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Course 32 · Create course 06

Learn Photography by Shooting a Real Story

Control exposure, focus, composition, light, motion, and editing while producing a coherent ten-image photo story.

Before you start

Use any camera that allows reliable focus and exposure adjustment; learn how to access exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed, and file settings.

See everything you’ll need
What you’ll leave with

A technically sound, intentionally edited ten-image series with contact sheet, selects, captions, export set, and critique notes.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload the practice worksheetUse the downloadable worksheet or toolkit alongside the lesson instructions.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from David Manning introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
David ManningPhotography Basics in 10 MinutesYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Phone, compact, mirrorless, or DSLR photographers who want intentional control and a finished body of work instead of disconnected setting tips.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Use any camera that allows reliable focus and exposure adjustment; learn how to access exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed, and file settings.
  • Choose a safe, lawful subject or place you can photograph repeatedly over several weeks.
  • Set up two backups and enough storage before formatting any card or device.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

Produce a ten-image visual story supported by a project brief, exposure and focus tests, contact sheets, selection rationale, consistent edit, accurate captions, rights and consent notes, delivery exports, and critique-driven revision.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria
  • A one-page photo-story brief with subject, intent, audience, access, ethics, visual motifs, and provisional shot list.
  • An exposure comparison grid with settings, predicted effect, actual result, and chosen working ranges.
  • A focus and perspective photo series with camera settings, distances, the area meant to be sharp, and notes on what went wrong.
  • A 24-image composition and light study annotated for attention, edge control, depth, and narrative role.
  • A backed-up catalog, full contact sheet, 20-image selects set, edit rationale, and consistent proof exports.
  • A final ten-image story, captions, rights notes, three delivery export sets, critique record, and revision log.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Intent chooses the setting

There is no universally correct exposure or lens choice; the desired motion, depth, light, and story determine the tradeoff.

02

Edges shape the frame

Background, borders, overlaps, and empty space influence meaning as much as the central subject.

03

Edit the set, not only the image

A coherent story depends on sequence, variety, visual rhythm, and consistent treatment across photographs.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Aperture
The lens opening that affects light and depth of field, expressed as an f-number.
Shutter speed
The duration of exposure, influencing brightness and how motion is rendered.
ISO
The camera’s sensitivity setting, affecting exposure and image noise or quality.
Focal length
A lens measurement that affects how much of a scene fits in the frame. Camera position controls perspective: how nearby and distant objects appear in relation to each other.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Photograph with intent

    Turn a broad subject into a visual question, feeling, or story that guides what belongs in the frame.

  2. 2
    39 min

    Control exposure and motion

    Choose aperture, shutter speed, and ISO based on the visual result rather than leaving every tradeoff to automatic mode.

  3. 3
    35 min

    Control focus, depth, and perspective

    Place focus deliberately and understand how distance, aperture, focal length, and camera position shape the image.

  4. 4
    38 min

    Compose with available light

    Arrange the subject, background, picture edges, color, and light so viewers notice the important parts first.

  5. 5
    41 min

    Select and edit consistently

    Choose images for story value and make restrained global and local corrections while preserving believable information.

  6. 6
    34 min

    Sequence, export, and critique

    Turn selected photographs into a paced story, deliver correct files, and revise using specific viewer evidence.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
Text worksheet

Your course practice worksheet

A text worksheet with this course’s lesson tasks, space for your answers, and a project checklist.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

Nikon — Photography tips and techniques
Adobe — Understanding exposure in photography
Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one