Take your learning to the next level

As a consistent learner, I keep reading books and articles and watching educational videos. I also attend a lot of workshops and listen to podcasts and talk shows to sharpen my photography skills. This page is dedicated to the learning resources I found quite useful and firmly believe, would be extremely helpful for anyone who wants to learn more.

Camera & Accessories

Camera
– How to Choose the Best Camera for Yourself
– How to Decide the Best Full Frame Camera to Buy
– Before You Buy a Point & Shoot Camera
– What is a Mirrorless Camera?
– A Guide to Mirrorless Cameras
– Full Frame vs. Crop Sensor Camera
– Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Camera for Video
– Camera & Lens Reviews

Lenses
– Understanding Camera Lenses
– Using Telephoto Lenses
– Using Wide Angle Lenses
– The Numbers on Your Camera Lens
– Camera Lens Quality: MTF, Resolution and Contrast

Filters
– Camera Lens Filters
– Understanding & Using Polarizing Filters
– Using Graduated Neutral Density (GND) Filters
– Using Neutral Density (ND) Filters
– Best Filters for Landscape Photography

Accessories & Maintenance
– Selecting and Using a Camera Tripod
– Taking Care of Your Camera Equipment
– Digital Camera Sensor Cleaning
– 10 Factors to Choose the Perfect Camera Bag

Videos
– Ultimate Guide to Camera Lenses
– History of Photography in 5 minutes

CAMERA & ACCESSORIES

BASICS

Basics

Books

– Understanding Exposure (Bryan Peterson)
– Understanding Photography (Sean T. McHugh)

Courses
– Camera, Exposure & Photography (Coursera)
– Camera Control (Coursera)
– Principles of Photo Composition (Coursera)
– Creative Live
– Alchemy by Divyam Ramji Mehrotra

Composition
– Shape, Form & Texture in Photography
– Line, Pattern & Tones in Photography
– Understanding Visual Weight
– Visual Weight for Compelling Compositions
– Importance of Shadows and Highlights
– The Rule of Thirds

Camera Control
– Aperture, ISO & Shutter Speed
– Metering Modes in Cameras
– Camera Metering and Exposure
– White Balance Explained
– Understanding White Balance
– Adjusting White Balance Settings
– Correct Exposures Using Histogram Tool
– Understanding Depth of Field
– Understanding Camera Autofocus
– Why Should I Shoot in RAW?
– Camera Lens Flare
– Capturing Motions
– Using Camera Shutter Speed Creatively

Infographics
– Composition
– Colour Theory
– Camera Settings

Lighting

Books
– Understanding Flash Photography (Bryan Peterson)
– Light Science & Magic (Fil Hunter, Steven Biver & Paul Fuqua)
– The Hot Shoe Diaries (Joe McNally)

Courses
– Light, Content, and Sharing (Coursera)
– Dance Photography Lighting

Videos
– 5 Portrait Lighting Setups
– Shooting Portraits with One Speedlight
– 8 Steps to Cinematic Lighting
– Harold Edgerton – Stop Motion Experiments

Articles
– Soft vs. Hard Light: How & When to Use
– Understanding Different Types of Lighting
– Flash or Continuous Lighting?
– 13 Film Lighting Techniques & Examples
– How to Master Rembrandt Lighting
– Camera Flash: Light Quality & Appearance
– Camera Flash: Flash Ratios & Exposure
– Making the Most of Natural Light

Infographics
– Lighting Set-up (Diagrams)
– Lighting BTS

LIGHTING

Advanced Photography

Art of Photography

Books
– The Art of Photography
– Road to Seeing
– The War of Art
– The Heart of the Photograph (Digital)
– The Minimalist Photographer (Steve Johnson)
– The Visual Toolbox (David duChemin)
– The Photographer’s Eye (John Szarkowski)
– Photography Changes Everything

Courses
– Seeing Through Photographs (Coursera)

Articles
– A Letter from My Camera to Me
– My Most Favourite Quotes on Photography
– How to Avoid Cliche in Photography
– Golden Words from Expert Photographers
– Comparing Your Photography to Others
– Analyzing Someone’s Artwork

Videos
– Brooke Shaden: Finding Inspiration As a Photographer
– Secrets of Edward Weston’s Photography

Infographics
– Learning Visual Art

Museums, Collections & Exhibitions
– Sony World Photography Awards 2021
– The Thomas Walther Collection
– The Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Educators to Follow: Sarah Meister

Art Movements & History

Books
– Great Paintings (Book)

Courses
– History of Art
– Modern Art & Ideas (Coursera)
– What Is Contemporary Art? (Coursera)

Articles
– How to Shoot Beautiful Abstract Photos
– Think Outside the Box with Abstract Photography
– Understanding the Art of Surreal Photography
– A Guide to Minimalist Photography
– Find Deeper Meaning with Symbolic Photography
– Understand and Use Symbolism in Photography
– Dadaism

Personal Projects
– Minimalism
– Abstract
– Expressionism

Podcasts
– Modern and Contemporary Art

Legends
– Wassily Kendinsky (1866-1896)
– Rembrandt (1606-1669)
– Edvard Munch (1863-1944)

Legends & Inspirations

Legends
– Peter Lindbergh
– Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984)
– Annie Leibovitz
– Steve McCurry
– Henri Cartier Bresson (French 1908-2004)
– David LaChapelle (American)
– Richard Avedon (American, 1923-2004)
– Edward Weston (1886-1958)
– Man Ray (1890-1976)
– Mario Testino
– Dorothea Lange
– Harold Edgerton (1903-90)
– Gordon Parks (1912-2006)
– Helen Levitt (1913-2009)

Movies & Documentaries
– Minamata (2020) on W. Eugene Smith
– Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens (2008)
– Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters (2012)
– Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
– William Eggleston: In The Real World (2005)
– Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge (1989)
– The Life and Works of Gordon Parks (2000)
– The Salt of the Earth (2014) on Sebastião Salgado
– Eloquent Nude (2007) on Edward Weston & C. Wilson
– What Remains (2005) on Sally Mann
– In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter

Genres of Photography

Travel & Landscapes

Books
– Yosemite (Ansel Adams)

Articles
– Five Compositional Patterns to Find in Nature
– Four Compositional Patterns to Find in Nature
– How to Make Landscape Photos Look Professional
– Creative Applications of Color Theory
– Post-processing in Landscape Photography
– Alternatives to Photographing at Sunrise or Sunset
– Two Essential Strategies of Effective Post-processing
– Creative Uses of Extreme Focal Lengths
– Photography in Fog, Mist or Haze
– The Art of Luminosity: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3
– Beginner’s Guide to Time-Lapse

Movies to Watch
– The Revenant (2015) [IMDB 8/10]

Photographers You Must Follow
Jerad Armijo, Tara Workman, Stian Klo, Michael Shainblum, Erin Babnik, Mikko Lagerstedt, Tobias Hägg, Martina Gebarovska, Cath Simard, Isabella Tabacchi, Rohan Reilly, Elizabeth Gadd, Mads Peter Iversen

Wedding & Events

Books
– Wedding Storyteller by Roberto Valenzuela

Articles
– Cameras and Lenses for Indian Weddings
– Wedding Photography Post Production – Part 1
– Wedding Photography Post Production – Part 2
– How to Design a Wedding Album
– Wedding Photography Data Management Workflow

Examples
– Terms of a Wedding Contract

Photographers & Filmmakers to Follow
Two Mann Studios, Karan Sidhu, Ombre, Eye Jogia

Fashion & Portraits

Books
– The Dramatic Portrait (Chris Knight)
– Portraits (Steve McCurry)
– Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-2004
– Peter Lindbergh on Fashion Photography
– Annie Leibovitz at Work

Courses
– Annie Leibovitz
– History of Fashion
– Fashion as Design (Free)

Articles
– 3 Ways To Get Glowing Skin on Adobe PS
– Portrait Lighting with One Light
– Portrait Lighting with Two Lights: Fill Light

Videos
– Shooting Portraits with One Speedlight
– Frequency Separation for Skin Retouching

Infographics
– Styling

Examples
– Posing
– Two Models Posing
– Portraits
– Headshots
– Male Models
– Fashion Editorial

Photographers You Must Follow
Roberto Valenzuela, Tina Patni, Lindsay Adler, Martin Krystynek, Roberto Manetta, Philip-Lorca diCorcia (Heads series), Harry Callahan

As I am not into the below genres of photography, I can only suggest some of the big guns in these genres whom you can follow, and share a handful of useful posts and videos I happened to read, watch or pen down myself. I have also included few courses and books that may be useful if you want to explore further.