This Amazing Online Photography Course Is 95% Off Right Now

Turn your hobby into a passion 📸.

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Hey, hi, hello, my name is Harper and I've loved film photography ever since taught myself how to shoot with my dad's old Pentax camera.

Yi Yang / BuzzFeed, Harper Hendrickson / BuzzFeed

But alas, that camera was destroyed in a hurricane while I was in college, and I dreamed about the day I would buy another one. Recently I've been going to a lot of photography exhibits at museums, and was feeling inspired, so I decided to finally buy the camera I used when I first starting shooting, the Pentax K1000.

Being that I was only 14 when I got into film photography, there was definitely a lot of nuances and much more to learn now that I had invested in a camera. So I decided to try the "Photography Masterclass" Udemy course, taught by documentary photographer Sam Shimizu Jones, as well as photographer William Carnahan and instructor Phil Ebiner.

udemy.com

This course covers everything you could want to learn about photography: the basics of how to shoot, lighting and lenses, how to edit your photos, and even how to make money with photography. There was plenty of info on digital photography, and a section on shooting manually as well, which ruled.

The course is filled with helpful videos and charts that really made me fully understand the technicalities of photography. I knew about the F-stop, shutter speed, and ISO going into the course, but I now have a deeper understanding of how these elements work together in photography.

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I am definitely a visual learner, and after studying these charts and hearing the technical elements explained in various ways through videos, it felt like I had the information engrained in my brain for good. Now when I am out shooting, I can adjust my camera as needed without second guessing myself. This course built on the framework I already had, and taught me everything I needed to know about shooting in different lighting. Now I know how to shoot without over or under-exposure, and I can shoot and adjust my settings much faster; moments don't pass me by anymore!

Once you have the basics down, you can get more in depth and learn some more advanced techniques, like how to shoot fast objects, how to shoot in low light, or my fav — how to shoot at night.

udemy.com

There are also multiple sections on composition, which where some of my favorite sections. I was able to see the elements of good photo composition I was already doing naturally, and where I could improve. This course expanded on my basic knowledge, gave me the confidence I was missing with photography, and most importantly, it made me excited to go shoot; because I wanted to use what I was learning as much as possible.

You can also go back to any section of the course at any time, which is super helpful if you need a refresher on something. I liked being able to pause the videos alongside holding my camera in my lap, so I test out the different settings along with the videos.

If you're a visual learner or are interested in shooting film/manual, I highly recommend this course. One of the difficulties of shooting film is that it's film — you can't see how your photos came out in low light, or what different depths of field look like until you shoot and develop a whole roll. But this course shows you the difference, with images stacked side-by-side.

udemy.com

I found this to be the most helpful element of the course. Understanding how the F-stop works can be complicated, but seeing it at work through different photos finally made me understand.

Part of the reason I got back into photography was so I could document my gender transition, and now I have all the knowledge I need to take and share my pics with the world.

Yi Yang / BuzzFeed

And I'm not the only one who swears by this course either. It has over 21K reviews:

udemy.com

"Photography is something I do in my spare time as a hobby, and I was frustrated that I could take some really great photos on auto, but there were many more shots I wasn't satisfied with. The passion and experience of all three instructors has enlightened me on the key concepts of photography, and given me the willingness and confidence to dump auto, and use the cameras manual settings whenever possible. The added bonus of demonstrating in clear and easy steps on how to edit photos in many types of applications has demystified a daunting array of tools and controls. The additional sections on running a photography business were very useful, and worth bearing in mind as my skills hopefully progress. Seeing that the guys all use different equipment and the reasons they chose their particular preferences was also great to view and understand. I thoroughly recommend this course." —Darren Shinett

"Great class! This course had more info than I even expected. As a total newbie, I feel so much more confident about going out into the world and starting my portrait photo business, and also using the skills learned about nature/wildlife photography to boost my hobby skills. I learned so much and can't wait to put my new skills to the test. Thanks guys!" —Connor Clayton

If you're ready to expand your photography skills and turn your hobby into a passion, check out the photography masterclass on Udemy for $9.99 (originally $199.99 👀).

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Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.