How It’s Done
This is a series of photography lessons written for DSLR owners. The goal is to take a complete novice and give him/her the tools to create great photos in any situation. Does that sound daunting? I am sure you can make it through. Believe it or not, taking good looking photos is pretty easy. Photography concepts aren’t that complicated and neither is Photoshop. The most difficult part of learning to be a good digital photographer is finding all the pieces of knowledge and putting them together in a coherent whole. That’s what these lessons are all about.
With this series of lessons I will lay out my photographic philosophy and techniques in the most straight forward way possible. By the end of it you should be able to visualize the photo before you take it. You will know the excitement that confidence brings. Imagine having the ability to create great photos anywhere, anytime. Stick with these lessons and we’ll get there.
If this course doesn’t work for you, I’ve also included a list of my favorite photography books. Check it out!
– Introduction –
Part One — Understanding the Technicalities
– Lesson 1 — Disillusionment is a Positive First Step –
– Lesson 2 — Your Eyes are a Miracle, Your Camera is a Machine –
– Lesson 3 — Understand Exposure One Pixel at a Time –
– Lesson 4 — What is Aperture and Aperture Value –
– Lesson 6 — It’s All About Focus –
– Lesson 7 — What is ISO and a Deeper Look at Your Image Sensor –
– Lesson 8 — Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and Exposure Modes –
– Lesson 9 — Exposure Compensation –
– Lesson 10 — Shooting in Manual Mode –
– Lesson 11 — A Path Into the Woods –
– More Insights — Photographers Library – Must Reads for Every Photographer
Part Two — Photoshop for Photographers
This is still a work in progress. Someday I’ll write more Photoshop lessons
Lesson 1 — How to Set White Balance in Photoshop
Lesson 2 — Introduction to Photoshop Layers
Lesson 3 — Introduction to Photoshop Layer Masks
Lesson 4 — Using Adobe Camera RAW, Smart Objects and Layers — Not as Difficult as it Sounds
Lesson 5 — Photoshop Layers and Masks in Action
Lesson 6 — How to Combine Two Photos in Photoshop (video tutorial)
Lesson 7 — How to Edit Photos Taken Through an Airliner Window
Part Three — Photographer at Work
When I was learning photography one of the most powerful learning tools I found was simply looking at photos and then reverse engineering the photo and thought process in my head. In this part of my series I am going to try to let you into my head and show you how I planned out various photos. Once you get a handle on the technical side of photography covered in Part 1 this part of the series should accelerate your development as a photographer.
The Limits of Human Perception, Time and Photography
Precariously Perched High Above the Sea
Only In America — Photographing the Space Shuttle
Dreamland — My Love/Hate Relationship With Landscape Photography
At the Raw Edge of the Continent
Turn That Dial All the Way Shoot Me Like a Rocket into Space
Tricked Into Under Exposure in Bright Sun
Fill Flash in Grandma’s Backyard
Miscellaneous Instructional Articles
I wrote these articles before conceiving the “How It’s Done” series. They don’t really fit the theme, but you might find them useful anyways.
When One White Balance Isn’t Enough
How to Remove Digital Artifacts in Photoshop
Average HDR and a Receding Shoreline
How to Photograph a Black Dog in Snow
How to Photograph a Black Dog in Snow, Again
Flying Over Lake Havasu and Thinking of Eliot Porter
How to Take a Photo From an Airliner at Night
How to Take a Photo From an Airliner at Night, Again
*David is an San Francisco Bay Area Photographer . You can order prints of the photos featured on this blog by clicking on the image or visit our website at raboinphotography.com Support this site by using one of my links to Amazon.com
. Thanks!