Cross Schoolphotography from scratch: a reference for learning on your own

An independent reference for people learning photography on their own. It is not a school or studio and has no connection to the former site on this domain; we do not sell courses or photo shoots.

Practice

Practice assignments

Photography is learned with your hands and eyes, not just by reading. This section collects assignments that need nothing more than any camera or phone: a week-long series of one scene in different light, exposure bracketing to understand stops, and a short list of signs that you are shooting without thinking. Do the assignments with your own subjects and keep every frame, including the failures: later, they show best of all what you have learned.

A failed frame whose cause you understand is more useful than a good one that happened by chance.

— Editor's note

How this section works: assignments are described step by step and need no special gear. Timings are approximate, so stretch them if you are short of time. After each assignment, review your photos and write down one conclusion to take into your next shoot.

Assignment for the week: one scene in different light

  1. Choose a scene

    Find a place or object you can easily return to every day: the view from a window, a corner of a room, a tree in the yard. The scene should stay the same; only the light will change.

  2. Fix your position

    Shoot from the same spot with the same framing. Mark where you stand or rest the camera on the same support so that you can compare the shots fairly.

  3. Shoot at different times

    Over the week, take frames in the morning, at midday, in the evening, in overcast weather and under artificial light. If you can, photograph the scene at dusk too.

  4. Note the conditions

    For each frame, record the time, the weather and the direction of the light. Later these notes will help you connect what you saw with what ended up in the photo.

  5. Compare the series

    At the end of the week, lay the frames side by side. Look at where the shadows are softer, the colour warmer and the texture more visible, and which light best conveys the mood of the place.

  6. Pick your favourite light

    Name the frame you like most and explain why. Remember that time and weather: next time you will be able to turn up for a shoot at the right moment.

Exposure bracketing

  1. Choose a high-contrast scene

    A window looking out onto the street from inside a room, or a tree against a bright sky, works well: in scenes like these you can see straight away where detail gets lost.

  2. Take a frame by the meter

    Photograph the scene the way the camera suggests, and change nothing else afterwards except exposure compensation.

  3. Add darker and brighter frames

    Shift the exposure one stop down and take a frame, then one stop up and shoot again. If you like, add frames one step further in each direction.

  4. Compare the histograms

    Open the histogram for each frame. See which ones have the graph crowded against the right or left edge, and where detail in the highlights and shadows survived best.

  5. Draw a conclusion

    Decide which version you prefer and write down why. This is how you learn to predict which way to shift the exposure in a similar scene.

Check yourself: signs you are shooting on autopilot

  • You can't say where the light was coming from in most of your photos
  • Almost all your frames are taken from your own eye level and from the same spot
  • You never open the histogram and only discover blown highlights at home
  • The main subject often ends up in the centre simply because that is where the focus point sits
  • Out of a hundred frames from a walk, you can't explain why you took any of them
  • Lessons

    Core lessons: exposure, focus and depth of field, light, composition, colour and white balance, RAW and developing.

  • Methods

    Shooting modes, reading the histogram, a little photography history and popular myths about gear and rules.

  • Glossary

    Short, plain-language definitions of terms for exposure, optics, focus and photo processing.

Sources

  • Introductory photography textbooks: exposure, optics, light and composition

Information on exposure, optics, light and processing is given in general terms, based on introductory photography textbooks and the materials listed in the sources. Camera settings depend on the scene and your intent, so test the advice on your own photos.