The Best Photography Courses That’ll Transform Your Photography

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” — Napoleon Hill.

The truth is it’s so easy to put it off. And this is true for any project or goal you want in life. The doing is not always the hard part. It’s the starting that can get you from achieving what seems like an impossible feat.

Thankfully with photography, anyone can get started with the smartphone in their pocket. But you’re not here to simply take selfies and pictures of your pets. Like all skills, one must first learn the basics to establish a solid understanding and foundation to become better. There are many basic fundamental lessons in photography, such as the rule of thirds and the golden triangle; however, if you are just starting off, its important to fully understand how photography is shot and the basics of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

As someone who picked up photography by using an old roommate’s DSLR, I had always self taught myself photography. I believed I had a natural skill in taking shots, as well as in my editing prowess. As I began looking at other photographer’s work and becoming inspired to step up my game, I looked for some resources that could teach me the basics and give me the foundation to develop better photography.

I’ve found that the web is the best place to learn this information. Youtube and Google have always been an amazing resource for me to pick up the basics of photography. This is where I started, and where I recommend beginning photographers to start. Not only are there tons of useful information created there, but it’s completely free.

There only issue with this is that with this overload of information, its hard to get easy to understand and informative, step-by-step lessons to develop your skills. What I began looking for was a way I could gain a detailed and informative skillset in both the basics and advanced techniques of photography.

With scattered and disorganized articles and videos, the best way to gain a full in-depth understanding of photography will be through online course. These courses will be your next step towards becoming a more skilled photographer. Even learning the basics of composition and the color wheel for advanced photographers would serve as a refresher to refine one’s photography.

This list is curated by the most popular and used digital marketing lessons currently available.

1. Digital Photography School

The place that started it all for me was at the Digital Photography School. It is one of the best your ultimate resources for practical photography tutorials, ideas, and advice for photographers of all skill levels. Boasting a community of over 1.6 million photographers every day, this site offers a vast mix of resources and guides tailored for specific needs.

The featured courses offered are very detailed and are outlined step-by-step by professional photographers. One I have personally vetted myself is the Landscape and Nature Photography Course which contains 30 modules that cover the most important aspects in outdoor landscape photography. Boasting a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee, Instant Download of ALL 30 Videos, and Instructed by Professional Landscape Photographer (Johny Spencer), this is a great deal I feel comfortable recommending.

Born in 2006, the site has since grown to include a team around the world writing tips for a community of over 2 million. Digital Photography School is one of the most popular and longest running blogs on the web about photography. Founder Darren Rowse is a digital photography enthusiast who created the site to share tips for photographers who want to get the most out of their cameras.

My favorite part is that most of the information on their site is free. The have created a learning environment where tips and techniques are shared to help you improve all aspects of your photography. I’ve been a long time reader of their blog, and have tried out their courses and eBooks that are jam packed full of extensive lessons ranging from anywhere night photography to lightroom mastery.

2. MCP Actions

MCP Actions sells innovative photo editing and learning tools for all levels of photographers. Many of their sales come from users reading their blog, downloading free products, then coming back to make a purchase after they’ve tested it out. They’ve had over 100,000 sales in the past 5 years. Most of their products are about Photoshop Action and Lightroom Presets to help photographers save time and learn how to make their photography stand out.

MCP Actions makes editing fun, fast, and easy for professional and hobbyist photographers. Their well-crafted, professionally tested Photoshop Actions and Lightroom Presets improve your images. Boasting an extensive selection of interactive online training classes and free video tutorials teach Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom. They advertise that they can help your photography stand out while saving you time.

What draws me to add MCP Actions to this list is due to the extensive selection of quality products that they offer. One of the biggest challenges of photography is the amount of time it takes to create beautiful, timeless images, and these lessons teach you how to capture and post-process your images all while offering photo editing tools to make editing faster, more consistent, and even more enjoyable.

Joe Riviello (owner) and the team have done a great job in creating digital products at a reasonable price. The best part is that they even offer free products for anyone to try, as well as a blog for the photography community.

3. Legacy Learning Systems 

You may have heard of Legacy Learning Systems, as it is not technically a photography only program. They sell a large selection of training programs and videos. These videos cover a wide selection of disciplines such as learning guitar or painting; however, they offer an extensive and through photography course.

This course is advertised as the “the world’s most comprehensive video instruction course for photography.” right on their site, and we wouldn’t argue too much with that one. These are professionally produced and thorough learning classes that should be great for photographers of all skill levels.

The photography lessons are 24 Sessions spread across 15 DVDs, totaling more than 30 hours of instruction into every aspect of digital photography.

4. Photography Masterclass

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Photography Masterclass is a digital photo training program available online.

It was created by Evan Sharboneau.  According to his promotional site, he has helped over 9 million people get the most out of their photography.

The primary focus of the training centers around DSLR cameras and how to use them effectively to create stunning photographs.

This program is suitable for beginners but has some advanced lessons as well. The program teaches you how to avoid common mistakes, learn how shutter speed, lighting, etc are best handles for photography and much more.

There are many positive reviews vouching for the quality of Evan’s lessons. It even boasts an incredible 60-Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee:“Your Photos MUST Get Better Or I’ll Send Your Money Back!” Evan is so confident that you’ll be able to use his course as a resource and take better photos that in fact, you have a full 60 DAYS to watch all 685 minutes of video at no risk. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

5. Master Class

If you’ve been involved in improving a skill by learning through courses, I’ll be damned if you don’t know Master Class. For those of you who are just exploring this space, Master Class offers a range of online-only courses taught by experts in a given profession.

MasterClass burst onto the scene in 2015 by creating online courses taught by professionals in their respective field. Its pitch was simple: Famous people teach you about the thing that made them famous. For $90, you get access to the instructional videos and workbooks that made up each course. Students could also interact with one another and in some cases their star instructor. 

Similar to Udemy, the main differentiator and selling point is that everyone you learn from is a celebrity, and usually at the top of their given field.

You’ll have the chance to learn the art of storytelling from Neil Gaiman, or even how to be an adventure photography pro from Jimmy Chin who recently shot the Oscar and Emmy award winning documentary “Free Solo” in 2019. One course that stands out the most is Teaches Photography by Annie Leibovitz – an American photographer renowned for her dramatic, quirky, and iconic portraits of a great variety of celebrities. Boasting 15 video lessons, as well as a class workbook, you’ll have the chance to learn from the best in the comfort in your own home, anytime you want.

Closing Remark: Invest in yourself

Do I really need to pay for a digital course? Is it really going to be worth it?

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. I felt the same way when I started my photography career, thinking that Youtube would be my one and only resource. As a broke college student, I didn’t have too many options and had to simply figure it out by trial and error. I went out and simply took photos, editing my shots on Instagram, and calling it a day.

The thing is that once you understand the basics and fundamentals of photography, it opens the door for creative expression to another level that you might have otherwise not been able to achieve. Having a professional guide that understands the ins and outs of a camera and photography will set you up with the knowledge and confidence to take your photography to the next level.

The effort you put into consistently investing in yourself will also play a large role in determining the quality of your life now and in the future. By making small changes and investing in yourself in positive ways today, you will ultimately be creating a brighter future for yourself. Photography may be a passion now, but with the right skillset and determination, can take you and your photography to places you’ve only hoped of.