0

YouTube  is one of the best free resources available to people who want to learn photography and video. There are countless channels with hours upon hours of content teaching people how to produce higher quality photos and videos. Below I list some of the best channels to learn from, and what makes them different from the others.

A year ago I had very limited knowledge of how a camera worked, but I did have a desire to learn. Fast forward to present day, I’m confident in my understanding of the fundamentals of photography and video, and I’m able to produce work I’m happy with. Below is a YouTube video I recently produced a for an organization called TIGP on the importance of inter-generational connections.

A little bit about how I learned through YouTube (Skip this paragraph if you aren’t interested).For beginners it can get overwhelming to find a place to start, since there are so many different websites out their teaching so many different things. I did some research on YouTube and decided on the D3300, an entry level DSLR that would allow be me to learn about exposures, lenses, composition, etc. After getting the camera I looked up videos about the camera so I could learn all the ins and outs and familiarize myself with how it works. I’ve  essentially learned everything I know from YouTube.  Many people don’t realize the amount of content and knowledge on YouTube that isn’t being utilized.

Jared Polin for example has a series called Rapid Fire Critique where he critiques the photos of viewers and explains the good and the bad and provides feedback on what could have been better. He also has a series of videos that explain the settings for many entry level DSLRs, and what they do. This can be helpful if you are getting your first DSLR and want someone to show you the ropes. He has a very energetic style to his videos. Below is a Rapid Fire Critique from two years ago.

Source

Film Riot is another channel covering different video and film topics. They often have specific tutorials teaching you how to do a particular effect or scene. They also have a series called “Mondays” where they answer questions submitted by the viewers. They have shot films, music videos, and commercials. They produce short films and behind the scenes videos explain the different effects they used in the films, often times providing a tutorial on that specific effect and how you can apply it to your own work. They also have a variety of DIY videos that you can try if you’re on a budget, such as creating your own camera slider. Below is a trailer for their channel.

Source

DSLRguide is a channel that has loads of videos on different concepts of shooting video with a DSLR as well as videos covering general film production topics, such as lighting and sound. He also has tips and tricks videos for people on a budget. This is a good channel to watch if you are looking for a starting point and want to learn to create film and just overall higher quality videos. He has a very cinematic style to his videos, each one feels like a short film and is quite interesting to watch. Below is an introduction video to filmmaking.


Having a variety of channels to choose from means that you can pick someone you enjoy learning from. Each channel will have their own teaching styles and you can pick the channel that best suits you. These are just a few that I really enjoyed when I was first beginning to learn about video and photography and hopefully they are as helpful to you as they were to me.