DSLR photography can be a little bit daunting at first. I know when I first started, I kept my camera on Auto Mode ALL THE TIME.
I soon became frustrated though because although I had this beautiful camera, my photos didn’t look any more special than anyone elses. But then I stepped out of that Auto Mode box and here’s a little taste of what happened:
I hope you’re reading this from a spot where you can do a little happy dance because I’m about to share my secret on how I improved my photography skills and now have full creative control with you.
MY STORY
THE BEGINNING
I remember my first few months with my DSLR camera. I was just firing off that shutter button at everything in sight. The thing was, I had an idea in my head of what I wanted my photos to look like but I didn’t know how to tell my DSLR how to do it!
My photos rarely turned out the way I wanted.
Then one day, I decided to turn that all-so-intimidating camera mode dial from ‘Auto’ to ‘P.’ I even remember wondering ‘what the heck does P even stand for anyway?‘
Honestly, I thought it meant Portrait Mode. Oh boy was I wrong! If you already knew this then you get a great big virtual high-five, but in case you’re wondering, P stands for Program Mode.
I took a few photos on Program Mode but didn’t see much difference because I didn’t understand what settings I was able to change in this mode. Onto the next mode, I thought. Maybe my photos aren’t turning out because I’m not taking pictures of portraits (nope, I still hadn’t looked up what P Mode stood for). All I knew was that I needed to try something different to get that soft background look I so desperately wanted.
THE FAILED ATTEMPT
I did a little research at the time and found out that Aperture was the main exposure setting you want to change in order to get that soft background look. So I turned that camera mode dial to Aperture Priority mode and just started playing around with different Aperture settings.
Sometimes, I could get that soft background look, but good luck getting that shot again! I didn’t understand the components of getting that soft background look so it was basically only by luck that I ever even got the shot!
So, I did more research online to try to understand how to use my DSLR, but I never felt like I really got the whole story. I was just getting bits and pieces as things popped up that I wanted to try. Basically, I was trying to run full speed ahead without having learned to walk yet. As a result, when I attempted something after researching, I didn’t fully understand why certain settings resulted in certain looks within the photo because I had no foundation. Because of this, I felt I had a tough time retaining the information and found myself even more frustrated than before.
I wanted to learn how to use my DSLR so I could gain creative control and have my photos turn out the way I wanted but I didn’t want to go to school for photography. This was just a hobby for me. Then, I stumbled across something that completely changed my photography game.
HOW I STEPPED OUT OF MY AUTO MODE COMFORT ZONE
I was on YouTube when I found myself watching a trailer for Photography 101. It’s like the guy was speaking right to me! His name is Pye by the way.
Pye was talking about understanding the artistic components of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. YES! That’s exactly what I wanted to know!
He also touched on things like how to master exposure in photography, understanding stops of light, tips on how to get tack sharp images, and even details like what makes a truly great photograph. The more I watched, the more excited I got. So, I headed on over to SLR Lounge’s website and started streaming the online course.
I found that throughout the course, I was pretty much smiling all the time. On top of that, with Pye’s witty and fun approach, I felt like it was easy to retain the information. I blew through the course in no time (one week) and was inspired to get cracking, so I took my camera and headed out for an adventure.
Yup, that’s my photo. And I have Pye to thank for it.
What I love about this course is that it answered questions I didn’t even know I had like:
- the advantages and disadvantages of both prime and zoom lenses, and
- why it’s so important to consider the reciprocal rule. Before this course, I didn’t even know what the reciprocal rule was!
Looking back and seeing how much time I spent on Google just researching bits and pieces rather than getting the whole story in a logical order kind of makes me sad, but I’m so happy to have taken this course when I did because I feel so proud of what I’m now able to capture. My passion for photography has blossomed so much and I’m even getting requests to purchase prints!
My little hobby is quickly turning into a business and I feel I have this course to thank. If you’re feeling the same way I was; frustrated and wondering why your DSLR photos aren’t turning out the way you want, perhaps consider giving Photography 101 – Mastering Manual Mode from SLR Lounge a try. To share full disclosure, I do receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase through my link. But honestly, if I didn’t believe in this course, I wouldn’t recommend it.
WHAT’S INSIDE PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Basically this e-course is a collection of videos designed to teach newbie photographers how to take amazing photos using the most basic DSLR cameras. They even use standard kit lenses and basic Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLR cameras in the tutorials themselves!
What’s great is that they cover a variety of photography genres here. So whether you’re interested in landscape photography (like me), food photography, photojournalism (so you can catch that little monkey eating the cookie), etc., they go over all the basics plus bonus tips and tricks for each.
COURSE OUTLINE:
I’ve summarized some of these because there’s 7 hours of content in this course. They really do cover a lot!
Chapter 1: Basic Photography Concepts
- Mastery of How Your Camera Works
- Understanding the Exposure Triangle
- What is a Stop of Light?
- How to Read Your Histogram Properly
- Understanding the Artistic Components of Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO
- How to Adjust White Balance Presets
Chapter 2: Understanding Exposure
- Why There’s No Such Thing as the Correct Exposure
- How to Measure or Meter Light
- Key Points to Understanding ISO and Image Quality
- Understanding the 3 Primary Metering Modes
- How to Compensate for Overly Bright or Dark Scenes
- How to Get Perfect Exposures in One Shot
Chapter 3: From Auto Mode to Manual (this one’s my favourite)
- How to use Fully Automated Modes + Where They Fall Short
- How to Master Manual Mode
Chapter 4: Sharp Images and Focusing Techniques
- Tips to Get Tack Sharp Images
- 15 Tips when Having Trouble Focusing
- 3 Primary Techniques of Autofocus + Strengths and Weaknesses of Each
- Reciprocal Rule in Photography
Chapter 5: Composition, Artistry, and Creating Great Images
- What Truly Makes a Great Photograph
- How to Successfully Capture Candid Moments
- How to Find the Right Light in Photography
- Compositional Theories
- How to Create Better Photos Using Colour Theory
- How to Create an Impactful Photo by Telling a Story in Your Images
Chapter 6: Learning More About Your Camera
- Prime vs Zoom Lenses in Photography
- Crop vs Full Frame Cameras
- Raw vs Jpeg in Photography
- How Lenses Affect your Composition
- Memory Card Tips
Plus, there are BONUSES!
- Lighting, Setup and Posing
- Informational Graphics, Tips and Notes to Help Better Grasp the Concepts
This is all done out on the scene (8 different locations to be exact) so it’s engaging and fun to follow along. I’m absolutely a visual person so I loved learning by watching as Pye and Michelle share their techniques, tips and tricks throughout the course.
MY TWO FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY 101
1 – SHOWING THE BEFORE AND AFTER
Pye shows on-scene what the photo looks like first when shooting in Auto Mode. Then, he explains the techniques to immediately make the photo better in Manual Mode. I loved seeing the before and after (Auto to Manual), rather than just the after because I actually understood why he was changing certain settings to make the Manual photo turn out so incredibly stunning. He makes it look super simple, but when I got out and practiced the techniques, I noticed how easy it actually is.
2 – UNDERSTANDING WHAT GOES INTO MAKING TRULY GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
In Photography 101, Pye and Michelle don’t just teach the technical aspects, they also go over the details on what goes into taking great photos that stand out above the rest. They teach you how to truly capture the moment by using Manual Mode artistically. Pye also reveals how to use color to get a more purposeful image. He even goes over the three specific colour schemes to create an image that has a stronger message.
This course didn’t just teach me the photography basics, it taught me how to master Manual Mode and I feel I was able to truly walk away from this course being a better photographer with an arsenal of techniques, tips, tricks, knowledge on gear, you name it, that I didn’t even think to look up on Google.
TWO MINOR THINGS I WASN’T SO KEEN ON ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY 101
1 – LOTS OF FOCUS ON BOKEH
Throughout the course, learning how to create that beautiful ‘bokeh’ or blurred background was a common theme for most of photography styles. I felt like this was used too much. The only exception was landscapes. This is a great technique to call attention to your subject though. The good thing is, I definitely feel like I’m a pro with being able to do that now!
2 – COUPLE OF PLUGS FOR OTHER COURSES
All online courses seem to do this, but I was just a little put-off by the fact that they used a couple of moments in the tutorials to touch on their other products. For example, they just share a peek of how to edit photos. Then they’d say, for more info, check out this other course. I suppose they can’t cover everything in one course though!
SHOULD YOU GET THIS COURSE?
I can’t answer this for you, but I do know that my photography skills have grown leaps and bounds because of it. Had I not taken this course, I feel I would be much further behind and perhaps even still feeling discouraged with the way my photos were looking.
If you watch the intro, you’ll see Pye notes that not only will you love this course, but you’ll walk away from it being a better photographer. At first I was certainly skeptical, but after having taken the course, I can fully agree with him.
If you’d like to give Photography 101: Mastering Manual Mode a SLR Lounge Workshop a try, click here to get started! One last photo for inspiration:
Thanks so much for reading, friends! I hope this article inspires you to get out and get some awesome photos with your DSLR soon!