Nowadays you can find many online photography courses, whatever your learning objective, without having to invest too much money.
The best online photography courses are taught by professionals with a proven track record, on online platforms that make it easy to take them at your own pace from anywhere and that also provide certificates on completion.
From taking your first steps with a reflex camera or your mobile phone camera to learning how to take professional photographs of food, babies, weddings, fashion or sports, in this guide you will find the best online courses available in2024. In addition, you will find analysis and recommendations for you to choose the ones that best suit your needs and interests.
The 9 best online photography courses in 2024.
1. Beginner’s Photography: Basic Camera Use and Theory
♪ English audio available
Required knowledge: None | Total duration: 2 h 28 min | Lessons: 18 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: English | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian | Includes certificate on course completion: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- Covers all fundamental aspects of photography
- Technical explanations are clear and easy to understand.
- Its approach is 100% practical
- The teacher makes the course enjoyable
- No cons
The best online photography course for beginners
To start your first photographic projects, it is important that you first have a good command of your camera and the principles of photography. Learning from a professional is the best way to do it and establish a solid knowledge of photography.
This course is taught by Giulia Candussi, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who has worked for media such as l’Espresso, La Repubblica, BBC, The Guardian, Huffington Post or image banks such as Getty Images and Corbis.
You will learn about the different types of cameras and their characteristics (sensors, pixels, resolution, types of lenses, etc.), as well as the basics of photography and then put what you have learned into practice.
Giulia Candussi will teach you, step by step, how to take portrait, movement and even texture photos. She will also show you the workflow of a professional photographer, from understanding and selecting the photos worth taking, to importing, editing and exporting them according to their intended use.
Is the course “Beginner’s Photography” worthwhile?
This course is highly recommended because it allows you to learn the basics of photography and how to use your camera directly from an experienced professional.
2. Professional Photography for Instagram
Required knowledge: None | Total duration: 1 h 57 min | Lessons: 16 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish, English | Subtitles: English, Spanish | Includes certificate upon course completion: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- English audio available
- One of the most useful courses you can take today.
- The results are simple but spectacular
- The explanations are very entertaining
- You’ll become addicted to Mina Barrio’s courses
The best professional photography course for Instagram
Whether you are an amateur, a professional photographer or just need to learn how to take good photos of your products for Instagram. In this course you will understand what kind of photos work well on Instagram and how to create them without investing too much time and money.
The teacher of this course is Marina Barrio, also known as “Mina Barrio”, who is Head of Photography at Melon Blanc, a creative studio that has worked with brands such as Porsche, Tous, Women’s Secret, Multiópticas, La Compañía Fantástica, HP, Banjo or Aristocrazy.
Marina holds nothing back and teaches you how to plan, produce and edit photos with realistic environments, flatlay, colored backgrounds, etc. In short, everything you need to create the kind of photos that work on Instagram, all using your cell phone!
Is the course “Professional photography for Instagram” worth it?
In addition to learning how to get the most out of your phone and Instagram, this course stands out for all the tips Marina shares about what inspires her, the tools she uses and how she uses them.
3. Fine Art Fashion Photography
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Intermediate or advanced knowledge of photography | Total duration: 2 h 13 min | Lessons: 19 | Course audio: Spanish (original) | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French | Includes certificate upon course completion: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- Inspiring
- Helps you find your own style
- The explanations are clear and precise
- You learn how to establish professional processes in your photo shoots.
- Teaches you how to treat and guide your models
- Easy for experts
- Slightly difficult for beginners
The best online fashion photography course
This is a specialization course focused on people with intermediate or advanced knowledge of photography who want to enter the world of Fine Art fashion photography, since mastering this specialty can open the doors of many magazines and fashion brands.
Your instructor will be Jvdas Berra, fashion photographer who has worked for brands such as Givenchy, Swarovski, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Huawei or Nikon, and his photos have been published in prestigious magazines such as GQ, Vogue, L’Officiel, Glamour and Flaunt.
Jvdas will teach you all the technical training you need, from planning to editing and exporting your photos. But above all, he will help you explore and define your style, as well as to implement a professional workflow in your photo shoots and to manage your team and models.
Is the course “Fine Art Fashion Photography” worthwhile?
The best thing about this course, in my opinion, is not only learning Fine Art fashion photography from a professional like Jvdas Berra, but it teaches you to find and define your own photographic style and, in this way, face fashion photography sessions with much more confidence.
4. Introduction to Newborn Photography
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Basic notions of photography | Total duration: 1 h 33 min | Lessons: 16 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Spanish | Certificate of completion included: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- Learn all the ins and outs of children’s photography.
- You will learn how to plan a safe session for babies.
- Learn all the ins and outs of children’s photography.
- Practising with babies is difficult, but you can start with a dummy.
The best online newborn photography course
Newborn photography is a speciality that requires skills beyond the technical aspects of photography, so this course is especially revealing.
Your teachers will be Guille and Marina, experienced photographers and owners of Le Photograph studio, specialized in children’s photography.
In the course you will discover how to plan a shoot with children, how to prepare the technical equipment and the studio to make the babies comfortable or how to find the right props for each photo and build the set.
Guille and Marina will teach you how to get the best poses of the babies with care and safety, and also how to gain the trust and collaboration of their parents during the session.
Of course, you will also learn tricks and photographic techniques particular to children’s photography, the post-production process and the export of this type of photos.
Is the course “Introduction to Newborn Photography” worthwhile?
Newborn photography has some peculiarities that are difficult to learn on your own or can take you a long time. With this course, you will save many hours of trial and error, as you will learn in a few hours the keys to children’s photography.
5. Sports Photography in Studio
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Basic notions of photography | Total duration: 2 h 28 min | Lessons: 17 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Spanish | Certificate of completion included: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- A very versatile course
- You will learn to light as an advanced professional
- The results are spectacular
- Includes great post-production tips
- The results are spectacular
- The practices require a lot of technical equipment
The best online sports photography course
If you want to get started in advertising photography in general, and sports photography in particular, this course will teach you all the essentials for a professional photo shoot.
The course tutor is Andrés Cardona, a photographer and director of photography who has worked on campaigns for Nike, Reebok, Gatorade, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, among other brands.
The course is focused on people with basic knowledge of photography who want to learn the working methods to transmit in images the action, emotion and attitude of the athletes. You will also discover how to edit and retouch photos to give them a more impactful look, which is key in advertising sports photography.
Is the course “Sports Photography in Studio” worthwhile?
The lighting, editing and retouching techniques that you will learn in this course will be useful not only for sports photography, but also for many other sessions where you need to transmit intense emotions through your photos, so I highly recommend it.
6. Wedding Photography: Couples Session
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Basic knowledge of photography | Total duration: 3 h 11 min | Lessons: 17 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Spanish | Certificate of completion included: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- The course is very well-structured
- Easy to follow and understand
- You’ll learn to improvise
- You’ll discover tricks to take advantage of different types of light.
- You’ll learn how to conduct a session
- You’ll understand how to do a photo shoot in various environments and still make it consistent.
- It doesn’t have English audio, but it does have subtitles.
The best online wedding photography course
Wedding photography requires special attention to capture the connection between people, meanings and emotions naturally. All this in a very short time and in an unpredictable environment, such as a wedding.
The good thing is that you can learn it, and in this course you can do it with Citlalli Rico, a renowned specialist in wedding photography who has several international photography awards to her credit.
First, you will learn how to plan a photo shoot with a couple, how to create mood boards, how to get to know your photographer’s tools and their possibilities.
Afterwards, Citlalli will show you how to be flexible during a session and take advantage of the different resources presented to you. This way, when the time comes, you will be able to make quick and effective decisions.
You will learn how to take advantage of different types of light and locations, how to achieve interesting framing and how to direct the couple during the session.
In the last part of the course, you will discover how to post-produce wedding photographs to achieve a professional result, which will separate you from amateur photographers.
Is the course “Wedding Photography: Couples Session” worth it?
There are many wedding photographers in the world, but few stand out like Citlalli Rico. Learning directly from someone like her can be a huge leap in your progress in wedding photography.
7. Hybrid Photography for Creative Experimentation
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Basic notions of photography | Total duration: 1 h 31 min | Lessons: 12 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Portuguese | Subtitles: Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, French, Italian | Includes certificate upon course completion: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- Very inspiring
- Clear and well-structured explanations
- You will learn to create your own visual narrative
- It doesn’t have English audio, but it does have subtitles.
The best online creative photography course
One of the most important things in creative photography is to learn how to convey messages and emotions with surprising images that do not leave the viewer indifferent. That is what you will learn in this course, mainly focused on hybrid photography techniques.
The teacher is Danny Bittencourt, a Brazilian photographer and artist who has her own art photography school in Porto Alegre (Brazil), has exhibited her work in several countries and her photos have been published in Vogue, LensCulture and various art magazines around the world.
In the course, you will learn how to identify the emotions and messages you want to convey and how to do it in a planned and professional way. In addition, Danny will explain how to mix traditional and experimental techniques successfully, and how to edit the photographs so that the result ends up being even better.
Is the course “Hybrid Photography for Creative Experimentation” worthwhile?
The course is really inspiring and once you put into practice what you learn and see that the results are great, a whole world of possibilities opens before you, so it is highly recommended if you want to boost your creative photography.
8. Food Photography Techniques for Advertising
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: Basic knowledge of digital photography, studio lighting or flash control, and use of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom | Total duration: 3 h 48 min | Lessons: 17 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish | Subtitles: English, Spanish,Portuguese,German,French,Italian | Includes certificate upon course completion: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- The tips are awesome
- Smart lighting techniques
- Results look great
- Includes great retouching tips
- Learning from one of the best is a plus
- The practices require a lot of photographic equipment
The best online food photography course
The particularities of the different foods make it necessary to apply very specific techniques to visually communicate the sensations that this transits in the physical world: flavors, smells, textures and even sounds.
In this course you will learn to identify the essence of each food and to capture it in front of the camera through specific processes and techniques for food.
You will learn from Alfonso Acedo, an experienced advertising photographer specialized in food and beverages. During his career he has worked for brands such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Seagram’s, Unilever Food Solutions, Harper’s Bazaar, Nespresso and many more.
With his guide, you will learn the basic techniques of foodstyling, how to work with different types of light and how to set your shots appropriately.
Of course, you will also learn how to edit and retouch your food photos, a key aspect of food photography if you want your photos to look as appealing and appetizing as when you shot them.
Is the course “Food Photography Techniques for Advertising” worthwhile?
Capturing the appeal of food is not easy, but after completing this course you will be able to identify and capture the key aspects of each food to communicate exactly what you want.
9. Product Photography for Beginners
♪ English subtitles available
Required knowledge: None | Total duration: 2 h 7 min | Lessons: 21 | Additional resources included: Yes | Course audio: Spanish | Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Spanish | Certificate of Completion included: Yes | Accessible from computers and mobile devices: Yes
- You will be amazed at what can be done with few resources.
- Inspirational
- Simple and practical
- Spectacular results
- If you are looking for a more advanced course, opt for Product Photography, also by Marti Sans.
The best product photography course
Learning to capture the personality of a product and its differential values in a photograph is fundamental, and learning to do it with few resources, as this course shows you, is priceless for a beginner.
Well, that’s what you will learn from Marti Sans, a professional photographer specialized in product photography who, among other clients, has worked for Estrella Damm, Danone, Chupa Chups, Gallina Blanca or Roca. He is also the author of the book Aprende a fotografiar productos como un profesional (see on Amazon).
During the course, Marti Sans introduces the technical aspects of photography and the fundamental principles of still life photography. He then shows you how to create your own set and an effective lighting kit with very few resources.
Before moving on to practice, the course delves into image post-production to achieve a professional result with Lightroom and Photoshop, so that your photographs look perfect.
Is the course “Product Photography for Beginners” worthwhile?
Learning how to photograph products will be very useful to win customers, and knowing how to do it with few resources will allow you to start as soon as possible. For all these reasons, this course is highly recommended.
How to choose an online photography course: 5 key things to consider
1. Your interests
Some people think about taking a particular photography course just because it is a popular subject or said to be able to make a lot of money.
But learning takes effort, practice and perseverance. Without a genuine interest in the subject, it will be difficult to be consistent enough over time to stand out, especially in a world as competitive as photography.
2. Your previous knowledge
Always consider whether your level of knowledge is adequate for the course you are interested in, whether it far exceeds it, or whether you need prior knowledge that you do not yet possess.
Pay attention to the complete description of the course, where it is specified to whom it is addressed and what previous knowledge is recommended.
There are so many online photography courses on the market, adapted to different levels of knowledge, that it is not worth getting frustrated trying to learn with a course that is not suitable for your level.
3. Your technical and human resources
Photography is an art that can be practiced with very few resources or the opposite. Be aware of the resources available to you to perform the practices of the course, as this will help you to fix what you have learned.
In the course description you will always find detailed technical elements and human resources, in case you need them, to carry out the internship. Check if you have all of them or if it is easy for you to get them for the internship.
In any case, you can always learn only the theoretical part and do the practical part later, when you have these resources.
4. The price
There are online courses with very high costs, but their quality is not always commensurate with their price. As I have trained during my career, I have found a lot of value in inexpensive courses like the ones presented in this guide.
These courses provide a value that is several times their price and usually have instructors who are recognized professionals in their various industries.
5. The course platform
Each course platform has its own way of charging for the courses and they have different packs and offers to buy the courses.
Although the price of a single course may be similar on one platform or another, it is when you buy several that the prices begin to differ. Crehana, for example, has an annual subscription with all the courses you want to take included, but once the subscription is over you cannot access them until it is renewed again.
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Domestika, on the other hand, does not offer an open bar, but it does offer permanent discounts with its PRO subscription. And when it ends, the courses remain your property, so you can continue to access them. Find out more in our article on whether Domestika’s courses are worth it.
