BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY: Use Your Camera in Manual Mode!

Set your camera to manual, select multi-area exposure metering, and switch to single-point AF. Shoot in black and white with Raw plus JPEG at ISO 1600, and consult your manual.

Explore how photography represents the world through light, emotion, and framing, starting from the pinhole and camera obscura to modern depictions, and the semiotics of signifier and signified.

Explore how dslr and mirrorless cameras differ, compare optical and electronic viewfinders, and master stable handling, autofocus with single-point focus, and precise composition using the rule of thirds.

Master exposure by controlling shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in manual mode, using multi-area metering to balance light and align with your vision.

Discover how the built-in light meter guides exposure with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to reach middle gray, and test exposure latitude with gray cards.

Master exposure by using the light meter and balancing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Practice one-stop and third-stop compensations, including instinctive dial changes and keeping the meter at zero.

Practice mastering exposure basics by taking at least ten photos: shoot with correct exposure, then tweak one parameter and compensate with the others using shutter speed, ISO, and aperture.

Explore how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO determine motion blur, depth of field, and noise, and learn to balance exposure to freeze subjects or capture trails.

Choose the primary parameter—shutter speed, aperture, or ISO—and adjust the others to control depth of field, motion trails, and exposure.

Practice four photography exercises to master depth of field: portrait with blurred background, landscape in full focus, street photo with both subject and background, and freezing a moving subject.

Learn how camera types differ by sensor or film size, from large-format view cameras to thirty-five millimeter systems, and how focal length shapes angle of view and distortion.

Explore how focal length and sensor size shape depth of field and angle of view, then compare prime and zoom lenses while practicing pre-visualization to frame scenes confidently.

Practice taking two photographs of the same scene with a wide-angle and a normal lens to frame identical elements, mimicking the vertigo effect by adjusting distance.

Explore composition principles and the rectangle-in-hand concept that guide how to read images, balance, tension, and framing with diagonals and reading order.

Explore how weight, color, size, and context shape observer perception, and learn balanced composition techniques, including exploiting the lower right area, to craft engaging photographs.

Explore symmetry: axial, central, and translational; rhythm; and movement in photography, using panning and long exposure, while mastering perspective, background control, and the impact of tilt and focal length.

Discover how balance in composition uses geometric shapes and harmonic ratios from nature, applying the rule of thirds and the golden ratio to place elements at focal points.

Explore four photography exercises: carve a clean two-dimensional image with lines and geometry, perform long-exposure shots at dusk, create light trails with light painting, and practice panning for moving subjects.

Explore how eyes and brain shape visual perception, color psychology, and mood, then compare additive RGB with subtractive CMY and how context and printers affect color.

Explore how the eye uses cones and rods to perceive color under varying light, and learn color fundamentals like rgb and cmyk, complementary colors, and hue, saturation, brightness for photography.

Learn how color temperature affects photographs and how to set white balance using Kelvin presets or manual values to achieve natural colors.

Practice photography by balancing white balance with at least three light sources, then compare auto white balance to a preset to judge color accuracy.

Thank you for completing the basic photography course; share improvements and topics you want, as the Alessandro Mallamaci Academy offers portrait and landscape courses and your practice will improve.