Tabla de contenidos para Complete Photography Masterclass: From Beginner To Pro en Complete Photography Masterclass: From Beginner To Pro

Hello and welcome to the Complete Photography Masterclass: From Beginner to Pro! Photography is a huge topic, with many genres, styles, subjects and techniques. This can make it quite an intimidating art to master when you take your first steps. However, there’s nothing quite like seeing your first pro-grade image on the back of a new camera, and we believe there is just as much joy to be found in the journey of learning to take amazing photos. The bookazine you’re holding contains everything you need to know to get started, from choosing a new camera to the moment you get it out of its box and start developing your skills. By the time you turn the last page you’ll have mastered the basic exposure settings, got a grip on…

The landscape genre is a brilliant photographic avenue to explore, and whether you’re well versed or are yet to turn your hand to them, now is the perfect time to get out there and expand your portfolio. The UK is full of scenic mountains, forests, gardens, and coasts that are never far away, but many countries are spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning vistas. All these locations make for strong photos whether dappled in sunlight or drenched in a torrential downpour, so you can be sure to get something all year round. Composition is key to a great landscape, and there will usually be a main element you can place in your frame to make it the focal point you want the viewer be drawn to. Classic examples…

The main technical aspect of photography is capturing a well-exposed image, though given the levels of technology digital cameras now boast, it’s not exactly difficult these days. But the two main controls you use to make that exposure happen – the lens aperture and shutter speed – also perform other tasks that have a big influence on the success of every photo you take, so understanding what they do and how they do it is crucial. The main role of the lens aperture is to control the flow of light through the lens to the camera’s sensor, which it does using a series of f-numbers – the smaller the aperture, the bigger the f-number (f22 for example) and the less light is admitted and vice versa. But those f-numbers also…

Among the first things digital photographers learn when moving up from beginner to enthusiast level is that pro photographers shoot RAW files. While this is a little reductive – jpegs are still useful in a professional capacity – it is generally accepted that the RAW file format is superior to jpeg in terms of its flexibility and creative potential. This is due to multiple factors, both at the moment of exposure and after your photoshoot, in the digital darkroom. With the camera in RAW capture mode, once the sensor has been exposed to light and the shutter curtain has closed again, photo information is handled differently. The camera’s onboard computers read the charge created by light striking the photo-sensitive materials and pass it down a chain of processing. There is…

Macro shooting opens up new doors for creative and abstract photography. The use of a macro lens allows the capture of fine detail, in addition to a highly scaled-back sense of context, giving the macro and close-up genre tremendous scope for capturing novel subjects in a world of their own. A popular subject is water and its interaction with natural scenes. Droplets on leaves, or – as is the case with the image featured here – suspended in a spider’s web are so effective, as they distort an already unfamiliar view of the world. By cropping in close on droplets, you can resolve the background that lays beyond the water when looking through the droplets, or reflect the surroundings on the surface, as if they are miniature lenses. Indeed, there…

Picking out a camera is the most important decision a photographer can make. The model you choose will potentially be with you for many years and so it not only has to have the best features to fit your creative interests and style, but it also has to be comfortable for you to hold and operate. While most cameras around follow a similar design principle, there are subtle variations from brand to brand in how the controls are organised. When making your choice, you have to be sure you can access all of the buttons and that it’s not too heavy for you to carry around for several hours! There is a huge array of cameras available today, with many brands and models to choose from all aimed at slightly…

Lenses are critical components in the photographer’s toolkit. While novice shooters often believe the camera to be the most important aspect of a gear system, those with more experience recognise that the type and quality of the glass in front of the sensor is the bigger factor in the success of the final image. Regardless of how many pixels a CMOS chip may be equipped with, or how effective the signal-to-noise ratio, if the optic used to focus light into the camera body is inferior, the fine-detail resolution will never be fully realised. Similarly, if a less-than-optimal focal length is utilised, it may result in an ineffective or inferior composition. There is more to focal-length choice than how ‘zoomed in’ the frame becomes. The choice of setting impacts foreground and…

Learning to control shutter speed is often the first camera skill we learn when starting out in creative photography. It is the most visually apparent of all the components of the exposure process, as even minor experimentation with lengthening or shortening the duration can have obvious impacts on the way detail is rendered in the final frame. Simply by stretching the exposure out by halving the indicated shutter speed, such as from 1/100 sec to 1/50 sec, we can radically change the tone of a composition by conveying movement instead of freezing the subject in a static frame. This explains why shutter speed is seen more as an artistic choice than a practical one, even though there are basic light control functions in adjusting how long the sensor is exposed…

Colour is a critical element of a successful image. Some colours work well together while others can create uncomfortable clashes. Even when creating black and white images, the colours present in the scene affect the tones in your photos, impacting the contrast. It’s therefore important to make sense of how you can arrange colours to maximise the depth in your compositions and ensure your viewers connect with your main subject. Complementary colours Complementary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel and contrast strongly. When present in close proximity, complementary colours will cause each other to stand out, which can provide impact. This is especially useful for providing colour depth, such as cooler shadows to contrast with warm sky tones. Monochromatic colours This is where several shades of the…

Alistair Campbell As the former Technique Editor for Digital Camera magazine, Alistair writes about a broad range of photographic genres. For this feature he has kindly put aside some time to discuss the benefits of using gels and also gives some tips for controlling ambient light with an artificial source. digitalcameraworld.com Rory Lewis Renowned for his oil painting-inspired lighting style Rory is an expert in controlling flash and shaping light to bring out drama and detail. This makes him the perfect tutor in how to use flash modifiers to direct light to the key areas of the subject and scene. Read his step by step tutorial over on p106. rorylewis.studio Flash is a tricky aspect of photography to learn. If used incorrectly, the artificial light can spoil the ambience of…

There is no question editing is one of the most important steps in the creation of photographs. But whereas post-processing can help create the perfect photo, used in the wrong way, it can also destroy your shot. Today’s editing programmes open up countless possibilities and, due to the extensive tools and their capacity for change, it’s tempting to take it to the extreme. Radical changes can be intentional, but they should underline the characteristics of your photo in a natural way by sticking to the fundamental principles. Post-processing is almost as important as the process of taking the image itself – never underestimate how much even minimal changes can potentially improve the overall quality of your photo – but you have to proceed with care and sensitivity. The viewer should…

We’re blessed with a rather unique vantage point for viewing the photography industry on a photo magazine, and as such are often asked which genres we believe to be the most challenging. This is a highly subjective topic but the expected answers are likely wildlife photography, sports imaging or any assignment which requires us to shoot in challenging environments. It might come as a surprise therefore that we often cite professional product photography as somewhere near the top of the list. The parameters for such an assessment are tricky to define, but for the variety of lighting styles required, exposure expertise and overall technical and practical challenges, product imaging at the high end is nothing short of art. It is for this reason that it is a perfect genre in…

Some of the greatest features of modern digital cameras are the semi-automatic exposure modes, namely Aperture Priority (A or Av on a camera’s mode dial) and Shutter Priority (S or Tv). These work effectively for most shooting situations, leaving you to take control of some of the exposure, while the camera calculates the rest of the settings to produce a well-exposed shot. These modes are ideal when starting out with photography, as they allow you to concentrate on elements such as focusing and composition. However, full Manual mode will always give you greater control over the final look of your images and enable you to be more creative. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO all have an impact on the shots you take, so by controlling them individually you can come…

Circular polariser The landscape photographer’s secret weapon! This filter cuts polarised light, reducing sheen on reflective surfaces like glass and wet rocks. Polarisers also deepen colour saturation, most notably in blue skies. The ‘circular’ part of the name doesn’t refer to the physical shape, it’s just referring to how the filter structure works. Full ND Neutral Density filters are the easiest to understand – they simply reduce the amount of light entering the camera lens, which allows longer exposures. This is essential when you want to blur moving subjects or water but you’re already at the lowest ISO and smallest f/stop. They come in various strengths (see the table below). Variable ND This is like multiple ND filters rolled into one. By rotating the outer rim, you can choose different…

One of the most challenging tasks in photography is to freeze a fast-moving subject in motion, such as a racing car, a bird in flight or a plane at an air show. Taking photos in automatic mode (A) can be frustrating as the camera’s settings need adjustments in exposure and focus. This means that some shots may be usable and sharp, but many will lack precision. To capture those dynamic and dramatic moments, technical knowledge and practice are the keys to success. Here, the exposure triangle comes into play, which consists of three elements: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These settings all have an impact on each other. For action shots, the priority is to select a fast shutter speed, such as 1/1,000 sec, to freeze the subject. However, this…

One of the biggest advantages offered by digital photography is the ability to adapt the camera to changeable lighting. In analogue days, should the colour balance of the ambient light change, the film type would have to be swapped to compensate, wasting the remaining frames. In the majority of cases, a white balance preset can be chosen from the camera menu, which will quickly adjust the colour bias to prevent strong casts. However, these presets are designed to cater for average lighting under usual conditions, and hence may lack absolute accuracy. Therefore, in order to produce the most print-ready file possible, a custom white balance can be created for the current shooting environment. This is especially useful when shooting in JPEG format, when there is a requirement for large buffer…

Location lighting always presents certain difficulties due to the uncontrollable nature of ambient light and lack of access to mains power sources. Equipment must also be easy to transport and safe to hold or set up on a tripod or light stand. Off-camera flash is the most common choice, but there are some appealing continuous options now available to photographers. Accessories such the Rotolight range provide steady, reliable lighting with minimum weight and low heat output. This makes them perfect for dynamic lighting styles out in the field. Advantages of continuous sources are predictable intensity and ease of placement and composition. Since the light is always visible, it is easier to shape than flash. However, associated challenges are lower light output, battery life and a deficit of diffusion options. Since…