10 Useful Digital Photography Tutorials for Beginners

1. Beginner Photography Course

Source: photographycourse.net This free online course on PhotographyCourse.net is divided into 8 information-packed lessons interspersed with useful illustrations to help you grasp the topics being discussed. The site’s original author is Skip Heine, an award-winning photographer who’s been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize on two occasions.

2. An Introduction to Photography

Source: www.alexandrebuisse.org Pro photographer Alexandre Buisse ran a free online course on the social news site Reddit, which can be found in a Subreddit called photoclass. The online class is divided into 6 parts covering gear, exposure, post-processing and so forth. Check out the Subreddit to see the comments (which is valuable towards learning too) left by redditors participating in the class.

3. Back to Basics by Learning DSLR

Source: www.youtube.com This series of 9 video tutorials on YouTube covers the fundamentals of DSLR photography. Each episode in this series goes over subjects such as exposure, RAW vs. JPG, color management, and more.

4. morgueFile Classroom

Source: www.morguefile.com morgueFile, one of the oldest and most popular sites for finding user-submitted free stock photos, has an online class aimed at beginners that want to learn about photography. The class, written by award-winning photographer Jodie Coston, contains 10 lessons. The lessons discuss fundamental photography concepts like composition, aperture and shutter speed, and much more.

5. Bernie’s Better Beginner’s Guide to Photography

Source: berniesumption.com This extensive guide, written from a beginner’s standpoint, contains information about digital photography that the author learned while he was still also just starting out. The guide covers a huge quantity of topics like focal length, metering, filters, etc. The guide contains plenty of images and illustrations that will help you understand the material.

6. CS 178 Digital Photography Course Notes (Stanford University)

Source: graphics.stanford.edu This is the course syllabus and notes of professor Marc Levoy for his introduction to digital photography class at Standford University. If you want to learn the inner workings of your camera, and learn digital photography from a highly technical level, this is a great learning resource.

7. Photography Basics

Source: www.tutorial9.net This short tutorial will introduce you to terms and concepts that you’ll encounter as you learn more about digital photography.

8. Digital Photography Tutorials

Source: www.cambridgeincolour.com This series of beginner-level tutorials on the site Cambridge in Colour, an online learning community for photographers, contains illustrated guides and tutorials focusing in on basics of digital photography. The series of tutorials is categorized into 5 major parts, starting with tutorials on concepts and terminology and ending with specific digital photography techniques and styles.

9. Curtin’s Guide to Digital Cameras

Source: www.shortcourses.com If you’re thinking about becoming a photographer — whether as a hobby or as a profession — the first thing you’ll need is a camera. Also, you’ll eventually have to learn how your camera works in order to get the most out of your tool. This beginner-level guide on digital cameras will give you a ton of information on the inner workings and features of digital cameras.

10. The “Understanding” Series (The Luminous Landscape)

Source: www.luminous-landscape.com The owner of this website, Michael Reichmann, has been a professional photographer for over 40 years, and has put together a series of tutorials covering photography fundamentals where he discusses specific components of photography such as exposure, resolution of images, image sharpness and much more. Also check out the Tutorials category for more tutorials from The Luminous Landscape.

Websites Where You Can Find More Digital Photography Tutorials

If you’re looking for more tutorials about photography, here are other websites to check out.

• Phototuts+ is part of the mega-huge Tuts+ network, and regularly publishes photography tutorials, news, and articles. Check out their Photography Fundamentals category if you’re specifically looking for beginner-level tutorials.
• Adorama Photography TV is a YouTube channel hosted by one of the biggest electronics retailers in the world. The channel frequently puts up episodes of photography tutorials covering a wide array of photography-related topics such as how to set up a photo booth and skin retouching.
• ExposureGuide is a blog about photography tips, techniques, and news. Check out their Photography Basics category if you’re looking for intro-level photography tutorials.
• Photo.net is an online community for photographers. They publish articles and guides that cover beginner to advanced subjects. Head over to the website’s Learn About Photography section to get your hands on basic-level tutorials, articles, and guides.
• Digital Photography School is a leading website about digital photography. To find content specifically for new photographers, check out this web page on their site: Digital Photography Tips for Beginners.
• DigitalRev TV is a popular YouTube channel about Photography. They post tons of useful (and very entertaining) videos about photography. Check out the DigitalRev “How To” Videos playlist if you’d like to find photography tutorials and guides.

What Are Your Favorite Beginner-Level Photography Tutorials?

I’d love to know what other tutorials and resources I missed in this article. Your comments will greatly add to the educational value of this article. Please share your favorite tutorials and resources for novice photographers in the comments below.

*Thumbnail source: graphics.stanford.edu