HippoCampus
Arts & HumanitiesSpiralBeginner13 chapters

Photography fundamentals

HippoCampus
· starter course
I just got a camera and want to learn the fundamentals: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus, composition and working with natural light, building up skill with each pass.

What you'll learn

13 chapters
  1. 1

    What Photography Is and How a Camera Makes an Image

    • Recognize photography as the process of capturing light to make an image.
    • Identify the main parts of the image-making process at a beginner level.
    • Understand the basic flow from scene to camera to photo.
  2. 2

    Getting to Know Your Camera

    • Become familiar with the most common camera parts and controls.
    • Recognize the difference between viewing, changing settings, and taking a photo.
    • Build comfort handling a new camera.
  3. 3

    The Exposure Idea: How Brightness Is Controlled

    • Understand exposure as how light or dark a photo appears.
    • Recognize that aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together.
    • Identify overexposure and underexposure at a basic level.
  4. 4

    Aperture: Opening Size and Depth of Field

    • Define aperture in simple terms.
    • Connect aperture to brightness and background blur.
    • Recognize aperture as a key tool for portraits and subject separation.
  5. 5

    Shutter Speed: Time and Motion

    • Define shutter speed as the length of time light is recorded.
    • Connect shutter speed to freezing or blurring motion.
    • Recognize camera shake as a beginner concern.
  6. 6

    ISO: Brightness Setting and Image Noise

    • Define ISO at a beginner level.
    • Understand that raising ISO can brighten an image.
    • Recognize the trade-off between higher ISO and increased noise.
  7. 7

    Balancing Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

    • See the exposure controls as a connected system.
    • Recognize that changing one setting often requires changing another.
    • Begin making simple setting choices based on subject and light.
  8. 8

    Focus: Making the Subject Sharp

    • Understand focus as making a chosen part of the image look sharp.
    • Recognize the difference between focusing on the subject and missing focus.
    • Identify basic ways cameras focus.
  9. 9

    Basic Camera Modes and Practical Shooting Control

    • Recognize the purpose of common shooting modes.
    • Understand when a beginner might use auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual.
    • Connect modes to different levels of control.
  10. 10

    Composition: Arranging What the Viewer Sees

    • Understand composition as how elements are placed in the frame.
    • Recognize a few common beginner composition ideas.
    • Use composition to guide attention to the subject.
  11. 11

    Natural Light: Seeing and Using Available Light

    • Recognize natural light as a main tool for beginner photography.
    • Notice how light direction and strength change a photo.
    • Use simple observations to choose better times and positions for shooting.
  12. 12

    Making a Photo Step by Step

    • Combine the main beginner fundamentals into a simple shooting process.
    • Practice observing subject, light, focus, exposure, and composition in sequence.
    • Build confidence taking intentional photos.
  13. 13

    Reviewing Photos and Building Skill Through Practice

    • Develop the habit of learning from each photo.
    • Recognize simple signs of common beginner problems.
    • Understand that improvement comes from repeated practice and review.

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