What is photography?

Photography is a way of recording light, but learning photography is really about making choices. You decide what to point the camera at, where to stand, what to include, what to leave out and when to press the shutter.

A camera does not decide what matters

A phone or camera can measure light and focus automatically, but it cannot know why you raised it in the first place. Two people standing in the same place can make completely different photographs because they notice different things.

Start by looking, not by changing settings

Before worrying about aperture, shutter speed or ISO, practise noticing the frame. Look around the edges as well as at the subject. Move closer. Step sideways. Wait a few seconds. Small decisions often change a photograph more than buying better equipment.

A photograph can do different jobs

A photograph might record what something looked like, explain how something happened, preserve a memory, show a detail, sell a product or simply make somebody feel something. There is no single correct reason to take one.

What you should take from this lesson

• The camera records the scene, but the photographer chooses the photograph.
• Where you stand and what you include are part of photography, not just camera settings.
• You can begin learning with any camera or phone you already have.

Try it for yourself

The practical puts this lesson into use. You do not need to complete it perfectly. The point is to notice what your camera does and understand why.