This post is photography related so if that’s not for you then rest assured I will be back soon with more cards to share :D Please note this post contains affiliate links. You can read my affiliate and product disclosure here.
I love to learn new things and to keep stretching myself. For me learning is not just something for when you are young and at school/college but for all time. When I bought my first DSLR camera I also bought a host of books on photography and photo editing. Most of them showed lots of pretty pictures but it was hard to get a true grip on how to improve my photography. I will say that the exception to that rule, for me, were the books written by Scott Kelby. His no-nonsense writing style really cut to the chase and I certainly found the books of his to be very helpful.
Since then however, I’ve found my preferred method of learning to be online photography courses. I’m far from an expert, but I often get asked about my photographs and how to improve someone’s photography so I thought I’d share the places that I’ve found to have excellent resources. These are not the only places by any means, and in the spirit of sharing, if you have found a good course then please leave a comment below so that myself and others can learn from your experiences.
Creative Live
One of the first places I turned to was Creative Live. They have a range of courses on many subjects and you can view a host of those for free in a live format or equally buy access to watch the course in your own time. I started watching for free and then realised the value of the courses and did end up buying several. The first course I started with was The Photography Starter Kit for Beginners with John Greengo.
Although this class is titled ‘for beginners’ I actually found it to be jam-packed and a really thorough work through of many areas from understanding how a camera works to how to control the settings through to composition and is a really good place to start to learn how to use your camera.
Next, as I’d enjoyed John’s course so much, I took it up a notch with his Fundamentals of Digital Photography course. This course is a much more in-depth look at photography and I learnt so much! I bought this course and downloaded it on an external hard drive and watched it one summer throughout our travels picking up ideas as I went along. In fact, I think I must revisit this course again soon to refresh my memory :D
If you feel Creative Live is a good option for you then check them out as their annual Photo Week is just about to start on Monday – 5 days packed with photography classes so there will be lots for you to dip into and watch live for free.
Craftsy
Although I’ve still got a lot more to learn on the actual process of taking photographs I’ve also become interested in improving the composition of my photographs. I find Pinterest such an inspiring place to visit with all those wonderful photos and want to be able to take better ones myself. So recently I started searching for courses on styling and composition and my search took me to Craftsy. You will perhaps have come across Craftsy for their Papercrafts classes but they also have a range of photography classes too.
I took the Product Photography at Home class with Jessica Marquez which covers how to set up a simple table top system at home, photography basics, how to make light work for you, styling and props and then on to some basic post production all in a professional video format.
Photocraft
So where am I up to now? Well, currently I am taking the 100 lesson Photography and Styling E-course with Lyndsey James from her UK company, Photocraft.
This class is aimed at crafters and makers and although I’ve only just started the course I am very much enjoying it. So far the course has been in a written format whereas the others mentioned above were all video format. However, I’ve taken a Photocraft course before (how to create white backgrounds which I don’t see currently available) and that was in a video format so I’m not sure if the course will be all written or a combination of the two. I’ve found one of the key benefits of this class so far is that you have a forum to share coursework and ideas with input from Lyndsey herself as well as others taking the course at the same time.
If you click on the Photocraft links it takes you to a code for £75 off the price of the course. The course is not the cheapest out there but I feel, for me, this is an investment that is worth the money.
Notes
The mention of the Photocraft code brings me to the fact that this post uses affiliate links where available. I have not written this post because of the links but have added them having taken the above courses i.e. after the fact and not before. An affiliate link basically means that if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support towards the running costs of this blog.
More than anything if you are interested in taking an online photography course I hope this posts gives you some ideas and options. Also if anyone has any other good courses they have taken, as an eternal learner I would certainly appreciate knowing about them so please do share and leave a comment below.
Like Debby, I like Scott Kelby’s cut to the chase style. However, a piece of advice, that seems to go without saying but still think about it. That is, really be honest with yourself about time and if you are really going to dedicate yourself to doing the lessons, homework, etc. Yes, you may have unlimited future access but I have found that I get so busy with life I rarely go back and repeat. Just a thought.
Very true Leslie. I know a number of people who haven’t got value from a course as they’ve not dedicated the time to it. Got to be realistic as to what you can achieve.
Always informative. Thanks so much for this input. I’ll be checking your recommendations out.
Debby, thank you so much. This is timely for me as I have finally finished setting up a proper back-up system for my photographs. I really appreciate this article. I need a self-paced class as I too am a busy mom. I agree with the others here that it is a committment. I find digital to have a big learning curve, even aflter years of shooting film. But the possibilites are endless :) I plan on just plugging away in small bites, but consistantly. I love your images and your cards. When I read you love photography on your blog early on, it made perfect sense as you create wonderful compostions. I will be sure to register through your blog when I make a decision. Thanks again for everything.
Yes, we juggle so many balls don’t we and trying to fit keeping another one in the air without dropping any of the others! You have such an amazing grounding with a film background. I didn’t really get into photography until a got a DSLR and I wish I’d had that film experience to fully appreciate photography at a ground roots level more.
Hi Debby,
I was so glad you mention Creative Live. I,too,have taken classes there as well. But I did have another Photography online course/s to share with your followers. I have enjoyed being a part of the CaptureYour365 online classes with Katrina Kennedy. She is so thorough and has an excellent class called “Exposure” as well as a fun Holiday class as well. Your followers can find her at http://www.captureyour365.com I’m truly a fan of hers…not related and have never met her…only online! I love her holiday class ‘Capture Your Holidays Through the Lens”…teaches bokeh and other fun tree lights stuff. Best regards, Jeanette
Oh Jeanette, fabulous! Thank you for your recommendation, I will check Katrina out :D
Oh wow, I need to check some of these out and improve my card photographs. thanks so much for sharing. I LOVE the pictures you take. I know you did a post about lighting before so I’ll have to look for that too. Thank you :)