Introduction to Photography

This is the introduction to the Photography unit of Explorer University! I’m going to give you an overview of the tutorials to come. 

Prefer to watch this in video format?😏

Welcome to the Photography unit of Explorer University! In this portion of the course, I’m going to cover everything you need to know to take beautiful photos, from start to finish. Whether you’ve never touched a camera in your life or you’re already out there shooting, there’s going to be endless content to learn.

Let’s dive into a brief overview!

How is it organized?

The Photography unit contains 52 tutorials, each marked by (1) in front of a (.) followed by a (#). This tutorial, for example, is labeled (1.1). The next tutorial, Philosophy, is labeled (1.2). The Editing unit, on the other hand, starts with a (2) instead of a (1).

This indicates the order in which to follow the tutorials if you are starting from scratch. If you’re already well versed in certain subjects, feel free to jump around. 

What am I going to learn?

Starting off, I’m going to give you an overview of my adventure photography philosophy, so you can take a step into my mind and understand how I think in the field.

Then, I am going to move into camera equipment. Specifically, I am going to give an overview of the gear, then explain in detail what to look for in cameras, lenses, filters, drones and accessories. This will ensure that you know exactly what you are getting when you’re out shopping for your first setup. I’ll also be covering how to care for these devices, to maintain their longevity through harsh conditions.

From there, I am going to dive into the basics of shooting. Arguably the most important part of this course, I’ll be explaining how to maximize the quality of your images. I’ll be covering what dynamic range is, how to focus and expose properly, and what all those extra little settings in your camera are. This will create a solid foundation that will eventually turn into muscle memory.

Next, I’m going to move into location scouting. AKA- how can we find interesting places to shoot? You’ll learn how to find hidden gems, what times of day to shoot, how to use Google Maps/Earth to your advantage, and how to talk your way into places that might otherwise be off-limits to the general public. We’ll also cover the importance of warming up, and how to effectively get into the right mindset.

Then, we’re going to move into my favorite part of the course- composition. How can we make a any scene look exciting? I got an entire arsenal of tricks for you.

We’ll start with a deep dive into each of the Seven Elements of Design, which are Lines, Shape, Form, Color, Texture, Value, and Space. Then, we’ll explore the Seven Principles of Art- Balance, Contrast, Pattern, Movement, Proportion, Variety, and Harmony. Finally, we’ll learn how to combine these techniques to make something truly special by talking about storytelling. By the end of this section, your artistic eye is going to be sharp as a knife.

Finally, we’re going to wrap up the Photography unit with environmental specific tips. This means detailed tutorials for aerial, astro, desert, portraits, forests, freshwater, frozen, mountain, rural, seascape, urban, and wildlife photography. Each of these environments have their own techniques and nuances, which I will break down accordingly so you’ll be ready for anything that you encounter in the field.

Last but not least, I’m going to cover some popular photography slang, and give some tips for preserving the land we’re shooting.

Now let’s get started!

If you want to follow the course in order from start to finish, simply select the first tutorial on the bottom right, titled “The Philosophy of Adventure Photography". The link to the next tutorial will always be located at the bottom right of the page, which will allow you to follow the course in sequence.

If you’d rather hop around to different topics, click here to go back to the Learn page, which is the home page for Explorer University. On this page you’ll see the Table of Contents, where you can select specific tutorials.

Happy learning!