Since the early 1800s humankind has been trying to transfer visual experiences into physical (and later) digital images. Unlike painting or illustration, photography gave us the ability to capture an instant in time, a fraction of a second that could be preserved for generations. It’s amazing to think of the communicative power embodied in a single photograph.
To help you tap into that power, this series answers the question:
What are the fundamentals of good photography?
It should be noted that I have never claimed to be an artist. I am a technician. I do, however, have a lot of experience shooting and have had the pleasure of hanging out with and learning from some fantastic artists.
Great photographers have something beyond the fundamentals which is impossible to nail down into easy-to-follow steps. They see the world in a way most people can’t, and it’s that ability that allows them to create art.
That said, a technician with a good understanding of the basic principles behind “good photography” should be able to produce some pretty amazing images.
Here’s what I plan to cover, the things that are “fundamental” to photography, plus some extras that I happen to like.
I’ll add links as each post shows up:
- Light and Shadow
- Composition
- Lighting
- Optics
- Camera Controls
- Depth of Field
- Color Palette
- Making a Moving Picture
- Choose Your Weapon
- Editing
Since I’m the first to admit I don’t know everything about photography, I invite you to leave a comment if you feel I’ve left something out. I may add to the posts in response. Think of it as a community project.
Let’s do this!
Eric J says
Make sure you cover whitebalance i see that as a major problem in a lot of amature photos.
BrianNotess says
Done!
@austinklee says
I know this will sound stupid…but can you start with telling us n00bs where to start in the equipment arena? I know I would like to get a DSLR over a point and shoot…but I don’t know what a good starting point is for body or lenses for that matter.
Thanks!
BrianNotess says
A great suggestion Austin. Normally I dodge that question like Jackie Chan, but I will talk about it in broad terms.
Each individual has different needs so it makes it hard to make concrete suggestions.
@austinklee says
Thanks! I don’t necessarily need brand specifics…but a nice discussion of what the different lenses are/do and whether I should go ahead and pony up for a big boy camera body…or get more of a “starter” body.
Eric J says
Buy the body only and a good lens don’t trust the kit lens that comes with the camera, my wife is a food blogger http://dianasaurdishes.com so she bought a 50mm prime lens (no zoom) so she could get good close up’s with a high depth of field.
@austinklee says
Cool info to chew on…now if Brian would explain depth of field in his tutorial!
BrianNotess says
I explain depth of field in part 6, so you might have to be patient 🙂
I don’t want to give my advice away for buying a camera, but one suggestion is to find a photographer friend and play with his camera (if he’ll let you).
Ben says
50mm (the plastic fantastic) is the last lens I have, and I love it for what I shoot.
Ben says
This all depends on what you want to shoot, or what you “think” you might be shooting more of. Are you into Landscapes? Portraits? Nature/wildlife? Then it becomes a Wide Angle vs Telephoto vs lightning mcqueen vs Zoom, etc…
Go in depth of what you think you will start shooting first, and you then google around to see what people are using for that particular subject matter. A Great resource is Fred Miranda – http://www.fredmiranda.com