What are the 7 basics of photography?

Common lists include exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus, composition and light. Learning those seven in order gets most beginners to confident everyday shooting.

Is a one-page cheat sheet enough?

For quick reminders of settings, yes. For learning why the settings work, you will want something deeper, such as per-skill cards, a course or a long article.

Should I print a cheat sheet or keep it on my phone?

Printed cards work with no battery, no signal and no screen glare, and they are easy to hold next to the camera. A phone is better for tools such as calculators. Many photographers use both.

What should a good cheat sheet include?

Concrete starting values, a reason behind each, a note about common mistakes and a way to practice. A list of numbers with no context is easy to forget.

Photography Cheat Sheets Compared: Which Format Is Right for You?

By Photography editorial team · Updated October 26, 2026

The best photography cheat sheet is the one you will actually pull out while shooting, and that depends on whether you need a reminder, a lesson or a tool. There are five common formats: one-page sheets, printable card sets, apps and calculators, books and videos or courses. This comparison looks at each honestly, including what ShotCraft's own card set is good at and where it falls short.

The formats at a glance

Format	Best for	Strengths	Weaknesses
One-page sheet	Quick reminders of settings	Fast, compact, easy to print	Little explanation; hard to learn from
Printable card set	Learning one skill at a time in the field	Pocket-sized, one idea per card, practice built in	Need to print; more pieces to carry
App or calculator	Math and planning, such as sun times or depth of field	Instant, always updated	Screen glare, battery, notifications
Book	Deep understanding and inspiration	Rich explanations and images	Not field-friendly; no quick lookup
Video or course	Seeing technique demonstrated	Visual, step by step	Hard to use mid-shoot; time heavy

What a good cheat sheet needs

Whatever you choose, look for five things:

Concrete starting values, such as "f/8, 1/125s, ISO 100", not only definitions.
A reason behind each value, so you can adjust it.
Common mistakes, which shortcut learning.
A short drill, because skills come from doing.
Readable at a glance, in poor light and with one hand.

Grid of field cards for exposure, focus, light, composition and people, each with ISO, shutter and aperture settings

A sheet that lists settings but not why leaves you stuck as soon as the light changes. A tutorial that explains everything but cannot be scanned in ten seconds will stay at home.

The 7 basics a cheat sheet should cover

If you wonder what to look for, the usual list is: exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus, composition and light. A solid cheat sheet touches all seven. Start with the camera settings cheat sheet for the settings and the exposure triangle for how they interact.

Which format for which person

You are...	Try
A beginner who wants to stop guessing	A one-page sheet plus a few cards on exposure
Someone who learns by doing	A card set with a drill on each card
A traveler with limited bag space	A sheet or a few cards, plus a phone app for calculations
Someone who wants the theory	A book, read at home
A visual learner	Videos for the idea, cards for the field
A gift-giver	A printable set that can be delivered instantly

Most photographers end up combining formats: a book or video to understand, a card in the bag to apply.

Where ShotCraft Field Cards fit

ShotCraft Field Cards are a printable card set. Here is exactly what the ShotCraft Field Cards download contains:

44 cards in 11 areas: camera basics, exposure basics, exposure advanced, focus and sharpness, light, composition basics, composition advanced, people basics, people advanced, special techniques and scenes. Each card has a hook, key idea, steps, settings, a try-it drill, common mistakes, a pro tip and a diagram.
A Start Here card with 3 settings for 80% of your photos.
A one-page Quick Settings Sheet.
16 Scene Recipe Cards: ready-to-shoot settings for scenes such as the moon, fireworks, snow, concerts and food at a restaurant.
7 field checklists, a Shot Log & Settings Tracker and a Lens & Focal Length Guide.
A Toolkit web app with exposure, depth of field, 500 rule and golden hour tools.
Print files in A5 and US Letter.

Hand fanning six colour-coded photography field cards next to a mirrorless camera

Where it is strong: the field use. Each card is one skill, the settings are on the card, and the drill makes you practice. Where it is not the right choice: if you want long-form theory, a book will go deeper; if you want to watch technique, videos show motion better; and the cards are generic rather than a menu map for one specific camera model. Portrait, travel and storytelling packs are separate paid add-ons and are not in the main set.

How to choose in five minutes

Write down the last three times a photo went wrong.
Ask: was it a missing fact, a missing habit, or a missing tool?
Fact: read a long article or book chapter. Habit: use cards with drills. Tool: use an app.
Print one page, put it in your bag and use it for a week.

If one format does not work, switch. The goal is more good frames, not more material. If you are comparing books and cards specifically, read photography books vs field cards, and once you have a system, a shot log shows you which settings you reach for most.