English, baby!

Photography

Learn English with this photography English lesson

Date: Dec 18 2018

Themes: Hobbies

Grammar: Simple Past Tense

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen

When you’re out with friends having fun, someone in your group will surely bring out a camera to snap a picture. Or when you’re home alone with your cat, you might take a picture of him when he does something cute. Photographs are a great way to keep a memory forever, on your phone or on your wall. But with so many people taking pictures, there are also many bad pictures that are too dark, or too light, or out of focus because taking a great photo takes practice.

Photography has become so popular that most cities have classes to teach people how to use their cameras and how to take the best picture. Some of these classes take place outdoors to teach students about nature photography, other classes might focus on taking pictures of people inside a room.

Rafael and Gary are talking about how photography has become very popular and the importance of learning how to correctly use a camera. Find out more in today’s English lesson about how to be a better photographer.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Rafael

Gary

Rafael: Photography is hard. Here I am trying to make a living taking pictures of beautiful images in nature. And I feel like everybody wants me to take pictures of them at their wedding.

Gary: You need to have a really good eye to be able to frame a good photo.

Rafael: Yeah.

Gary: And there are so many people using websites like Instagram. Photos are so trendy now.

Rafael: Yeah, Instagram is trendy. You see a lot of photos up there that you can tell the photographer had a big lack of expertise.

Gary: Yes, because they don’t know the settings of their camera or the settings of their phone, because a lot of people are using their phone to take photos.

Rafael: And I think reading manuals has become a lost art.

Gary: I’d agree with you on that. My digital SLR has a really thick manual and I actually did read through a bunch of it because there were so many features that I had no idea what to do when I first got the camera.

Rafael: Well, anyway, I want to show you this amazing photo I took in Mount Hood.

Gary: That is really nice. You’ve got a good eye!

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Simple Past Tense" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Rafael works really hard at his photography expertise by going out and taking beautiful pictures of nature, but he is annoyed that people only ask him to take pictures of them at events. Gary agrees that it takes a good eye and a lot of practice to be good at photography.

Photography has become very trendy, but Rafael thinks that people need to read their camera manuals to really learn about their digital SLR cameras. Gary agrees that people need to better understand their camera settings to take the best pictures.

Do you carry around a camera all of the time? What is your favorite subject to photograph?

Comments

TangJun815

China

Yes, I take photos using my iPhone. It’s easier than digital SLR cameras. I often use my iPhone take photos for my daughter or cats or others… except myself….^_

eduardosouto

Brazil

Well, I don’t carry a camera around all of the time because I don’t have the expertise to operate a professional one, but I do have my cell phone with me, and it has the same technology as a digital SLR camera!

The real problem is that I don’t have a good eye for pictures!

Everybody knows that pictures are trendy nowadays, however, you need much more than a simple manual to learn how to make it work!

Special moments is my favorite subject to photograph!

johnnymayer

Australia

I am a practitioner of photography. I enjoy it. But lately too busy. I am thankful for the information above. Today i just take photos of dolls especially Trolls Plush Dolls in our website. https://plushdirect.com.au/

LEICHAO

Canada

my english too bad, so i have to spend much time in this . who can help me . my QQ1142034003

vik32

India

First of all, photography has become so much popular worldwide everybody is ready to take pictures wherever they are..and it has also become profession for most of them and make their living on that. it is really fun doing that and storing your memories in snaps forever. i usually take my selfies if somebody isn’t around and do some editing to make it look more trendy.lol

Moriza

Ukraine

The varying pictures taken in different places and times,stored in the photoalbum,pc or phone,offer a fascinating window into the world of our past and present moments,events,scenes allowing us to enjoy the illustrative renderings of our life.

By and large I like to take photos as well as like to watch the pics taken and sharing with me by my friends.It’s so colorful , bright,exciting…-tremendous moments and emotions.

songbird

United States

To be a good photographer isn’t easy but by practising and know how to focus on the frame of picture we can be a good one and day by day we can fave more expertise to use camera in a best way and snap a good picture.

naira71

Azerbaijan

when we travel we take camera with us .Ceirtainly I am not professional photographer but want to save ome intersting moments in life.

cadnanka

Sweden

i dont like to snap photots but when i do i will do more beuty full becouse i have a good eyes. unfortunatlely i think that taking photo is just a waste of time. so i recomend for you gust to stop taking pictures. instead of snap pictures learn new language, do some volunter work that you can help you society and so on.

Vina Novalina

Indonesia

Nowadays photography is famous and become trend in teenagers, many of them learn just for fun or hobby but in the same time they use it to make money and its really cool when u can earn money from ur hobby. I like photography but I just use my mobile to take pictures and now we can find many phone or mobile with great camera and effects to create a great picture.

julito

Argentina

Perfect timing. just a pinch buddah perfect timing

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

ı love photography as an amateur photographer, really its a great art,hobby,profession…

sometimes to take photo looks like a sweet song..either we listen songs or we sing ..and we put our emotions,feelings and memories to songs…

Photos make our moments eternal.Photos are like a time machine that it takes us to past ..we can see our all memories on them ..our families,relatives,friends,collegues,schoolmates.like history movie of our life.

some people like to take photo..nature,cities,streets,people,animals ..their happy events,parties,anniversaries,celebrations,special days and moment..

some people dont like their photos ..they think they arent photogenic..but they forget they can be very beautiful and photogenic in other eyes..

and sometimes photos tell us many things than words..

fcf515

Taiwan

When I bought my first digital SLR ten years ago, I was very obsessed with photographing. I snapped at my dog, the street views, flowers, trees, and more. As taking pictures becomes easier and more convenient, my passion for photography has greatly faded away.

julito

Argentina

Today´s topic of conversation also relates to me. I have bought over the times some good cameras , i was so happy with my new camera while i was heading back home with it… but….. all the happiness faded away after unwrapping the package ,taking out the camera and ,here it is, my saviour !!! the instruction manual . No matter how many times i read it, i was so ignorant after going through it that i even didn´t get to know the basics : how to take good pictures. I confess, it´s me, i am a slow learner, what to do then? i set the camara in smart and let it itself figure out how to do it , although it is not a pro picture, considering my lack of expertise, i am happy with the final result. My fav subject is nature.

whipiry

South Korea

I have a DSLR camera…at first, I tried to read the manual to know how to make a setting for some features, but it was a lost art.. many people carry with dslr out there ,but i think how many people know how to set or read the manual . maybe not many.

a bunch of features I can’t understand at all. what difference between A and B.

sort of that.

about pictures.

it will take time to have a good eye for angle or good frame.

it doesn’t happen without effort

Eric_

China

If carry the DSLR in the whole day, that’s tired….

I usually use my cell phone to record the events or the nice scenery outside…

Michele1

Italy

To snap good photographs is not easy, even if we have available Instagram website that can help us to take nice pictures, if we don’t like to read the camera’s manual . The problem about reading a manual is because all of us have a lot of manuals at home, we need a master degree before to use digital tv, smartphone,camera srl,remote controls for alarm,etc ,etc. and all of the modern contraptions…..(smiling..)

I think we are losing our past with the digital cameras or smartphone,because so few people bother to print the pictures they took. To touch a paper picture and to keep them in our hands is a different and nice sensation than to see a digital photographs.

Dizelman

Switzerland

Hello -

I can’t draw and hate to paint, but I want to create something or at least feel creative. Therefore I photograph. I love photography! It gives me great satisfaction to be able to express myself and create a fine art image (or any other well done print) and know that I did that or see others enjoy it as well.

Best regards,

Yuri