The Best Photography Cheat Sheet Examples For Photographers

Ever found yourself in the wilds of a photo shoot, lost in the sea of camera settings, wishing for a beacon of guidance?

Enter photography cheat sheets—your trusty sidekick in the tumultuous adventure of capturing life’s moments. Here, the complex world of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings shrinks down to bite-sized nuggets.

No more fumbling or second-guessing that perfect shot! As you journey through this article, you’ll unearth the secrets to transforming photography wizardry into simple, actionable knowledge.

Imagine holding the keys to unlocking composition rules and lighting techniques that make your photos shout ‘wow’!

By the time we’re done, you’ll be armed with the savvy to navigate DSLR settings as effortlessly as scrolling your feed.

Ready to dive into the depths of photography without having to take a deep breath? Let’s snap to it—charting a course through essential quick tips and digital photography hacks, destined to elevate your visual storytelling to dizzying heights.

The Best Photography Cheat Sheet Examples

Video: Best lesson in photography for beginners – entire course in one image

A picture says a thousand words. this one says about 50 thousands, and entire course condensed in one image. print this chart, laminate it, have it in your pocket and look at it when you pull out your camera and try to learn to control it.

This is for beginners still trying to figure out the exposure triangle and what settings do what

Photo Cheat Sheet Page 1

Photography cheat sheet Page 1: Camera Mechanics

Upper Left: Aperture and Shutter Speed chart
Upper Middle: ISO and White Balance chart
Upper Right: Gray Card(s)
Mid-Left to Lower Middle: 4 panel summary of common camera presets
Mid-Right: Handy cheats
Lower Right: Hyperfocal distance chart for SLRs

Photo Cheat Sheet Page 2

Photography cheat sheet Page 2: Composition

Upper Left: Aperture and Shutter Speed chart
Upper Middle: ISO and White Balance chart
Upper Right: Golden Ratio summary; spiral, ratio, and triangles
Lower Left: Visual terms for composition
Lower Middle: Design element considerations for composition
Lower Right: guides for Golden Rectangle, Rule of Thirds, and Golden Ratio

These two pages can be used as printable photography cheat sheet and may fold up into a nice wallet-sized card. You can always cut off the sections you don’t need. Color copies work best.

Depth of field cheat sheet

Depth of field, or ability to control which parts of your pictures are sharp, is one of the main advantages of owning an SLR camera. Look at a scene with your own eyes, and everything from your feet to the horizon is usually in focus. But your pictures do not need to look like this.

You can set up your digital camera so that only certain parts of the shot are in sharp focus, while others are artistically blurred. This allows you to create emphasis where you want it – and to hide elements that would otherwise be distracting.

Photography Cheat Sheet

Source

Exposure cheatsheet

This exposure cheatsheet covers the basics of mastering manual exposure with an SLR camera.

The Fundamentals of Exposure (Infographic)

Lens shift and tilt movements explained

The F-Stop

The term “f-stop” is frequently used in two different ways, so a clarification is needed.

In the more specific instance, an f-stop refers to a particular aperture setting, or “f-number”. You might hear someone ask a photographer, “What f-stop are you using?”, and the answer would be a simple f-number, like “I’m at f/8”.

More commonly though, and more importantly for this article, an f-stop is a unit of measurement for exposure: a change of 1 f-stop =doubling or halving of the amount of light getting to the sensor, or in the case of ISO, the sensitivity of the sensor to light. When used in this general sense, the term is usually shortened to “stop” rather than “f-stop”.

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Free f-stop chart: master your aperture

One thing we consistently hear from people, especially looking to learn manual photography, is the confusion about aperture and what exactly those numbers mean. Understanding aperture can take some time for a beginning photographer, but hopefully, we can speed this process up for you with the help of a camera settings cheat sheet! Below we have for you a handy f-stop chart put together by our friends at N-Photo magazine which you can drag and drop on to your desktop.

How to read a histogram: photography cheat sheet

Most photographers know that you can check the exposure of the shots you’ve taken simply by reviewing them on your camera’s LCD screen. But looking at the picture alone can be misleading. Knowing how to read your camera’s histogram is the most important thing you can do to achieve a good exposure.

Your camera gives the option to show the range of brightness in your image as a graph, which plots the light levels from jet black, on the left, to pure white, on the right.

A ‘perfect’ histogram rises gently from the left, rises in the middle and drops on the right, indicating a full range of tones but no loss of detail in shadows or highlights.

Photoshop Elements 7 For Dummies

Photoshop Elements 7 offers a variety of tools to make photo editing easy. Knowing how the elements of the workspace are operating, and when to add toolbox shortcuts and a range of tricks to help select images, editing photos becomes a very easy piece of work cake.

Free wedding photography cheat sheet

Reflector Card Cheat Sheet

This card has three rows, each row displays a different comparison that has to do with using a reflector.

The first row shows the different color bounce you obtain when using the different “covers” of the 5-in-1 reflector. Here are some nice things I have noticed:

The black reflector will give a darker left side then no reflector at all was used. This is because of the black card blocks (the small amount of) light bouncing from the wall on the left of the camera.

The Silver coat will give a better bounce then the white no-coat.

Free portrait lighting cheat sheet

Feeling in the dark about portrait lighting? Whether it’s a flashgun or a softbox, off-camera lighting has confused many aspiring portrait photographers before you.

But your portrait photography doesn’t need to suffer because of this. Portrait lighting need not be so complicated. First, you need to check step-by-step the camera settings cheat sheet and also the aperture shutter speed iso cheat sheet which are laying the basis of your photography practice. Whether you’re in a professional studio or shooting a model in your home photo studio, often the simplest portrait lighting set-ups yield the most classic and dramatic effects.

Portrait Lighting Cheat Sheet Card

The cheat sheet shows three possible angles for setting the flash: Angling the flash down 45 degrees toward the subject; having the light on the same level as the subject and angling the flash 45 degrees up to light the subject from below. Each height position is placed on a different line. This cheat sheet is much useful than any how to shoot manual.

Metering mode cheat sheet: how they work and when to use them

Are you confused about your digital camera’s metering mode function? We might be able to help, especially if you don’t have a photography 101 pdf.

The Metering Mode button on your camera has an eye-shaped icon within a rectangle. Within your metering mode function, you will have either three or four metering modes: spot metering (read our guide to when to use spot metering), partial metering, center-weighted metering and evaluative metering.

What is color temperature: free photography cheat sheet

Understanding color temperature is one of the crucial rules of photography you have to learn long before you start breaking them.

So what is color temperature? Each source of light has its own individual color, or ‘color temperature’, which varies from red to blue.

Candles, sunsets and tungsten bulbs give off light that’s close to red (hence the ‘warm’ look they give to pictures), whereas clear blue skies give off a ‘cool’ blue light. It’s fairly obvious stuff once you read it.

Exposure cheat sheet

Mastering Depth of Field: Techniques for Dynamic Photos

Ready to take your Etsy photos to the next level? An easy way to add instant drama and interest to your shop’s photos is to master your camera’s depth of field capabilities by using the macro setting (or lens) and adjusting the aperture – also known as the f-stop.

My Take on Food Styling and Photography

Free family portrait photography cheat sheet

Family portrait photography is probably that one genre we all shoot at one time or another. On the other hand, family portrait photography can equally be the most frustrating as it requires a lot of practice in the field of portrait.

While we can’t offer much help about how to make crying babies stop, we can help to overcome a number of common obstacles we face when taking pictures of family. In the latest of our photo cheat sheet series, we’ve come up with four of the trickiest conditions for shooting family portrait photography.

Lightroom Shortcuts

Nikon D5000 For Dummies

Taking great digital photos with your Nikon D5000 is a snap once you know how to use the external controls and how to use the automatic and advanced exposure modes of your D5000 digital camera.

Black & White Cheatsheet For Photoshop

FAQ on Photography Cheat Sheets

What exactly is a photography cheat sheet?

Alright, so think of a cheat sheet as your quick reference guide. It’s a rundown of all those camera operation essentials. We’re talking the nitty-gritty of your exposure triangle, key manual mode instructions, and the like. It’s your back-pocket blueprint for nailing those picture-perfect moments without a hitch.

Why should I use photography cheat sheets?

Listen, these gems are your shortcut to photographic fluency. Whether you’re a newbie or seasoned shutterbug, cheat sheets are a boon. They’re like a Photography basics compass, pointing you to the right ISO settings and beyond. Plus, they’re always there when your memory goes AWOL.

Can photography cheat sheets improve my photo skills?

Fo’ sure! Cheat sheets distill complex concepts, like focus modes and metering modes, into approachable tidbits. They’re your silent mentors, whispering sage advice when you’re gearing up for that million-dollar shot. Soak in their wisdom, and watch your skillset expand faster than a lens flare at sunset.

Are there cheat sheets for specific photography genres?

Absolutely. From portrait photography tips to wildlife photography techniques, there’s a cheat sheet customized for every genre. They cater to the peculiarities of each style—angle here, timing there—ensuring your shots capture the essence, whether it’s the wild outdoors or the raw emotion of a human subject.

How do I use a photography cheat sheet?

It’s straightforward. Keep it on hand—digital or print—and glance over when setting up your shot. It’s like having cheat codes in a video game. Dial in the shutter speed tips or perfect that golden hour timing, and you’re set. The cheat sheet’s always got your back.

What should be included in a good photography cheat sheet?

A solid cheat sheet is like your photography Swiss Army knife—it’s got your aperture guide, focal length overview, white balance reference, everything! It doesn’t clutter the brain with fluff, only the crème de la crème, the kinds of insights that turn good photos into gallery-worthy masterpieces.

Are cheat sheets suitable for professional photographers?

Think of them as a pro’s secret sauce. Even the big guns swear by a quick composition rules refresher or a flash sync speed recap. It’s about keeping your edge sharp, ensuring every click of the shutter is intentional and every image is chef’s kiss impeccable.

Where can I find photography cheat sheets for my camera model?

The digital jungle is teeming with resources. Manufacturer websites, photography blogs, and forums—they’re all ripe with camera-specific cheat sheets. From Nikon to Canon to Sony, they cater to all. A swift goose chase online, and you’ll snag cheat sheets tailored just for your gear.

How can photography cheat sheets help with photo editing?

Picture this: You’re dabbling in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. Cheat sheets can spotlight those photo editing shortcuts and quick digital photography hacks. It’s about polishing those raw captures into works of art without breaking a sweat. They cut through the complexity like a hot knife through butter.

Are printable photography cheat sheets better than digital ones?

Hey, it’s all about personal preference, right? Some folks fancy the tactile feel of a printout, quick flip, and bam! Reference at your fingertips. Others groove more with the digital age—tap your screen, and you’ve got a library of cheat sheets without the extra bulk. Choose your fighter.

Conclusion

So, we’ve zipped through this spiel about photography cheat sheets—pretty neat, huh? Bet your brain’s buzzing with the newfound sharp-shooting wisdom packed in those little lifesavers.

Tackled the exposure triangle like a boss? Check.
Mastered the quick switcheroo between shutter speed to ISO, no sweat? Double-check.
Conned the composition rules into making every pic pop? Oh, triple check.

Don’t let the lingo spook you; those cheat sheets have bridged the gap. They’re your clutch players when the game’s on the line.

Picture this (pun totally intended)—you’re out there, lining up the shot. The light’s playing nice, and you got the cheat sheet whispering those hot tips. Snap! And just like that, you’re raking in the heart reacts and shares.

Remember: Keep ’em close. Learn ’em cold. Then? Just… let it roll. You got this, shot by shot, frame by perfect frame.

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Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.