INTERNATIONAL Level 2 Photography Certificate

What you will learn

Understand the 'Exposure Triangle' and get out of the Auto mode.

Get incredible natural portrait lighting with this one simple pro tip that will flatter your subjects

Get sharper images with better focusing technique and use of shutter speeds

Working with natural light and dealing with the sun

How understanding the direction of light can dramatically improve your photos

How to use composition to take more dramatic and creative images

Flatter your family and friends with some great posing tips (individual and group posing)

How to improve your flash photography

Controlling depth of field and the 'block of focus'

How to get blue skies in your photos instead of washed-out white skies

How to take better photos in the snow

How to avoid camera shake and get sharper images

How to take photos of fireworks

The myth of megapixels and image quality

Digital cameras and their settings

Course Content

12 sections • 13 lectures • 13h 00m total length

	Use the Exposure Triangle to understand exposure and get out of the Auto mode Get out of the Auto mode using the exposure triangle, which demonstrates in simple terms how the individual aspects of exposure (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) affect the final exposure of the photo.		60min
	The ISO setting, what is it and what's it for? The ISO setting is very important if you want to take photos indoors, or if the light is failing outside because the higher ISO values on your camera will allow you to take photos in much lower light. This video explains what it is, why you need to understand it, and how to change the ISO settings on your camera. Take a look at the 'ISO Noise Example' for an idea of how changing the ISO can directly affect the amount of noise in an image. This photo was taken a few years ago, cameras are getting better all of the time and so high ISO noise is now being handled much better by modern cameras.		60min
	Exposure Compensation, why you sometimes need to darken or lighten your images Ever had your photos come out too light or too dark? If so, you've just fooled your camera's metering system. Too much brightness in a scene can force the photo to be too dark. Weird eh? You'd think it would be the other way around! This film shows the problem in more detail and describes how the simple exposure compensation setting can be used to brighten or darken your pictures.		60min
	Lens apertures, learn about one of the most important camera settings The lens aperture controls the amount of light entering through the lens and also controls the depth of field. It's not really complicated, so don't be put off by the weird numbering and the back-to-front system! A good understanding of apertures will see an improvement in your photos, more so if you use a DSLR.		60min

	5 Tips for tack sharp focussing This lecture shows 5 ways to help you get sharp focus, although aimed at DSLR photographers there are also helpful tips here for compact camera users. Here's a list of tips:- Get out of Auto and select your own focus area Focus and re-compose Make use of edge-contrast Manual pre-focussing Use 'Live Mode' for improved manual focussing		60min
	Choose the right shutter speeds to avoid camera shake & get sharper photos No matter how careful you are, when you press the shutter button there is always some movement of the camera. At faster shutter speeds there is no noticeable effect on the picture but at slower shutter speeds, images can look blurry due to the camera movement. This is generally referred to as camera shake and is made worse as you zoom in with your lens. Your camera's shutter speed, the focal length, the way you stand, and the way you hold the camera all have an effect on the amount of camera shake.		60min
	Use your histogram to nail the exposure for those important images. For today's photographers, the image histogram is a very powerful tool, the trouble is that many people either don't know of their existence or think that they are too complicated. The good news is that the histogram is actually very simple to read, and once a few simple concepts are grasped, it will enable you to take much better pictures.		60min
	Aperture & depth of field - start getting creative (DSLRs) For DSLR and Mirrorless Camera Users Please note that this lecture begins in the same way as the next lecture in describing 'Depth of Field', but then it splits off and refers specifically to aperture priority, mostly used by DSLR and Mirrorless camera users Improve your photos by using depth of field to control which parts of the image are in focus. Aperture size is the main control for depth of field, but the focal length and how far away you are from your focussed subject also make a difference. It's much easier to show than it is to explain, so get a better understanding by watching this film.		60min
	Scene modes & depth of field (Compact cameras) For Compact Camera Users Only Please note that this lecture begins in the same way as the previous lecture in describing 'Depth of Field', but then it splits off and refers specifically to compact cameras. Aperture size is the main control for depth of field, but on many compact cameras you don't have direct access to the aperture setting (and nor would many people want it!). Due to the size of the sensors inside compact casmeras, the images have a wide depth of field, most of the photo is in focus, so you are limited in your options. But there is a way around it, you can use the built-in scene modes (you know the ones, Portrait, Landscape, Beach and Snow, etc....) to provide some control of depth of field in order to determine what's sharp and what's not!		60min

	Top Shade, the professional's portrait lighting secret Top shade, sometimes known as Open Shade is a technique used by professional photographers to improve the quality of light on the faces of their subjects. It's a really flattering type of light and can make a huge difference to most types of portraits. It's really easy to do, and once you've seen how great it works, you'll want to use the trick whenever you can.		60min
	Dealing with the sun when taking a portrait Many people think that a sunny day provides perfect light for picture taking. While that may be true for some types of photography (e.g landscapes and buildings), it's certainly not true for taking pictures of people. Trying to take portraits on a sunny day can prove difficult, especially if you want to flatter your subject, and lets face it, who doesn't want to look good in their photos!! This video will show you a simple way of getting a beautiful portrait on a sunny day.		60min
	Direction of light and the effect it has on your photos Many people don't even consider it when taking photos, but the direction of light in photography is one of the most important aspects of any picture. Just giving a little thought to the position of the sun before taking the photo can allow you to capture more detail, add depth to your subject and add impact using shadows. It's simple common sense, and all here in this film, give it a whirl now!		60min
	Get nice blue skies in your photos and avoid white skies When it comes to outside lighting, many pictures I see have featureless white skies, it's a shame because most photos will benefit if the sky is blue and preferably with lovely fluffy clouds. Obviously, we have no control over the weather and can't summon up fluffy clouds, but sometimes the sky will just go completely white and thereby reduce the impact of the photo. Watch this film to find out why this happens and how you can avoid it.		60min

Requirements

Assessment Formative as courses progress and summative at the end of units and the course. Your Final Major Project will be assessed externally by the exam board and this will decide your final grade. You will be kept informed every step of the way on how to improve your work. Any type of camera will be suitable for this course. Some lectures covering the same topic are duplicated so that th
+ See More ey can be DSLR or compact camera specific. Even though nearly all the tips are easy, as with any other skill, the more you practice the better you'll become! Enthusiasm always helps!
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Description

INTERNATIONAL Level 2 Photography Certificate

This course is aimed at amateur photographers from beginners to enthusiasts.

● Photography training that works
● See immediate improvements in your photos
● Easy to follow and understand, with a fun teaching style
● All boring bits removed (well, most of them anyway!)