10 Online Courses to Master Photography
“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”
—Karl Lagerfeld
The world of photography has exploded. With more equipment types available to more people and a wider range of photographed subjects and photographic techniques than ever before, people are viewing and redefining the art of taking pictures every day.
Whether you’re just getting started, a long-time hobbyist looking to become more, or an experienced artist who specializes in one photographic style, there’s an online course at every level to help you learn, grow, and enjoy this exciting modern artform.
1. Photography Masterclass: Your Complete Guide to Photography
– Platform: Udemy
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 234 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
Ready to dive right into learning as much about photography as possible, then hit the ground running with your own business selling your photos?
Check out this comprehensive Master’s class from Udemy designed to give you an overview, hands-on experience, theory, and photography business skills all in one. For both beginners and advanced photographers, this course requires some basic knowledge and familiarity with camera techniques. Strengthen fundamentals and implement advanced techniques in a 15 hour video course, spanning 230+ lessons.
2. The Best Photography Hacks
– Platform: Highbrow
– Format: One lesson delivered via email daily
– Course Duration: 10 lessons
– Time: 5 min/lesson
Become a better photographer in 10 days. You may know a few tricks of the trade, but this course contains some insider photography hacks that may surprise you. In an easy-to-follow email lesson that takes 5 minutes to read, this course walks you through some tried-and-true photography hacks that anyone taking a picture can use, as well as some of the lesser known tips of the pros that you can learn and implement quickly and easily. Without buying new equipment, up your photography game by working smarter, not harder.
3. Master Smartphone Photography
– Platform: Highbrow
– Format: One lesson delivered via email daily
– Course Duration: 10 lessons
– Time: 5 min/lesson
The camera phone is hands-down one of the greatest inventions ever. For the first time in history, nearly everyone has a camera in their pocket at all times — a unique, exciting time to be alive! But do you really know enough to take full advantage of the advanced photographic technology of your phone?
In 5 minutes a day for 10 days, you can learn to master the camera in any smartphone and take pictures like a pro. This simple daily email course has compiled everything you need to know and sends you instructions in bite-sized chunks you can apply immediately.
4. Digital Photography for Beginners with DSLR cameras
– Platform: Udemy
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 54 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
If you are the proud owner of a Canon or Nikon DSLR camera and are ready to unleash its full potential, this is the course for you. Learn how to make the most of each photo — how to focus, color correct, balance light, get the perspective you want, and more. Understand each function, and take your photography game to the next level with advanced equipment integration and composition theory. More than two hours of material spread over 50+ video lessons cover it all.
5. Photography Composition & Portrait Photography Masterclass
– Platform: Udemy
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 138 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
Specializing in different types of photography has always been one way to advance skills, enhance portfolios, and enrich an artist’s understanding and appreciation of advancements in photographic artwork.
This Masterclass in composition and portrait photography is an in-depth study into lighting techniques, the qualities of a strong portrait, camera and equipment settings and set-ups, and the beauty of different portrait styles. In an 11.5 hour series of more than 130 video lessons, specialized portrait photography comes to life for the true master photographer.
6. Outdoor Photography: Shooting at Sunset, Sunrise, and Night
– Platform: SkillShare
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 13 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
Although natural light can provide some of the most beautiful photos, it can also be one of the most difficult conditions to photograph properly. Natural light challenges both beginners and amateurs alike, but this SkillShare course offers specialized Master’s level instruction to help you grow your outdoor photography skills. Learn how to find your outdoor inspiration and the perfect location, and how to utilize the settings on your camera equipment to best capture your subjects in limited or specific lighting situations. One hour of videos breaks down 13 lessons into manageable size that you can practice and implement immediately.
7. Street Photography: Capture the Life of Your City
– Platform: SkillShare
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 15 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
City life is perfect for photography. Always has been. Full of interesting subjects, motion, and round-the-clock vitality, every city has its own personality that numerous photographers have attempted to capture. Become an expert at telling your city’s story with this video lesson series that walks you through the best techniques to photograph both day and night shots. Learn how to frame your subjects, whether live or still, and what kind of unique perspectives can enhance architectural and cityscape shots. Spend an hour on this course, gain a world of insight.
8. Lifestyle Photography: Capturing Inspiring Visual Stories
– Platform: SkillShare
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 6 lessons
– Time: 5–10 min/lesson
Visually inspirational photos can be of almost anything — but it’s the way the subject is captured that counts. The tone and message must be riveting. How do you tell a story and evoke emotion in a single shot?
This SkillShare course dives into what makes a lifestyle photo grab a viewer’s attention and imagine themselves living inside the photo. Not only will this course help you learn to analyze what makes great lifestyle photography, but it will teach you how to implement those techniques and enhance your own skills so each image conveys a lifestyle worthy of the viewer’s desire.
9. The Photography Starter Kit for Beginners
– Platform: CreativeLive
– Format: Video lessons
– Course Duration: 17 lessons
– Time: 10–20 min/lesson
Every great photo has to start somewhere, and this class is the right place for a beginner. Perfectly named, this class offers all the introductory material to get a first-time photographer on their feet. Don’t know what all the buttons on your camera do? Don’t know the terminology?
This video series will not only explain it to you in words, but will show you in detailed, HD tutorials. Learn what the pros are saying so you can build a foundation to move on to more advanced photography courses and really spread your wings.
10. Most Famous Photographers Of All Time
– Platform: Highbrow
– Format: One lesson delivered via email daily
– Course Duration: 10 lessons
– Time: 5 min/lesson
Inspiration comes in many forms, and for every type of art, there are many things that make a master. In this course, you can learn in 5 minutes a day for 10 days about some of the most famous photographers and what makes them rise above the crowd. Whether it’s unique subjects, exploration into new techniques, a sense of historical importance, or daring and bold uses of color or perspective, these Masters continue to dazzle us and inform new generations of photographers. One email each day to guide you through one inspirational artist.
