Start here · Essential guide
Photography and Video Basics in Plain Language
A plain-language overview of how still and moving images are captured: light, exposure, focus, framing, motion and planning, with any camera.
Visual and Audio Craft
Plain-language fundamentals of still and moving images.
Start here · Essential guide
A plain-language overview of how still and moving images are captured: light, exposure, focus, framing, motion and planning, with any camera.
Learn how cutting, pacing and continuity decisions shape the way footage feels, with plain-language principles that apply to any editing software.
How to place on-screen text so it supports the picture and stays readable: timing, size, contrast, safe areas and where text should and should not go.
Understand the general differences between common image file types, how compression works, and why file size and dimensions affect page loading.
Framing, balance and leading lines explained as flexible guidelines, with advice on when following or breaking a composition rule improves a photo.
How to list the shots you need before filming a short video, so you capture complete coverage, save time on location and edit with fewer surprises.
Simple, low-cost ways to hold and support a camera or phone for smoother video, from body position and bracing to everyday objects and basic movement.
How to sequence several images so they build meaning together: choosing a theme, varying shots, ordering photos and keeping a series coherent.
How the direction, softness and time of day change the look of an image, and simple ways to read and use natural light in photos and video.
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