You can get a reference simply by adding #yourName to an element or component. It will auto scope to what you’re working with.
Once you have added this to an element/component you can also pull the reference into the component class file if you need it.
<app-component #someCompRef />The #someCompRef will be the component class.
<button #someElRef>Click Me</button>The #someElRef will be an HtmlElement reference.