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Learning photography doesn't have to be complicated...

And while there are many different tips, tricks, and methods you can learn to improve your photography, there are just a few foundational things you need to learn to get on the path to maximizing your potential behind the lens.

In the video above, David Manning gives a fantastic overview of photography basics in just 10 minutes. You have 10 minutes to learn the fundamentals, right?

His approach is an interesting one that's based on the Pareto Principle, which states that you can achieve 80 percent of your desired results with 20 percent of the effort. That's why you can learn 80 percent of the fundamentals of photography in such a short period of time.

Now, obviously, you want to achieve 100 percent of the desired results, so you'll need to invest a lot of time in practicing what you learn. But you'll get there faster if you sit down, watch the video above, and utilize some of the additional resources I've listed below to help you on your photography journey.

What are the Photography Basics?

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I won't repeat what David discusses word for word, but I at least want to quickly identify the major principles he discusses so you can have a good list of resources to refer to for additional learning.

The first thing David discusses is ISO, which controls how sensitive the camera's sensor is to light. The higher the ISO (e.g., ISO 3200), the more sensitive the sensor is; the lower the ISO (e.g., ISO 100), the less sensitive it is.

But, the issue is that when you crank the ISO up, it generates noise and grain in the photo - which can look cool sometimes, but usually it's something you want to avoid. So, when setting the ISO, you want to try to use the lowest possible setting to avoid introducing too much noise.

Refer to David's video for a deeper dive into what ISO is and how it impacts your images. Also, our article entitled ISO Explained for Beginner Photographers is a good read on this topic.

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The next camera setting David discusses is aperture, which controls the amount of light that passes through the lens. The larger the aperture (e.g., f/2), the more light that passes through the lens; the smaller the aperture (e.g., f/18), the less light that passes through.

As you increase the size of the aperture opening, the depth of field in an image, or the area of the shot that's in sharp focus, is reduced. On the other hand, as the size of the aperture decreases, the depth of field is increased. This is why portrait photographers, who want a nice, blurry background behind their subject, often use large apertures, like f/2, f/2.8, and f/4. Conversely, landscape photographers typically want the entire scene in sharp focus, so they'll use a larger aperture like f/8 or f/11 to maximize the depth of field.

David has a great discussion of the relationship between depth of field and aperture in the video. But we also have a nice resource on this topic too.

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Last, but not least, is shutter speed, which controls the duration of light passing through the lens. The faster the shutter speed (e.g., 1/4000 seconds), the less time the shutter is open, and the less light that's allowed to hit the camera's sensor. The slower the shutter speed (e.g., 1/30 seconds), the longer the shutter is open and the more light that's allowed to hit the sensor.

A fast shutter speed helps you freeze motion, so if you're photographing a fast-moving object like a train passing by, a fast shutter speed will need to be used in order to freeze its movement. If, on the other hand, you want to blur motion, you can use a slower shutter speed to create effects like light trails on cars that pass by at night. 

Of course, the specific shutter speed you need to freeze or blur motion depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the speed of the object you're photographing. Again, David has a wonderful explanation of how this works in the video. For additional resources on shutter speed, be sure to check out Shutter Speed Explained for the Beginning Photographer.

Other Beginner Photography Tips Worth Learning

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Since you're already learning about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, it's worth continuing that education by learning how these three camera settings work together to create a well-exposed image. 

Together, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed are known as the Exposure Triangle. Using the Exposure Triangle will help you determine what settings to use to get a shot that is well-exposed, with good highlights, midtones, and shadows. Read our tutorial on that subject here.

On the topic of composition, it's also worth learning some basic rules that will help you create eye-pleasing photos. The Rule of Thirds is a great tool to use for composing better shots, as are leading lines if you're taking landscape photos. Speaking of which, our tutorial on the best camera settings for landscape photography is a fantastic resource to get you ready for taking killer landscape photos.

If you're more into portrait photography, give these Easy Portrait Photography Tips for Beginners a try, or for a more detailed tutorial, learn about the best camera settings for portrait photography.

Of course, we have thousands of other articles on the site you can explore, too. Be sure to check out David's other videos as well to get some quick tips on improving your photography!