It’s best to take your time and learn photography when you can. YouTube is helpful in these sorts of circumstances.
There is no shortage of channels devoted to teaching photography, and many of them specifically target beginners by presenting the numerous facets of the art in bite-sized video chunks.
In no particular order, here are several YouTube channels that should serve as inspiration and training grounds for budding photographers:
1. COOPH
Just a small number of films have been uploaded to the COOPH or The Cooperative Of Photography’s channel so far, but they are well worth your time if you are interested in learning some useful photographic techniques. Videos like “7 Do-It-Yourself Photography Techniques Using Household Items” are worth a look.
2. AdoramaTV
Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned master, you’ll find something useful on AdoramaTV’s collection of photography tutorials. There is a lot to learn from this channel; just their Beginning Lessons playlist contains 244 videos.
3. SLR Lounge
For individuals who have taken the plunge and purchased a professional-grade digital single-lens reflex camera, this channel may prove useful.
You may be interested in Photography 101: Mastering Manual Mode and Lighting 101: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Master Flash Photography. This channel also has tutorials for similar applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, allowing you to explore new areas of interest.
4. CamCrunch
The young man behind the CamCrunch channel is Daniel Ignacio P. Mojica, better known by his nickname, Nico Mojica. He currently resides in Manila, Philippines. Through sharing his knowledge and experiences with the internet photography community, he hopes to encourage and educate others.
Watch his videos like “Try Everything (Then Specialize) – Photography Tutorial” and “Deliberate, Everyday Practice + CamCrunch 365 – Photography Tutorial” to learn from his frank talks on photography.
5. B and H
The photography courses are buried within a wide variety of other films, such as product presentations and reviews, making discovery a bit more of a challenge. The Photography playlist is where you should go to locate what you’re looking for. If you’re just starting off, I’d recommend watching some of the “FocusEd” videos.
6. Photographer Overnight
If you’ve always dreamed of starting your own photography company, you’ll find lots of helpful information in these clips. Specifically, the video titled “Mistakes to Avoid as a Novice Photographer” was quite helpful for me.
7. Professional Photography Tips
The Nikon D750’s official photographer, Joshua Cripps, is a landscape photography expert; if that’s a subgenre you’re interested in exploring more, you might find his insights useful.
Videos like “The Top 5 Most Frequent Errors in Landscape Photography” and “Get a Perfect Exposure Every Time – Better Landscape Photographs” are good examples of instructional films with a lighthearted tone.
8. The Art of Photography
This channel is updated weekly to “give a 360° view inside the world of producing photos” by photographer and filmmaker Ted Forbes. In addition to the standard fare of photography fundamentals, you may also watch movies in the History of Photography or Composition in Photography playlists, both of which can contribute to a deeper understanding of the photographic medium.
9. Matt Granger
Sydney, Australia-born photographer and professor Matt Granger is known for his portraiture and his ability to inspire students. See his Educating Tina playlist for helpful advice on getting your photography career off the ground. If you’re wanting to add to your photographic equipment, the Purchasing Guides playlist may come in helpful.
10. PhotoRec Toby
Toby Gelston is a photographer from from the US state of Vermont’s southernmost region. In addition to general suggestions on how to improve one’s photography skills, he also offers tips and tricks for using specific cameras, such as the Nikon D5200, Canon 70D, and others.
If you’re new to his channel, I recommend starting with the playlist aptly titled Start Here For Better Photographs.