The Big Picture
I rewrote every practice lab in Camera Basics.
The old labs tried to teach a lot at once. The new ones are built for real life: about 5 minutes, 3 steps, one skill. Do one with your morning coffee. Do another on a walk. Small reps add up faster than one long session you keep putting off.
Location Spotlight
This week's location is wherever you are right now.
Most of the new labs need nothing more than your camera and whatever is in the room. A mug on the table, a window, a sheet of white paper. No trip required.
Community Spotlight
I’ve helped many try a new mode like Aperture Priority only to have poor photos. Usually the mode isn't the problem. A hidden setting is: a high ISO, exposure compensation left at +2, a lens switched to manual focus.
That's why the first guide now keeps you in Auto while you learn your controls. And from the second guide on, the labs use Aperture Priority (A or Av), the mode most photographers actually live in.
Behind the Scenes
Here's where this is going: a short video for every lab. Each one is short enough to watch, then go do. I'm working on the first set now, the seven drills in "My Camera Feels Complicated!" They will be out soon.
The rest of the series will get the same treatment over time.
Worth Sharing
Know someone with a new camera still sitting in the box? The labs are the easiest place to start.
Your Turn
Today, 5 minutes: open the first lab, "Find Your Four Controls." Touch each control and say its name out loud. Then close your eyes and do it again.
That's it. One lab. Then go take some pictures.
Keep practicing,
Doug
Learn it. Practice it. Get better.
