Low&Slow
Ancora imparo
If you have Amazon Prime Video, you can watch "Fundamentals of Photography" (Season 1) from The Great Courses for free until August 31st. It was recorded in 2012, but most of the information is timeless.
Here is a description of the course:
"With Fundamentals of Photography, you'll learn all you need to know about the art and craft of great photography straight from Joel Sartore, a National Geographer photographer with more than 30 years of experience. Designed for people at all levels, these episodes are an engaging guide to how photographs work and how to make them work better for you."
There are 24 episodes, each one is roughly 30 minutes long, give or take about 5 minutes:
1. Making Great Pictures
What makes a photograph iconic? What three things must every picture have to stand out from any old snapshot? These two questions form the core of Mr. Sartore's introduction to the course. You'll also discover that a great picture doesn't rely on equipment - but on being able to see and think critically about your surroundings.
2. Camera Equipment--What You Need
To take a picture, you need to have good equipment. Here, get a no-nonsense guide to finding photography equipment--including cameras, tripods, and camera bags--that fits your needs. Also, take an in-depth look at a camera's controls and settings for everything from aperture to shutter speed to ISO (your film's sensitivity to light).
3. Lenses and Focal Length
Lenses are the most critical tools of photography. In this lecture, he takes you into the field and shows you different camera lenses in action. Among them: 70-200 mm (good for blurring out distracting backgrounds), rectilinear lenses (great for photographing things with minimal distortion), and wide-angle lenses (perfect for both landscapes and for shooting subjects in tight quarters).
4. Shutter Speeds
Your camera's shutter speed controls how much light enters the lens in a shot. Learn how to become a master at working with this critical tool of photography. You'll discover when to use fast or slow shutter speeds, study each speed's unique effects, and uncover different techniques--such as panning and ghosting--that can add great artistic touches.
5. Aperture and Depth of Field
What do numbers such as f/1.4, f/2.8, or f/16 mean? Finally make sense of your camera's aperture settings, which can help create eye-popping visual effects and solve specific compositional problems. Then examine some of Mr. Sartore's acclaimed work to see the dramatic relationship between aperture and a photograph's depth of field.
6. Light I--Found or Ambient Light
In this first lecture on one of the two building blocks of photography, learn how to tap into the power of ambient light, which isn't created in a studio but is found around you. Look at how you should adjust your camera to make the most of found light, and learn the best kind of ambient light to shoot in and why. Explore front lighting, hatchet lighting, and even zebra lighting.
7. Light II--Color and Intensity
Continue exploring light and photography with a look at color--both the "color" of different types of light and colors as they appear in your photographs. Then, focus on the differences between hard light and soft light, and how to adjust your camera accordingly to maximize the potential of these key photographic elements.
8. Light III--Introduced Light
Mr. Sartore discusses a tricky type of light: man-made (or introduced) light. You'll learn tips for manipulating different sources of light (including firelight, car taillights, reflectors, and spotlights). Also, you'll start to see your camera's flash setting as not a pesky button but a powerful tool for creating breathtaking effects in your photography.
9. Composition I--Seeing Well
How do you truly capture the beauty of the three-dimensional world around you? The answer lies within composition--photography's second building block. In the first of three lectures on the subject, analyze a series of pictures to get a basic understanding of how framing works.
10. Composition II--Background and Perspective
Great composition also involves paying attention to background and perspective. Here, Mr. Sartore offers you numerous tips and strategies for finding the perfect background, examining the benefits and drawbacks of particular perspectives, and avoiding compositional mistakes that can ruin the power of even the most perfectly lit photograph.
11. Composition III--Framing and Layering
Frames. Leading lines. The eyes of your subject. Layers. Learn how paying attention to--and using--these and other compositional tools can isolate the true subject of your photo and add a strong sense of dimension.
12. Let's Go to Work--Landscapes
Now start applying the information you've learned. Your first assignment: rural and urban landscapes. Some tips you'll discover include surveying the ground ahead of the prime light you want to shoot in, using wide-angle lenses and a little height to suggest grandeur, and focusing on a subject you can get repeated chances at capturing.
13. Let's Go to Work--Wildlife
Explore techniques for photographing wildlife, whether it's birds in your backyard or lions on a safari. Learn how to set up a blind to conceal you from your subject, where to find the best places to photograph flora and fauna, common mistakes that wildlife photographers should avoid, and more.
14. Let's Go to Work--People and Relationships
Using touching photographs of family and friends, Mr. Sartore demonstrates how to use your camera to best capture joy, sadness, anger, and other emotions--without interfering with your subject's behavior.
15. Let's Go to Work--From Mundane to Extraordinary
A key skill for any photographer is the ability to capture the special aspects of even the most mundane subjects. Focus on developing and strengthening this talent alongside Mr. Sartore, who teaches you how to make great frames in seemingly "boring" places from hotel rooms to hog farms.
16. Let's Go to Work--Special Occasions
Special occasions come loaded with moments that beg to be captured with a camera. Taking the knowledge you've gained from previous lectures, investigate ways to anticipate and better prepare for candidly photographing the range of emotions, moods, and scenes that can be found at any wedding, party, or holiday event you attend.
17. Let's Go to Work--Family Vacations
Transform the way you think about and take photographs during vacations. How can you avoid taking the same dull pictures like other tourists? What are some good ways to capture the story behind a famous landmark? Who can you ask for help about the best places for photo opportunities in your destination?
18. Advanced Topics--Research and Preparation
Despite what you may think, researching is an important part of any well-planned photo shoot. In the first of several lectures on advanced topics in photography, learn from Mr. Sartore's own diverse shoots around the world about ways to research and prepare for photographing in more complicated situations.
19. Advanced Topics--Macro Photography
Examine how to capture the remarkable (and often overlooked) beauty in miniature subjects such as insects, flowers, eyes--even a pile of money. Learn the best equipment to use, lighting techniques to capture specific features of your miniature subjects, and common mistakes to avoid (such as not getting enough depth of field).
20. Advanced Topics--Low Light
Low light used to be the bane of Mr. Sartore's profession. Now, it's all he wants to photograph in. Learn how to take advantage of low-light situations by picking the right gear (including lenses that give you wide apertures) and techniques such as using objects to block bright spots in your frame.
21. Advanced Topics--Problem Solving
In order to be a better photographer, you need to be a visual problem solver. Mr. Sartore, using his own career experiences, takes you through varying levels of difficult situations--such as shooting in Antarctica, on a snowy road, or throughout a massive city--to illustrate the importance of mastering this skill.
22. After the Snap--Workflow and Organization
Regardless of whether you're shooting with film or on a digital camera, you need an effective system to organize your pictures. Here, get practical tips on everything from storing film negatives and naming your digital pictures to touching up your shots and archiving all of your work.
23. Editing--Choosing the Right Image
Hone your editing skills by combing through groups of images to select the ones that stand out. It takes time and practice--but once you can narrow your photographs down to the best of the best, you can sharpen your critical eye and improve the way you shoot in the future.
24. Telling a Story with Pictures--The Photo Essay
Close out the course with a fascinating look at telling stories with your photographs. Using his photo essays on Alaska's North Slope; people at Leech Lake, Minnesota; and dwindling biodiversity, Mr. Sartore leaves you with a greater appreciation of how photographers are not just observers but actual storytellers.
Here is a description of the course:
"With Fundamentals of Photography, you'll learn all you need to know about the art and craft of great photography straight from Joel Sartore, a National Geographer photographer with more than 30 years of experience. Designed for people at all levels, these episodes are an engaging guide to how photographs work and how to make them work better for you."
There are 24 episodes, each one is roughly 30 minutes long, give or take about 5 minutes:
1. Making Great Pictures
What makes a photograph iconic? What three things must every picture have to stand out from any old snapshot? These two questions form the core of Mr. Sartore's introduction to the course. You'll also discover that a great picture doesn't rely on equipment - but on being able to see and think critically about your surroundings.
2. Camera Equipment--What You Need
To take a picture, you need to have good equipment. Here, get a no-nonsense guide to finding photography equipment--including cameras, tripods, and camera bags--that fits your needs. Also, take an in-depth look at a camera's controls and settings for everything from aperture to shutter speed to ISO (your film's sensitivity to light).
3. Lenses and Focal Length
Lenses are the most critical tools of photography. In this lecture, he takes you into the field and shows you different camera lenses in action. Among them: 70-200 mm (good for blurring out distracting backgrounds), rectilinear lenses (great for photographing things with minimal distortion), and wide-angle lenses (perfect for both landscapes and for shooting subjects in tight quarters).
4. Shutter Speeds
Your camera's shutter speed controls how much light enters the lens in a shot. Learn how to become a master at working with this critical tool of photography. You'll discover when to use fast or slow shutter speeds, study each speed's unique effects, and uncover different techniques--such as panning and ghosting--that can add great artistic touches.
5. Aperture and Depth of Field
What do numbers such as f/1.4, f/2.8, or f/16 mean? Finally make sense of your camera's aperture settings, which can help create eye-popping visual effects and solve specific compositional problems. Then examine some of Mr. Sartore's acclaimed work to see the dramatic relationship between aperture and a photograph's depth of field.
6. Light I--Found or Ambient Light
In this first lecture on one of the two building blocks of photography, learn how to tap into the power of ambient light, which isn't created in a studio but is found around you. Look at how you should adjust your camera to make the most of found light, and learn the best kind of ambient light to shoot in and why. Explore front lighting, hatchet lighting, and even zebra lighting.
7. Light II--Color and Intensity
Continue exploring light and photography with a look at color--both the "color" of different types of light and colors as they appear in your photographs. Then, focus on the differences between hard light and soft light, and how to adjust your camera accordingly to maximize the potential of these key photographic elements.
8. Light III--Introduced Light
Mr. Sartore discusses a tricky type of light: man-made (or introduced) light. You'll learn tips for manipulating different sources of light (including firelight, car taillights, reflectors, and spotlights). Also, you'll start to see your camera's flash setting as not a pesky button but a powerful tool for creating breathtaking effects in your photography.
9. Composition I--Seeing Well
How do you truly capture the beauty of the three-dimensional world around you? The answer lies within composition--photography's second building block. In the first of three lectures on the subject, analyze a series of pictures to get a basic understanding of how framing works.
10. Composition II--Background and Perspective
Great composition also involves paying attention to background and perspective. Here, Mr. Sartore offers you numerous tips and strategies for finding the perfect background, examining the benefits and drawbacks of particular perspectives, and avoiding compositional mistakes that can ruin the power of even the most perfectly lit photograph.
11. Composition III--Framing and Layering
Frames. Leading lines. The eyes of your subject. Layers. Learn how paying attention to--and using--these and other compositional tools can isolate the true subject of your photo and add a strong sense of dimension.
12. Let's Go to Work--Landscapes
Now start applying the information you've learned. Your first assignment: rural and urban landscapes. Some tips you'll discover include surveying the ground ahead of the prime light you want to shoot in, using wide-angle lenses and a little height to suggest grandeur, and focusing on a subject you can get repeated chances at capturing.
13. Let's Go to Work--Wildlife
Explore techniques for photographing wildlife, whether it's birds in your backyard or lions on a safari. Learn how to set up a blind to conceal you from your subject, where to find the best places to photograph flora and fauna, common mistakes that wildlife photographers should avoid, and more.
14. Let's Go to Work--People and Relationships
Using touching photographs of family and friends, Mr. Sartore demonstrates how to use your camera to best capture joy, sadness, anger, and other emotions--without interfering with your subject's behavior.
15. Let's Go to Work--From Mundane to Extraordinary
A key skill for any photographer is the ability to capture the special aspects of even the most mundane subjects. Focus on developing and strengthening this talent alongside Mr. Sartore, who teaches you how to make great frames in seemingly "boring" places from hotel rooms to hog farms.
16. Let's Go to Work--Special Occasions
Special occasions come loaded with moments that beg to be captured with a camera. Taking the knowledge you've gained from previous lectures, investigate ways to anticipate and better prepare for candidly photographing the range of emotions, moods, and scenes that can be found at any wedding, party, or holiday event you attend.
17. Let's Go to Work--Family Vacations
Transform the way you think about and take photographs during vacations. How can you avoid taking the same dull pictures like other tourists? What are some good ways to capture the story behind a famous landmark? Who can you ask for help about the best places for photo opportunities in your destination?
18. Advanced Topics--Research and Preparation
Despite what you may think, researching is an important part of any well-planned photo shoot. In the first of several lectures on advanced topics in photography, learn from Mr. Sartore's own diverse shoots around the world about ways to research and prepare for photographing in more complicated situations.
19. Advanced Topics--Macro Photography
Examine how to capture the remarkable (and often overlooked) beauty in miniature subjects such as insects, flowers, eyes--even a pile of money. Learn the best equipment to use, lighting techniques to capture specific features of your miniature subjects, and common mistakes to avoid (such as not getting enough depth of field).
20. Advanced Topics--Low Light
Low light used to be the bane of Mr. Sartore's profession. Now, it's all he wants to photograph in. Learn how to take advantage of low-light situations by picking the right gear (including lenses that give you wide apertures) and techniques such as using objects to block bright spots in your frame.
21. Advanced Topics--Problem Solving
In order to be a better photographer, you need to be a visual problem solver. Mr. Sartore, using his own career experiences, takes you through varying levels of difficult situations--such as shooting in Antarctica, on a snowy road, or throughout a massive city--to illustrate the importance of mastering this skill.
22. After the Snap--Workflow and Organization
Regardless of whether you're shooting with film or on a digital camera, you need an effective system to organize your pictures. Here, get practical tips on everything from storing film negatives and naming your digital pictures to touching up your shots and archiving all of your work.
23. Editing--Choosing the Right Image
Hone your editing skills by combing through groups of images to select the ones that stand out. It takes time and practice--but once you can narrow your photographs down to the best of the best, you can sharpen your critical eye and improve the way you shoot in the future.
24. Telling a Story with Pictures--The Photo Essay
Close out the course with a fascinating look at telling stories with your photographs. Using his photo essays on Alaska's North Slope; people at Leech Lake, Minnesota; and dwindling biodiversity, Mr. Sartore leaves you with a greater appreciation of how photographers are not just observers but actual storytellers.
