Learn Photography: The Most COMPLETE Online Guide

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

I’m going to show you the way, so you don’t get lost. My advice is to follow it, although if you want to skip a stage, it’s your decision, according to your wishes and needs.

My goal is that you can learn photography in the easiest way possible, that your introduction to the photographic world is not a thorny path and that you end up throwing in the towel, but that any natural frustration becomes a motivation and not a disappointment.

INSIDE THIS ARTICLE… 📖

Wait a minute! This item will be your travel companion for some time.

You will not pretend to learn photography in an afternoon, right? What I recommend is that you put it on hand, as a favorite, somewhere where you have it easily accessible. And now yes, let’s start!

camera to learn photography

The first thing you are going to ask yourself in your introduction to photography is what camera you need, or which is the best.

Perhaps you have already passed this phase and you have your treasure in your hands, if not, in this section I will shed some light on you when choosing a camera to learn photography.

Hey! do not get lost because this point is very important. I know many people who have thrown in the towel for having a great camera in their hands but it was “too big”.

Can you imagine someone who is learning to drive with a Formula 1?

Each camera has an ideal user, and to begin with, you should not have features that overwhelm you and buttons that hinder you more than help.

Here are my DSLR camera recommendations for hobbyists.

However, there are many types of cameras on the market, there is life beyond the SLR world, so the first question I would like you to answer is: “Do I really need an SLR? « . If your answer is no, I suggest you take a look at our recommendations on evil (mirrorless) cameras and this other one with the best compact cameras.

If you are getting confused with all this information, here is this tool that will help you in the decision of what camera to buy With it you will discover which camera is made to suit you.

Tips for buying a camera

Once you have decided on the type of camera, it is time to purchase.

Shopping is usually not easy.

Deciding where to buy, by model, if new or second-hand, etc., always makes us assail many doubts. For this reason, from the blog we always try to help you with all these indecisions.

then some articles that will help you when buying your next camera:

The camera, the first tool in the initiation to photography

As I have told you before, this step is important, especially if you spend a significant amount of money.

And it’s not because you’re not going to find a camera to take good photos with, the problem is that you buy one that makes you throw in the towel because it’s too heavy to transport or difficult to handle.

Find a companion to suit you.

Other technical aspects of the camera

It is the turn of more technical aspects when it comes to cameras. To some people all this sounds like hieroglyphics, but you know that we try to make it easy.

Of course you can take really impressive or emotional photos without knowing much or nothing about these concepts, however, it is possible that at some point doubts assail you, that you need to clarify some of these concepts or, simply, that you are interested and want to delve into them. they.

It seems basic to me that you understand that a camera with more megapixels is not going to help you take better photos, but rather to make larger enlargements.

It is also important that you know that the size of the sensor is essential in the performance of a camera.

If you are interested in delving into the subject, here I will tell you about it in detail, types of sensors, sizes, etc. That said, not all users need the largest sensor.

And about viewfinders, did you know that there are optical viewfinders and electronic viewfinders?

The equipment to learn photography

The equipment is not just the camera. In fact, there is a general obsession with having the best camera when it is just another tool and it will largely depend on your needs.

The objective

However, the importance of the objective is often forgotten. It is preferable to invest more in lenses than in the camera, because it is really where you will find the difference when taking photos.

It is with the choice of lens that you can expand your creativity to infinity.

I leave you a video in which I do an experiment to show you all this:

In this guide, you will find all the information related to choosing or buying a lens. All those numbers and acronyms that drive us a little crazy at first, are deciphered in this article (and much more).

Next, I also leave you with some very useful articles to locate yourself in the objective topic.

But if you still don’t know what the focal length is and how knowing it will help you when learning photography, you should start here. Now yes, you can continue with these others.

I insist, really, the choice of lens is what will definitely mark a before and after in your photographs.

Personally, I never tire of recommending the one I named the king of lenses and, in the event that your budget does not allow it, my advice is to get at least the the prince.

When you discover the power of the luminous optics, you will be trapped forever.

bright targets

Accessories to learn photography

On the other hand, there are plenty of accessories. Over time, you will discover, depending on the type of photography you like to do, the ones you need.

Although if I had to recommend one for your initiation in photography, it would be the tripod, for all the possibilities it offers you, for all the doors that open to you.

Of course, you have to be clear that you have come to stay, as it is not the cheapest accessory.

If you decide on one, in this guide you will find everything you need to know to buy a tripod.

What is a tripod for? Although you can see it in detail at the beginning of the article that I just recommended, here are the main types of photography for which you need a tripod:

Beyond the tripod, the options in terms of accessories are, as I said, very numerous, however, we leave you with some ideas that, to start learning photography, will come in handy 😉

The first step to learning photography: exposure

The first and fundamental thing when learning photography, to be able to shoot beyond the automatic mode, is to know the light triangle (or exposure triangle).

Understanding how it works is key to getting your photos well exposed.

That is, they are not too dark, not too white, not moved or full of noise when you need sharpness.

As you can see in the graph, it is made up of three elements:

It may take you a while to master these three elements, not long, it all depends on the time you spend practicing with your camera.

For this I recommend that you use the different automatic shooting modes. It will also be very useful for you to know what the histogram is and how to read it, it will help you when it comes to exposing your photographs correctly.

And what I said, that you practice, a lot. Even if it’s at home.

We are advancing.

Now that you control the exposure triangle, you should know that there are other aspects to consider when taking a photo.

Have you noticed that some of your photographs had a predominant color that you did not think was in the scene? For example, a very bluish photo? Or, on the contrary, an image that is too orange, and not only the sky, but even the skins of the subjects that appeared in it.

This is because of the color temperature.

To correct this predominance, when you want to correct it, you have the white balance, surely you have heard it many times.

Important! Each of these articles that I am presenting to you requires your time and practice, do not binge.

Learning to measure and display correctly is not a matter of a day. Like the rest of the themes. keep calm and… practice!!!

Time to master the technique

Learn photography: the creative part

There is something essential when do photography that is far from drink Photos.

Beyond the technical part that we have seen so far, a photographer must have other qualities, such as observation, sensitivity or the passion to improve every day.

What I tell you in this section is going to help you whether you have a SLR or an EVIL, disparate with a compact, a smartphone or with any camera. Since the goal is not to achieve the technically perfect photograph, but to captivate the viewer. And that goes through light, composition, emotion, etc. Let’s see step by step.

creative photography

Photographic composition

The way you place the elements within the frame of your photo makes the difference between an interesting photo or an unattractive photo.

That is why it is very important that you learn the basic rules of composition, and then, of course, skip them whenever you consider it necessary.

It will also help you learn to master color to compose your images, but don’t forget about black and white!

These are the most common questions in terms of photographic composition, in case you have asked yourself any, we will answer them all.

And in this article you will find 100 express tips to improve the composition of your photos. From here it will be a lot of observation and practice.

Light as a creative element

We have talked about light in terms of photographic exposure, but light is much more, it is also a creative element that helps you tell stories or move people.

Mastering light is mastering photography, to achieve this, do not miss these express tips and all these resources.

Light as a creative element

the soul of photography

The mastery of composition and light, as I have told you, help you when narrating your photographic stories, they are the wand to excite your audience, because this must really be your objective as a photographer, to tell what you have to count, fill your photography with soul, with feeling, far beyond the pixels.

All this is much more important than mastery of technique.

The technique is important, because it is the base, but an absolute mastery of it in a soulless photo, friend, has zero…