I’ve spent the past 5 years or so reading and learning about photography on top of actually doing it.  One of the things that drew me to it in the first place was that it’s both science and art.  You could come at photography with light meters and calibrated tripod heads, or show up with a Holga and and mindlessly snap away with a hope that serendipity is riding shotgun.  There are those extremes and everything in between which is why it’s so vibrant a culture.

Those who don’t know me might not now this but I love talking to people (hear this people who want me to give presentations, I’m waiting for your call) And I think I have a somewhat unique perspective on photography as an autodidact who wants to share and knows what he’s talking about.  And not ‘what knob to turn when’ but rather ‘why do you turn THAT knob’.  I’ve read countless tutorials, but most just teach you how to do it their way without explaining enough for you to make it your own. Well I’ve wanted to give back as of late and start helping other people.

Therefore I’ve started to write a book, the working title of which is “self-taught photography by a self-taught photographer” (I know, it needs to be a little snappier and YES the fake cover to the left is meant to be a joke). In it I plan to pour everything I know about the craft and mechanics of photography. Hopefully in a way that people can understand and enjoy.  So far I’ve only written around 10,000 words, but it’s a progressive thing.  The point of this post is to make a list of what I’m talking about and making sure I’m not missing anything you’d like me to talk about.  So here’s what I’ve got so far.

Camera basics and a quick history
-Sizes, types, and qualities of film

Exposure
-Shutter Speed and Aperture and ISO

Light
-Color temp and spectrum
-Available and artificial light (including the sun, speedlights, big strobes)
-Light modifiers
-Taking pictures with strobes

Deconstructing other people’s photos.
– shadow number and direction