Free photography articles and guides¶
Schedule reset: use the 35-week study map for 28 September 2026–30 May 2027. Any older month/week labels below describe the previous topic sequence, not the active calendar.
This file contains non-YouTube study material. Use individual articles to solve a current assignment problem; do not try to read the entire collection in sequence.
Natural light and portrait direction¶
| Resource | Best use |
|---|---|
| Window-light portrait — Neil van Niekerk | Month 1; position a subject relative to a window and background. |
| Available-light portrait — Neil van Niekerk | Month 1; identify usable light in an ordinary location. |
| Available-light portraits — Neil van Niekerk | Month 1; compare several practical available-light situations. |
| Directing and posing an available-light portrait — Neil van Niekerk | Months 1 and 3; connect light placement with clear subject direction. |
Flash and lighting¶
| Resource | Best use |
|---|---|
| Flash and ambient light — Neil van Niekerk | Month 2; separate ambient exposure decisions from flash exposure. |
| The black foamie thing — Neil van Niekerk | Month 2; control spill when bouncing on-camera flash. |
| Bounce flash for children indoors — Neil van Niekerk | Month 5; apply simple bounce flash to moving children. |
| Strobist Lighting 101 | Month 2; complete the core off-camera-flash sequence. |
| Strobist Lighting 102 | Later lighting practice; position, shape and control light after Lighting 101. |
| Strobist Lighting 103 | Later practice; understand colour in flash photography. |
| Strobist Lighting Cookbook | Applied reference after the structured lessons. |
Strobist is a completed archive. Its equipment references and prices may be historical, but the lighting principles remain useful.
Retouching and mature subjects¶
| Resource | Best use |
|---|---|
| 30 Days of Photoshop 2025 — PHLEARN | Month 4; choose only lessons needed for the current edit. |
| How to dodge and burn in Photoshop — PHLEARN | Month 4; practise restrained tonal shaping. |
| Retouch a mature man — PHLEARN | Month 4; preserve texture and character while reducing temporary distractions. |
| Taking portraits of elderly clients Part 2 Lighting and Posing — Digital Photography School | Months 3–4; review light height, key-to-fill ratio, glasses and posing before an older-adult session. |
| Photographing World War 2 veteran Philip Truelove — Glyn Dewis | Mature-client context; rapport, eye contact and adapting a portrait to the client’s home and comfort. |
Children and newborn safety¶
| Resource | Best use |
|---|---|
| Top tips for photographing children — Nikon School | Month 5; concise pre-session reminder for settings, engagement and timing. |
| Free newborn safety tips — Kelly Brown | Required before newborn practice; reinforce with qualified, supervised hands-on training. |
Weddings¶
| Resource | Best use |
|---|---|
| Wedding photography tutorials — Neil van Niekerk | Month 6; browse by the exact ceremony, portrait or reception problem being rehearsed. |
| Wedding photography article sequence | Months 6 and later; planning, consultation, scouting, storytelling, directing, light, flash and ceremony workflow. |
Advanced practice guides¶
| Resource | Advanced exercise |
|---|---|
| Dragging the shutter revisited — Neil van Niekerk | Make a controlled sequence in which flash exposure remains stable while shutter speed changes the ambient trail and background density. Compare subject sharpness, motion and atmosphere. |
| High-speed flash sync — Neil van Niekerk | Compare HSS with normal sync in the same outdoor portrait. Record flash distance, power cost, ambient control and whether a neutral-density filter would be more efficient. |
For a colour-lighting project, return to the existing Strobist Lighting 103 sequence and build the palette in camera rather than relying on a later colour grade. For wedding storytelling, apply the local article sequence to a complete context–action–detail–reaction–transition edit and remove redundant frames.
Advanced work should produce evidence: lighting diagrams, exposure tests, contact sheets and a short written critique. Complexity alone is not progress.
Access and page contents were checked conceptually against the current programme; availability can change. Reading and practice status are not reported.