Self Taught Photographer

[Christina Elisa]

I bought my first camera (Nikon D5500) early this summer and I've been playing around with it in auto mode. I've gotten comfortable with it, but I would like to learn how to get more in depth with my photography. I am an absolute beginner and know nothing about ISO, aperture, lenses, etc. What books would be best to help me learn these things? I have no local resources to take classes which would have been my first choice. I'd be willing to do online courses if there are any good ones available. Mainly I am looking for any good consumer books, YouTube channels or even college textbooks that could help me learn the skill of taking great photos. Lately I've been watching YouTube videos by Peter McKinnon and Tony Northrup and they are helpful, but I'd like to get my hands on as many resources as possible. I really welcome any and all suggestions. Thanks!


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[petrochemist]

I've found loads of beginners books in the local library & often in charity shops. Much of the material in books from film days is still very relevant as long as you consider advances in hardware. I can't stand Tony Northrup he likes to be contentious, and don't use YouTube that much. I have found the Cambridge in colour website to be very good. Covering the basics clearly & having some more in depth information available too.

Once you have a rough grasp of Aperture/shutter speed/ISO then go out & take photos in the semi automatic modes using several different settings for the same subject. Aperture & shutter speed are the most important creative controls and it's easiest to get familiar with them if you only change one variable at a time. I use Av at least 90% of the time.

To begin with you can leave the camera in autoISO (possibly limiting the maximum if required), autoWB...
After you are familiar with the effects of aperture & speed you can start playing with other settings taking more control from your camera. Exposure compensation & white balance would probably be my next targets, but your style of shooting might make other functions more important

There are a huge number of options in the menus of modern cameras but don't worry about them, practically all can be ignored until you are considerably more familiar with the system. After you have the basics it's probably best to study a bit on composition but remember to treat everything here as an option, blindly sticking to 'rules' with ruin your photography!

 

[Designer]

Greetings! Here are a few links. No need to enroll in paid classes when there is so much that is free.

Besides learning the mechanics of photography, learn artistic composition as well. Your local library should have some art books that you can borrow. Save your money for things like flash, modifiers, lenses, tripod, etc.

Adorama

Digital Photography Tutorials

Strobist: Lighting 101: Introduction

Missing Pages: Aperture and Shutter Priority

Also; post a photo on here once in a while for C&C.

 

[SquarePeg]

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is, IMO, a great first step. For online tutorials I have used lynda.com for Photoshop tutorials and found it helpful. There is usually a 30 day free trial. Kelbyone is also similar.

Lots of info on YouTube but I try to stick to tutorials by companies that I find reputable like Adorama or Adobe and not individuals.

 

[Designer]

..and not individuals.

@Christina Elisa While some individuals might actually know something, the remainder might not. The trick then, is to try to winnow the nuggets of accuracy from the chaff. Eventually, you will have gained enough knowledge that you will be able to tell the difference.

 

[SquarePeg]

..and not individuals.

While some individuals might actually know something, the remainder might not. The trick then, is to try to winnow the nuggets of accuracy from the chaff. Eventually, you will have gained enough knowledge that you will be able to tell the difference.

I agree but a beginner will not know the difference and could end up wasting time or developing bad habits.

 

[photo1x1.com]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
Since you asked for any and all suggestions: I have started a free online photography course on youtube. It is still in progress (I spend way too much in this forum ), but I hope it could be a good starting point to better understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
You have a great location which is awesome to get out with your camera and practice!

 

[Derrel]

Your local or regional library would be a logical place to start. LOTS of good books!

 

[TheLibrarian]

Learn to paint and do shading then use light to give photos a 3D effect the way a painter would. The basics of ISO, aperature and shutter speed can be looked up easily.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

If you're looking at YouTube videos for instruction, The Art of Photography channel by Ted Forbes is good. Mr. Forbes knows his stuff and shares his knowledge in a friendly way encouraging viewers to take creative departures from the "rules."

Another good YouTuber for photography advice is Sean Tucker.

My first look at photography tutorials on YouTube had me thinking Snap Chick might be informative, but not really. She mostly just advocates spending a ton of money on lighting gear and draws in viewers with her bikini body.

If street photography is what you want to do, street photographer John Free has a channel worth a few good looks.

If you're shooting models, then perhaps Weekly Imogene, but she's the model and her bf's the photographer, so her advice on model shooting is from the model's point of view. However, her advice seems to be sound to me, for all I can tell about a different genre of photography than I've tried.

If digital editing is your thing, then you might want to check out PHLEARN for tech videos.

 

[OGsPhotography]

Some good advice posted.

Another source I like is Creative Live. They have free " on air" classes.

I like Scott Kelbys books. They are presented quite simply and are interesting reads. He has courses that are subscription based but I havent taken part yet. You can watch his show on youtube called The Grid. If he annoys you on there dont buy his stuff! Hes got pretty terrible humor.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

Lots of info on YouTube but I try to stick to tutorials by companies that I find reputable like Adorama or Adobe and not individuals.

I would take corporate videos with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that their purpose overall is to sell you their products and might give some valid information in the process.

No specific formulae for judging the quality of individuals, but with practice one can gain a basic "seat of the pants" feel for who knows their stuff and is telling it straight and who are the charlatans out there.

Even at that, one can be drawn in to some of the bad for a short period before sorting them out from the good, but like anything else you can develop a "feel" for this sort of thing.

 

[OGsPhotography]

Gavin Hooey great corporate instructor, Adorama.

 

[SquarePeg]

I would take corporate videos with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that their purpose overall is to sell you their products and might give some valid information in the process.

I have not found this to be the case with Adorama or Adobe.

 

[DandL]

I bought my first camera (Nikon D5500) early this summer and I've been playing around with it in auto mode. I've gotten comfortable with it, but I would like to learn how to get more in depth with my photography. I am an absolute beginner and know nothing about ISO, aperture, lenses, etc. What books would be best to help me learn these things? I have no local resources to take classes which would have been my first choice. I'd be willing to do online courses if there are any good ones available. Mainly I am looking for any good consumer books, YouTube channels or even college textbooks that could help me learn the skill of taking great photos. Lately I've been watching YouTube videos by Peter McKinnon and Tony Northrup and they are helpful, but I'd like to get my hands on as many resources as possible. I really welcome any and all suggestions. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

OGsPhotography gave you good advice regarding CreativeLive. They have some excellent classes. When they broadcast them, they are free to watch, but they do make them available for purchase if you can't watch the live class. Sometimes they run sales, with select classes as low as $19. I've purchased some excellent $19 classes.

Also, I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Scienc...58355&sr=8-1&keywords=light+science+and+magic
Understanding lighting is essential to making great photographs.

The other thing I can recommend is to remain a member of this forum. There are many, excellent photographers here who are ready and willing to offer advice and critique, if you ask. It's a great family here, and a great place to learn. Hope you hang around!

Best of luck on your journey.