Masterclass in Photography PART 1: Cameras & Manual Exposure
What you'll learn
- Do you really need an expensive camera? Kit you do and don't need
- Camera jargon explained
- 3 Useful filters
- Different types of camera lens - which one will suit your needs?
- Picture Control settings - make the camera take pictures looking how you want them
- Timer single shot and burst modes
- Manual mode explained & why you need it
- How to read the light meter
- Shutter speed, aperture and ISO explained
- How to master manual mode - it's easy
- To feel and be a confident photographer
Requirements
- You are committed and excited about photography and will dedicate time to mastering it
- You look forward to doing the exercises and gaining experience. Photography's fun right?
- No special (or expensive) camera kit is needed
- A DSLR, Mirrorless or Bridge camera with settings
Description
In Masterclass In Photography Part 1 you’ll learn which camera is best for you, I mean do you ‘need’ an expensive pro level camera and lenses for the kind of photography you love doing?
You’ll learn why manual mode is vital to understand for creative reasons (covered in PT2 of this series) and how easy it is to use on a mirrorless, DSLR or bridge camera.
Most photography courses concentrate on gear and tech, but cameras don’t take pictures! You take pictures and you are often overlooked in favour of the latest gadget or upgrade.
If you've been photographing for years but still have lingering doubts about any of these things, Masterclass Pt1 will bring them together and replace confusion with clarity and confidence
If you've just got your first camera, you'll have clarity from the start and confidence will quickly follow - you'll shortcut years of trial and error
What Will You Learn?
How a camera works so you can creatively exploit it to the max
Photography jargon explained
Menus and feature setups you need
Camera and kit you need - and what you don’t!
Exposure modes explained
Different types of lenses and what they do
Introduction to types of image files
Three useful filters
How to tell the camera how you want your photos to look
Why manual settings are vital - and how simple they are to use
The exposure triangle - trust me it's easy
Exposure settings
How to easily shoot in manual mode
The camera settings I use any why I used them
Practical exercises to grow your skills and confidence
Photography is not as complex as some make out. It’s a bit of knowledge and a lot of practise - which is great news because you already love taking pictures right?
First you’ll master the 3 exposure controls so you’ll know what they do, why they do it and be able to choose which settings to use. Exposure is not rocket science. It's just 3 controls and if you can get online and enrol on a course you can easily master 3 camera settings.
Manual mode is pretty simple TBH, and it's vital because cameras can’t think for themselves and sometimes get it wrong. Ever taken a photo of bright snow or a white sand beach in sunshine? Did it come out dark and dull looking? - That’s what I mean.
Which Camera Do I Need For This Course?
This photography course is designed for cameras that have settings. DSLR, Mirrorless and Bridge cameras. Though there are benefits for compact camera and phone photographers, it is not designed for these.
Cameras don't take pictures - you use a camera to make pictures, in the same way a musician plays an instrument or an artists uses a brush.
The camera is your instrument. First you learn how to play it, then how to make beautiful music with it - and there are only five controls you need to do that.
Great photographers of the past took stunning photos on the most basic of cameras with only three controls. They understood the creative relationship between settings, composition and light - the bedrock upon which great photos are built. If they could do it with their clunky old cameras, there's no reason why you can't too.
If you don't agree I'll give you your money back no quibbles. Far enough?
Mike
PS: Exposure settings have creative superpowers too and the next step is learning what they are and how to choose settings for creative reasons. Every photo you take is your photo and Masterclass PART 2 will put you in control of how you want it to look.
Who this course is for:
- You've been photographing for years but still have lingering doubts about any of the topics above, Masterclass will bring them together and replace confusion with clarity and confidence
- Just got your first camera? You'll have clarity from the start and confidence will quickly follow - you'll shortcut years of trial and error
- Photography beginners
- Photographers wanting to revise the basics
Instructor
Photographer, teacher, speaker, motorcyclist and big kid :-)
I'm flattered to have been called "The UK's friendliest Photography Tutor" (Thanks 500px!). I'm proud to have made hundreds of videos and spent thousands of hours teaching people like you to see more beauty in the world every day (and to capture that beauty), by thinking like a photographer.
My YouTube channel has served more than 28 Million views and has more than 265,000 subscribers. I've appeared on TV shows, run photo workshops worldwide, teach and speak at some of the best photography events on earth, such as:
Xposure International Photography Festival, Sharjah, UAE
The Photography Show, Birmingham, UK
I even trained as a teacher so that I could reach my full potential and enable others to reach theirs.
As a photographer, I'm proud to have won multiple awards:
Petapixel TopTen Youtube Trainers list
x3 Xposure Exhibition Awards
Fuji Commercial - X2 Fuji Wedding
Kodak Gold Award
14 Master Photographers Association Awards
I've been lucky to have had exhibitions at prestigious venues such as:
The Master Photographers Association
Royal Photographic Society
Romanian Embassy (London)
Xposure Photography Festival - others...
When not teaching photography I also have a role as a brand ambassador for ClickAsnap and have written for publications such as:
Ephotozine
DSLR User magazine
Professional Photographer
Photography Monthly - others...
Trumping all of this, my proudest achievement to date is the huge number of wonderful 5* reviews on Trustpilot and Google - written by people like you after completing my courses. This is what inspires me to continue creating courses to help more people fall in love with photography.