22 Best Free Online Photography Courses
Learning Photography?
Online you can learn it for free with excellent, high-quality courses at all levels.
Here are:
Our Favorite Free Online Photography Courses
Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR Specialization
Photography smartphone to DSLR
This course is a beginner level in English with subtitles in 8 different languages. IF you need to gain knowledge of exposure and you want understand the basics of composition more fully and at the same time explore documentary and creative concepts to enable you to take all kinds of photographs, irrespective of whether your camera is a smartphone or DSLR or a compact or mirrowless model, this is the right course for you to take. This specialization delves into the fundamental principals of photography providing you with a solid grasp in making photographs you will be proud to share and also for your future growth. In the Capstone project you will develop photographs related to your specific needs which you can add to your portfolio should you be seeking a career in photography. The specialization course is such that you can start with any of the 5 courses in whichever order you many want to but finalizing with the Capstone Project. The course covers: Course 1 – Cameras, Exposure, and Photography; Course 2 – Camera Control; Course 3 – Principals of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production; Course 4 – Photography Techniques: Light, Content and Sharing; and the final Course 5 – The Capstone Project. Skills Acquired: Social Media, Photography, Copywriting, Writing, Confidence, History, Creativity, Art, and Project. Duration: Approx 6 months with a pace of 4 hours per week – 5 courses. Rating: 4.8
What are the Top Free Online Photography Courses
After much research on all online Photography Courses on offer, we have found the top 22 Photography courses to make it easier for you to choose
22 Portrait Photography: Working with Natural Light
Portrait Photography: Working with natural light
The course is in English with video instruction.and covers photographing portraits using natural light and studio light. Whether you using a mobile phone or DSLR camera, you will learn universal tips for making the best use of your environment and resources to capture professional, beautiful and stylized portraits. The essentials that you will learn include: Planning your shoot; Setting up your shot; technical tips of lighting; photographing in the studio and finally, light edits that transform a photo from good to great.
The class outlines: Portrait Photography; Creating your own; Using the right equipment; Reading reference books; Choosing your setting; Shooting on location; Working in a studio, and finally, editing techniques. There is a class project whereby you will capture a portrait of a good friend.
Skills Acquired: Photography, Photographic Composition, Digital Photography, Portrait Photography, DSLR, Creative, and Instagram. Duration: Approx 40 minutes
21 Photography Essentials: Understanding the Basics
Photography Essentials: Understanding the basics
The course is in English and is a beginner level. In video instruction .In this course you will cover: Course Project; followed by Camera Settings; Balancing Exposure; Do you really need to use manual Mode?; Focus; Composition; Lighting; Manipulating the environment; Social Media tips; Finding your photography style; Photo editing followed by the conclusion. The course best suits beginners and intermediate photographers wanting a deeper understanding of basic photographic concepts. You will learn essential information to capture stunning images as well as tips and tricks to really help you establish yourself. You will learn to master your DSLR or mirrorless camera, choosing the best settings and camera mode, how to get the perfect composition, and tack sharp focus. You will also learn to identify perfect lighting environments and how to find your unique photography style. The course concludes with photo editing, social media tips and many other tips.The hands-on project is very interesting to help you develop your photographic eye. Skills Acquired: Photography, Photographic Composition, Digital Photography, Travel Photography, DSLR, Creative, and Lighting. Duration: 13 lessons totaling 90 minutes
20 Photography Masterclass: Your Complete Guide to Photography
Photography Masterclass: Your complete guide to photography
The course is run in English with video instruction. There are 36 sections to this course covering at least 12 styles of photography. This course, regardless of your experience or the type of camera you use will give you everything to expand your photographic skill to the next level. Whatever your preference good ;photographers know how to compose, use the light, and edit. By refining these skills, our photographs can be sold to turn your passion into a career. This course teaches it all. This complete course teaches you to take the most awesome photos and will guide you on how to make money selling them. This course starts with basics and how a camera works, the types of cameras and lenses and the equipment you will need to achieve hour goal. Thereafter you will delve into different styles of photography and learn about camera settings including shooting in manual mode. You will learn about stabilization tools and master composition and lighting a scene. You will even learn how to take great photos with a smartphone or tablet and how to edit them. To assist with the sale of your photos you will consider branding yourself, crating a portfolio and website, and finding either Freelance work or a full time position. If you want to specialize in wedding photography, you will learn how to start your own business. Skills Acquired: Photography, Photographic Composition, Digital Photography, Nature Photography, Portrait Photography, Travel Photography, and Wild Life Photography. Duration: Approx 17 hours and 41 minutes
19 Frame a Great Shot: Exploring Photo Composition/Learn with EyeEm
The course is in English and is an intermediate course. This course is about capturing images – whether you are shooing digital, film, or for Social Media content – that will bring feelings of intrigue and excitement. This course is not technical but a creative exploration to assist you in developing and eye for extraordinary images and a whole toolbox of techniques to apply to your next photographic project. You will learn tips and insights on making a good photograph great: Choosing the correct environment, controlling your background and foreground, layering and visual elements, including “Non-descriptive” elements and finally creatively cropping images to add mystery. At the conclusion of the course this is an assignment and bonus exercise for you to compete and to challenge you. Skills Acquired: Photography, Photographic Composition, Digital Photography, Camera Obscura, Composition, Landscape Photography, and Portrait Photography. Duration: Approx 1 hour
18 Basics of Photography: The Complete Guide
Basics of Photography: The complete guide
The course is in English and is divided into different parts. Part I: Understanding how your digital camera works, and help you to decide which camera to buy and how that choice will effect your photographs. Part II: Your camera’s automatic and assisted settings will explore all the various settings available in digital cameras. Part III: Your camera’s manual settings where you will learn the fun stuff by looking at shutter speed, ISO, and aperture and how these settings effect your photos. Part IV: Composition and Technique, a well composted photograph is subjective but there are tricks that help create better pictures and this section will explore those. Part V: Editing images in Post, this is the final lesson and here we will look at editing images and try different techniques for colour correction, touch ups, and a few other effects. Skills Acquired: Photography, Cameras, Settings, Composition, and Editing. Duration: At your own pace
17 Commercial Photography: Still and Moving Image
Commercial Photography: Still and moving image
This course is in English and is directed at people working in commercial photography as either a photographer or a photographers assistant, and wish to enhance their skill set. Further if you want to work or wish to know more about commercial photography then this course is ideal. The course will be led by leading commercial photographers like Andy Earl and Tim Flach. In this course you will learn to work with new media and moving image photography. It will begin at the vital import of developing your visual awareness through your personal work where you can push boundaries, pursue your passion, make mistakes, and sharpen your skill. Thereafter, you will create work that is new, unique, and exciting, whether in advertising, fashion, or editorial photography in order to start securing contracts. Also covered is the complex relation between your approach to your practice and client-led work. The next step in the course will look at still and moving images in commercial photography and how you can get to grips with emerging media and suitable markets for your work. The need for a consistent and clear visual approach across disciplines will be examined as well s the differences between narrative films and moving image photography and the use of video animation , illustration, CGI and mobile devices. Skills Acquired: Commercial Photography. Duration: Approx 3 hours per week for 4 weeks
16 Edit your photos for Social Media with Easil
Edit your photos for social media with Easil
The course is a beginner level in English with a split-screen video in instruction. This project will teach you to edit photos for Social Media using the free version of Easil. Your on-line identity in Social Media is essential to be seen in the broader spectrum however there are millions of people and companies vying for your attention, so it is important if not essential that your identity and brand are eye-catching and memorable in Social Media Marketing. This needs to be reflected in your on-line strategy. One way to achieve this is to take outstanding images but not everybody has the expertise to capture such photographs but you can create eye-catching images by using applications like Easil as it provides all the tools you need to edit your photos for Social Media and at the same time offering a number of options for sharing and publishing. Step-by-step you will learn how to set up a free Easil account and how to navigate the menus and tools, how to upload a photo to Easil and the different filters. You will create an individual photo project for Social Media in Easil and then there is an optional task to create a photo project followed by the creation of an Instagram photo post design after which you will save, share, and upload your photo project to various Social Media platforms. Finally, as a second optional task will be to create an advertising Instagram photo post.
Skills Acquired: Social Media Marketing, Photography, Graphic Design. Duration: Approx 2 hours
15 How to edit photos for Social media with Canva
How to edit photos for social media with Canva
This course is in English with a spit-screen video instruction. No download is required for this course but by the end of the project you will know how to edited photos for Social Media utilizing the free version of Canva. Establishing your on-line identity and appealing to your readers is an essential role in your social media marketing strategy, especially if you are working with a small marketing budget.
Even as a non-professorial photographer you can create eye-catching images and photo projects using Canva to complete the project as it provides all the necessary tools you will require to make your photos pop while offering a host of options for sharing and publishing. Step-by-step you will set up a free Canva account and navigate the dashboard, upload a photo and discover various editing technique. Next you will create an individual photo project for Social Media in Canva and then design an individual Instagram photo post in Canva. Finally, you will discover filters and effects within Canva to transform your photos. Skills Acquired: Social Media Marketing, Social Media, Photography, and Graphic Design. Duration: Approx 2 hours
14 Graphic design:realistic neon effect texts with Adobe Photoshop
Graphic design:realistic neon effect texts with Adobe
This course is in English and is a beginner level with a split-screen instruction. This course will show you how to use and create neon effects on your texts to create captivating graphics on your photographs. Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard in digital art and can be used to edit photos by enhancing colors, adding contrast or completely retouching it, making old photos look new or to create a staged photo by removing backgrounds or objects. It is also used in graphic design work to create logos, flyers, brochures etc. Being able to use Photoshop is essential for any graphic designer, photographer, visual artist or student working in the visual sector as a creative. This course is for photographers and graphic designers or anyone who wants to create an artistic neon effect to make their photographic works pop. Step-by-step you will learn to set the file and explore the workspace, come to grips with the tools and start designing then you will work on the text layer and set the effect properties and finally you will finalize the graphic, save it and then export it. Skills Acquired: Image Editing, Photo Editing, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Adobe Photoshop. Duration: Approx 1.5 hours
13 Edit Your Photos for Social Media Marketing using PicsArt
Edit your photos for social media marketing using PicsArt
This course is in English and is a beginner level with a split-screen instruction. With so many people and businesses on Social Media platforms, people are constantly bombarded with images and information and an important aspect of Social Marketing is finding ways to captivate audience attention to products and services, but this usually needs to be done on a minimal budget. You will learn by creating an edited photo project for Social Media using the free version of PicsArt and some new tools and options for editing will be introduced throughout the course of the project. PicsArt is web based and used to edit photos and videos and you will easily create and make edits with the online design tools. Step-by-step you will be shown how to upload your photo images and adjust the lighting and colour, you will add and place images and text, utilize the colour match tool to edit your photographs and use template to create your marketing tool, and how to edit a template. You will also learn how to apply the rule of thirds in cropping an image in PicsArt.
Skills Acquired: Marketing, Social Media, Business, Graphic Design, Entrepreneurship and Digital Editing. Duration: Approx 2 hours. Rating: 4.2
12 Fundamentals of Digital Image and Video Processing
Fundamentals of digital image and video processing
This course is in English with subtitles in 8 different languages. This course will lead you towards principals and tools which you can use to process images and videos so that they can be applied to solve problems of commercial and scientific interest. Digital images and videos in a plethora of industries including astronomy, bio-medial field, consumer markets in the industrial fields and artistic application. And, the range of photographs covers almost the full visible spectrum to the human eye.
The ability to process images and video is thus a highly important skill for any engineering or science practitioners, software developers and others. This ability to process enables the technology revolution we are undergoing today and some important examples include such things as removing blur from a picture of a fast moving vehicle, the ability to compress and transmit images and videos and to be able to store the content economically. In this course you will learn the basic of how to process images and videos and you will be provide a mathematical framework to describe and analyze images and videos as two-and three- dimensional signals in the spatial, spatio-temporal and frequency domains. The course will cover theory behind processing of media including enhancement, recovery and compression and also how to perform these tasks using the most up to date techniques and tools. You will be introduced to a wide variety of tools. Some topics covered include: Image and Video processing, Motion Estimation, Image Enhancement, Image Recovery, Compression, Segmentation and Sparsity and more. Skills Acquired: Image Processing, Data Compression, and Matlab. Duration: Approx 36 hours over 12 weeks. Rating: 4.6/96%
11 Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies
Film, images & historical interpretation in the 20th century: The camera never lies
This course is in English with subtitles in 8 different languages and is a beginner level course. The course discusses the use of images, film, and their use in interpreting History in the 20th and 21st century. For those with an interest in history from the perspective of photojournalism and films used upon historical events, then this course if for you. By the finalization of this course you will be able to appreciate the significance of photographs as historical evidence, realize the limitations of photography, and understand how we can apply meaning to these records of ‘A Moment in Time’ taking into account the context in which the image was taken. You will explore how individuals and institutions have manipulated images for their own good and to further their own agenda – through alterations and/or censorship and how that has influenced contemporary and subsequent historical interpretation. Finally, you will learn to put images into a wider context and in particular with reference to history how it is written or depicted beyond the academic realm. Please be aware the images depict war, real war, and real images. The course covers: Week 1 – The Introduction; Week 2 – Images and History in the 20th Century; Week 3 – The Air-brushing of History: Stalin and Falsification; Week 4 – Photojournalism, Authenticity and Maters of Public Acceptability: The Battle of Mogadishu; Week 5 – The Power of the Image: Mount Suridachi, 1945; and finally in Week 6 – From Page to Screen: Film as Public History. Skills Acquired: Photojournalism. Duration: Approx 21 hours over 6 weeks. Rating: 4.6/97%
10 Principals of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production
Principals of photo composition and digital image post-production
The course is in English with subtitles in 8 different languages. The modules in this course will show you the elements of design used by artists to create successful compositions. You will learn that elements are arranged in ways that conduct the viewer through their compositions and this is essential for any photographer no matter their subject matter. You will also begin to learn elements of post-photography, image management using Lightroom as well as image adjustment software which can be downloaded to your Smartphone, as even top level photographers utilize a Smartphone on rare occasions. The course covers: Week 1 – Elements of Design: Building Block of Composition; Week 2 – Composition Means Putting The Elements of Design Together; Week 3 – Photo Editing Fundamentals 1.0: “Workflow”, from ex;exposure through Adobe Lightroom classic; and in Week 4 – Photo Editing Fundamentals 2.0: Smartphone apps. Skills Acquired: Photography, Elements of Design, Editing, and Lightroom. Duration: Approx 16 hours over 4 weeks. Rating: 4.7/95%
09 Cameras, Exposure, and Photography
Cameras, exposure, and photography
This course is in English and has subtitles in 8 different languages. This course will reach you the knowledge and confidence to help you make thee best choices in your price range as you consider qualitative of the camera you already own and the qualities of any other type of digital camera which you might be considering purchasing. You will learn about functions that most digital cameras share and have in common and how you can make exciting pictures emphasizing the frame and vantage point to interpret old subjects in a variety of new ways. You will learn about accessories photographs find indispensably, and types of camera bags to store your equipment. Finally, you will embark on a mission to make your first photographs. The course covers: Week 1 – Welcome, Overview and Fundamentals; Week 2 – Cameras Capabilities: Differences and Similarities; Week 3 – Setting up Yourself and Your Digital Camera: Menus, settings, and baggage; finally in Week 4 – Picture Decisions: The Vantage Point and Frame. Skills Acquired: Confidence, History, Creativity, and Photography. Duration: 19 hours over 4 weeks. Rating: 4.7/96%
08 Photography Techniques: Light, Content, and Sharing
Photography techniques: Light, content and sharing
This course is in English and has subtitles in 8 different languages. This course starts by teaching content in photography, from fact to fiction, documentary to expressive following which you will learn techniques and principals for using light in ambient and natural settings. Your flash unit whether a hotshoe model or if it is a built in flash in your camera, this should still be under your control and not the cameras’. As you apply the knowledge to the creation of assignment photographs is numerous situations, controlled contentious and strobe lighting will no longer by a mystery. This course ends with summary of how to finalize your pictures in ;print form and includes matting techniques and web designs as well. You will also learn sharing in social media and how to protect your copyrights and the ways you can ensure that your copyrights are protected, being careful about blogs. The Course covers: Week 1 – The Content of a Photograph; Week 2 – Light Fundamentals 1.0: People, Places, Things under Ambient Light; Week 3 – Light Fundamentals 2.0: People , Places , things under controlled Light and Week 4 – Finishing Pictures: Options for Showing and Sharing. Skills Acquired: Photography, Techniques, Lighting, and Sharing. Duration: Approx 24 hours over 4 weeks. Rating: 4.8/96%
07 Camera Control
This course is in English and has subtitles in 8 different languages. These 4 modules will teach you how to make full use of exposure modes, light metering, effects of various ISO settings, lens options, utilizing various shutter speeds to convey aspects of time and exploring controlled focus effects the depth of field makes possible. Module 1 – covers The Welcome, Overview and Fundamentals; Module 2 – Elements of Camera Control 2.0: The lens; Week 3 – Elements of Camera Control 3.0: Depth of field;and finally Module 4 – covers Picture Decisions. Skills Acquired: Camera Control, ISO, and Light
Duration: Approx 13 hours over 4 weeks. Rating: 4,8/96%
06 Photography Capstone Project
This course is an intermediate level in English with subtitles in 8 different languages. In order to do this course you must have completed the first 4 courses in this specialization Being Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR specialization. You will develop 10 well taken photographs concerning your passion for artistic expression or a subject of documentary exploration, a portrait, images from work-related subjects or some other photographic aspect about which you are passionate. This course should consume more time than any other course in the specialization and much of it will be spent making photographs. During the period you should be looking to either work together with other learners as means of support and encouragement and to assist each other with comments and suggestions to gauge progress and to express your ideas about quality in response to work shared with you. The course covers: Week 1- The Project Launch; Week 2 – Learning from others; Week 3 – Learning more about critically analyzing and Week 4 – Review time. The mode of instruction is through video, readings and quizzes. Skills Acquired: Art, Project, Photography, and Writing. Duration: Approx 21 hours over 8 weeks. Rating: 4.8/97%
05 understanding Photo Composition
Understanding photo composition
This course is in English. This course will teach you about the elements of composition and how to turn the ordinary into the extra ordinary by seeing the mundane differently through your camera’s viewfinder. First you will be guided through exposure, ISO and aperture, which will are the requirements you need to extract the best our of this course. You will then learn the meaning of photo composition and how to configure your camera settings to capture fabulous images with a clear focal point. You will be shown how poorly composed photographs leave views confused and uncertain of where to look in the photo and you will learn how to guide your viewers eyes to exactly where you want them to look and what to see, and finally you will study simplicity in photography and why it works so that you can know how to simplify your images and maximize impact – you determine what your camera captures. You will also be shown when best to capture images in portrait and landscape and you will see why most photographers use landscape over portrait. The rule of thirds and how incorporate the lines into your composition to direct your audiences eyes. Finally, you will learn the captivating Dutch Tilt, the use of space for movement and the importance of background. The modules cover: Module 1 – Basic of Photo Composition; Module 2 – Photo Position and Angle; Module 3 – Background, colors, and additional tips. Skills Acquired: Photography, Digital Photography, Photo Composition, and Camera. Duration: Approx 1.5 – 3 hours. Rating: 5 stars
04 Advanced Digital Photography
This course is in English and is an advanced level course. This course will teach you aspects of photography like bracketing, flash photography, hyperfocal distance, focal length and perspective. Good photographs are taken understanding basic photographic concepts and techniques and this course together with examples, diagrams, and histograms will show you amongst other things how to properly expose a photograph. The course will help you to utilize your digital camera manual control and will teach you how mirror-lock-up functions and how to get the best put of flash photography. Further, the course cover perspective, how to calculate hyperfocal distance and depth of field. The course will the look at post-production skills discussing platforms like Photoshop and Clone Stamp. Finally, you will learn advanced photographic techniques to get the perfect exposure for your photographs. The modules cover: Module 1 – Refining your photographic techniques; Module 2 – Refining your photographs using Photoshop; and finally Module 3 – you will have a course assessment.
Skills Acquired: Photography, Photoshop, Photo editing, Digital photography, DSLR, and Camera,
Duration: Approx 1.5 to 3 hours. Rating: 5 star
03 An Introduction to Photography
An introduction to photography
This is a beginner level course in English. There is option for other language subtitles. This course will teach you enough about photography for you to expect some major improvement in your photography after completion. Your confidence and creative knowledge will improve vastly. There are 3 modules in this free course including 10 video classes and E-book which serves as a reverence and cheat sheets and finally a 25 question photography quiz. Video 1 – Will teach you the simple mechanics behind how cameras work and how to get the best results out of your photos; Video 2 – explores Exposure in Photography and how to control your settings in manual mode; Video 3 – is about Shutter speed which can provide interesting creative results and how to control motion blur or freezing of fast action subjects; Video 4 – looks at Camera Focus which is key for good photography, it is important to understand how focus works; Video 5 – Aperture and Depth of Field; Video 6 – get creative in Full Manuel Mode, which gives you full creative control; Video 7 – delves into Lenses and Focal Length and you may not know this, the correct lenses can be more important than your choice of camera; Video 8 – is The Importance of Understanding Light and your attention to it is one of the quickest ways to up your game; Video 9 – Camera ISO, megapixels and sensors; and finally Video 10 – explores Composition in Photography. Skills Acquired: Photography, and Cameras and Settings. Duration: Self study at your own pace
02 Seeing Through Photographs
The course is a beginner level in English and has subtitles I 9 different languages. With our almost obsessive love for images and photos this course delves into pictures and their meanings and will encourage you to reconsider how photography fits into our visual culture. This course covers and researches the gap between seeing a photograph and truly understanding it and introduces a broad spectrum of ideas, approaches, and technologies that inform us about the reasoning behind the ;photograph. You will look at a number of photographs from The Museum of Modern Art, and going behind the scenes into the studios of artists, through original films, and listening to audio interview where you will gain insight on the ways photography has been used as a means of artistic expression, a tool for science and discovery, a means of documentation, a means of story telling and recording history, and its use as a tool of communication. Further, you will learn how context influences production, circulation, and reception of photographic images; you will come to understand an artists process and choices that inform the photographs making, you will further explore the relationship between the subject and meaning and you will find inspiration from photographs around. The syllabus covers: Week 1 – Introduction to Seeing Through Photographs; Week 2 – One Subject, many Perspectives; Week 3 – explores Documents and The Documentary; Week 4 – explores One and Another; Week 5 – Constructing Narratives, Challenging Histories; Week 6 – Pictures of People and finally Week 7 -cover Ocean of Images. The medium of instruction is by videos, readings, and quizzes. Skills Acquired: Photography, Art, History, Museums, and Art History. Duration: Approx 17 hours over 7 weeks. Rating: 48/98%
01 Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR Specialization
Photography smartphone to DSLR
This course is a beginner level in English with subtitles in 8 different languages. IF you need to gain knowledge of exposure and you want understand the basics of composition more fully and at the same time explore documentary and creative concepts to enable you to take all kinds of photographs, irrespective of whether your camera is a smartphone or DSLR or a compact or mirrowless model, this is the right course for you to take. This specialization delves into the fundamental principals of photography providing you with a solid grasp in making photographs you will be proud to share and also for your future growth. In the Capstone project you will develop photographs related to your specific needs which you can add to your portfolio should you be seeking a career in photography. The specialization course is such that you can start with any of the 5 courses in whichever order you many want to but finalizing with the Capstone Project. The course covers: Course 1 – Cameras, Exposure, and Photography; Course 2 – Camera Control; Course 3 – Principals of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production; Course 4 – Photography Techniques: Light, Content and Sharing; and the final Course 5 – The Capstone Project. Skills Acquired: Social Media, Photography, Copywriting, Writing, Confidence, History, Creativity, Art, and Project. Duration: Approx 6 months with a pace of 4 hours per week – 5 courses. Rating: 4.8