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LAST UPDATED ON DECEMBER 18, 2022

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This introduction to photography is written for beginners, with several tips and REVIEWS

suggestions to take your skills as far as possible. However, writing an • Camera Reviews
• Lens Reviews
introduction to photography is like writing an introduction to words; as amazing
• Other Gear Reviews
and important as it is, photography can be almost limitlessly complex. What
• Best Cameras and Lenses
separates inspiring photographs from ordinary ones, and how can you improve
the quality of your own work? This article lays a foundation to answer to those PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

questions and more.

Table of Contents
1. What Is Photography? PHOTOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE
BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY
2. A Brief History of Photography and the People Who Made It Succeed
2.0.1. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
2.0.2. Louis Daguerre
2.0.3. Alfred Stieglitz
2.0.4. Dorothea Lange
2.0.5. Ansel Adams WILDLIFE MACRO
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
3. Do You Need a Fancy Camera?
4. What Is the Bare Minimum Gear Needed for Photography?
5. The Three Fundamental Camera Settings You Should Know
6. Photography FAQ
7. The First Steps on Your Photographic Journey
COMPOSITION & BLACK & WHITE
CREATIVITY PHOTOGRAPHY
What Is Photography?
Photography is the art of capturing light with a camera, usually via a digital
sensor or film, to create an image. With the right camera equipment, you can
even photograph wavelengths of light invisible to the human eye, including UV, NIGHT SKY PORTRAIT
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
infrared, and radio.

The first permanent photograph was captured in 1826 (some sources say 1827)
by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France. It shows the roof of a building lit by the
sun. You can see it reproduced below: STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOS

UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS

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“View from the Window at Le Gras” by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce If you like our content, you can subscribe to our
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We’ve come a long way since then.

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Image by NASA (public domain)

The purpose of this article is to introduce the past and present worlds of
photography. You will also find some important tips to help you take better
photos along the way.

A Brief History of Photography and the People Who Made

It Succeed
Color photography started to become popular and accessible with the release of
Eastman Kodak’s “Kodachrome” film in the 1930s. Before that, almost all photos
were monochromatic – although a handful of photographers, toeing the line
between chemists and alchemists, had been using specialized techniques to
capture color images for decades before. You’ll find some fascinating galleries of
photos from the 1800s or early 1900s captured in full color, worth exploring if
you have not seen them already.

These scientist-magicians, the first color photographers, are hardly alone in

pushing the boundaries of one of the world’s newest art forms. The history of
photography has always been a history of people – artists and inventors who
steered the field into the modern era.

So, below, you’ll find a brief introduction to some of photography’s most

important names. Their discoveries, creations, ideas, and photographs shape our
own pictures to this day, subtly or not. Although this is just a brief bird’s-eye
view, these nonetheless are people you should know before you step into the
technical side of photography:

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

Invention: The first permanent photograph (“View from the Window at Le

Gras,” shown earlier)
Where: France, 1826
Impact: Cameras had already existed for centuries before this, but they had
one major flaw: You couldn’t record a photo with them! They simply
projected light onto a separate surface – one which artists used to create
realistic paintings, but not strictly photographs. Niépce solved this problem
by coating a pewter plate with, essentially, asphalt, which grew harder when
exposed to light. By washing the plate with lavender oil, he was able to fix the
hardened substance permanently to the plate.
Quote: “The discovery I have made, and which I call Heliography, consists in
reproducing spontaneously, by the action of light, with gradations of tints
from black to white, the images received in the camera obscura.” Mic drop.

Louis Daguerre

Invention: The Daguerreotype (first commercial photographic material)

Where: France, 1839
Impact: Daguerreotypes are images fixed directly to a heavily polished sheet
of silver-plated copper. This invention is what really made photography a
practical reality – although it was still just an expensive curiosity to many
people at this point. The first time you see a daguerreotype in person, you
may be surprised just how sharp it is.
Quote: “I have seized the light. I have arrested its flight.”

A daguerreotype of Louis Daguerre. Today, this is known as daguerreoception

Alfred Stieglitz

Genre: Portraiture and documentary

Where: United States, late 1800s through mid 1900s
Impact: Alfred Stieglitz was a photographer, but, more importantly, he was
one of the first influential members of the art community to take photography
seriously as a creative medium. He believed that photographs could express
the artist’s vision just as well as paintings or music – in other words, that
photographers could be artists. Today’s perception of photography as an art
form owes a lot to Stieglitz.
Quote: “In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real
than reality.”

Dorothea Lange

Genre: Portrait photography

Where: United States, 1930s
Impact: One of the most prominent documentary photographers in history,
and the photographer behind one of the most influential images of all time
(shown below), is Dorothea Lange. If you’ve ever seen photos from the Great
Depression, you’ve seen some of her work. Her photos shaped the field of
documentary photography and showed the camera’s potential for telling
powerful stories perhaps more than anyone else.
Quote: “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without
a camera.”

“Migrant Mother,” Dorothea Lange’s most famous photograph

Ansel Adams

Genre: Landscape photography

Where: United States
When: 1920s to 1960s (for most of his work)
Impact: Ansel Adams is perhaps the most famous photographer in history,
which is remarkable because he mainly took pictures of landscapes and
natural scenes. (Typically, famous photographers have tended to photograph
people instead.) Ansel Adams helped usher in an era of realism in landscape
photography, and he was an early champion of the environmentalism and
preservation movements in the United States.
Quote: “There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”

“The Tetons and the Snake River,” by Ansel Adams. Public domain

Do You Need a Fancy Camera?

Apple became the world’s first trillion dollar company in 2018 largely because of
the iPhone – and what it replaced.

Alarm clocks. Flashlights. Calculators. MP3 players. Landline phones. GPSs.

Audio recorders.

Cameras.

Many people today believe that their phone is good enough for most
photography, and they have no need to buy a separate camera. And you know
what? They’re not wrong. For most people out there, a dedicated camera is
overkill.

Phones are better than dedicated cameras for most people’s needs. They’re
quicker and easier to use, not to mention their seamless integration with social
media. It only makes sense to get a dedicated camera if your phone isn’t good
enough for the photos you want (like photographing sports or low-light
environments) or if you’re specifically interested in photography as a hobby.

That advice may sound crazy coming from a photographer, but it’s true. If you
have any camera at all, especially a cell phone camera, you have what you need
for photography. And if you have a more advanced camera, like a DSLR or
mirrorless camera, what more is there to say? Your tools are up to the challenge.
All that’s left is to learn how to use them.

What Is the Bare Minimum Gear Needed for Photography?

Camera. If you buy a dedicated camera (rather than a phone), pick one with
interchangeable lenses so that you can try out different types of photography
more easily. Read reviews, but don’t obsess over them, because everything
available today is pretty much equally good as its competition. Find a nice deal
and move on.

Lenses. This is where it counts. For everyday photography, start with a standard
zoom lens like a 24-70mm or 18-55mm. For portrait photography, pick a prime
lens (one that doesn’t zoom) at 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm. For sports, go with a
telephoto lens. For macro photography, get a dedicated macro lens. And so on.
Lenses matter more than any other piece of equipment because they determine
what photos you can take in the first place.

Post-processing software. One way or another, you need to edit your photos.
The software that comes with your computer probably won’t cut it in the long
run. I’m not really a pro-Adobe person, but at the end of the day, Photoshop and
Lightroom are still the standards for photo editing. For now, it’s $10/month for
both of them. An open-source Lightroom alternative called Darktable is an option
if you’re on a budget. Whatever you pick, stick with it for a while, and you’ll learn
it really well.

There are other things that might be optional, but can be very helpful:

1. A tripod. A landscape photographer’s best friend. See our comprehensive

tripod article.
2. Bags. Get a shoulder bag for street photography, a rolling bag for studio
photography, a technical hiking backpack for landscape photography, and so
on.
3. Memory cards. Well, these aren’t optional. Choose something in the 64-128
GB range to start. Get a fast card (measured in MB/second) if you shoot
bursts of photos, since your camera’s memory will clear faster.
4. Extra batteries. Get at least one spare battery to start, preferably two. Off-
brand batteries are usually cheaper, although they may not last as long or
maintain compatibility with future cameras.
5. Polarizing filter. This is a big one, especially for landscape photographers.
Don’t get a cheap polarizer or it will harm your image quality. The one that I
use and recommend is the B+W high transmission nano filter (of the same
thread size as your lens). See our polarizing filter article too.
6. Flash. Flashes can be expensive, and you might need to buy a separate
transmitter and receiver if you want to use your flash off-camera. But for
genres like portrait photography or macro photography, they’re
indispensable.
7. Better computer monitor. It’s almost essential to get IPS monitor (like this
fairly cheap one) for editing photos, rather than a TN-panel monitor. If you
don’t know what that means, we have an article about the difference. I also
recommend a color calibration device so you know you’re editing accurate
colors. Here’s the one I happen to use if you care, but there are a million
options.
8. Cleaning kit. The top item is a microfiber cloth to keep the front of your lens
clean. Also get a rocket blower to remove dust from your camera sensor
easily and safely.
9. Other equipment. There are countless photography accessories available,
from remote shutter releases to GPS attachments, printers, and more. Don’t
worry about these at first; you’ll realize over time if you need any of them.
Instead, go out and start taking pictures first!

The Three Fundamental Camera Settings You Should

Know
Your camera has dozens of buttons and menu options, if not hundreds. How do
you make sense of all these options? And how do you do it quickly in the field?

It’s not easy, but it’s also not as bad you might think. In fact, most of the menu
options are things you’ll only set one time, then rarely or never touch again. Only
a handful of settings need to be changed frequently, and that’s what the rest of
this Photography Basics guide covers.

The three most important settings are called shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
All three of them control the brightness of your photo, although they do so in
different ways. In other words, each brings its own “side effects” to an image. So,
it’s a bit of an art to know exactly how to balance all three for a given photo.

1. Shutter speed: The amount of time your camera sensor is exposed to the
outside world while taking a picture. Chapter 3: Shutter Speed
2. Aperture: Represents a “pupil” in your lens that can open and close to let in
different amounts of light. Chapter 4: Aperture
3. ISO: Technically a bit more complex behind the scenes, but similar to the
sensitivity of film for taking pictures in different lighting conditions. Also
similar to brightening or darkening a photo in post-processing. Chapter 5:
ISO

Equipment: Nikon Z6 II + Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8. Settings: 20 second shutter speed, f/2.0 aperture, ISO
1600

Photography FAQ
This multi-chapter guide goes into a lot more detail about taking good photos,
but you may find that some of your biggest questions can be answered more
quickly. Here’s a quick photography FAQ with some questions we hear all the
time:

What is the purpose of photography?

The purpose of photography can vary depending on what the photographer is
trying to achieve. For example, documentary and news photographers capture
images for the purpose of providing detailed account of actual events, while
hobbyist photographers aim to capture life moments with their families and
friends.

What are the types of photography?

There are many different types of photography, such as landscape, macro,
wildlife, portrait, documentary, fashion, travel and event photography. To see a
more complete list of types of photography, please refer to this article.

What do you need for photography?

To start taking pictures, all you need is a camera, which can be anything from a
basic smartphone to an advanced DSLR or a mirrorless camera. However,
photography equipment is not all that important – light, subject, emotion and
composition are all critical elements of a successful photograph.

What is the most common type of photography?

There are a number of photography genres that are very popular today. These
include portrait, landscape, architecture, fashion, food, sports, wildlife, macro,
street, event and documentary photography.

What equipment do I need as a beginner photographer?

If you are just starting out in photography, all you need is a camera that you are
comfortable with. The rest of photography equipment is going to be based on
your needs. For example, if you want to do landscape photography, you will
need a number of different lenses, a tripod and filters. For portrait photography,
you will need to invest in a good portrait lens and potentially some lighting
equipment.

What is the oldest photograph?

The oldest photograph, “View from the Window at Le Gras”, was captured by
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827.

Who took the first selfie?

The first photographic portrait ever taken was a self-portrait, or a “selfie”. It was
captured in 1839 by Robert Cornelius, an amateur chemist and photography
enthusiast from Philadelphia.

What is a genre in photography?

A photography “genre” is a type of photography, such as landscape
photography, portrait photography, wildlife photography, etc.

How can I learn photography?

You can learn photography from many books and online resources. A lot of
information related to photography can be obtained for free in the forms of
articles and videos. This article is a part of photography basics series, which is
provided by Photography Life for free to everyone.

What makes a great photo?

A great photograph should have good light, subject, and composition – the
three elements that matter the most in photography. The photographer should
have a strong vision, then express it in the most effective way possible, as
explained in this article.

What are the three basic camera settings?

The three basic camera settings are: aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

What is the best type of photography?

Every photography genre has its own appeal. Some people like some genres of
photography more than others.

The First Steps on Your Photographic Journey

In photography, the technical and the creative go hand in hand.

Remember the Ansel Adams quote from earlier? “There is nothing worse than a
sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” If the idea behind a photo is weak, using the
right camera settings won’t make it better.

At the same time, camera settings still matter. In a way, every technical choice is
really an artistic choice in disguise. These settings are worth learning. Your
understanding of photography will improve tenfold when you understand how
camera settings work.

So, the next few chapters of this guide will cover the most important camera
settings: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Then, we’ll dive into the deep end of
composition. This is how photos are made.

Take me to Chapter 3: Shutter Speed

1 Photography Basics Introduction

2 What is Photography? (You are here)

3 Shutter Speed

4 Aperture

5 ISO

6 Composition

7 Metering

8 Camera Modes Take me to Chapter 3: Shutter Speed

9 Focusing

10 Flash

11 Camera Settings

12 How to Take Sharp Pictures

13 Photography Tips for Beginners

14 Photography Ideas