[pschlute]

I firmly believe that anyone who reads the Cambridge in Colour tutorials and puts into practice what they learn will have a pretty solid foundation on which to build...

CiC is a wonderful site with great tutorials and many knowledgeable members

[35mmfilmfan]

Very nice ideas and sentiments here, Tony - bravo for the considerate suggestion.

I would be happy to write a few articles, but couldn't commit to a time-line at present, as I have a couple of projects on the go and other demands on my time. That said...

I'm a big fan of the website "Cambridge in Colour". As someone who only got into photography properly around 2010, and only seriously since perhaps 2014, I've learned a lot of fundamental stuff from its tutorials. They're each quite short, and written (mostly) in terminology that beginners will understand and more experienced folks will appreciate, and they cover all manner of essential subjects. I would heartily recommend anyone, whatever their level, to read every tutorial in the "Concepts & Terminology", "Using Camera Equipment" and "Photo Techniques & Styles" section. There are also some good tutorials on "Editing & Post-processing" and "Colour Management & Printing" for those who are ready to delve into these equally-important but, perhaps, secondary topics.

I firmly believe that anyone who reads the Cambridge in Colour tutorials and puts into practice what they learn will have a pretty solid foundation on which to build...

Thanks for these links and info - I am sure many of us will appreciate them. I'll check them out over the weekend - tomorrow I'll be out taking photos !

[Lord Lucan]

some may find helpful. Is anyone ... willing and able to provide a simple low-level explanation of these points

I would be happy to contribute something. What does Adam think?

.... focusing on camera settings, how to use a camera are mostly "missing the plot" with regards to photography as a graphical art. ..... So, my number 1 recommendation to beginner photographers ... would be to forget about equipment, forget about camera settings and learn about graphical arts, human vision, distances, perspectives, and compounding elements to create images.

It is not an either-or situation. A good photographer needs to understand and recognise art, and also needs to understand the technology. I believe that is what makes photography fascinating, a rare combination of art and technology. If we want to forget about camera settings etc, what are we on this forum doing with such expensive and capable cameras? Should we only use the green button mode?

Understanding aperture, ISO etc is an entirely different issue from being obsessed with gear and delusional thinking that a different camera will take better pictures.

I am an engineer (like yourself by the sound of it) and I have written thousands of pages of technical specifications and reports, and have worked on the building of big ugly power stations and ships. But I also write poetry and have a strong interest in the histories of art and architecture. Similarly I am quite active in the technical discussions here on PF but also post pictures for the pictures' sake. I don't see a conflict, and I don't find either gets in the way of the other. Those old master painters did think and talk a lot among themselves about their techniques, and they served apprenticeships - they did not just walk up to a canvas and start daubing (although I do realise that is a style in itself). Similarly, those master builders of medieval cathedrals did not just pile up stones : as apprentices they had learned and understood many of the same structural principles that we understand today, although it is now easier to run the numbers.

I have to agree with biz-engineer... It's like a writer focusing on the pencil instead of the story.

I don't see a pencil as the analogy of a modern DSLR. That would be a phone camera

[wadge22]

I think the fundamentals of exposure article (aka exposure basics: a complete guide for beginners) on this very site is a pretty good place for beginners to start, including useful and understandable visualizations. If I were to consider writing such an article, I don't think it would come out any better than that one. As most above have noted, though, knowing that stuff doesn't mean you know to create pleasing images

[DCCable]

I'm going to draw a parallel here between photography and music, specifically music from the standpoint of the musician. In order to produce the music a musician hears in his or her head he/she must be proficient on their chosen instrument which takes on average around 10,000 hours of practice time for mere mortals. Now while the mechanics or photography is by and large easier to master than the piano it's still a requirement for getting what we want out of a given shot in a given situation. Modern digital cameras make a lot of that transparent for the majority of situations say 80%, the other 20% of the time requires us to step outside the box and revert to manual settings on our cameras, or the use of vintage manual lens, or tripods, etc, etc. Yes the vision has to be there for what we want to get, photograph wise, in any given situation, but we have to know how to get that out of our equipment. It's why photography is called an art and science.

[clackers]

There are some articles here on the Forum (if you dig for them !) but some are over a decade old, and although the underlying principles have not changed, I feel they gloss over the 'Absolute Beginner' information which some may find helpful. Is anyone (Clackers please step forward) willing and able to provide a simple low-level explanation of these points, including possibly an explanation of the origins of the terminology ? I am sure that this would help many who wish to progress from the 'Auto Everything' stage to understanding how to get the results they like while being in greater control of the camera, until they were confident enough to attempt to use 'Manual Everything'.

Yeah, all good ideas, Tony. Will add them to the future ideas list for Beginners' Tips.

I always thought Bryan Petersen explained the basics very well, FWIW.

I'll probably only refer to the terminology origins in passing, I'd rather concentrate on helping newbies' techniques rather than turn them off with a history lesson. I'm super interested in the past and explanations, but I reckon most people under the age of fifty could care less. With my interests in Civil War generals and the Great Vowel Shift in English between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, it's a wonder anyone married me.

Wikipedia will give definitions and timelines. I reckon their articles could do with more cheap, recycled jokes, of course!

[kmcsmart]

Leica Australia has a great 8 part YouTube series “Take Better Photos Webinar Series” that covers camera basics.

The series consists of:
Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO/Exposure
Depth of Field
Focusing
Lenses
Composition
What to Photograph

Here is a link to the first in the series.
https://youtube.be/1dmTt2APBvw

Karen

[35mmfilmfan]

Thank you for these links, @kmcsmart, they look as though they will be most helpful to many of us.

Tony

[micromacro]

So, my number 1 recommendation to beginner photographers (save them 10 years of stalled progress) would be to forget about equipment, forget about camera settings and learn about graphical arts, human vision, distances, perspectives, and compounding elements to create images. At the very end, know how to use the camera, but that should be fairly low in the things needed as a photographer. I would recommend to learn photography via reading about composition for paintings. I would warn about asking any camera maker for learning about photography, because their rhetoric is all about selling more cameras and more lenses, they have very remote interests in graphical arts.

I have to disagree. My first recommendation to very beginner would be to learn all basic technical aspects of equipment. Then, when he or she reaches the point "all my pictures are total crap" ))), then it's time to search why. Maybe even start painting, or drawing. Recently I switch between painting and photography, and both hobbies complement each other. But it took me a couple of years to go to that direction, before all my drive was about controlling camera, then controlling light, then exploring more. The main thing, I guess, in any visual art is learning the tools. Like now I'm learning oil painting- learning the mediums and techniques - control over the tool.

[beholder3]

my recommendation is to first learn what it is what you want and only afterwards decide on how to get there best.

And the learning about what someone wants can be done most efficiently using the web and collecting a set of photos which you like.

If someone collects 50 favorite images and they all are landscapes then you have a much clearer view and what learning brings the most benefit.

You can skip flash instructions and ignore most equipment discussions for a starter.

Some things might be basics for textbooks, but wasted time for many people in reality.

[35mmfilmfan]

Thanks, everyone, for your interest, contributions and suggestions - all bound to be helpful to many people.

[clackers]

And the learning about what someone wants can be done most efficiently using the web and collecting a set of photos which you like.

If someone collects 50 favorite images ...

Great suggestion. Build a Pinterest (or whatever) mood board, and let that guide future shooting, learning, gear acquisition!