There are tons free online photography courses available from various providers that don’t require a full day of classes and a well-stocked bank account.
These are perfect for photographers who might have a full-time job and want to learn in their free time. We’ll walk you through 5 in-depth online photography courses that will help you on your journey to becoming a pro photographer.
1 – Alison Photography Courses
Beginner – Heavyweight
In addition to their ridiculously large library of free courses, Alison also offers a range of photography courses suited to any level of photographer. These certificate and diploma courses cover topics such as digital photography, photo editing, landscape photography and photo composition. If you’re just getting started, this is one of the best options out there.
2 – Basics of Photography – The Complete Guide
Beginner
This is one you can bookmark in your browser. Curated by Adam Dachis of Lifehacker, it’s a solid foundation for anyone starting out in the field. The guide includes sections explaining camera settings and how they work, as well as editing techniques and a couple of extra resources to fully prepare you for your first outing.
3 – Creative Life On-Air Photography Classes
Beginner to Midweight
From the renowned online learning platform for creatives, Creative Life, On-Air classes are a series of free live, webinar-like classes. On-Air classes cover audio, video, design and in our case, photography. Classes are listed out on the page at the link above, so head over and look out for the next photography class that piques your interest, and RSVP for the next one available.
4 – Shaw Academy Photography Course Online
Beginner to Heavyweight
Shaw Academy’s free online photography course is designed and led by industry-leading experts. Over 16 weeks (or however long you’d like), you’ll cover lens types, camera modes, lighting, depth of field, composition and finally, editing. It’s a comprehensive course I’d recommend any photographer to go through, even if it’s just as a refresher.
5 – Cambridge in Colour Photography Tutorials
Beginner to Heavyweight
Pretty much any photography topic you can think of is here. The link above will take you to a structured, categorised list of tutorials on Cambridge in Colour all available for free. With an emphasis on ‘concept over procedure’ their visual tutorials are a truly effective way to learn photography concepts and methodologies.
Whether you’re a beginner, hobbyist or even advanced-level photographer, taking a full-on arts degree in photography can prove to be difficult. Time is hard to come by with days feeling shorter and shorter, and the financial resources required to attend a brick and mortar institution can leave you feeling, well, in debt.
With this selection of free online photography courses, you get to learn at your own pace, free of any financial stress. We hope this helps you get closer to achieving your photography dreams. For more, be sure to read up on our collection of tutorials and tips & tricks articles.
