10 of the Best Photography Tutorials for Beginners from Live Snap Love
Over the years, we have written SO many photography tutorials for beginners here on the Live Snap Love blog, that I thought it was high time that I compiled a few of our best ones into one place!
If you are brand new to photography (heck, maybe you just got your hands on your first DSLR at Christmas!) you are going to find SO much good stuff here. I highly recommend you bookmark this page, or pin it to your Pinterest boards so you can come back to it later!
But even if you’ve been shooting for a little while, some of these tutorials are going to give you a new perspective or add to your knowledge (you don’t know what you don’t know!) so I recommend you still check them out. even if you’ve been shooting a while.
Now, before we dive in, I wanted to let you know about an extra special freebie I’ve created just for you! It’s my FREE 90 Day Photography Learning Blueprint, and it’s a complete roadmap for you to follow that shows you exactly what you need learn to get great photos. This little PDF is worth its weight in gold, so go grab it now (you’ll kick yourself in about a week if you don’t!)
#1 Learn What The Numbers on Your Camera Lens Mean
One of the things that can instantly throw a new photographer is lenses, in particular what do all the numbers on your lens mean, and what difference does each one make when shooting, and how can you use that information to choose which lens might be best for you.
This post breaks all that down for you, so you’ll know exactly what each number means, and understand how your lens will perform when shooting. (You can even grab a Which Lens Kickstarter Guide whilst you’re there!)
Click here to read: “What do the Numbers On A Camera Lens mean?”
#2 - Understand ALL The Functions Of Your Camera Lens
A great follow up tutorial to number one is this one where we go into everything you can see on your lens, so what each switch does, and even what that funny little window thing is meant for too 😀
Click here to read: “Camera Lenses Explained”
#3 - Learn about the difference between a full frame and crop frame sensor
This is one of those terms that you are going to hear bandied around a lot, or people might ask you which one you have - a full or crop frame sensor. Have a quick read of this so that you understand the difference, and why it matters!
Click here to read: Full Frame Vs Crop Frame: What’s The Difference?
#4 - Learn the Exposure Triangle in Photography
Now that we have a little bit more knowledge about our gear, let’s take some steps in learning how to use it! The first post I’m going to direct you to is this one, which gives you a beginners guide to the exposure triangle. This is a fundamental building block of photography, so it’s the perfect place to start! This tutorial will guide you through what exposure is, the three elements that control it, and how they all work together. And as a bonus, I'll be showing you how you can put all this together in practice to take better photos, so be sure to watch right to the end :)
Click here to read The Exposure Triangle in Photography.
#5 - Create A Filing Structure
Another thing I wish I could travel back in time and tell my beginner photography self? Get started with a filing system for your photos as soon as humanly possible. It doesn’ t need to be fancy (you can and should get more detailed later on) but for now, just get a dedicated place for your photos,and with a folder structure that you can use over and over again. Check out this post where I go over two simple folder structures you can use for your photos, and help you choose the best one for you.
Click here to read Best Folder Structure For Photos?
#6 - Discover Aperture in this Guide For New Photographers
Again, think of this as a follow along to number 3, where we get a bit more in-depth about ONE of the building blocks of your exposure, Aperture. This element is SO important not just for exposure, but also for how your image LOOKS, so we’ll go a bit further with the basics in this blog post, where we talk about F stops, what depth of field is, and how we can use our aperture to get more creative photos.
Click here to read What is Aperture? A guide for new photographers
#7 - Learn why your photos are grainy
Once you’ve been shooting for a little bit, you’ll probably start to notice “grain” over your images - that speckly stuff that makes your images not look as sharp and crisp as clear as you would like. This blog post explains what that grain is, but also gives you some tips for how to avoid it in the future!
Click here to read Why are my photos grainy? And how Do I Fix it?
#8 -Make Time For Learning Photography
One of the complaints I hear from both new and more experienced photographers alike is how hard it is to find time to learn or practise photography. I hear ya sister! Finding enough hours in the day is something I struggle with too, but I do have a way of trying to ensure that I factor in some time during the day that is just for me, and just for photography. Click through to read the full post and find that extra half hour in your day:
Click here to read "How To Make Time For Learning Photography"
#9 - Learn how to Shoot in Manual Mode Step By Step
If you’ve been here for any length of time, you’ll know just how important moving away from the AUTO modes in your camera is - honestly, learning how to shoot in manual mode is one of the BEST things you can do on your photography journey, and it’s something I wish I had embraced much earlier in my photography journey. Don’t get me wrong, it is tricky to begin with, but start as soon as you can, and you’ll reap the rewards earlier. Here’s my step by step (and I do mean step by step!!) guide to shooting in Manual Mode.
Click here to read How to Shoot In Manual Mode
#10 - Get Photography Ideas for Beginners
This last one isn’t really a photography tutorial for beginners as such, rather more a post that will give you some inspiration and ideas for things you can try as a new photographer - from trying your hand at silhouettes to composition guides you can use, and much more. It really is a great post for you when you feel ready to expand your knowledge and try out some new things!
Click here to read 9 Photography Ideas for Beginners
I really hope you enjoyed these 10 Photography Tutorials for Beginners!
Don’t forget to download your FREE 90 Day Photography Learning Blueprint before you go too: there is so much goodness in this little PDF that you’ll definitely want this with you on your photography journey. Grab it here:
