Photography Explained Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Digital camera sensors are important, sensitive, expensive bits of kit that need looking after. There are things that we can do to protect them from bad stuff, but if bad stuff gets to them, there are things that we can do to remove that stuff. This applies to all of us photographers at all times, so it is pretty important that we know this stuff. In this episode, I tell you  How...

Send us Fan Mail So you are in a museum or an art gallery. Or some other similar place. It is lovely and quiet, with nice low-level lighting and local lights highlighting all those fantastic exhibits. The whole place has been carefully designed with a bespoke lighting scheme. And you see something really cool that you would love to photograph. What do you do? Look is what you so—no more. Do not ta...

Send us Fan Mail Camera lenses are optical and engineering marvels. Camera lenses must be treated with care and respect when used, stored carefully and regularly maintained and cleaned. Take good care of your camera lenses, and they will take good care of you for years.  In this episode, I tell you. What needs protecting in a lens? What gear can help you look after your lenses? How you store lense...

Send us Fan Mail There are so many lenses out there. How can you possibly know which lens or lenses will help you? Relax – I have got this covered. Lenses on cameras give photographers options. To understand how lenses can help you take better photos, you need to know what you want to photograph, how you want to take these photos, and what you want your photos to look like. Once you know these thi...

Send us Fan Mail A listener asked me to do an episode strictly on lenses, so here it is. If you want me to explain something, just hit the “Send us a text” link on the podcast feed, and you can have your own almost personalised episode of the podcast. How utterly splendid. Lenses attach to cameras and focus what you point your camera at onto the camera sensor. So, lenses are quite important in pho...

Send us Fan Mail OK, I have spoken a lot about taking better photos. But in the final episode of this series, I tell you what you need to do. Yes, dear listener, it is time for you to start your journey to take better photos—which we all want to do, right? So this is what you do. Start with choosing your best 20 photos. Put them in a safe place, be it a folder, album, or even a pile on the floor....

Send us Fan Mail To be the best at one photography thing, you must decide what that one photography thing is. This is how you can find your perfect photography niche. Trust me, I have been there. I used to photograph everything and anything for anyone and everyone. I was all things to all people. And what was the result of that? I was all over the place and not very good at anything. Sure, I could...

Send us Fan Mail Get out more and take photos, but take fewer photos. This will help you take better photos. Getting out more and taking photos gives you lots more opportunities to create new stuff. But don't try to create too much new stuff, or you will end up with lots of average photos that you do not have the time to do anything meaningful with. And none of us want that, do we? No, we don...

Send us Fan Mail Are you taking loads of photos but not getting great results? Are you spending forever on your computer trying to find decent photos to edit? And are you taking hours editing average photos and wondering why they are not turning into great photos? Relax – I can help you with all of these.  In this episode, I tell you. Fifteen things that you can do that will help you save time. Fi...

Send us Fan Mail Photo editing can be daunting. Knowing where to start can be challenging, as can knowing when to stop! But don’t worry, I can help you. I can tell you what you need to know and do. And how you approach editing is crucial Editing for me is all about enhancing what is in a photo that you have taken and no more. Yes, that is all editing is to me, making the best of what we have captu...

Send us Fan Mail A great way to get better at photography is to learn from other photographers. There are loads of great photographers out there and loads of great photos. But where do you start? This is where I can help you. I will tell you ten photographers from whom I have learned. This is your starting point.  There is another photographer that you can learn from. You, dear listener. Yes, you....

Send us Fan Mail Photography Explained Podcast Episode 182 - Phone Camera vs DSLR - What Are You Missing With A Phone? You take photos with your phone. You got into photography by taking photos with your phone, and you have never used a camera. So what? You are missing out on the wonderful world of photography, that’s what! And it is a big what, too. While phones in cameras get better and better,...

Send us Fan Mail Cameras are, of course, designed to take high-quality photos. And phone cameras have improved so much that they are a credible alternative to cameras. But which is better to take photos with? A digital camera or a phone? Is one better than the other? Or is there a place for both? Most people have phones these days, and most phones have cameras built into them. So why would you nee...

Send us Fan Mail We can change many settings in cameras and lenses, too. These settings will change depending on what you are taking a photo of and the ambient light levels. With the correct camera settings, we can take better photos. That is why our cameras have all those settings, after all! Join me in this episode and discover how mastering your camera settings can transform your photography. ...

Send us Fan Mail Photography is drawing with light, and photography gear is simply the tools we use to capture that light and take photos. Yes, it is that simple. Well, it should be that simple. Think of photography gear as tools, and you are on the right track. Camera bodies, lenses, bags, tripods, and a whole load of other stuff can help us take photos. But how can they help us? And what can the...

Send us Fan Mail What photography gear should you buy? How do you use it? Where do I start? I am confused! Right. Stop. What gear do you have? What do you need more gear for? You might not need more gear; you might have all you need; you just don’t know it. Listen to this episode before you even think about buying any more gear. Please don’t do what I did. In this episode, I tell you. The criteria...

Send us Fan Mail Would you like to know the best way to take a photo? As obvious as it might sound, there are things that you might not know. So, if you are still trying to figure out what to do or want help taking better photos, you are in the right place. I can help you with this. You can do things when you take a photo to get the best results. In this episode, I tell you exactly what they are a...

Send us Fan Mail Here's more good stuff on how to take better photos. This is the fifth in an ever-expanding series of episodes about how to do this.  The important bit of photography is the taking of the photos bit. But how do you do it? And more importantly, why are you taking that photo, and what of? More food for thought that will help you to take fewer photos but better ones. In this epi...

Send us Fan Mail Photography Composition Tips and Techniques. This is the fourth in the series of episodes about how to take better photos. And this is the bit that I forgot from the last episode. Camera settings – why are there so many? And gear. Photography gear. Why is there so much of it? Well, I am not saying that you need more gear, but the different camera settings and different camera gear...

Send us Fan Mail This is the third in the series of episodes about how to take better photos. And do you want to know one of the best ways to take better photos? Thinking about what you include in a photo and how the things you include relate to each other is one of the best ways to take better photos. I am talking about composition, and in this episode, I tell you lots of good stuff about it. Bec...

Send us Fan Mail Photography Explained Podcast Episode 173 - What Are You Trying To Do With Your Photography? What Are You Trying To Do With Your Photography? What are your hopes and dreams? Are you happy as you are taking photos with your phone? Or do you want to be a professional photographer and earn a full-time living from your photography? This is the starting point in learning how to take be...

Send us Fan Mail Photography Explained Podcast Episode 172 - How To Take Better Photos - Part 1 - 11 Things For You To Do This episode starts a series of episodes where I teach you how to take better photos. Nice and simple. And very important. No matter where you are on your photographic journey, there are things that you and I can do that will help us to take better photos. Every time I take a p...

Send us Fan Mail I have been talking about stupid photography terms that don’t make sense. But what are we going to do with them? How can we make photography accessible to all in 2024 and beyond? In this episode, I tell you How I replace ISO. How I change the aperture scale. Why exposure time makes sense (and not shutter speed). Why how we see the world as 1x replaces focal length, crop factor and...

Send us Fan Mail This is the last episode in my series of stupid photography terms that don’t make sense. In this episode, I give you my take on these terms. Crop factor Speedlite/ flashgun Camera shake Stop F-stop Fast lens JPEG RAW And why I think that they are stupid. Most of them. I also tell you What if I use a phone to take photos and not a camera? What if I use a film camera? And finally, w...

Send us Fan Mail Yes, 11 more photography terms that confuse explained and shamed. This is part 2 of my three-part series explaining photography terms that are out of date, confusing at best or just plain old wrong. And if you are a phone user wanting to get into more photography but finding all this stuff putting you off, don’t worry; I’ve got you. I know how you feel. And I can help you. And tha...