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Course 32 · Create studio 06

Learn Photography by Shooting a Real Story

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

What you’ll leave with

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

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Watch first

A useful primer before lesson one.

This video is published by David Manning. It complements the Life Starter sequence; it does not replace the work inside the lessons.

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

Know the route before you begin.

This is the working brief for the full course: who it serves, what to prepare, what good work looks like, and the language you will use along the way.

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.

Three operating principles

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.

Working vocabulary

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 characteristic influencing angle of view, framing, and perspective from a given position.
Your route

Six lessons.
One finished outcome.

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

    Organize subject, background, edges, color, and light direction into a clear visual hierarchy.

  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

Make the lesson easier to act on.

See all tools
workbook

Photo-story workbook

Plan the story, record settings, score selects, and capture critique.

Source transparency

Trust, then verify.

The practice sequence is original editorial synthesis. Current rules, safety details, and platform requirements should be confirmed with these primary or authoritative sources. References reviewed September 9, 2026.

Nikon — Photography tips and techniquesAdobe — 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