Beginner Photography Courses

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Joe
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Hey everyone, can anyone reccomend any beginner photography courses? I understand a lot were made free last month but I seem to have missed them I believe, so any others would be great?
Open to paying if needs too I just dont know where to start with paying so I dont want to pay for a course on udemy for instance and it not being worth the money.


Interested in;
(Understanding lighting and its effects)
(Understanding lenses and their effects, focal lengths, field of view, hyperfocal distance etc)
Composition basics I think I am doing okay on but obviously if there are any good courses can always learn more
 
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Check out Mike Brown on YouTube - he's very popular and has done lots of videos over quite a few years.
 
Thank you il try them, I just feel with me learning from youtube I am worried about missing the inbetweens as the videos are usually on a subject and not like covering everything in order

Buy a book instead, they are usually far more generic covering pretty much everything you need to get started :)

Dave
 
Awesome thank you, any reccomendations on books at all ?

42 years ago yes lol - its how I learnt before the days of internet etc. :D

I'm sure there'll still be a host of decent books out there, so whether you just use the "look inside" option on such as Amazon or can soon actually pick one up again in Waterstones, just look for the Index and some photo pages - if the Index is extensive and the photos seem good then its probably a decent buy

I really wouldn't bother with an online course for the basics. I find immediate answers to queries and back-of-the-camera image reviews work far better & faster. So if you learn better hands-on find someone who will take you out for a day and shoot together - after lockdown!

I'll probably be having a day out in & around Hull in June (my son lives there), and I'll defo be going back to Godwin Battery and maybe strolling down to Spurn Point too, if that's of interest you'd be welcome to tag along sometime

Dave
 
What type of photography are you interested in, portraits/weddings are a very different skills set to landscapes or Street photography or wildlife photography.

I have over the years done wildlife and landscape workshops. I find the hands on face to face tuition brilliant.
 
42 years ago yes lol - its how I learnt before the days of internet etc. :D

I'm sure there'll still be a host of decent books out there, so whether you just use the "look inside" option on such as Amazon or can soon actually pick one up again in Waterstones, just look for the Index and some photo pages - if the Index is extensive and the photos seem good then its probably a decent buy

I really wouldn't bother with an online course for the basics. I find immediate answers to queries and back-of-the-camera image reviews work far better & faster. So if you learn better hands-on find someone who will take you out for a day and shoot together - after lockdown!

I'll probably be having a day out in & around Hull in June (my son lives there), and I'll defo be going back to Godwin Battery and maybe strolling down to Spurn Point too, if that's of interest you'd be welcome to tag along sometime

Dave


That sounds great Dave, thanks!
 
What type of photography are you interested in, portraits/weddings are a very different skills set to landscapes or Street photography or wildlife photography.

I have over the years done wildlife and landscape workshops. I find the hands on face to face tuition brilliant.


I mean mainly landscape, street and outdoor portrait work.
 
Buy a book instead, they are usually far more generic covering pretty much everything you need to get started :)

Dave
Horses for courses. Sometimes it's easier to pick stuff up from seeing it than from reading about it. But there's enough in either medium out there.
 
Check out Mike Brown on YouTube - he's very popular and has done lots of videos over quite a few years.
This is a man who believes perspective changes as a result of a different lens focal length rather than a change of viewpoint.
Avoid ill informed opinion like his!
 
I dont really understand this so...
I had a heated exchange of emails with him after watching one of his YouTube "tutorials" on the subject of perspective.
His contention was that perspective changed as a result of using a different lens.
It does not.
The sole factor in controlling perpective is VIEWPOINT.
If your viewpoint changes then the perspective changes, regardless of the lens being used.

Someone with such an ignorant opinion has no right to put themselves forward as a photography "expert" and his opinions should be treated with suspicion.
 
I had a heated exchange of emails with him after watching one of his YouTube "tutorials" on the subject of perspective.
His contention was that perspective changed as a result of using a different lens.
It does not.
The sole factor in controlling perpective is VIEWPOINT.
If your viewpoint changes then the perspective changes, regardless of the lens being used.

Someone with such an ignorant opinion has no right to put themselves forward as a photography "expert" and his opinions should be treated with suspicion.



Do you have a website or anything Brian for me to learn from?
 
Do you have a website or anything Brian for me to learn from?
I found the offending YouTube video:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-vPzrEONM

I notice that the follow-up email has been edited to remove some of his remarks.

Throughout he keeps saying the perspective is altering because he's using a different lens, completely ignoring the fact that he is also changing his position, and hence his viewpoint.
There is nothing to learn except that viewpoint is sole factor in establishing perspective.
 
I found the offending YouTube video:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-vPzrEONM

I notice that the follow-up email has been edited to remove some of his remarks.

Throughout he keeps saying the perspective is altering because he's using a different lens, completely ignoring the fact that he is also changing his position, and hence his viewpoint.
There is nothing to learn except that viewpoint is sole factor in establishing perspective.


Emails cant be edited?
 
I found the offending YouTube video:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-vPzrEONM

I notice that the follow-up email has been edited to remove some of his remarks.

Throughout he keeps saying the perspective is altering because he's using a different lens, completely ignoring the fact that he is also changing his position, and hence his viewpoint.
There is nothing to learn except that viewpoint is sole factor in establishing perspective.



Also I watched the video, I didnt hear him once say anything incorrect?
 
I found the offending YouTube video:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-vPzrEONM

I notice that the follow-up email has been edited to remove some of his remarks.

Throughout he keeps saying the perspective is altering because he's using a different lens, completely ignoring the fact that he is also changing his position, and hence his viewpoint.
There is nothing to learn except that viewpoint is sole factor in establishing perspective.


He NEVER actually mentions the word perspective :ROFLMAO:. I think I will take peoples suggestions to learn from him afterall.
 
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Emails cant be edited?
I don't have a YouTube account, but I can edit my personal emails.
He NEVER actually mentions the word perspective :ROFLMAO:. I think I will take peoples suggestions to learn from him afterall.
That's part of the problem. He keeps saying "the background" rather than using the word perspective. But he then implies "the background" is changing because he's using a different lens and completely ignoring the fact he has moved his viewpoint.
"Zoom with your feet" is a meaningless statement unless you take the change in viewpoint, and hence change of perspective into account.

The problem with YouTube and the internet in general is that any fool can set up a "tutorial" and call themselves an expert.
The misinformation being peddled here makes me distrust everything else he has to say.
Many other "experts" are available.
 
I don't have a YouTube account, but I can edit my personal emails.

That's part of the problem. He keeps saying "the background" rather than using the word perspective. But he then implies "the background" is changing because he's using a different lens and completely ignoring the fact he has moved his viewpoint.
"Zoom with your feet" is a meaningless statement unless you take the change in viewpoint, and hence change of perspective into account.

The problem with YouTube and the internet in general is that any fool can set up a "tutorial" and call themselves an expert.
The misinformation being peddled here makes me distrust everything else he has to say.
Many other "experts" are available.


Oh sorry your post implied he had edited his email to you haha.


I would disagree and think you missed the point of the video, The whole point of the video was to treat a zoom lens like many prime lenses.

Would the background not still change if he didn;t move but JUST changed the lens?
 
Perspective only changes if you change your viewpoint.
 
Perspective only changes if you change your viewpoint.


I'd be slightly more accurate than that.

Perspective is a function of distance (to the subject) and angle of view. 'Viewpoint' is a bit too vague.
 
As for the appearance of background, that's a function of perspective and exposure (specifically aperture).
 
You might not have used the word - but it was the question you asked ;)


If I took a picture of a womans face in the middle of the road with a 105mm lens then changed to a 10mm lens and did the same without moving, then cropped in so the womans face filled a similar amount of the frame then if we counted how many pixels were her face vs what is behind her would the pixel counts be different?
 
If I took a picture of a womans face in the middle of the road with a 105mm lens then changed to a 10mm lens and did the same without moving, then cropped in so the womans face filled a similar amount of the frame then if we counted how many pixels were her face vs what is behind her would the pixel counts be different?
The pixel count will be different because you have the same number of pixels on your sensor no matter what the FoV of the lens. Your pixel count doesn’t grow because you’ve fitted a wider lens.
 
There is a good example here which shows the same scene taken from the same spot, using different focal lengths between 200mm and 17mm.
The important thing to note is that the perspective of the scene does not change.
Obviously the shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view, but the relative positions of the elements within the image do not change.
 
The pixel count will be different because you have the same number of pixels on your sensor no matter what the FoV of the lens. Your pixel count doesn’t grow because you’ve fitted a wider lens.


I think you misunderstood me Phil, in regards to pixels I was talking not about the total number of pixels in the image but the total amount of pixels in her face alone vs the background amount of pixels, that will change.
 
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There is a good example here which shows the same scene taken from the same spot, using different focal lengths between 200mm and 17mm.
The important thing to note is that the perspective of the scene does not change.
Obviously the shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view, but the relative positions of the elements within the image do not change.



That example proves my point, thank you.
 
I think you misunderstood me Phil, in regards to pixels I was talking not about the total number of pixels in the image but the total amount of pixels in her face alone vs the back ground amount of pixels, that will change.
No, it won’t change
And it helps if you can grasp the correct technical language, particularly when discussing technical matters.
if you zoom in on the images @Brian G linked, you could see that a cropped image from 20mm is the same as the 200mm image.

Just to be clear; the correct term for the ‘relationship’ between an object and it’s background (your question) is perspective.
Mentioning pixels is a terribly bad description. You’ll never get an understanding if you don’t learn the technical terms.

alternatively - just shoot what you ‘like’ without any concerns about the technicalities. :)
 
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No, it won’t change
And it helps if you can grasp the correct technical language, particularly when discussing technical matters.
if you zoom in on the images @Brian G linked, you could see that a cropped image from 20mm is the same as the 200mm image.

Just to be clear; the correct term for the ‘relationship’ between an object and it’s background (your question) is perspective.
Mentioning pixels is a terribly bad description. You’ll never get an understanding if you don’t learn the technical terms.

alternatively - just shoot what you ‘like’ without any concerns about the technicalities. :)


I do understand what perspective is but again I didn't mention that or the relationship between objects, I didnt mention them on purpose as I understand that perspective doesnt change without moving. That wasn't what I was getting at. Maybe if you could try to not think in technical terms and try not to assume what I mean. Obviously I didn't explain well enough what my point was so let's just leave it at that, shall we.
 
I do understand what perspective is but again I didn't mention that or the relationship between objects, I didnt mention them on purpose as I understand that perspective doesnt change without moving. That wasn't what I was getting at. Maybe if you could try to not think in technical terms and try not to assume what I mean. Obviously I didn't explain well enough what my point was so let's just leave it at that, shall we.
I’ve re-read this; and I can find no different conclusion from your words (in bold)
I think you misunderstood me Phil, in regards to pixels I was talking not about the total number of pixels in the image but the total amount of pixels in her face alone vs the back ground amount of pixels, that will change.

Thats a fairly accurate description of perspective. :)
the relationship between 2 objects (the face and the background)

edit. And as you’ll see in those images if you zoom in - it doesn’t change with the lens.
 
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