Top 5 Free Essential Photography Courses to help you Shoot like a Pro

Updated 23/02/2021.

Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another photography related blog post. Today, we're going to share with you the most important first steps you need to take if you want to upgrade your photography game.

We've made a terrible mistake. After our first post about a short history of photography, we've jumped into food photography tips, without talking about the beginning. Before you can master those tips, it's really important to get to know your camera and get comfortable working with it.

That's why we searched and searched for FREE, quality photography courses, that you can take on your own time, when you want, how you want.

When we created this list we thought about going gradually, from the beginning to post-processing in Lightroom ( that's what we use now).

But first, a short story:

I remember when I got my first DSLR camera. I was so happy and excited, you have no idea. I was all over the place! Then, while working with it, I started to discover it, one shot at a time. All I ever wanted was to shoot and shoot.

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But I didn't get better on my own, I needed to learn. Taking a class is very important, especially if you're fixed into breaking the amateur circle, and I was set onto going freelance and becoming as best as possible.

Nowadays, photography is everywhere. You even carry a camera in your pocket, everywhere you go. 

Visuals are also super important to any business, no matter what it is. It's what draws people in, it's how you make sales, it's how you impress and grow.

Maybe you're just starting a crafting business and don't have the money to pay a photographer to help you to sell your stuff.

Maybe you're like I was when I was 20 years old, and want to travel the world with a band because you love live events, festivals, and concerts, and want to show the world the beauty in life!

Then you'll love this list.

As a professional photographer, it's harder and harder to find jobs and projects that pay... Especially after the Covid madness.

What sets you apart as a professional is one thing - your skills package, and how you present it. We created this especially for you, to help you get as best as you can.

But enough chit-chatting, let's get to it!

5+ Free Essential Photography Courses that will make you Shoot like a Genius

1. Basics of Photography: The Complete Guide, from Lifehacker

This is exactly what you need when you've just got your camera. It's everything from understanding your camera, how it works, how to shoot. From automatic to manual, a little composition, and post-processing. The basics. And yes, it's free!

Photography Course: Lifehacker

2. Ditch Auto - Start Shooting in Manual, by Jerad Hill's Courses

Jerad Hill is a wedding photographer with experience that wants to share his findings with you, for free. He goes into depth about everything you need to know regarding your camera and the differences between shooting auto mode and manual mode.

Photography Course: Jerad Hill's Courses

3. The Art of Photography, with Dr. Shane Hulbert on Open2Study

Dr. Shane Hulbert is an artist and an academic from RMIT University in Australia. In this course, we go artistically, and not only! It's an incredibly inspiring course for any photographer, regardless of the level.

It's like we always like to say: "as long as you're alive, you learn".

Photography Course: Open2Study

4. Getting Started with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5, on AdobeTV

No matter how awesome your photos look, you will learn they will need some post-processing. I've started using Lightroom only about a year ago, and I was so angry with myself for not starting earlier!

So learn from my mistakes and learn how to properly post-process your photos from the beginning of your photography journey.

Course: AdobeTV

5. OVERCOMING SELF-DOUBT AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, from Whim Magazine

And after taking all those photography courses, now you can say you're a photographer. This course will help you decide where to go next and how to do it, how to get noticed, how to kick those doubts any artist gets and much more.

It's simple, fun, and oh, FREE.

Photo Source & Course: Whim Magazine

Bonus!

But hey! If you think that these free resources are not enough, make sure to check out these paid Udemy courses:
– Photography Masterclass: A Complete Guide to Photography
– Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen
– Portrait Photography for Beginners
– Adobe Lightroom Classic CC&CC: Photo Editing Masterclass
– Adobe Photoshop CC: Your Complete Beginner to Advanced Class

Udemy is really fun, and it gives you the freedom to learn at your own pace. Also, you will earn a certificate after completing each course.

Most importantly, Udemy does have a 90-95% discount on all courses from time to time if you can’t really afford 200$ for a course. Just keep an eye out for their deals – they do happen once every couple of months or so.

Aaaaaand that's all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you liked this top 5 of free essential photography courses that we made for you today, and if you did, don't forget to share it, pin it, tweet it! We would surely appreciate it!

‍Our question for you is: What other free photography courses would you like to take?