Videos

There are numerous so-called "rules" of photography, and one of the most common is to always shoot at ISO 100 whenever possible. This notion is particularly prevalent among landscape photographers who strive for optimum image quality and the maximum amount of detail in every image they shoot.

It's taken him a while, but photographer Peter McKinnon has finally completed Part Three of his Camera Basics video series. To learn some essential camera knowledge, watch the free 15-minute tutorial below immediately.

If you’re reading this page we assume it’s no mystery that the term “shutter speed” describes the length of time your camera’s shutter remains open when you take a photograph. That’s half of the exposure equation, the other being lens aperture, that determines how much light hits the sensor (or film) in your camera.

Earlier this week we posted a simple primer explaining how a camera’s metering system works. In the quick video below, pro Brian Worley examines the Shutter Priority mode and demonstrates when and how you can use this setting as a creative tool.

Many photographers are confused by the fact that some modern cameras have two shutters; a conventional mechanical one and another that’s electronic. The explainer below from the Montana-based Rocky Mountain School of Photography (RMSP) demystifies the difference.

Just because you have a camera with a fast and accurate autofocus system, and a bag of lenses to match, that doesn’t mean you should simply depress the shutter button half-way and wait for the green LED to light up. As you’ll see in this tutorial, there’s a lot more to sharp photos than that.

One of the first challenges faced by inexperienced photographers is arriving at a correct exposure, and this can be particularly difficult when shooting outdoor scenes full  of bright highlights and deep shadows. This tutorial explains how to take advantage of a simple camera setting that enables you to control the brightness of an image by instantly increasing or decreasing exposure.