PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS & TIPS
Free Photography Tutorials, Beginners to Advanced

Photography Tutorials

The table below lists all the tutorials on the site, the camera icons on the right of the page represent the level of the tutorial. Don't take too much notice of the grading, you will be able to understand most of it even as a beginner and even advanced photographers will find there are some gaps in their knowledge. I know I still have plenty to learn. The three camera tutorials however, are for the more adventurous seekers of knowledge and definitely should be left until last by newcomers.

If you are not a big reader or just want a 'quick fix' solution to a problem, try the Top Ten Photography Tips page first. Enjoy your reading - Geoff.

You might also like to take a look at my eBook Learn Digital Photography with Geoff Lawrence.

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Equipment

Cameras

A short introduction to the types of cameras available and a discussion on what you need to look out for when buying a camera.

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Lenses

What you need to know when choosing a new lens.

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Lens Conversion Factor

Confused comparing 35mm lens focal lengths to the new DSLRs? This will make it all clear.

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Flashguns

What you need to know before you go shopping.

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Tripods

More of a 'why you need a tripod' than a buyers guide, but it does include some tips on buying and using a tripod.

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Basic Photography

Begin at the Beginning

A good place to start for complete beginners, the first few things you need to know.

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Selection

A short piece of advice on showing your pictures to others.

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Holding the Camera

How to hold the camera properly and why. Also illustrations of how not to hold the camera.

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Camera Shake

What is it? What does it look like? What causes it? How to avoid it.

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Composition

Composition

An introduction to composition, explaining the 'rule of thirds' and the use of diagonals.

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Composition - Check the Background

Watch out for those ugly dustbins!

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Rule of Thirds

The most important rule of composition.

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Cropping

How to fill your frame with your subject.

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Viewpoint

Another important aspect of composition.

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Depth of Field

What it is and how to use it creatively.

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Blur or Bleah?

How to use Motion Blur, and a discussion on when it's appropriate.

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Trick photography banner
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Exposure

Exposure

Getting away from the auto settings.

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Shutter Speed & Apertures

An explanation of the mechanics of exposure and the side effects of choosing different aperture/shutter speed combinations.

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Exposure Compensation

Overriding the automatic metering system.

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Histograms

What they are trying to tell you.

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Bracketing Exposures

Setting up your camera to take a series of pictures at different exposures.

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ISO Speed

Another piece of the exposure puzzle.

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Reciprocity Failure

An explanation, strictly for the jargon heads.

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Lighting

Lighting

Introduction page.

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Available Light

Getting the best out of the sun.

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Using Reflectors

Filling in the shadows.

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Flash

Break away from the in-camera flash.

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Fill-in Flash

Soften those shadows.

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Red Eye Removal

A quick remedy in Photoshop.

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Studio Lighting

An introduction to indoor lighting.

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Inverse Square Law

A bit of Physics for those who feel the need.

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Color

Color

Introduction page.

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Color Temperature

An introduction to the color temperature scale.

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White Balance

How to set up your camera's manual white balance.

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Gray Card

Using a gray card for color balance and exposure measurement.

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Color Space

Ever had the problem of washed out colors, either on a print or on the screen? The chances are the reason for it is that you're using the wrong color space.

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Working with different subjects

Animals

A few tips for the budding wildlife photographer.

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Buildings

Lighting and perspective.

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Close-Ups

What you need and what to watch out for.

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Extended Depth of Field

For perfectionists.

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Fireworks

All the settings you need.

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Flowers

Photograph flowers like a professional, what you need to know.

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Focus Stacking

For when you need extra depth of field.

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Macro 1:1

How to get those ultra close-ups in focus.

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Panoramas

Shooting a panned sequence of shots and stitching them together to make a panorama.

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Portraits

Techniques to help you capture those golden moments.

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Photography in the Snow

Getting the exposure right in all that white.

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Sports & Action

Tips on how to capture fast action.

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Travel Photography

Take better holiday photos without losing your sanity.

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Wedding Photography

A complete 'how to' for weddings, with an accent on crowd control.

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Working with Models

Bribing people to sit for you.

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Photo Editing

Photo Editing

Introduction page.

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Size

Scaling your files.

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Contrast

Balancing those pixels.

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Color

Dealing with color casts.

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Processing RAW Files

An introduction to Adobe Camera RAW.

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Processing RAW Files using HSL

Advanced use of Adobe Camera RAW.

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Sharpening

Using the unsharp mask.

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Using the Quick Mask

Masking parts of your picture to edit certain areas.

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Adjustment Layer Masks

How to build accurate layer masks.

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Straightening Horizons

A must for landscape and building photographers.

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Replacing Boring Skies

Using layers in Photoshop.

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Using the Channel Mixer

How to make a better job of changing images from color to black & white.

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Using Curves on Adjustment Layers

Playing with contrast and tones to give a more dramatic effect.

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High Dynamic Range

How to shoot and process HDR pictures with Photomatix Pro software.

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Video Tutorials - Photo Editing

How to resize your photos

A short video showing how to resize your images for the web.

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How to correct the color

A short video showing how to make color corrections.

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How to use Levels

A short video showing how to use the levels adjustment to control contrast.

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How to use Curves

A short video showing how to use the curves adjustment to control contrast.

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The Quick Mask

A short video showing how to use the Quick Mask mode to select areas of your photo.

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Layers & Clipping Masks

A short video showing how to blend two layers together using a clipping mask to remove unwanted parts of the image.

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RAW Files - Part 1

A video demonstrating how to use the sliders in ACR

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RAW Files - Part 2

A video demonstrating how to use the tools in ACR

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RAW Files - Part 3

A video explanation of non-destructive editing.

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What to do with your Photos

Printing

Printing your own and sending them out.

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What Now?

What to do with your masterpieces.

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Selling your Photographs

The world of microstock.

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Your Own Website

Have Your Own Photography Website.

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Backups & Storage

Do it now before you lose all your photos.

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EXIF Data

What is it and what's in it for you?

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Other Pages

My eBook

The best eBook in the world.

Recommended Books

Suggestions for further reading.

Trick Photography

My review of a really great e-book.

Photo Quiz

Test your photography knowledge in the fun quiz.

My Gallery

A few of my snaps with some stories that go with them.

Members' Gallery

A place to show us your work and get some feedback.

Forum

A place to ask questions and have a chat.

Blog

Chewing the fat about all things photographic.

Contact Page

My email address.

In an effort to cater for different readers I have divided the knowledge into three distinct levels.

  • Tips - appear in red italic text and are designed as the 'quick fix' department if you want to improve your photography quickly, with the minimum of reading and are prepared to take my word for the details, you could do worse than just follow all the tips. With such readers in mind I have produced the 'top ten photography tips' page.
  • The main body of the text contains more detailed explanations and examples. This is the level at which you will get much more of the whys and wherefores to help the knowledge stick in your mind. I, personally, find it very difficult to retain a new concept if I do not understand why.
  • Anything labeled 'Technical Stuff' is for the ultra curious and those with a certain scientific bent. They are there for completeness. Don't worry at all if you get lost in these bits or don't fully understand. Skipping these bits will not make you any less successful as a photographer.
Learn Digital Photography with Geoff Lawrence eBook

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Learn Photography with Geoff Lawrence