Photography Explained Podcast

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🎧 Your camera has a dial on top. It is covered in letters and little pictures. And not one of them tells you what to do. This episode is for beginners who bought a camera and cannot work out the dial. I read out every symbol on a Canon R100 and a Canon 6D. By the end, that dial looks like a short list, not a wall of hieroglyphics.

In this episode:

📷 What the mode dial on a camera does. It decides who controls your settings, you or the camera.

🔤 Why the letters on a camera dial differ between manufacturers. Your dial is not wrong.

🖼️ What the little pictures on a camera dial mean. Every symbol on the R100 and the 6D, plus the menus behind them.

🎯 How many camera modes you really need. Far fewer than the dial suggests.

🔄 Can you change the mode dial whenever you want? Yes.

🚫 Why some camera settings are greyed out. Look at the dial first.

👀 Why you should check your mode dial before every shoot. It takes one second.

💡 Bonus: the missing Tip 8 from the RAW versus JPEG episode. Where to actually change that setting. 

📝 Read the full blog post: https://rickmcevoyphotography.com/blog/what-do-the-letters-on-a-camera-mode-dial-mean

🎧 Related episodes:

▶️ Episode 31 — What Are The Different Camera Modes?

This is a first look at the modes on the dial. It is a good warm-up before next episode.

▶️ Episode 107 — What Are Creative Modes In Photography - And What Are The Other Modes?

This one explains the difference between the beginner pictures and the modes that give you control.

▶️ Episode 230 — Shiny New Camera? Calm Down and Do This First

If your camera is new and the dial feels overwhelming, start here.

🔜 Next episode, Friday 6 November 2026: 11 Camera Modes Explained — and the Only 2 I Actually Use. I explain every mode on the dial. And I confess to the only two I actually use. If today left you staring at your dial, next episode is where it finally clicks.

▶️ Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

🌐 Website: rickmcevoyphotography.com

🎓 Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🧰 Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

Buzzsprout tags (paste into the separate tags field, not into the show notes):

camera mode dial, camera dial letters, camera dial symbols, camera modes, canon r100, canon 6d, beginner photography, photography for beginners, camera settings, scene modes, hybrid auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, photography podcast, learn photography

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Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

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🎙️ Ever opened a RAW file on your computer and thought you'd ruined the photo? You haven't. In this episode I explain exactly what RAW and JPEG actually are, why your camera's screen has been showing you something that isn't your real file, and why I shoot RAW myself - plus the genuine irony that every RAW file ends up as a JPEG eventually anyway. Perfect if you've ever wondered what all the fuss is about.

📝 What's covered:

●        📸 A JPEG is a finished, plated meal - cooked by your camera in an instant

●        🥕 A RAW file is the raw ingredients - completely unprocessed

●        🖥️ Your camera screen shows you a JPEG preview, even when shooting RAW

●        ✅ JPEG photos can look genuinely great, and choosing JPEG is not a mistake

●        🎛️ RAW gives you far more room to fix brightness and colour without it falling apart

●        💾 Why RAW files are so much bigger than JPEGs

●        🤝 Shoot RAW and JPEG together - you lose nothing and gain the option

●        ⚙️ Where to actually change this setting on your camera

●        🔄 The irony: every RAW file ends up exported as a JPEG anyway - just a properly made one

📖 Read the full blog post, with photo examples and more detail:

RAW vs JPEG. RAW What? JPEG What? What Is This Nonsense?

🔗 Related episodes:

Episode 226 - Why Are My Photos Too Dark? Understanding Exposure for Beginners - the exposure fundamentals that RAW editing gives you so much more room to correct.

Episode 227 - White Balance Explained - Why Your Photos Look Too Orange or Blue - goes deeper into fixing colour casts, which this episode also touches on.

🔮 Next episode: What on Earth Are the Letters and Symbols on the Turny Dial? That dial on top of your camera is covered in letters and symbols that mean nothing to you yet. It has a name, and a purpose. Find out just enough to be properly curious, before the full explanation in the episode after that. Out Friday 23 October 2026.

📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy

🌐 Website, courses and resources:

rickmcevoyphotography.com

rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🔺 Ever felt like the exposure triangle needs three hands and a maths degree just to take one photo? It doesn't. In this episode Rick explains aperture, shutter speed and ISO in plain English — what each one actually does, how they work together, and which two settings he actually controls himself on every real shoot. If you're new to cameras, or you've never quite got your head around exposure, this one's for you.

●        🔺 What the exposure triangle actually is, and why photographers call it a triangle

●        🔘 Aperture — why the f-numbers feel backwards, and what depth of field really means

●        🎯 Shutter speed — freezing movement vs blurring it, and everything in between

●        💡 ISO — what it's actually doing to your photo (it isn't what you've been told)

●        ⚖️ How all three trade against each other in stops

●        😅 Why Rick doesn't juggle all three — the two settings he sets himself, and the one he leaves to the camera

●        📱 How the exposure triangle works inside your phone, even when it's hidden from you

●        🏢 Exactly what Rick does on a real architectural shoot

Read the full blog post here

Episode 226 — Why Are My Photos Too Dark? Understanding Exposure for Beginners

If today's episode has you wondering why your own photos come out too dark or too bright, this episode digs into exactly that problem and how to fix it.

Episode 215 — ISO Explained: The Simple Guide to Better Photos in Any Light

For a deeper dive into ISO specifically, including when it's worth raising and when it isn't, this episode covers it in full.

Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

If shutter speed and blur are still tripping you up, this episode walks through exactly why your photos come out blurry and how to fix it.

🎙️ Next episode, Rick's tackling two little file formats that cause more confusion than almost anything else in photography — RAW versus JPEG. What they actually are, and which one you should be shooting. Join him for that on Friday the 9th of October.

📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

🌐 Website, courses and resources

🎓 Courses

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

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🎙️ Turn on image stabilisation, they said. It'll save your photos, they said. Nobody mentioned you'd need to turn it off again.

You've been told to always leave image stabilisation switched on. But put your camera on a tripod, and that same advice flips completely. In this episode, I explain exactly what image stabilisation does, how many extra stops it can buy you, and the moments where it can actually work against you. Whether you're shooting handheld, on a tripod, or panning a moving subject, this one's for you. 📸

🔧 What's In This Episode
●        What Image Stabilisation Actually Does — the one job it's built for, and nothing more.

●        How Many Extra Stops It Buys You — the genuinely useful benefit, explained properly.

●        Why It Fights You On A Tripod — and why the advice to switch it off makes total sense.

●        Two Different Places Stabilisation Can Live — in the lens, the body, or both.

●        The Panning Exception — the one time you move the camera on purpose and it still helps.

●        Video Needs More Help Than Stills — why your settings shouldn't be identical for both.

●        It Runs Your Battery Down Faster — the practical cost nobody mentions.

📖 Read the Full Blog Post
Read the blog post here

🔗 Related Episodes
Episode 235 — Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why? — start here if you're still deciding whether a tripod is worth carrying at all.

Episode 224 — Why Are My Photos Blurry? All the Reasons and How to Fix Them — image stabilisation is only one piece of the blur puzzle.

Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now. — a practical follow up on camera movement generally.

⏭️ Next Episode
Everyone teaches the exposure triangle. I barely use it. Find out why in episode 242, out Friday 25th September 2026.

🎥 More From Rick

Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

rickmcevoyphotography.com for everything else — courses, resources, and my weekly email.

Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Your 50mm lens isn't really a 50mm lens — and once you know why, you'll never buy a lens with the wrong expectations again.

In this episode Rick explains crop factor in plain English. No maths degree required. If you've ever wondered why your lens doesn't seem to do what the numbers on the barrel suggest, this one's for you.

What's Covered

●        🎞️ What a full-frame sensor actually is, and where the name comes from

●        📷 What a crop sensor is, and how to spot one on your own camera

●        🔢 What the crop factor number means, and how to work it out

●        📐 Why your 50mm lens behaves like a 75mm lens on most beginner cameras

●        🛒 What to check before you buy your next lens

●        🌙 Whether crop factor genuinely affects image quality

●        📱 How this applies if you're shooting on a phone

Full Blog Post

Read the full blog post here

Related Episodes

Episode 239 — Your Kit Lens Says 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 — What on Earth Does Any of That Mean? The episode right before this one — you already know what those lens numbers mean, now find out what crop factor does to them.

Episode 229 — What Can An Entry Level Camera Really Do? Almost every entry-level camera is a crop sensor camera — this episode puts its real-world capabilities to the test.

Episode 8 — Why Is Camera Sensor Size Important? The foundational episode on sensor size, worth a listen alongside this one.

Coming Up Next 💝

You Say I Should Use Image Stabilisation — Then Why Oh Why Would I Ever Turn It Off? We're talking image stabilisation: what it is, how it works, and the times you genuinely should switch it off. Episode 241, publishing Friday 11 September 2026.

Find Me Elsewhere

🎥 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy

🌐 rickmcevoyphotography.com — courses, resources and my weekly email

📚 Courses — including the beginner-friendly Sunrise in Mexico course

🛠️ Resources — the gear, software and tools I actually use and recommend

💬 Got a question or an idea for a future episode? Text me directly from the podcast feed.

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🎯 Your kit lens has something printed on the barrel. 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. Confident. Specific. And absolutely meaningless — unless you know what any of it means. This episode fixes that.

In episode 239 of the Photography Explained Podcast, I explain every number and letter on your kit lens barrel. In plain English. Without the irrelevant detail. Including why the aperture numbering system is completely backwards — and why whoever invented it clearly did not consult anyone who was actually learning photography at the time.

In this episode:

●       📏 Tip 1: 18-55mm — the focal length range. What wide angle means. What the longer end does. Why the zoom ring is your best friend.

●       📷 Tip 2: f/3.5-5.6 — the aperture range. What aperture actually is. Why the numbers seem backwards (and they are). What maximum aperture means.

●       🔄 Tip 3: Why the aperture changes as you zoom — variable aperture explained, what a stop of light is, and why your kit lens is actually being very sensible.

●       🌟 Tip 4: What aperture does to your photos — depth of sharpness in practice, a birthday party in low light, and the two things you need to know about f/3.5 and f/5.6.

●       🔤 Tip 5: USM, STM, IS, and Roman numerals — what all those letters mean and why none of it is random.

📖 Full episode notes and blog post: rickmcevoyphotography.com/blog/kit-lens-18-55mm-f35-56-explained

Related episodes 🎧

Episode 60 — What Is A Kit Lens?

If you want to understand more about what a kit lens actually is, what it is good for, and whether you need anything else right now, this is the one to listen to next.

Episode 155 — What Is Aperture In Photography?

We covered the basics of aperture today. This episode goes much deeper on aperture and depth of field (depth of sharpness).

Episode 203 — Understanding Focal Length and Its Effect On Composition

Focal length does more than zoom in and out. This episode explains exactly what else it does to your photos.

Next episode 📅

Episode 240 is out on Friday 28 August 2026. The title? Crop Factor. Sorry — I Know It's Boring But It's Really Important. Here is the question that will keep you thinking: when is an 18mm lens not an 18mm lens? Find out in two weeks.

🎬 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy

🌐 Website: rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🛠️ Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

There is a LOT of camera gear out there. Bodies, lenses, bags, tripods, filters, memory cards, drones, studio lights — and it can feel like you need to spend thousands of pounds before you've earned the right to call yourself a photographer. You don't. Not even close. In this episode I cut through all of it and tell you exactly what a beginner photographer actually needs, what can wait, and what you can safely ignore entirely. 📷

In this episode we cover:

●        📷 Tip 1 — The camera body: why it matters less than you think

●        🔭 Tip 2 — The lens: this is where your money should actually go

●        📐 Tip 3 — The tripod: do you actually need one, and when?

●        💾 Tip 4 — Memory cards: the unsung essential nobody talks about

●        🔋 Tip 5 — Batteries: no battery, no photos — it really is that simple

●        🔵 Tip 6 — Filters: mostly not for beginners (with one exception)

●        🔆 Tip 7 — Lens hoods: the most underrated bit of kit you own

●        🔵 Tip 8 — Lens caps: free, essential, and easily overlooked

●        🎒 Tip 9 — The camera bag: carry what you actually use, nothing else

●        🚫 Tip 10 — The gear you don't need yet: drones, studio lights, second bodies, super-zooms

📖 Full episode blog post and transcript:

Argh. Why Is There So Much Camera Gear? Please Help Me!

🎙️ Related episodes worth listening to:

Episode 236 — Why It Is 3 Times Harder to Choose a Camera Bag Than a Sandwich Bag — the full story behind what you heard today, and how to choose a bag that actually works.

Episode 237 — What — I Have to Clean My Camera Gear? Really? — because once you know what gear to own, you need to know how to look after it. [link to be added]

Episode 235 — Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why? — the full tripod answer, in full.

Episode 152 — How My One Photo Rule Will Help You Take Better Photos — not gear related, but directly relevant to taking better photos.

🎧 Next episode — and this one will make you look at your kit lens in a completely different way 💝

Your kit lens has a little label on it that says something like 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. If you've ever looked at that and thought: what on earth does any of that mean — Episode 239 is your answer. Publishing Friday 14th August 2026 at 11am UK. Subscribe and you won't miss it.

📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy — full episodes and Shorts every fortnight.

🌐 Everything else — courses, resources, weekly email and lots of other good stuff: rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 My courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🛠️ My resources page: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

And you can text me directly from the podcast feed — how utterly splendid. 💝

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🧹 Your camera gear is dirty. And dirty gear is quietly affecting your photos in ways you might not even notice — a smudge on the lens that softens everything, a speck of dust on the sensor that shows up in the same spot on every single sky you shoot. In this episode I cover exactly what to clean, how to clean it safely, and — probably most importantly — what not to do. Because the damage usually comes from cleaning too aggressively, not from leaving things alone.

In this episode:

•       📷 Tip 1 — How to clean your camera sensor, including what to do when the built-in cleaning function isn't enough

•       🔍 Tip 2 — How to clean your front lens element without causing scratches — and why the blower always goes first

•       📦 Tip 3 — The camera body: a five-minute job that's worth doing every time

•       🔋 Tip 4 — Contacts, straps and filters — the bits it's easy to skip

•       👜 Tip 5 — Why your camera bag needs cleaning too, and how grit transfers straight onto your gear

•       🧹 Tip 6 — The only camera cleaning kit you actually need

📖 Full show notes and blog post: How to Clean Your Camera Gear (And What to Leave Alone)

Related episodes:

Episode 167 — How To Care For Your Photography Gear - This Is What I Do

Episode 191 — How Do I Take Care Of My Camera Lenses?

Episode 193 — How Do You Take Care Of A Camera Sensor?

💝 Next episode — the bag is sorted, the gear is clean, and somehow there's still more camera stuff than you know what to do with. That's the question coming up next: Argh. Why Is There So Much Camera Gear? Please Help Me! Publishing Friday 31 July 2026.

📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy

🌐 rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 Courses

🔧 Resources

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🎒 Did you know there are 31 types of camera bag? One of them is a sandwich bag. Yes, really.

I used to carry a massive bag full of gear to my local park. Waterproof zips and everything. For boats I never went on. Seven lenses. Four batteries. Two speedlites. Snacks for a week. I was 10 minutes from home.

The penny dropped in Delph Woods in Poole on 30th December 2016 at 15:37. I used one lens. I always used one lens. The rest came along for the ride and stayed in the bag.

Choosing a camera bag is three times harder than choosing a sandwich bag. Here's how to get it right.

🎙️ What's in this episode

• 🚫 Tip 1 — There is no perfect bag — and you might need more than one
• ✍️ Tip 2 — Be honest about what you actually need — write the list before you buy
• 🏔️ Tip 3 — Match the bag to the shoot — mountain vs 100 yards from the car
• 🗂️ Tip 4 — 31 types of camera bag — all listed in the blog post. One is a sandwich bag.
• 📏 Tip 5 — Size matters — but bigger is absolutely not better
• 🤝 Tip 6 — The right bag just feels right — almost like a friend
• 🥪 Tip 7 — The cheese and pickle sandwich rule — the only test you need

📖 Full blog post + all 31 camera bag types

Read the full episode guide — rickmcevoyphotography.com

🔗 Related episodes

Episode 230 — Shiny New Camera? Calm Down and Do This First

Episode 235 — Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why?

💝 Next episode

You've got a camera. You've got a bag to carry it in. Now I'm going to tell you that you have to clean it. Yes, really. 😱

Episode 237 — What — I Have to Clean My Camera Gear? Really? — Friday 17th July at 11am. Don't miss it.

📺 Find me on YouTube

Search Rick McEvoy on YouTube for the full video version of every episode. Utterly splendid.

🎓 Courses and resources

All courses — rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

Gear, software and tools I actually use — rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

💬 Text me from the podcast feed

Found your perfect bag? Got a question? Text me directly from the podcast feed. I'd love to hear from you. How utterly splendid. 😊

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Do you actually need a tripod? Not the answer every photography guide gives you — the honest one. Sometimes yes. And sometimes, genuinely, no. In this episode, I'll tell you exactly when each is true, what to look for if you decide to buy one, and the single most common tripod mistake — and it has nothing to do with the tripod itself. Whether you're thinking about buying your first tripod or wondering why the one in the cupboard never gets used, this episode will give you a straight answer in plain English.

📋 In this episode:

1️⃣ Your photo is blurry and you don't know why — here's what a tripod actually fixes

Start here. Understand exactly what a tripod does — and how to tell whether it would have fixed your blurry photo.

2️⃣ Two situations where a tripod stops being optional

Low light and long exposures. If either of these is on your photography list, a tripod belongs in your kit.

3️⃣ Good light and fast subjects? You probably don't need one

The honest other side of the conversation. In good daylight with image stabilisation, you often don't need a tripod at all.

4️⃣ Right, you've decided you need one — here's what to actually look for

Stability, load capacity, ball head vs pan-tilt, leg locks, height. Everything that actually matters when you're choosing.

5️⃣ The alternatives worth knowing about

Monopod, beanbag, natural supports. These are more effective than most photographers realise — and often more practical than a full tripod.

6️⃣ The cheap tripod problem

A wobbly tripod is worse than no tripod. Here's why cheap is false economy, and how to spend wisely.

7️⃣ The most common tripod mistake — not taking it with you

The best tripod is the one that's actually there when you need it. Buy for your real photography life, not your imaginary one.

📖 Full guide and show notes:

rickmcevoyphotography.com — Episode 235 show notes

🎙️ Related episodes:

Episode 96 — Do You Want To Know How To Take Photos On A Tripod?

Episode 234 — Oh No. Another Blurry Photo. Here's How to Stop It Right Now.

💝 Next episode:

What gear do you actually need as a beginner? Not what the photography industry wants you to buy — what you actually need, and what to completely ignore. Episode 236 publishes Friday 3rd July 2026. Subscribe now so you don't miss it.

▶️ Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

🌐 Website: rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🔧 Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

Support the show

Get your question answered
This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography.

Thanks very much for listening

Cheers from me Rick