Look at their photos. If you like them, they know their subject (though perhaps not how to teach it). If you don’t like them, find a new instructor. Rinse and repeat. Most tutorial people put their photos online to some extent, so this shouldn’t be hard—and unlike many domains (e.g. woodworking) -- looking at the photo on your screen should be enough to judge it pretty well.
If you can’t tell if you like them, I suspect that your first step should be to try to develop your “taste”. Start by just looking at tons of pictures. I recommend one of the photo-apps that isn’t instagram, though instagram can work. Flickr used to serve this role. For a while I think 500px did. Not sure where to go now—but I would try those at first. Look at pictures. Rate them in your head—based on your opinion. Once you’re confident looking at a photo and judging it—start trying to figure out what about them you like and dislike. “Thats too high contrast” or “I love the black and white”, or “I love the aerial perspectives”. Then go and try to change the pictures you take in that manner and/or return to YouTube to find someone who’s pictures are like that.
Look at their photos. If you like them, they know their subject (though perhaps not how to teach it). If you don’t like them, find a new instructor. Rinse and repeat. Most tutorial people put their photos online to some extent, so this shouldn’t be hard—and unlike many domains (e.g. woodworking) -- looking at the photo on your screen should be enough to judge it pretty well.
If you can’t tell if you like them, I suspect that your first step should be to try to develop your “taste”. Start by just looking at tons of pictures. I recommend one of the photo-apps that isn’t instagram, though instagram can work. Flickr used to serve this role. For a while I think 500px did. Not sure where to go now—but I would try those at first. Look at pictures. Rate them in your head—based on your opinion. Once you’re confident looking at a photo and judging it—start trying to figure out what about them you like and dislike. “Thats too high contrast” or “I love the black and white”, or “I love the aerial perspectives”. Then go and try to change the pictures you take in that manner and/or return to YouTube to find someone who’s pictures are like that.