Vimeo is such a magical place: you can find inspiring shorts, how-to videos and a glossary on terms. I've never seen them before, but once pointed in the right direction, I've managed to find dozens of videos that are helping me learn how to use my camera. 

Here's the link for the glossary on terms, including some short films about how to do certain things such as timelapse, frame rate VS shutter speed (which helped me immensely) and more. 

Okay, now to Philip Bloom. I was shown a video of him and his friend Andrea, where they give you an introduction to DSLR's. After watching this, I went to his other videos. You can learn about lenses, how to shoot at nighttime, how to change your settings, timelapsing, great accessories and more. They're all short and sweet - around 5 minutes long, and give you a recap at the end so you can write stuff down if you're taking notes. Perfect for my short attention span. 
Here's some of my favourite ones (pretty much all of them, they're just so helpful!):


Introduction to DSLR Cameras with Philip Bloom from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.




Nighttime Shooting with a DSLR from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.



DSLR Lenses from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.



Shooting Video with a DSLR from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.


For the other DSLR shooting videos by Philip Bloom, just scroll to the bottom of one of the films and choose from the selection. Otherwise, you can click the 'Vimeo Video School' link above, where it has a huge variety of other people demonstrating how to use DSLR's.

Another one that helped me - although his voice is incredibly boring - is a man that calls himself '--jL'. I've struggled with the difference between shutter speed and frame rate, and how to change them. This man explains what the difference is, and shows visual examples. I learn from seeing examples, not numbers and words on a board - so this is extremely helpful.



Part 6: Shutter Speed & FPS from --jL on Vimeo.


Although it's not a video, I've had another major help on my process to becoming a DOP. Blain Brown is the author of a book called "Cinematography: Theory and Practice". The book is around £23, but has had a massive impact on my learning. It uses visual references from films most people have seen, and explains things easily. It's quite informal - using chatty language rather than a report styled format, but I find that easier to understand. I'd recommend it to anyone! I take the book with me when I'm practising how to set up lights/camera, and refer to it when needed. It has an easy to understand contents page, so if you want to find something specific, you can! 

These are just some of the films and books I'm learning from. I recommend all of them for anyone who wants to know about DSLR's, filming, cinematography, lighting and just films in general. Enjoy!