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I owe a significant amount of my digital photography knowledge and skills to what I've learned from the abundance of digital photography sites with free tutorials on the Internet. Sure there's lots of photography equipment you can purchase and courses you can take, but there's lots of material produced by veteran photographers in the field to help you produce quality photographs that won't cost you a dime.

This article is a follow-up to another MakeUseOf introduction to 5 Websites to Learn a Lot More About Photography and DigiCams.

GeoffLawrence

Geofflawrence contains a wide range of very well done video tutorials for using photography equipment, composing shots, using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and understanding exposure and lighting. He covers most nearly all the basic and advanced topics, such as color temperature and shooting models that serious photographers need to know.

His list Top 10 Photography Tips is a great place to start. Photos used in his tutorials are also varied, from portraits to landscapes. With so much free content, you certainly will want to click on many of the accompanying ads on the sites.

digital photography sites with free tutorials

The Digital Photography Connection

The Digital Photography Connection has a large collection of free tutorials that you can purchase, but the free offerings on the site are equally as good. These include well narrated PowerPoint presentations about memory cards, calibrating your computer monitor, and shooting tack sharp images. The site also includes free tutorials for using Adobe Lightroom, a leading image processing and management application.

free digital photography tutorials

Photoshop Killer Tips

I've been downloading and viewing Matt Kloskowski's Adobe Photoshop Killer Tips for a couple of years now. Not only has he introduced me to dozens of timesaving tips for using the granddaddy of image editors, he's also never wastes your time. He shows you just what you need in typically under three minutes.

His recent podcasts include topics on Using Adobe Bridge, a image manager, which comes installed with Photoshop, Understanding the Brush Hardness and Softness, How to Maintain Aspect Ratio While Cropping, Split Toning, and using the Smart Guide Tools. Photoshop Killer Tips is the best of free for Photoshop users.

free digital photography sites with tutorials

Photoshopusertv

Matt Kloskowski is also one of three hosts of Photoshoptv. Along with the other two, Scott Kelby and Dave Cross, these three experts produce a weekly show featuring both beginning and advanced Photoshop tutorials and tips. They have done well over 200 shows, and the most recent ones have included how-tos on using Photoshop's vanishing point, adding multiple layer styles, introducing a basic workflow also to Adobe Camera Raw, which also comes installed with Photoshop CS2, 3, and 4. Photographer Rick Simmon, who writes for Photo PC, is also a frequent guest on the show and he mainly covers beginning and intermediate photography tips.

Photoshopusertv has been airing for four years now, and typically past shows are archived and sold in sets. But downloading and saving them before they're archived provides you with a wealth of material. The show has a new format which provides a lot more content in less time, typically under 20 minutes.

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Short Courses

The website, Shortcourses provides digital photography tips as free tutorial manuals about nearly all aspects of photography, from camera manuals to processing photos. While each manual is for sale in both PDF format and printed book format, they have some really good free offerings that are examples of their well done books. The current free titles include Digital Photography Workflow, Using Your Digital Camera, Displaying & Sharing Your Digital Photos, and Curtin's Guide to Digital Cameras and Other Photographic Equipment.

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The Digital Story

I've been a long time listener of Derrick Story's podcast, The Digital Story. Derrick is a prolific writer and photographer who provides a wealth of content, mainly I would say for beginning and intermediate photographers. In his typically 30 minute podcasts he talks about a range of topics, from Favorite Adobe Camera Raw Tips, Getting Great Halloween Night Shots, Social Networking for Photographers, to How to Shoot Backlit Portraits.

Though his is an audio podcast, he does a very good job of talking listeners through topics based on his experiences as a veteran photographer. His program also includes a Monthly Photo Assignment that you can participate and share in Derrick's Digital Story Flickr group.

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Undoubtedly there are several other good digital photography sites with free tutorials that I don't know about. Feel free to recommend your favorite resources and what topics they cover.

Image Credit : Hamed Saber