Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Mastering Photography: Eric Kim

Learn Everything about Composition, Technique, Style, Editing, Marketing, Branding, Social Media, Monetization and More!

4.65 (82 reviews)
Udemy
platform
English
language
Photography Fundamentals
category
instructor
532
students
6 hours
content
May 2018
last update
$44.99
regular price

What you will learn

Master your camera and phone’s technical settings to make breathtaking photographs.

Make great photographs of your everyday life from portraits, selfies, and in street photography.

Create stunning dynamic compositions with diagonals, curves, and unique perspectives.

Edit and post-process like a pro to craft a stunning portfolio.

Build a dedicated online following with the best marketing, branding, and social media techniques.

Monetize your photography as a profitable side-income or full-time living.

Description

If you want to quickly jump start your photography skills and take them to the next level, this course is for you. Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography will teach you the ins and outs of photography technique, help you master the fundamentals of composition, and empower you to create breathtaking images on your camera or mobile device. Go from A to Z in photography and shoot stunning photographs this seamless learning experience.  

In this course, you will learn how to:

  • Select the best camera and lenses for your photography needs
  • Make better photographs of your everyday life (regardless of how busy you are)
  • Master essential composition techniques to create more dynamic images
  • Direct and expertly frame your subjects in portrait photography
  • Make timeless black and white photographs and color photographs that pop
  • Capture “decisive moments” and tell better stories in street photography
  • Conquer your fears and shoot street photography like a pro
  • Take better selfies of yourself, and make great portraits of your friends and family
  • Transform ordinary objects and make them look interesting and beautiful

Along the way, you’ll also learn about the exposure triangle (the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) and when to use flash or natural light. You’ll also gain an intuitive sense of what to look for when making photograph. You’ll learn about the rule of thirds, the golden triangle, and other dynamic composition techniques to create truly stunning photographs.

In the second part of the course, you’ll learn how to post-process your images in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and the VSCO app on your mobile device.

You’ll master:

  • The pros and cons of RAW vs JPEG
  • How to choose your best photographs to edit/post-process
  • How to organize, manage, and safely backup your photographs on the cloud
  • The best filters in VSCO to apply to your phone photos
  • How to create your own presets in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
  • How to use presets to create your own signature look in photography

This course will inspire you to immediately make better photographs with 5 engaging and entertaining demos, as well as 8 practical and fun activities to empower you. Regardless of how busy you are, you will have the opportunity to start making better photographs of your everyday life, and start sharing them with your friends, family, and followers. This course will also provide you with unique branding and marketing strategies to begin monetizing your photography.

Learn how to:

  • Build a dedicated following on social media and make your own photography website/blog
  • Publish and share your work with creative confidence
  • Stay inspired and continue to innovate in your work
  • Integrate profitable monetization and pricing strategies

The reason why you will enjoy this course is because my teaching style is down-to-earth, friendly, practical, and also philosophical. I know how busy you are, so in this course I will only provide you with the essentials of photography, for you to immediately start making great photographs that wow you and your viewer. When I started off in photography, I had a difficult time mastering the fundamentals of my camera, technical settings, and making better compositions. Therefore, I have distilled all of my lessons in photography, to make your learning experience as seamless and fun as possible.

Don’t miss this opportunity to finally start learning how to make great photographs. Let’s start making great photographs together, today!

Excited to have you,

Eric

Content

Introduction: How to Make Better Photos of Everyday Life

Introduction
3 Essential Composition Tips to Make Better Photos
Activity: Make a Dynamic Diagonal Composition

Setup & Equipment

Introduction
What is the Best Camera for You? Phone, APS-C Cropped Sensor, and Full-Frame
What is the Best Lens for You? Part 1 Overview of Lenses - Prime, Zoom, Wide...
What is the Best Lens for You? Part 2 Focal Length Comparison
Pros and Cons of RAW vs JPEG
How to Download and Install Adobe Lightroom CC on Your Computer
Optional: Register for Free Eric Kim Forum to Share Photos and Receive Feedback

Composition, What to Look For, and How to Make Better Photos

Introduction
Everyday Life Photography: Introduction to Personal and Street Photography
Essential Photography Composition Terms: Subject, Frame, Orientation, Position
Introduction to Composition: Framing your Subject and Directing Viewer's Eyes
What to Look for in Composition: Figure to Ground, Rule of Thirds, and more
Activity: Sketch your Photograph Composition
Five Composition Techniques: Diagonals, Perspective, Curves, Background & Edges
Live Demo: Five Composition Techniques
Composition Techniques and Color Combinations for Color Photography Part 1
Composition Techniques and Color Combinations for Color Photography Part 2
Techniques for Stunning Black & White Photos: Figure-to-Ground, Contrast, Flash

Master Lighting, Exposure, and Focus

Introduction
Exposure Triangle: Relationship between Aperture, Shutter-Speed, and ISO
In Praise of Program Mode: Shooting in P Mode, Automatic, or Manual Settings
Exposure Compensation
Activity: Make 3 Different Exposures (Normal, Bright, Dark)
Live Demo: Aperture
Live Demo: Flash vs Natural Light
Activity: Make 2 photos with Natural Light and Flash
Live Demo: Manual Focus and Autofocus
Phone Photography: Focusing and Exposure
Practical Techniques and Assignments to Photograph at Night and in Low Light

Techniques to Capture Decisive Moments

Introduction
Decisive Moments: How to Know When to Click the Shutter
10 Techniques for Portrait Photography
Live Demo: How to Direct Your Subject for a Portrait
Activity: Photograph a Portrait of Someone You Know and Directing Your Subject
7 Selfie Photography Techniques
5 Street Photography Techniques
3 Assignments to Conquer Your Fears of Shooting Street Photography
Activity: Make a Street Photograph with the Fishing Technique
Advanced Live Demo: Composition, Perspective & Working the Scene in the Streets
Everyday Photography: How to Find Beauty in Everyday Life
13 Architecture and Urban Landscape Photography Techniques

How to Edit and Select Your Best Photos

Introduction
The Art of Editing: Image Selection
How to Choose Your Best Photos: Composition and Content
Import Photos into Lightroom: Import, Flagging, Export
Editing with "Small Thumbnail Test" to Quickly Look Through and Flag Photographs
Activity: Use the "Thumbnail Test" to Choose your 3 Best Photos
File management

How to Post-Process Your Photos

Introduction
The Importance of Post-Processing and Developing Your Own Consistent Style
How to Post-Process Your Photos in Adobe Lightroom
How to Add Presets to Your Photos in Adobe Lightroom
How to Convert Your Photos to Black and White in Adobe Lightroom
Phone Photography: Adding Filters, Converting Photos to Black and White
Activity: Convert your Photo into Black and White in Adobe Lightroom CC
Phone Photography: Install and Use VSCO to Add Presets to Your Photos

Photography Branding, Marketing, and Monetization

Introduction
Social Media for Photographers
Benefits of Having a Photography Website / Blog
How to Make Your Own Website / Blog on Wordpress.com
Why is Branding Important?
Building Your Brand & Audience: Social Media Strategies, Followers, and Likes
Monetization Strategies for Modern Photographers: Services, Prints, & Education
Photography Business & Entrepreneurship: Google SEO, Pricing, and Marketing

Conclusion: Creative Confidence

Introduction
Creative Confidence: How to Confidently Publish and Share Your Art
Cross-Pollination: How to Stay Inspired and Innovate in Your Photography
Parting Words and More Resources

Screenshots

Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Mastering Photography: Eric Kim - Screenshot_01Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Mastering Photography: Eric Kim - Screenshot_02Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Mastering Photography: Eric Kim - Screenshot_03Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Mastering Photography: Eric Kim - Screenshot_04

Reviews

Maria
May 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this course! It covered so much information, not just on the practical photography techniques, but marketing and confidence. A great course!
Patrick
October 23, 2019
I took this course initially to study Eric Kim's teaching methods as a model to innovate my own. I went through this with a beginners mind pretending i barely knew how to use a camera. So many teachers spend so much time on the camera features and Photoshop they never touch on the philosophy, passion, and fun. Does he speak to composition, lighting, edit, post, etc? Yes. Not only does he do that, he makes is approachable and challenging all at one. One tip. If you really want to get the full value of this course, but the resource section of every lesson. Sometimes it's a link, other times a pdf. Download and bookmark. You will get far more out of this course. Special thanks to Eric Kim for teaching an old dog some new tricks!
Roman
February 7, 2019
Eric Kim is a renowned street photographer, his artwork is fantastic and the way he teach and approach photography is excellent. Mixing street photography with personal insights and even philosophy makes his teaching enjoyable. I may be a little bias towards his works as I’ve been a fan since many years ago, watching him growing professionally and artistically. Finally, I truly recommend this course, as is easy to followed and all terms and concepts are well explained.
Hulous
August 5, 2018
I am not a beginner. I learn nothing new. Even if I am not a master. This course is for the one who never take a picture before. This course was a part of a bundle. I don't really choose it. It cost less to buy it with another...
Paul
July 11, 2018
Concise guidance through essential elements of photography, clear structure and excellent presentation
Kevin
July 8, 2018
I have several expensive fim rangefinder cameras and no digital camera. I did not take any photos for ten years and started experimenting with my Makina 67 last year. I think the conversion of film scanned and printed degrades the image. It is very expensive for me to take photos with this gear. So you have covered examples of every kind of camera and have a great introduction.
Jacques
June 26, 2018
Great quick overview for amateur and passionate amateur. Short but comprehensive and designed from experience. Great value for money.
Graham
June 3, 2018
Really enjoyed the style of presentation, but could do with using "also" a little less often. I'm far from a beginner, but found Eric's insights interesting and useful. *Although, I have left my comments below, I have just revised my star rating, as overall I think this is a great course for the beginning photographer, especially given all the extra resources provided. Eric's character and interests (street and everyday life) dominate this course, which gives it a different character to most beginners courses, which often follow a fairly standard formula. So there is no discussion on things like landscape, wildlife, and sports photography etc, but you do get a deeper introduction into core elements of making better photographs.* However, it is a bit repetitive with the same photographs, with the same comments being used more than once, and advice being repeated. Was this several different courses combined into one? It could do with a little tidying up. I felt it covered a little too much, e.g. how to install Lightroom, which interrupted the more creative elements of the course for me, and I ended up just skimming through the Lightroom parts, but this was only a small part of the course, and may well be useful for a proper beginner.
Lawrence
May 10, 2018
Erik is a wonderful teacher! His creative passion and enthusiasm are infectious! A wealth of information and masterful wisdom is presented in a short condensed format yet broad in scope. I am inspired to reignite my long interest in photography. Thank You Erik and TEAM!
Chd
May 6, 2018
This course is really useful to me. Especially the activity part, I'll insist on those challenges like "10 no challenge","make at least 10 pictures of the scene". I think it will help me to overcome the fear during the street photography and improve my technique. Highly recommend!

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1475754
udemy ID
12/20/2017
course created date
7/9/2020
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