Whether you’re picking up a DSLR for the first time or just looking to improve your photography skills, one of the best ways to learn is to take the advice of an experienced photographer. Depending on your creative style and professional aspirations, it could be as simple as following a workshop or reading a blog, or as in-depth as a long-term mentorship or year-long university course. Whatever your photography goals are, there are plenty of great resources readily available. Even if you’re short on cash, you can find the information you need online. You don’t have to take an expensive, week-long workshop or go back to school for a photography degree. All you need is an Internet connection and a dedication to learning and growing as a photographer.
One Google search will give you many fantastic resources and articles to help you improve your photography skills. In addition to blogs like ours, you can take online classes through companies like SLR Lounge, Fstoppers, and Udemy, which connect industry experts with students.
Beginner Photography Classes
Here’s a list of some excellent photography courses that we recommend for beginners or even casual photographers. Know someone who could benefit from a few photography tips and inspiration? Share this list with them, since friends don’t let friends post bad photos! Everyone needs to start somewhere, and these courses are a great way to start your journey. Here’s the criteria that we used when analyzing these courses:
- Affordability – Beginner courses need to offer value without breaking the bank. We think that all beginner courses should be under $100 USD. Advanced courses and courses directly related to making more money can command a higher price point, but everything on this list needs to be affordable for the hobbyist.
- A-Z Training – Beginner courses need to offer A-Z, comprehensive training that starts from the ground up. So if you’re already somewhat experienced, you may need to skip some chapters and videos. However, all of the information needs to be there to reference.
- Quality Instruction – Of course the most important thing is the actual instruction. We found courses that provided information in a clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate way.
- Quality Production Value – While production value doesn’t necessarily equal actual value, we only recommend courses that are professionally made. If the company/educator isn’t investing in the product itself, then they can’t expect students to invest in them by purchasing the course.
- Good Reviews – We took a dive into what actual students were saying about each course (when available) to make sure the value and quality were verified by paying students/community members.
Photography 101 (SLR Lounge)
Dive into the fundamentals of portrait photography as you follow along on 6 real-life photo shoots. You’ll go behind-the-scenes to learn how to capture each image, from how it was lit, posed, exposed and captured. This is your ticket to mastering manual mode on your camera and so much more. The best part is all of these images were captured with basic DSLRs and kit lenses, which is where most photographers begin after moving up from a smartphone. Here are some of the topics covered in this course:
- Couples Portrait Photography
- Landscape Photography
- Food Photography
- Fashion Photography
- Sports Photography
- Photojournalism
This course is available for purchase or as part of an SLR Lounge Premium Membership.
365 Photography Course
Creative people often struggle to remain inspired and productive. Kevin Landwer-Johan created the 365 photography project as an ideal photography project to keep you motivated. But how can you come up with so many ideas of what to photograph every day? There are many lists and information about calendar ideas for what to photograph for a 365 project. But these provide only a partial means to help you reach your potential as a photographer, and will have a limited effect on improving your skills.
This course offers practical knowledge and helps in becoming a better photographer every day step by step with 365 bite-sized lessons.
- Gain a solid understanding of your camera and how to control it
- Build up your camera-operating speed and accuracy with every challenge
- Recognize different types of light to create photos with feeling
- Compose your photographs confidently
- Know the best time to take your photos
- Learn to work in any situation; with the use of natural lighting or flash
- Understand and learn to adapt to many different styles of photography
Creative Photography 101 (SLR Lounge)
SLR Lounge Co-Founder, Pye Jirsa, often says that creativity is not something we’re born with, but rather something that can be developed, like working out to build muscle. This course proves he’s right. It also backs the argument that we can’t capture great imagery without the best gear on the market. Continuing with the theme of mastering pro-level techniques on entry-level gear, this workshop goes one further than the previous course and limits all photos to be captured and edited on a smartphone (specifically, an iPhone, but the principles apply to any camera, really). You’ll be amazed at how great your photos can look using a camera you already have and likely keep on your person at all times. Here are some of the concepts covered in this course:
- Control Light for Professional Results
- Train Your Creative Eye to Find Backgrounds with Depth
- See the World Like Your Camera
- Turn Everyday Scenes into Creative Studios
- Understand How to Fix Your Light
- Learn Advanced Techniques Like Light Painting
- Learn Quick and Efficient Mobile Lightroom Editing
- This course is available for purchase or as part of an SLR Lounge Premium Membership.
Lighting 101 (SLR Lounge)
Lighting 101 is an introduction to flash photography and is the first of a four-part flash photography training system. If committing to the entire system is too much out of the gate, then this course will definitely serve you well until you’re ready to move on. Within the 9+ hours of content, you’ll learn to use on-camera flash and basic modifiers (like a 5-in-1 reflector) to create flattering light anywhere and transform a scene to take your lighting game to the next level. Here are some of the topics covered in this course:
- Gear and Modifiers
- Light Direction with On-Camera Flash
- Natural Looking On-Camera Flash
- Creative Flash Techniques
- Control Flash to Sculpt and Create Form
- Soft On-Camera Flash for Portraits
This course is available for purchase or as part of an SLR Lounge Premium Membership.
Mastering Lightroom (SLR Lounge)
Learning to master Lightroom does not have to be complicated. From learning the interface and catalog structure to mastering Lightroom’s raw processing, this workshop will give you the necessary tools to boost your Lightroom abilities. You can follow along with 40+ exercise files and move from basic to advanced editing techniques in a very short time. Here are just a few of the topics covered in this course:
- Dodging and Burning
- Advanced Skin Retouching
- Tone Curve Mastery for Controlling Individual Colors
- Color Correction
- Batch Processing
- Dramatic Black & White Processing
- Cloning & Healing
- And so much more!
This course is available for purchase or as part of an SLR Lounge Premium Membership.
Photography the Milky Way (SLR Lounge)
Ever want to photograph the Milky Way (or any night sky portraits) and don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place. This workshop offers a brief, yet comprehensive look at how to photograph the Milky Way, from planning your shoot to finding and capturing awe-inspiring photos. You’ll even learn how to take epic starry selfies. Here are a few major concepts covered in this course:
- Single Exposure
- Two Exposures Blended
- Panoramic Stitching
- Milky Way + Subjects
- Focus Issues
- Correct Exposure
This course is available for purchase or as part of an SLR Lounge Premium Membership.
Photography 101 (Fstoppers)
This might just look like another 101 course for the list, but it’s worth mentioning and checking out. You’ll learn how to take control of all the manual settings in your digital camera (they cover Canon, Nikon, and Sony to give you specific instructions) and take better pictures. In addition, this course also walks you through the fundamentals of understanding Photoshop and how to use it to create stunning final images.
Photographing the World, Part One (Fstoppers)
For those interested in landscape photography, it’s hard to beat this course. Join Elia Locardi as he travels to Iceland and New Zealand to share his insight and workflow on everything from on-location capture to post-processing techniques in the studio. These two unique locations offer invaluable lessons in two completely different climates and seasons.
On the shooting side, you’ll learn about all of the gear, scouting tips, composition techniques, and camera settings to use to create incredible imagery. For the post-production side, you’ll get access to Elia’s RAW files and reference Photoshop PSD files so that you can edit while you’re watching the workshop to help master Elia’s streamlined workflow.
Introduction to Video (Fstoppers)
I know. This is a list of beginner courses for photographers. Fear not. This workshop was designed as an intro to video…for photographers. There’s no denying the impact video has had on marketing efforts as demand for video has soared over the last decade. As a photographer, you can also develop your video skills and start making professional videos and multimedia productions. These days, you can use the same gear for both, so don’t waste this opportunity to develop this in-demand skill set.
Here’s a list of the topics covered in this workshop:
- Understanding Different Resolutions and Frame Rates
- Working with Log, Color Grading, and Color Profiles
- Exposure: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
- Using Different Cameras and Lenses
- Mastering Focus with Video
- Using Cheap and Expensive Constant Lighting
- Adjusting White Balance and Tint
- Using External Microphones
- Recording Audio In Camera and Externally
- Editing in Adobe Premiere
- Syncing Audio with Multiple Cameras
- How to Create Timelapses
- Filming in Slow Motion
- Stabilizing Your Camera
- Adding Smooth Movement to Your Footage
- How to Film a Short Commercial
Photography Masterclass 2.0: A Complete Guide to Photography (Udemy)
This course is built to teach you the ins and outs of photography. It’ll help you create unique and interesting images in a range of scenarios, like family portraits or landscape photography. You’ll learn how to operate your camera manually, use natural and flash lighting, incorporate the rules of photography in your shots, and much more. The course includes over 20 hours of on-demand video, 60+ articles, 30 supplemental resources, assignments, and lifetime access.
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The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Outdoor Photography (Udemy)
From beautiful landscape sunsets to incredible cityscape compositions, this course allows you to jump directly to the concept you want to learn right away. You can browse through an array of genres, such as street photography, astrophotography, cityscapes, long exposures, HDRs, and more. The course includes over 9 hours of on-demand video, 20 supplemental resources, and lifetime access.
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The Beginner’s Guide to Classic Portrait Photography (Udemy)
One of the best areas to start improving as a beginner is in portrait photography. Good portrait-taking skills will not only dramatically improve your everyday shots of friends and family but also make it easier for you to become a professional photographer. Even if you’re wanting to get into architecture or landscape photography, it’s becoming increasingly important to incorporate a human element in every genre. This course offers over 3 hours of on-demand video training and lifetime access for those looking to establish a comprehensive foundation in classic portraiture.
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Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship (Udemy)
One of the most difficult challenges of being an artist and photographer is figuring out how to make a consistent living doing what you love. In this course, you’ll learn from experts on how to monetize your passion with a variety of services and products. By the end, you’ll know how to effectively market and brand yourself online and in person, as well as set up your own photography workshops and courses. With 5 hours of on-demand video, supplemental resources, and lifetime access, you’ll kickstart your adventure and begin the journey to becoming a professional photographer.
With all the photos available online today, it’s important to work hard at standing out from the crowd. With the classes above, you can push yourself to reach a higher level of photography and, hopefully, have a lot of fun in the process.
