_B_Welsh · Oct 19, 2012

A good site I learnt most of photo shop skills from is http://www.good-tutorials.com they have a lot of linked tutorials on there they also have a photography section hope someone finds it useful

ryanwaff · Nov 4, 2012

One place that should not be overlooked is DeviantART. The tutorials that the members submit are mostly about editing, but a quick search of the topic you are looking for will, 99% of the time, yield results.

Browsing Tutorials on deviantART

This site also has a myriad of articles, tutorials and reviews: Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

And this site also has quite a few articles on a whole list of topics ranging from business talk to handling clientele to editing: Improve Photography

boborone · Nov 25, 2012

I just got back into photography after having a point n shoot for the last 10 years. Papa gave me his old Yashica TL - Super. Really nice SLR for the age it is. Bout to get a T3i. Waiting on delivery. But being out of the field for so long, I forgot most of what I learned. I found this Training, tutorials & online classes by expert Ben Long just searching around for things on the T3i. He does some tutorials on other cameras as well. But man, this guy can teach. He is very articulate, and unlike most videos, he seems to know what he is talking about. Every photog who does a video does know what they are talking about, but the production value leaves me disinterested. He keeps my attention and makes everything seem very easy to pick up. And also, saw on another site, lots of people using the scene and auto modes on their cameras. I'll tell you after watching the Exposure and the one for my camera, he makes so you not need to use the auto functions. The exposure course has projects for you to do also as you watch it. So far, it's not something you just watch and throw away afterwards. I know it's paid, but figured you could throw it in the mix if yall felt like it.

ManualMode · Nov 26, 2012

I'd like to add my own site to the list and would like to contribute to this site if I can: www.manualmode.info
perfect for the absolute beginner with a DSLR.

michael740 · Dec 28, 2012

Fantastic. Thank you ManualMode.

tentwo · Dec 29, 2012

Here are a few good ones I know of and I have many so I can assist in making this good.

Professional Photograph Restoration Workflow
In this tutorial, we’ll take an in-depth look at restoring an old torn photograph.
Age Progression
Here’s a tutorial showing you how artist go about aging a woman’s face in Photoshop.
Changing Hair Color
Here in this tutorial we will teach how to change a person’s hair color using Photoshop’s brush tool and the soft light blend.
Colorizing Black-And-White Photos
Using Photoshop to create a classic hand-painted effect.
Street Photography Explained
Street photography is one of those techniques that sounds simple, ‘just go out and take some photos of people wondering about’, but some time it is very difficult, in this guide you will find some tips and basics for great street photography.
Self Portrait Photography Guide
In this guide you will learn some useful tips for snapping self-photos.
Waterfall Photography Tips and Techniques
Waterfalls provide their own unique set of problems which requires a unique set of solutions. This article is about those unique problems and the solutions that allow photographers to produce images that communicate the power and beauty that is inherent in the waterfalls that stand before their lenses.
How to Photograph Comets
In this guide you will learn some useful tips about comets photography.
How to Make Your Twins
Imagine one day you announce to all your friends that you have a twin, by showing them a very realistic photo. There must be many fun then! In this tutorial artis will show you how to do that in this photoshop tutorial.
Infrared Photography Technique
Infrared photography is one of those techniques that requires a bit of practice. Its not that hard to produce an infrared photograph but adjusting the image in post processing is a business that yeilds different results each and every time, learn all about it through this guide.
Dual View Photo Editing in Photoshop
In this Photoshop tutorial, we’ll look at how to give ourselves two different views of the same image by opening it in two separate document windows, each set to a different zoom level, making it much easier to judge the effect our edits are having on the overall image.
Local Contrast
Is your lens lacking contrast? Find out how to simulate the contrast qualities of high quality lens with this Photoshop retouching tutorial. This effect increases visible detail and edge contrast without increasing the overall image contrast.
Use Photoshop to Turn Day Into Dusk
In this tutorial we will demonstrate a quick technique to make your photos look as if they were taken at night. Let’s get started!
Souping up a Photo
There are times when a regular photo just doesn’t cut it and you need your photo to pack a punch. Here is one technique that you may find useful.
Wedding Photography Explained
In this guide you will learn tips and techniques for taking professional level weddings photography.
Add a Realistic Rainbow to a Photo in Photoshop
In this Photoshop photo effects tutorial, we’ll learn how to easily add a rainbow, and even a double rainbow, to a photo! As we’ll see, Photoshop ships with a ready-made rainbow gradient for us to use. We’ll learn where to find it and how to load it in.
Remove a Person from a Photo with Photoshop CS5
One of the new features we will be looking at this tutorial is called Content Aware. This feature allows you to quickly fill in a selection with surrounding content making it look like a part of the original image.
How to Use Lines in Photography Compositions
In this guide we will discuss the usefulness of lines for better shots.
How to Capture Really Sharp Photos
One of the most frustrating experiences for a photographer is to get home from a photo trip with some great images only to find that some of the images are not sharp. To help solve this problem, this article covers seven things that a photographer can do to create really sharp images.
Look More Muscular
Ok, So You Wanna Look Muscular? But don’t afford the money nor the time to train in a gym? Who cares, it’s only a quick impression picture that matters, right? Well, You can be right! Check out this tutorial to see how you can improve yourself!
Create Your Own Bokeh for Beautiful Photo Effect
What’s a bokeh you say? It’s that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights. You can create you own bokeh effects with a little craftiness.
Photographing Complex Architecture
Photographer Philipp Klinger gives his advice on capturing elaborate structures.
Tilt-Shift Photography Photoshop Tutorial
This tutorial has been produced using Photoshop CS2 on a PC and shows you how to give a city shot a neat miniaturization effect.
Intuitive B&W Conversions
Try this simple step-by-step process for making beautiful monochrome images.
Color Correction Basics in Photoshop
Have you wanted to learn more about color correction? The focus of this tutorial is to help you delve deeper into color correcting to up the production value of your images. Learn a few simple techniques while creating.
How to Photograph Wakeboarders & Waterskiing
In this tutorial we will find some useful tips on how to achieve great wakeboarding pictures.
Camera Toss Photography Technique
In this step by step guide we will learn some technique of camera toss photography.
Make Your Photo Impressive
There are so many methods to change your photo’s color, but here artist will show you some best ways to do that.
Give a Photo a Complete Glamour Makeover With Stunning Light and 3D Effects
In this tutorial, you will learn how to retouch a model’s face and subtly manipulate her hair. In addition, we will enhance the canvas by adding attractive lighting and 3D effects.
Color Correction in Photoshop with the Curves Adjustment Tool
This tutorial will teach you how to use this tool to color correct photos efficiently.
Reducing Wrinkles With the Healing Brush in Photoshop
In this tutorial, we will look at the Healing Brush, by far the best photo retouching tool in all of Photoshop, and how we can use it to easily reduce distracting skin wrinkles in an image.
Portrait Lighting Tutorial: Character Study
In this tutorial you will learn how to make a portrait more honorable and admirable.
Macro Photography Tips
Photographing insects in flight is one of the greatest challenges for all wildlife photographers. This article describes how to capture crisp, sharp images of the Emperor Dragonfly.
Nightclub Photography
A Guide To Nightclub Photography
Face Makeover
In this tutorial you will learn how to make a beauty makeover with cool retouching effects:
Aperture and Shutter Priority
Shutter Priority is an auto exposure system in which the camera achieves correct exposure by selecting the aperture after the user has selected the shutter speed.
How to Create Sunshine Effect in Studio with Artificial Sunlight
In this tutorial video we’ll give you tips on how to cheat Mother Nature and show you How to Create Your Own Sunshine in the Studio.
How To Photograph Moving Vehicles
A step-by-step guide to capturing that perfect motion shot.
Travel With Still+Video
Tips for better technical and creative results shooting video with your DSLR.
Professional Lighting in Model Photography
This case study shows how lighting was manipulated to create the perfect environment for a fashion photoshoot.
Portable Lighting for the Studio and on Location
In this lesson, we decided to keep things very simple and just illustrate some uses of this one simple shoe mount flash lighting kit, the XS OctoDome nxt Basic Kit with Grids, for both indoor and outdoor portraits.
Photography Tutorial: Get the Right Light
When shooting portraits, good lighting is all-important. To make sure you have it, you can buy expensive lighting rigs and multiple flash units. Or you can spend a few bucks and carry just the right mix of sun and clouds in your pack.
Macro Photography
How to take close-up pictures of small things.
DIY – High Speed Photography at Home
You can use this technique to take picture of exploding things like tomatoes, water balloons, watermelons, or even your Canon camera as you smash it against a wall for not understanding the menus.
Isolated Sharpness
Tips and techniques for using shallow depth of field to add impact to your macro shots.
Beyond HDR
In this tutorial you will learn how to expand your photo’s tonal range when HDR techniques aren’t ideal.