Every image in these lectures was captured with equipment found in Mr. Melford's backpack. Peer inside the landscape photographer's bag and discover when to use essential tools including cable releases, different lenses (such as the perfect landscape lens) and polarizing filters (which take the haze out of sky and water).

Shutter speed, depth of field, and ISO (a camera's sensitivity to light). Discover how these technical concepts work with one another to form the foundation of powerful landscape photos. Also, learn how to sketch "a shot with your mobile phone to see if it's worth pursuing."

Great photography doesn’t have to end when the sun sets. Overcome your worries about night photography and sharpen your skills at working with (and capturing) moonlight, starlight, and even urban lights. Professor Sartore walks you through some night scenarios you may never have thought could yield such compelling photographs..

From dogs and snakes to ducks and zoo animals, discover the secrets of interesting animal photography—the kind that stands out from the boring pet pictures we’ve all seen before. As you’ll learn, the most important aspects of great animal photography are repeated access and plenty of time and patience..

Aim your camera upwards with this lesson on shooting the sky during the day and at night. From sun-blocking clouds to the aurora borealis and star trails, you'll learn that shooting the sky (whether from the ground or up in the air) requires anticipation, perseverance, and patience.

Professor Sartore shows you how to effectively wield the small lights that come with basic cameras. What happens when you take the flash off your camera? Diffuse it with a tissue? Play around with shutter speeds? As you’ll discover, you can get big photographic results from these little lights..

Fall in love all over again with black-and-white photography, which looks great in just about any light and allows you to create compositions and moods you could never achieve with color photography. As Professor Sartore demonstrates, it’s a powerful way of getting to the essence of your subject..

Take a trip to a beautiful Nebraska Sandhills ranch and watch Professor Sartore overcome visual chaos to capture the drama and action of a day of cattle round ups and branding. Harsh light and fast-moving action challenge you to be at the top of your game..

Light, according to Professor Sartore, is what great photography is all about. In this lesson, he shows you how to take a more measured, thoughtful approach to various light sources, techniques, and effects—including back lighting, side lighting, floor lighting (also known as ghost lighting), and colored lighting..

Great photography goes beyond knowing about how lenses and f-stops work. It’s about creative problem solving under real-world conditions. Taking great photographs means knowing how to choose the right tool or apply the right technique to capture your subject in the best possible way. Photographers who wish to excel—professional and recreational alike—need to have a solid foundation of technical skills and the ability to apply that knowledge...