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Artsy Dork on Pinterest and Youtube

Wow! Another school year is coming to a close and, as any teacher can tell you, it’s an incredibly busy time of year. I really haven’t had much time to check in on the blog, but I did take a peek this weekend and was floored to see my infant blog with 10 to 20 views per day had skyrocketed to 2000-3000 views per day virtually overnight!

I was a little shell-shocked, especially since I haven’t had much time to tend to this blog or even link my social media pages (breaking a cardinal rule of blogging). I figured I should at least link to the few social media pages that I currently have out there and feel free to follow if you find any of my blog posts helpful and insightful.

Oh . . . and to all of you who have helped my blog go from zero to sixty overnight, thanks so much for reading and I really hope that you’ll get some good use out of the information I put on this blog.

Artsy Dork on Youtube

I started this youtube page a while back as a place to house video tutorials I would create for my classes. You’ll find everything on there from photography tutorials, to making a bird out of Model Magic. Some of my older videos aren’t the best quality, but they’ve improved over time. I’m hoping to actually create some more “professional” videos in the near future as well.

If you are interested in art, crafts, Photoshop, photography, etc. you might find some useful tutorials on my page. Feel free to also leave me a message of any tutorials you might want to see that I don’t yet have up.

Art, design, and crafts tutorials on youtube.
A screenshot of my Youtube page and a few of my tutorial videos.

Artsy Dork on Pinterest

First of all, I am addicted to Pinterest. My personal page has over 10,0000 pins. It gets to a point that I would never have the time to actually go back and look at each one of them. That said, I look at Pinterest as a way to create your own customized resource for all of the subjects in which you are most interested.

My Artsy Dork Pinterest page is rather new but, like this blog, it’s focused on teaching tips, design, and art. So basically, it’s a one-stop-shop for resources, inspiration, and tutorials. Feel free to follow if that sounds interesting to you.

So finally, thanks again for reading this blog. It’s my little side project that can sometimes get a bit neglected, but I love sharing my ideas, struggles, and experiences with others so I hope you will continue to check in for more.

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Downloads, Photography, Printables, Resources

Photography Cheat Sheet – How to Shoot in Manual Mode

In this point-and-click world you might think that there’s no need for manual DSLR photography, but a DSLR really does open up so many more photographic possibilities. Mastering manual mode can be tough for the beginner though. There’s quite a bit of new terminology and a lot of moving parts that can throw you off track. That said, if you focus on the basics (and have a photography cheat sheet nearby) you can master it all with a little patience.

 

Free photography cheat sheet download.
Click the link at the end of this post to download a free PDF of this photography cheat sheet.

Beginning Photography Vocabulary

Before you start working in manual mode, you have to have a good understanding of photography terminology, so let’s review some common terms.

DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex. A type of camera that uses mirrors to reflect the image through the lens and back to the viewfinder. These cameras have larger sensors than most point-and-click cameras so they can create a much higher image quality, even with the same pixel size.

Aperture – The hole that lets light into your camera. It can be adjusted to various widths that are known as f-stops.

Shutter – The apparatus that opens and closes to let light into your camera. It can be set to different speeds.

Film Speed (ISO) – This used to be the rating of an individual roll of film. In a digital camera, it refers to your camera’s sensitivity to light.

Light Meter – A scale that measures the amount of light that is currently being let into your camera. It will tell you if you have too much, too little, or just enough light.

Depth of Field – How much space in the photo is in focus. If the background, middle ground and foreground are in focus, it is a wide depth of field. If only one slice of space is in focus, it is a narrow depth of field (also known as selective focus). Depth of field is controlled by the aperture.

Photo Noise – This refers to a loss of smoothness and crispness in a photo as you raise the ISO.

Learning to Shoot in Manual Mode

The video below will walk you through all of the basics to learn how to shoot in manual mode. You will learn how to set your aperture and shutter speed to get different effects, all while using your light meter to keep your photos properly exposed.

I’ve also included a free download of a photography cheat sheet that will help you navigate your camera as you start out. It’s also a coloring sheet just for some added fun.

Free Photography Cheat Sheet Download

Click on the link below to download a printable PDF of the Photography Cheat Sheet.

photography cheat sheet

I hope these tools will help you as you start down the path of DSLR photography. Start slow and practice every day, and you’ll soon be taking great shots without a second thought. Good Luck!