The Knowledge System of Photography

The greatest pain for photography enthusiasts is reading lots of superficial, disconnected "operation secrets" — and in the end learning nothing at all.

Whether it's the 26 photography tutorials Thomas has already completed, or the 100+ tutorials in my future plans, the goal is the same: to give you a complete photography "knowledge system" and "operating system" that goes deep into principles.

1

Thomas's tutorials form a knowledge system that goes deep into principles.

The biggest pain point for photography enthusiasts: today you read a tutorial on shooting autumn colors, tomorrow one on skin smoothing, and by the day after you've basically forgotten it all. There are two reasons:

1) Most tutorials stay at the level of surface operations, without analyzing the principles behind them more deeply.

Just like in our school days: without understanding the underlying principles, relying purely on rote memorization of physics and math formulas, we forget them almost immediately. Solving hard problems by drawing inferences is then pure fantasy.

2) These piecemeal tutorials are isolated from one another, with no connections between them.

Learning a bit here and a bit there is like piling up a tray of loose sand — almost a wasted effort.

Only by learning to summarize, generalize, and connect — linking these isolated knowledge points into a systematic knowledge system — can we bind the loose sand with cement and gravel into our own solid "concrete" system of photographic knowledge and operation.

All the tutorials Thomas works hard to create are meant to solve these two pain points of yours.

1.1

I Hate Manual-Style Photography Tutorials

If my article "Understanding Lightroom's Basic Panel" (《理解Lightroom基本面板》) merely explained the 11 sliders of the LR Basic panel from top to bottom, then it would undoubtedly become the kind of "manual-style" tutorial I hate.

In fact, that tutorial reclassifies the 11 basic sliders into two parts: tonal adjustment and color adjustment. Within tonal adjustment, it further establishes an understanding order of Whites – Highlights – Exposure – Shadows – Blacks, following the corresponding zones of the histogram.

After reading that article, I believe you will not only remember which sliders the LR Basic panel contains, but also understand the meaning of important terms like tonality, color tone, hue, intensity, and zone exposure.

Similar examples include "Applying the Histogram in Post — How to Use It to Grade 8 Tonal Styles of Blockbusters" (《直方图的后期应用》), "Do You Really Understand Sharpening?" (《你真的理解锐化了吗？》), and "Don't Let Distortion Ruin Your Photos — ACR/Lightroom Basic Corrections" (《不要让畸变毁了你的照片》). After reading them, you will not only learn how to use these tools in LR/ACR, but also understand principle-level knowledge like low-key, high-short-key, masks, perspective distortion, and pincushion distortion.

1.2

This knowledge system is meant to keep you from falling into the pits I once fell into.

The pits Thomas fell into while learning photography are surely no fewer than those of many friends. Thomas writes this series of tutorials so that everyone will no longer be fooled by various "masters," "secret manuals," and "bibles," wasting our precious time and attention.

Of course, Thomas himself is no master or guru — not even an expert. So if you hope to become a photography master through my videos and writing, I have little confidence in that myself. But helping you get past the various problems beginners encounter and become a skilled photography enthusiast — Thomas is quite confident about that.

So the photography tutorials Thomas has finished and plans to write will definitely form a complete knowledge system and operating system.

2

Summary of Existing Tutorials and Future Plans

Thomas's tutorials can be organized into 6 major sections.

[1. Artistic Synesthesia and Shooting Mindset]

"Local Adjustment Is the Core Mindset of Post-Processing" (《局部处理是摄影后期的核心思路》)

"The Best Lens Is Your Eyes" (《最好的镜头是你的眼睛》)

The bottleneck in shooting is not whether you can calculate the hyperfocal distance, but whether you have an eye that discovers beauty. The difficulty in post is not how to use luminosity masks, but what effect you ultimately want to achieve.

So although the [Artistic Synesthesia and Shooting Mindset] section currently has only two articles, Thomas will definitely expand it with more of his private insights — talking about layering, color, space, clarity...

[2. In-Camera Shooting]

"The Histogram and Exposure" (《直方图与曝光》)

"Buy a Polarizer First" (《先买偏振镜》)

"Then Buy an ND Filter" (《再买ND减光镜》)

Shooting is composing the music; post-processing is the performance. Good shooting solves 80% of post-processing pain.

Thomas will keep adding to this section in the future, but not at a high frequency.

[3. LR/ACR Basic Processing]

"What Is ACR" (《ACR是什么》)

"Basic Corrections Are Essential" (《基本校正必不可少》)

"Understanding the Histogram" (《认识直方图》)

"Understanding the Basic Panel" (《理解基本面板》)

"Basic Curves" (《基本曲线》)

"Advanced Curves" (《进阶曲线》)

"Local Filters" (《局部滤镜》)

"The Adjustment Brush" (《调整画笔》)

"Brush in Action" (《画笔实战》)

"Learning to Sharpen" (《学会锐化》)

Have you noticed? Without realizing it, Thomas has almost finished covering Camera Raw basic processing! So this year, the ACR part is the focus Thomas is working hard to complete thoroughly. Topics you can look forward to in the near future include:

"Understanding Color Through the HSL Panel" (《从HSL面板认识色彩》)

"Split Toning — What Exactly Is Being Split?" (《色调分离，分离的到底是什么？》)

"The Deep Knowledge of Noise Reduction" (《降噪的大学问》)

"Color Management and Photo Output" (《色彩管理与照片输出》)

and so on...

[4. Photoshop and Filter Advanced Processing]

"Layers and Mask Basics" (《图层与蒙版基础》)

This section currently has only one article, and it won't be a focus for a while. For beginners, spending great effort mastering the complex PS system is not cost-effective. Learning Lightroom first is the right path.

After learning LR/ACR, what improves a photo's "professional feel" faster than PS is actually third-party plugins like Nik, Topaz, and On1. Mastering simple plugin tools like U Point, Tonal Contrast, and so on is much easier than mastering selections, masks, curves, and actions.

So after finishing ACR at the end of the year, Thomas will release a series of Nik Collection insights.

[5. Practical Topic Series]

Star and Milky Way series:

"Detailed Guide to Shooting Starry Skies" (《星空前期拍摄详解》)

"Post-Processing for Milky Way and Starry Skies" (《银河星空的后期处理》)

"Stacking Starry Skies for Noise Reduction" (《星空堆栈降噪》)

"Advanced Starry Sky Processing" (《星空进阶处理》)

"Creative Night-Scene Compositing" (《创意夜景合成》) www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309403967924103698158

Others:

"Why Do Photos Lack Clarity?" (《照片为什么会不通透》)

"Practical Analysis of Dehazing" (《去雾霾实战分析》)

"The Complete In-Camera and Post Workflow for Huangshan Photos" (《黄山照片的前后期流程》) http://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309403964993300241365

No matter how much theory and tools are explained, it's useless without practical application. Starry-sky shooting alone has already taken five articles — and star trails, manual alignment, and more haven't even been written yet. You can see how much practical knowledge each subject involves.

In the future, this section will keep updating alongside various newly learned tools and techniques.

[6. The Stories and Worldview Behind the Lens]

"Crossing the Death Pass, Searching for a Snow-Mountain Paradise" (《翻越死亡垭口，寻找雪山天堂》)

"Born to Be Wild for Snow Mountains" (《生为雪山狂》)

What? This counts as a tutorial too?

Of course. Photography is not merely cold gear and technique — it is also a thread of warmth, a share of persistence, a kind of passion. In the end, what distinguishes your photographic works from mine, and stamps each person with a unique label, is our worldview.

3

Thomas is actually not a selfless person — but he should be an honest one.

Thomas spends over 4 hours writing and producing each tutorial on average; counting the earlier topic planning and deep reading of reference material, the effort is simply incalculable.

Why does Thomas teach everyone, without reservation, the knowledge he spent years accumulating by falling into all kinds of deep pits? Am I a modern-day Lei Feng living for others?

No, no, no. Read the following three original intentions behind Thomas's tutorial writing, and you'll know Thomas is actually not a "selfless" person.

3.1

The Best Learning Method I Know Is Teaching Others

No one understands every detail of a building better than its designer and builder.

For me, teaching others photography is a form of learning — the deepest kind of learning. Since I began updating one tutorial per week this April, I have been thinking, learning, and preparing every single moment.

I constantly question myself: Have I researched deeply enough? Is the tutorial arranged systematically and reasonably? Is what I'm teaching really the most important part of in-camera and post work?

In this process of deep thinking and repeatedly consulting all kinds of material, Thomas himself is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary.

So I also hope that before asking questions, readers will first search on Baidu and then think it over themselves — that way you will gain the most, and Thomas will be very happy to discuss questions that have been truly thought through with heart.

3.2

Influence Is an Important Ability for a Professional Photographer

In the near future, there may be no shortage of photographers who shoot beautifully — only a shortage of photographers with their own ideas who dare to express them.

With the spread of gear and the increasing intelligence and simplification of post-processing technology, everyone will be able to take good-looking photos in the future. Where then is the meaning of a photographer?

In our ideas, in our personal labels, in the one-of-a-kind influence we build around our personal brand.

Thomas's main job is still that of a programmer. But I keep working hard, hoping that one day I can, like Jimmy Chin, Max Rive, and Dylan Toh, explore and record the world's most extreme outdoor scenery.

Whether it's my album of expeditions to the fourteen 8000-meter snow mountains, or this series of photography tutorials, all of it is me building my personal label and unique influence — and a step toward turning professional in the future.

3.3

I Really Love This Sense of Achievement

Every time I see the enthusiastic comments and reposts below an article, and the warm messages in the WeChat account backend, I become more convinced:

What I am doing now is the right thing.

What I am doing now is a valuable thing.

What I am doing now is something I love.

So I am grateful to every friend who likes, comments, shares, and tips — without your encouragement, Thomas could not have gone from tutorial No. 1 to tutorial No. 26.

I hope that when Thomas reaches his hundredth tutorial, I can come back and say thank you to you again!