10+ Best Places on the Internet to Learn Photography in 2023 (Free and Paid)

The internet is full of courses to learn photography, and we understand that finding the right place can be pretty challenging. So, we put together our resources and created a list of some of the best online photography courses.

While this still takes place today, the truth is that nearly everyone has access to a camera and professional-grade editing software these days. And since launching an online photography business is easier than ever, thanks to content management systems like WordPress, anyone can technically call themselves an expert photographer and offer their services through their website.

But just because you have a camera and can manipulate images in Photoshop doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. And even if you do, the competition is tough, the market is saturated, and getting ahead is challenging.

If you want to compete with some of the industry’s top photographers, you will need to hone your skills, which is time-consuming. But don’t worry, learning photography in 2023 does not necessarily require lots of money and formal training as it used to.

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In fact, we’re here to share with you:

• best places on the internet to learn photography;
• advantages and disadvantages of photography school;
• how to learn photography by yourself;
• more information about photography websites.

So, let’s get started!

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Free Places Where You Can Learn Photography Online

1. Ditch Auto – Start Shooting in Manual

This course is designed to help beginners learn how to get a hold of their cameras’ manual settings and controls. The instructor, Jerad Hill, is a wedding photographer with over six years of professional experience who understands that when you rely on a camera’s automatic mode, the camera controls you.

With this free online photography course, you’ll learn the basics of DSLR photography and how to shoot in manual mode so you can take professional photos no matter the situation. You will also learn terms like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

As a bonus, signing up for this website will get you access to free lessons on Photoshop, black and white photography, and even important information, such as how to use WordPress and social media to build your business.

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2. The Basics of Photography: The Complete Guide

This free guide is perfect for those wanting to learn how digital cameras work, the best automatic and manual settings, and the most widely used compositional techniques.

It provides five lessons where you will learn how your digital camera works, composition, techniques, and different techniques of editing pictures – color correction, touch-ups, and adding fun effects to make your images stand out.

This guide also highlights additional resources that you might need if you want to advance your photography skills.

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3. Professional Family Portraits

This intermediate-level course offers tips on how to take successful family portraits. That said, to follow along, you’ll need to have more than a basic understanding of concepts like image composition, lighting, exposure techniques, and post-processing.

With this course, you’ll get five streaming video lessons, class materials, and access to a virtual classroom while you learn how to work with families of all sizes indoors and out.

Plus, you find out how to best engage your subjects, no matter their age, how to pose in large groups, and what to do during post-processing to make your family portraits treasured for a lifetime.

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4. Introductory to Photography and Related Media

This course, available for free through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare initiative, features video lectures from an actual semester-long class taken by undergraduates at MIT. Here, you’ll learn the fundamentals of working with both analog and digital SLR cameras.

You’ll also explore film exposure and development, black-and-white photography, darkroom techniques, digital imaging, and studio lighting.

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5. Lighting 101: Introduction

Lighting 101 is an entry-level lighting course developed to help you learn how to use off-camera flash to create professional and beautiful-looking photographs. You’ll need access to a real camera (no iPhones, please) and an understanding of how f/stops and shutter speeds work. In other words, you should be fine if you know how to use your DSLR camera in manual mode.

Once you finish Lighting 101, feel free to take Lighting 102 and 103 for free to continue expanding your knowledge.

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6. Reddit Photography Class

Reddit Photography Class is a beginner-level crash course on all things photography. There are 30 lessons that you can take at your own pace that cover the practical applications of photography rather than the theoretical ones.

In other words, you can learn the basics of photography, even if you’ve had no prior experience, and use those lessons in the field immediately.

Subjects in this course include camera types, exposure techniques, film versus digital, digital workflows, shutter speed, and more. You can even find out the best ways to share your work.

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Paid Places Where You Can Learn Photography Online

There are so many free photography classes on the internet today that it would be impossible to name them all. If you want to improve your skills and take photography to another level, many websites offer online professional courses, but you will have to pay for them.

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1. Digital Photography School

If you want to join one of the most well-known photography communities, Digital Photography School is your match. This website comes with many tutorials, tips, and articles about photography, helpful forums, and books. Here you will find both free and paid courses.

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2. Udemy

Do you need an online education marketplace? Well, here it is! Udemy offers some of the best photography courses for both beginners and professionals. Some of their courses are pretty expensive, but they often provide discounts. Here, you will also find courses about portrait photography, commercial photography, food photography, and more.

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3. Tutsplus

Most photographers worldwide label Tutsplus as one of the largest tutorial sites. This website provides how-to tutorials, courses, guides, and ebooks that cover a wide variety of photography knowledge. Anytime you need digital media content, you will find it in this place.

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4. Expert Photography

Another excellent photography marketplace that provides the best information for understanding your camera and equipment is Expert Photography. You will also find fantastic video tutorials on this website to help you acknowledge different photography concepts like the rule of thirds, composition, exposure triangle, and much more.

However, if you want to explore skills even further, here’s a quick list of additional paid courses you may also find interesting:

• Learn Photographic Exposure Best Practices
• Nightscapes: Landscape Astrophotography
• Documentary Photography and Photojournalism: Still Images of a World in Motion
• Beginner Photography Course
• Adobe Lightroom 5 Training Videos

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How to Learn Photography Outside of the Classroom

While going to photography school or scouring the internet for photography courses can help you expand your skillset and start your own business, there are other helpful ways to learn photography.

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1. Learn About Your Camera

One of the best pieces of advice for aspiring photographers is to read the manual that comes with your camera. Though it may not be the most exciting read ever, it will tell you everything you need to know about working your camera.

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2. Follow the Best

The internet can offer you more than superficial knowledge about being a photographer. By following some of the most well-known photographers in the world, checking out their online portfolios, and learning from their mistakes, you, too, can establish yourself as a reputable photographer, no matter the niche.

Here are some portfolios we find inspirational suggest checking out:

• Jan Erik Waider (landscape photographer)
• Juliette Jourdain (portraits, black and white photography)

Don’t forget about social media too. Some of the best photographers in the world frequent popular social media networks like Instagram (which strongly focuses on imagery as its form of content), such as:

• Adam Senatori (Check out how to start your own drone photography business)
• Simone Bramante
• Richard Koci Hernadez

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3. Create a Network

It’s not enough to follow your favorite photographers online and admire their work from afar. To become a successful photographer, you must network on and offline with like-minded people.

This will open up opportunities for you, garner more work, and teach you a thing or two. And the great thing about networking is that it’s free.

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4. Attend Workshops

Attending workshops is another great way to fine-tune your photography skills without getting a formal education. Many workshops are free, and they often offer ways for you to learn specific skills without making a huge time commitment.

Workshops also allow you to network, find internships or mentors to help guide you and discover new niches you can specialize in that you may have never thought about.

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5. Create a Portfolio

After you’ve learned the basics of photography and have started taking pictures of your own, it’s time to share your work with others by creating an online portfolio. But first, you will need a running website. Here you can find a list of the best website builders for photographers.

Even if you aren’t ready to offer paid services to people, you can at least start to get your name out there and establish your brand.

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Final Thoughts

And there you have it – we hope you enjoyed our roundup of the best places on the internet to learn photography, complete with ways to help you build your business from the ground up.

If you find yourself with many photographs stored on free web applications like Flickr and are ready to transition to your own hosted website, check out our guide to moving your photography portfolio from Flickr to WordPress.

And don’t forget to check out the best hosting for photographers and creatives to know your portfolio is secure and your site is always up and running.