Photography Basics - From Auto to Manual

Select five striking photos from old magazines or newspapers, display them to study composition, then photograph and email your display for feedback to improve your printed photography.

Explore how a digital single lens reflex camera and mirrorless system capture light through lens elements, focal length, and aperture, influencing sensor exposure and depth of field.

Explore how exposure uses shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to control brightness and creative effects, from freezing motion to isolating subjects with depth of field.

Learn to balance exposure in manual mode by prioritizing aperture for depth of field or shutter speed for motion, using the light meter and ISO as a last resort.

Master photo composition by arranging elements and choosing subject and camera angles to guide the viewer's eye, using the rule of thirds, leading lines, and negative space.

Balance color temperature with white balance in kelvin to render lighting accurately; use auto or manual modes and presets like daylight, cloudy, tungsten.

Explore autofocus vs manual focus, when to use each, and how single-shot AF and continuous AF track static portraits and moving subjects like action, sports, and wildlife, including low-light scenarios.

Explore natural light as the primary driver of photography, learning how temperature, direction, intensity, and quality shape mood, contrast, and composition from golden hour to noon.

Edit your photos in Lightroom to craft natural-looking results, balancing exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows, while using lens corrections, color adjustments, and filters to tell your story.