A practical beginner's guide. Everything you need to start taking photographs you are genuinely happy with, in plain English, from a working Dublin photography team.
This guide is genuinely meant to help you take better photographs, whether you have a proper camera or just your phone. There is nothing to sign up for. Read it here, or save it as a PDF and keep it. Work through it in order the first time, then dip back into any section when you need it.
A camera does one simple thing: it collects light for a set amount of time and records it. Everything else is a way of controlling how much light gets in and what stays sharp. Once you understand that, the settings stop feeling random.
Three things control the light: the aperture (how wide the lens opens), the shutter speed (how long the sensor is exposed), and the ISO (how sensitive the sensor is). Together they decide how bright your photograph is and a lot of how it looks. The next chapter covers them properly.
"Exposure" just means how bright or dark your photograph is. You balance it with three settings, often called the exposure triangle because changing one usually means adjusting another.
Aperture is the opening in the lens, measured in f-numbers such as f/2.8 or f/8. A low f-number is a wide opening that lets in a lot of light and gives a shallow depth of field, so the subject is sharp and the background is soft. A high f-number is a small opening that keeps more of the scene sharp, which suits landscapes and group photos.
Shutter speed is how long the sensor is exposed, measured in fractions of a second such as 1/200. A fast shutter freezes movement. A slow shutter lets movement blur, which can be lovely for flowing water but will also blur a photograph if your hands shake. As a rough rule, hand-held shots need roughly 1/125 or faster to stay sharp.
ISO is how sensitive the sensor is to light. Low ISO, such as 100, gives the cleanest image and suits bright conditions. High ISO lets you shoot in the dark but adds grain, called noise. Keep ISO as low as the light allows, and raise it only when you need to.
The three work together. In dim light you might open the aperture, slow the shutter as far as you safely can, and then raise ISO to make up the difference.
Composition is simply how you arrange what is in the frame. A few habits make an immediate difference:
Rules are starting points, not laws. Once they feel natural you will know when to break them.
Photography is really the study of light. The same subject looks completely different in harsh midday sun and in soft evening light.
In Ireland the light changes quickly, so learn to look at it and work with what you have. A bright, cloudy day is often ideal.
Focal length, measured in millimetres, decides how wide or tight your view is. A small number such as 24mm is wide and takes in a lot. A large number such as 85mm is tight and is flattering for portraits. A 50mm sits close to how we naturally see and is a superb, affordable lens to learn on.
If you are using a phone, the same ideas apply. Move your feet rather than relying only on the zoom, which usually reduces quality.
Most people feel awkward in front of a camera, so your job is to help them relax.
Editing is part of photography, not cheating. You do not need anything expensive to start. Free tools on your phone or computer are plenty. Keep it light:
Aim for a natural result you would be happy to print, not a heavily filtered one.
Video follows the same light and composition ideas, with a couple of additions. Frame rate is how many frames are recorded each second; 24 or 25 frames per second gives a natural, cinematic feel. Keep the camera steady, plan short shots rather than long wandering ones, and pay attention to sound, because poor audio spoils good footage faster than anything else.
Reading only gets you so far. Try these over a week:
Do a little often. Your eye improves faster than your gear ever will.
We are adding more free lessons in our Learn Photography section. If you are planning a session or a wedding and would rather leave it to us, have a look at our pricing or get in touch. Either way, keep shooting.