With so many fantastic learning resources available, the best online photography classes are the best way to boost your skill level. With just one video course or eBook, you can go from absolute beginner to confident intermediate in no time.
We’ve reviewed a wide range of online courses. And this article lists all the best learning resources for beginner photographers. You can still find a decent range of topics, including camera basics to iPhone photography.
But which online course is right for you? Let’s find out. We think Photography 101 by SLR Lounge is the best online photography class for beginners. It’s in-depth and detailed yet easy to follow. It’s a surefire way to level up your photography skills.
What Is the Best Online Photography Class For Beginners?
We reviewed a wide range of online photography classes. You can read our roundup of all the online courses we’ve reviewed. But here, we’ve selected the best photography courses for beginners.
Reviewing, scoring, and ranking so many classes isn’t easy. But we have a strict review process to ensure fairness across the board. See how we scored each course at the bottom of this article.
Here’s a quick rundown of each beginner course and why we like them. We’ll look at each class in more detail after. And you can read the full reviews by clicking on the link at the end of each write-up.
- 6.5 hours of video content
- Fantastic production value on all videos
- Course broken down into genres
- Helps you master your camera's manual mode
- 274 pages of easy-to-follow educational information
- Excellent tips for landscape and cityscape photography
- Packed with stunning example images
- Accessible and expensive gear not necessary
- Comprehensive, 36-chapter guide on using Lightroom
- Produced with absolute beginners in mind
- Led by fantastic photography educator
- Includes deep dive in to RAW files
- Most in-depth smartphone photography course you'll find
- Over 20 hours of video content
- Excellent tutor with extensive knowledge and a personable manner
- Fantastic production values throughout
- 7.5 hours of high-quality video content
- Teaches you the ins and out of your digital camera
- Includes tutorials on lighting and using flash
- Modules on Lightroom editing
- 44 info cards with tips and tasks
- Direct, specific information
- Topics range from camera basics to advanced techniques
- Handy digital files you can load on any device
- Excellent tutorials for beginner street photographers
- Well-structured video course
- Over 7 hours of video content
- Well presented by knowledgeable expert
- Full of interesting and useful techniques
- Well presented by Mark Hemmings
- 5 hours of entertaining video
- Trick module is an extra bit of fun
- ExpertPhotography's specialist beginner photography course
- 4 hours of educational video content
- Free bonus materials included
- Written and presented by ExpertPhotography founder
Best Online Photography Classes for Beginners
Now we look at each photography class in more detail. This is a fountain of knowledge if you’re a beginner photographer.
1. Photography 101 by SLR Lounge
| Brand |
Brand
SLR Lounge
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Photography basics in various genres, with a focus on portraits and controlling light
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
6.5 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
86 / 100
|
Photography 101 is an impressive 6.5-hour-long video course. And it is perhaps my favorite. It aims to bring you from a beginner level to a solid intermediate one.
Among others, it strongly focuses on the following genres, with an emphasis on portraiture:
- (Couple) portrait photography
- Landscape photography
- Food photography
- Fashion photography
- Sports photography
- Photojournalism
This photography course is awesome at teaching several things. You will master manual mode. And you will also learn to expose your images in all conditions and camera modes.
Approaching a scene with the right mindset is just as important. And this course successfully teaches how to set your mind for any photography genre.
The course doesn’t take the common path of dedicating a separate chapter to teaching composition. Instead, compositional techniques and approaches form an integral part.
Another strong point of Photography 101 is that it teaches you how to observe, control, and modify light. This is something no other beginner course touches on in such detail.
The course, in general, is very detailed. It shows you all the little pieces of successful photography that many others miss out on.
It also has little to no inaccuracies, technical mistakes, and tongue slips. This sets it apart from the crowd. It is one of SLR Lounge’s older courses. But it is still up to date in almost all respects.
It’s authored and presented by Pye Jirsa. And it is a well-rounded photography course, especially for the price. You can read our full review of Photography 101 by SLR Lounge.
2. The Photo eBook by Picture Correct
| Brand |
Brand
Picture Correct
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Those learning landscape and cityscape photography
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
eBook
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
274 pages
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
86 / 100
|
The Photo eBook is not a full-on beginner course. But it has a dedicated section for beginners. And it’s easy to understand and provides great value.
This is one of the best guides on cityscape and landscape photography. It features impressive techniques that result in amazing images.
While some parts are not completely current, its core content is extensive and elaborate. And it has great attention to detail.
Despite being an eBook, it actually contains more details in some key areas than the previous video course. You’ll have everything you need to know to succeed in the city and landscape niches.
I love it for its compactness, impressive imagery, friendly but professional writing style, and more. But it is actually the longest photography eBook I’ve read so far. It has 274 densely packed pages.
Don’t expect it to be an overnight read, but it’s rewarding. Even if you’re a beginner, you can create similarly stunning images quickly.
Professionals often use the techniques in Photo eBook. They are not simplified. For this reason, it’s perfectly suitable for beginners and advanced photographers alike.
Its other great selling point is its low price tag. While it’s not a video course, I still consider it a very good deal for such an awesome knowledge package.
This is best for beginner to advanced-level photographers who want to dive deep into cityscapes and landscapes. You can read our full review of the Photo eBook by Picture Correct.
3. Introduction to Lightroom by Fstoppers
| Brand |
Brand
Fstoppers
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Photo editing in Lightroom
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
7 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
85 / 100
|
For many beginners, Adobe Lightroom can be a daunting program. But there’s no reason to fear it with Fstoppers’ Introduction to Lightroom video course.
This teaches you everything you need to know about Lightroom. Not only will you survive on Lightroom, but you’ll also thrive.
The target audience is absolute beginners. And they aim most of the content at people with little-to-no post-processing experience. So it’s perfect for everyone from the tech-shy to the inexperienced.
The course is well-structured, letting you find videos on any specific task in the program. There are videos on creating catalogs and importing images.
They also give you a deep dive into RAW files. And they look at editing processes like cropping and adjusting exposure.
There are 36 chapters in total. So no stone is left unturned. And once you’ve gone through them all (7 hours later), you’ll know Lightroom inside and out.
Pye Jirsa of SLR Lounge presents the videos. He has years of experience as a photographer. And he’s proved himself to be one of the industry’s best educators.
And after watching him here, it’s clear to see why. He has a simple yet engaging way of explaining often complex tasks.
Post-processing is an integral part of modern photography. And while a wide range of photo editing software is available, Adobe Lightroom is the industry leader.
That’s why Intro to Lightroom is such an important resource for beginner photographers. Read our full review of Introduction to Lightroom by Fstoppers.
4. iPhone Photo Academy by iPhone Photography School
| Brand |
Brand
iPhone Photography School
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
iPhone photography
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
20 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
84 / 100
|
We no longer need expensive, complicated cameras to take stunning photos. Everyone now has what they need with camera phones. But very few realize the full potential of iPhone photography.
iPhone Photo Academy helps you achieve your full potential with smartphone photography. It’s an extensive course that expands your artistic horizons. It’ll change the way you use your iPhone forever.
It’s an extensive course with over 20 hours of video classes. It takes you through the basics of using your iPhone camera.
It dives into all the phone’s manual modes. And it teaches you more advanced techniques and concepts. Plus, the videos are easy to watch.
Emil Pakarklis, the founder of iPhone Photography School, did the course. His presenting style is friendly and warm. And he explains everything with a mix of expert knowledge and good humor.
The attention to detail is one of the course’s strong points. Emil explains everything as he takes you through. He doesn’t rush through sections or omit details. You never find yourself lost or confused.
The production values are another positive for iPhone Photo Academy. All the videos are shot in crystal-clear 4K. And the sound quality is so sharp you could still hear Emil if he whispered.
Be sure to check out iPhone Photography School’s Facebook and Instagram pages. And you can read our full review of iPhone Photo Academy.
5. Photography 101 by Fstoppers
| Brand |
Brand
Fstoppers
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Photography and camera basics
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
7.5 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
82
|
Photography 101 is a beginner course that promises to teach you how to take control of all the manual settings on your digital camera.
It walks you through a basic understanding of lighting and using a flash. Then it takes you on a shoot to put everything into practice.
It also includes extensive sections on Photoshop retouching and Lightroom editing. This is best for the amateur photographer wanting more out of their images.
Photography 101 is one of the more expensive on our list. But if you like the style of presentation that’s unique to Lee of Fstoppers, it’s worth it.
You can read our full review of Fstoppers’ Photography 101.
6. Snap Cards by Photzy
| Brand |
Brand
Photzy
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Photography tips and tasks
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Digital info cards
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
44 info cards
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
73
|
Photzy’s Snap Cards are printable cheat sheets. They help you in the field or provide a quick way of learning.
These cards are designed to help you when you face different photo situations. They provide quick summaries of the key details you need to know.
The cards are ideal for beginner and intermediate photographers looking to get more out of their work. You can use them as go-to guides for specific topics.
You need to know some fundamentals. But the Snap Cards are there as a reminder.
They are also very reasonably priced. So if you need an in-the-field guide alongside a course, they’re an excellent and highly economical investment.
These are best for beginner photographers as a quick and easy reference. Read our full review of Photzy’s Snap Cards.
7. Digital Camera Mastery by Photography Pro
| Brand |
Brand
Photography Pro
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Camera settings and modes
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
7 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
71 / 100
|
The Digital Camera Mastery course is similar in scale and production to Photography 101. And it’s presented by the affable Mark Hemmings.
It promises to make you comfortable with your camera in all situations. He teaches you compositional rules, concepts, lighting techniques, and basic editing.
The course also emphasizes storytelling and visual communication. In my opinion, this is one of its key strengths.
Such skills are prevalent in street and travel photography. Naturally, these are the two genres that are highlighted the most.
Digital Camera Mastery’s other strong point is its practical approach. It’s very much scene-based, so it has a well-established natural flow.
Observing and dealing with light is accentuated in this course as well. This skill is perhaps the most important one you can acquire in photography, so it’s a welcome feat here.
It gives you very firm photo fundamentals. This includes mastering manual mode and getting familiar with camera settings, focusing, editing, and photo genres. Its video production is outstanding, too.
All this is really easy to understand from Digital Camera Mastery. Mark takes the time to explain everything well. But he does so in an everyday language, with no technical talk you can’t understand.
It’s a compelling choice, priced in line with most comparable beginner courses on the market. It has some problems with attention to detail but no major flaws.
Photography Pro’s Facebook community is also the most vivid of all. So, overall, this is a well-rounded, comprehensive beginner course with no deal-breaking flaws.
This is best for beginner photographers looking for a comprehensive beginner course. And it has a focus on travel and street photography. Read our full review of Digital Camera Mastery.
8. Photo Shortcuts by Photography Pro
| Brand |
Brand
Photography Pro
|
| Photography Niche |
Photography Niche
Camera techniques
|
| Media Type |
Media Type
Video course
|
| Content Length |
Content Length
5 hours
|
| Overall Score |
Overall Score
63
|
Photo Shortcuts is a video course for beginners with some basic knowledge. It aims to guide you in a handful of specific photo scenarios.
Overall, it’s a nice product. It teaches the key points and gives you an understanding of what genres you can pursue in photography.
The production is great. And it was shot in the beautiful location of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I loved its production quality and its approach to light and controlling light.
But it has a recurring issue of being imprecise in the details. Most chapters have oversimplifications or technical inaccuracies. Also, it’s one of our list’s more expensive online photography courses.
Still, Photo Shortcuts is worth checking out for some photographers. It’s best for those with solid, basic photo knowledge who want to broaden their horizons.
So it’s best for beginner to intermediate photographers who want to learn the basics of most photo genres. Read our full review of Photo Shortcuts.
Bonus. Photography for Beginners
| Brand |
Brand
ExpertPhotography
|
We know blowing your own horn is a bit cheeky, but toot toot! We have our own ExpertPhotography online video course for beginners. And we can’t help but recommend it.
Photography for Beginners hasn’t been reviewed in the same way. We can’t exactly review ourselves fairly, which is why this is a bonus entry. But we do think it’s a fantastic course for beginners.
There are 4 hours of detailed educational content. And you get a heap of bonus material thrown in too. You even get the super-handy ExpertPhotography cheat sheets for on-the-go guidance.
All videos are written and presented by our founder and CEO, Josh Dunlop. He shares his knowledge in a friendly yet educational manner. And he divulges a few tricks of the trade to help you get ahead.
Our Scoring System for Online Photography Courses
We introduced a score-based ranking system to make our reviews more objective. Our system gives a score out of 100.
You can see a breakdown of each section below the following table. But most importantly, it shows how you should interpret the total score.
What the Total Score Means
As a guideline, here’s how we evaluate the scores:
- 0-50: Avoid at all costs.
- 50-65: Mediocre, but may be valuable for a certain niche of photographers.
- 65-80: Good, with flaws that we don’t believe to be deal-breaking.
- 80-90: Excellent products, with few to no issues.
- 90-100: No-brainer deals.
Here’s how we scored each online photography course. Below it, you will find more detailed descriptions. Keep in mind that we’re updating this list often.
| Title / by | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | Full Review | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photography 101 by SLR Lounge | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| The Photo eBook by PictureCorrect | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| Introduction to Lightroom by Fstoppers | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| iPhone Photo Academy by iPhone Photography School | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| Photography 101 by Fstoppers | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| Snap Cards by Photzy | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| Digital Camera Mastery by Photography Pro | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) | ||
| Photo Shortcuts by Photography Pro | Total Score (100) | Value for Money (20) | Coverage (20) | Accuracy (20) | Ease of Learning (15) | Production Value (15) | Uniqueness (5) | Learning Support (5) |
How We Scored Each Online Photography Course
Here are seven topics we covered in scoring each photo course.
1. Value for Money
We compared a course’s price to its direct alternatives on the market. We also assessed how much you would gain financially and intellectually from it.
We always base this on the advertised, often discounted price, not the theoretical full price. Consider 14 and above a good deal, and 17 or above an exceptionally great deal, out of the maximum of 20.
2. Course Coverage
We have lots of experience creating and reviewing courses. So we have a fairly clear picture of what a course or eBook should contain within its photography niche.
If it missed out on important points, this score went down. If we saw additional, valuable knowledge included, it went up and could reach a total of 20 points.
3. Accuracy of Info
We often find inaccurate or even wrong information disclosed. Or there are heavy oversimplifications during the review process. We believe that a great course should not contain any of these.
This score can also go up to 20. Above 15, there were no significant problems in this aspect. Above 18 is what we consider excellent. This meant the creators paid great attention to detail.
4. Ease of Learning
It’s important for a course to translate well to its audience. So we looked at how logically a course is built and if it had a clear line of thought.
We assessed their consistency in terms of design, use of words and signs, and understandability. Additionally, we examined unnecessary professional jargon, which is often a problem.
This score can reach a total of 15. And above 12 is considered great.
5. Production Value
This point looked at design, formatting, transparency, and digital integration in eBooks. In video courses, we judged audio and image quality.
We also examined editing consistency, animation and text elements, lighting, and resolution. This is also where the quality of the photos in the course counts.
The maximum here is also 15. And we consider anything above 12 excellent.
6. Uniqueness
Here, we looked at how special a course’s photography niche is. It goes up if there are very few alternatives.
We also gave extra points here for unusual features. This included extra videos in eBooks or additional checklists or cheat sheets.
These are not strictly related to the core content of a course. So we viewed these points as possible plus points, a maximum of five.
7. Community and Learning Support
We gave another five points for this category. It includes if a course provider has great customer support, extra educational material, or updates their courses often.
“Community” can include Facebook groups or good comment integration on the provider’s own website.
Conclusion: The Best Online Photography Classes For Beginners
The best online photography classes are a goldmine for beginners. Whether you want to learn new skills or develop in a specific area, these courses give you a helping hand. They will accelerate your development. And you’ll be a confident photographer in no time!
Photography 101 by SLR Lounge is the best online photography course for beginners. The production value of all SLR Lounge’s courses is exceptional. And they’ve honed the art of creating educational photo videos. We can’t recommend this video course highly enough.
