Photography Tips
Want to become a better photographer? Stuck at home in lock-down? Try joining these great online photography classes & courses created by pros to improve your photos.
So, you’ve bought a nice camera. You’ve watched a few YouTube videos.
But why doesn’t your Instagram feed look as good as the professional photographers you follow?
Well, aside from the many years of experience and practice they have under their belts, another likely reason is the hundreds of hours they’ve spent working under mentors, attending workshops, taking college courses, or joining online photography classes.
The key to getting better at something — is to never stop learning.
Even after 10-years working as a freelance travel photographer, I’m still actively learning new techniques to improve my images. Photography classes, courses, and tutorials are a big part of this.
So I wanted to share some of my favorite online photography courses.
These photo tutorials go into extreme detail on topics like planning, composition, advanced techniques (focus stacking, time-lapses, long exposure, etc.) post-processing skills, social media tips, and even making money with your photography.
There are also classes here that are perfect for photography beginners.
There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on a college photography degree when you can study from home using these great online photography courses produced by working professionals.
Hi, I’m Matthew Karsten
I’ve been traveling the world for 10+ years as a professional photographer & writer. I hope you enjoy my photography tips! If you find them useful, using my affiliate links will give me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
Top Online Photography Classes 2024
1. iPhone Photography School
By Emil Pakarklis
The best camera is the one you have with you. For many people, that means the smartphone in their pocket! Smartphone photography has come a long way over the years, and it’s certainly possible to take great photos with an iPhone — if you know how.
Photographer Emil Pakarklis has put together a wonderful course for people who want to take better photos right now with the phones in their pocket — called iPhone Photography School. It’s perfect for beginner photographers who don’t have a bunch of fancy gear yet.
2. Adventure Photography Masterclass
By Jimmy Chin
Jimmy Chin has had a long and successful photography career, shooting for National Geographic and other major publications around the world. He even won an Emmy Award for his cinematography work on the documentary “Free Solo”.
Learn about Jimmy’s different creative approaches for commercial shoots, editorial spreads, and passion projects. He also shares tips on gear and perspective in his Adventure Photography Masterclass.
3. Adventure Photography Pro
By Alex Strohl
Alex Strohl is one of my favorite outdoor adventure photographers, so when I learned he created his own online photography class called Adventure Photography Pro, I signed up ASAP! Alex shoots professionally for some HUGE brands, so it was super interesting to learn about this part of his business (along with actual examples on location with clients).
He spends a lot of time going over the storytelling process, the importance of planning & scouting before shooting, reaching out to potential clients, building an audience, his editing techniques, and much more.
DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!
4. The Business Of Photography
By Chris Burkard
Chris Burkard, if you’ve been living under a rock, is one of the most accomplished travel & adventure photographers out there right now. Not only is his photography incredible, his business chops have made him a household name.
From prints, to books, to movies, to huge commercial projects with brands like Apple, Toyota, Sony, The North Face, Patagonia, CitiBank, Microsoft, Volkswagen — Chris seems to do it all!
Well, now you can too, with his Business Of Photography Course that explains when and how to grow your business, diversifying revenue, working with agents, modern marketing techniques, and more.
DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!
5. Wildlife Photography Workshop
By Charly Savely
Professional wildlife photographer Charly Savely captures some of the most incredible photos of animals I’ve ever seen. And, she’s recently decided to share her secrets with the world through her online Wildlife Photography Workshop recorded in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.
Learn how she chooses her lenses, framing for impact, camera settings for handheld or tripod use, using art to influence your style, where to find wildlife, how to photograph animals safely, shooting in the cold, and how she edits her images for an emotional reaction.
DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!
6. Mastering Lightroom & Photoshop
By Andrew Kerns
Every professional photographer uses post-processing techniques to make their images stand out. In fact, editing & post-processing your images is a major part of the photography workflow. You can’t ignore mastering the skills of photography software if you want to make a living with photography!
Luckily Andrew Kerns put together an amazing online class to help you learn the latest Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop techniques that professionals like him use: manipulating luminance, contrast, color, curves, split-toning, re-touching tips and much more.
DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!
7. A To Z Of Selling Your Photos
By Lola Akinmade
Lola Akinmade is an award-winning travel photographer who’s work is regularly published by brands like: National Geographic Traveller, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, Vogue, Outside, Smithsonian Journeys, the BBC, and The Telegraph to name just a few.
She’s also put together an excellent online photography class that goes into detail about HOW to sell your photos to these types of organizations. From approaching brands, how to deal with copyrights, working with editors, obtaining model releases, seeking out grants and much more.
8. Photographing The World
By Elia Locardi
Elia Locardi is a very successful landscape photographer who’s been traveling the world for years. His course Photographing The World is packed full of tips & post-processing techniques he uses to create his landscape and travel photography.
With 15 lessons and more than 12 hours of video content, his photography tutorial takes you from the on-location capture (in places like Iceland & New Zealand) all the way through his post-processing techniques in the studio.
9. The Travel Photography Course
By Laurence Norah
Want to learn how to compose a better image while telling a story with your camera? Or the technical side of photography like understanding what aperture, shutter speed and ISO really do? These are just some of the topics travel photographer Laurence Norah goes over in his Travel Photography Course.
The course is structured well for complete beginners to photography, but with helpful tips for the business and professional side of things too. With 10 weeks of content and over 60 individual lessons, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy!
Free YouTube Photography Tutorials?
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for new Adventure Travel Videos!
(Click to watch Northern Lights Photography Tips on YouTube)
Yes, there are thousands of free photography tutorials on YouTube (in fact, here’s one of mine!) While you can certainly learn from them, I find that investing in a paid course provides the highest quality experience.
Maybe I’ll share some of my favorite free photography tutorials in a future article. Because there’s a lot of crap on YouTube too…
The BEST online photography courses demand a TON of time and knowledge to put together, and when done well, they’re just as useful as working under a mentor or taking classes in person.
Developing Your Photography Style
One of the most important aspects of becoming a professional photographer is developing your own personal style of photography. Whether that’s subject matter, editing style, or both.
By learning from other photographers through online classes, you can pick and choose parts of their workflow and style that you like, then adjust for your own use. We all get inspiration from others — it’s just the nature of art.
Learn as much as you can about the craft, then use that knowledge to develop your own signature look and make your work stand out! ★
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READ MORE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best online photography classes! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more photography articles that I recommend you read next:
- How To Photograph The Northern Lights
- Is Instagram Ruining Travel?
- What’s In My Camera Bag Right Now
- Tips For Improving Your Travel Photos
- How To Become A Freelance Photographer
- 15 Unique Gift Ideas For Photographers
Have any questions about these online photo courses? Any good ones I missed? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!