Take photography lessons with an online photography teacher.

Take Up Photography Classes Online for Beginners

Technological advancements have made photography very easy in many ways, however, learning how to use a Digital SLR (single-lens reflex) or indeed an analogue camera, is more complex than it seems.

Besides learning your way around a camera body, foundational photography skills like exposure, lighting and so much more, are key.

To stand out as a photographer who can take professional-looking images, you could do photography lessons online, or find a photography classes online for beginners course.

Photography Lessons Online: DSLR Explained

So what is a DSLR camera? These are not what is known as point-and-shoot cameras, they’re more complex and can provide a greater amount of manual control. The differences between an SLR, DSLR, point and shoot, and fixed lens cameras is the first thing you can expect to find out about in photography lessons online.

Basically:

• The DSLR captures the images on a sensor
• An analogue or SLR captures images on film

Both are referred to as 35mm cameras.

A Few Tips About Purchasing Camera Gear

Before embarking on photography classes online for beginners, it’s essential to have the right equipment. Here are a few tips to help your purchase decision-making:   

• Read reputable camera gear websites and blogs.
• Read Google reviews.
• Chat to experienced photographers.
• Speak to camera gear staff in retail and photo hire shops.  
• Find a private photography tutor to seek advice.
• Compare downloaded camera manuals from the internet.

Helpful Technical Terms for Beginner Photographers

The art of photography is technical and includes enough jargon to potentially rain on your enthusiasm. Before your photography lessons online, why not get ahead with a few terms to ensure that you don’t get lost? 

• SLR: means single-lens reflex
• DSLR: means digital single-lens reflex
• Analog camera: this is a non-digital, but manual, single-lens reflex camera requiring film
• ISO: uses the digital sensor to measure light sensitivity (working the same way that film speed does)
• White balance: the adjustment you would make to change the temperature of colour so that the whites of your image are either super white, or warm, for instance
• Noise: noise means that there is too much undesirable grain and a lack of clarity or sharpness (sometimes noise is intended, but not usually)
• Backlighting: this is when the subject is placed in front of the light source, resulting in a halo or silhouette effect
• Focal distance: this is the distance between the camera lens and sensor
• Shutter: this is the curtain-type-contraption that quickly opens and closes to let in light
• Underexpose: when there is not enough light
• Overexpose: when there is too much light

To add to your glossary of photography terms, be sure to check out more comprehensive photography books. 

Take Photography Lessons Online with a Private Tutor

When it comes to acquiring new knowledge, one-on-one tuition will always provide the fastest track for learning. This is very true when it comes to grasping complex photography concepts.  

In South Africa, there are dozens of private photography tutors located all over the country who have joined Superprof.  You could select someone near to you, or you could choose to go with private photography classes online for beginners, with someone from just about anywhere in the world! 

The most important thing is to connect with the tutor who is right for you. This includes personality, but also a shared interest in similar genres of photography.    

Make sure that your tutor has verifiable credentials. Superprof tutors, for example, usually have a few reviews on their profile page. Their experience is also verified and the fact that their first lesson is often for free is a major advantage. This is the ideal opportunity to find out about their preferred teaching methods and background.

In terms of payment, private photography tutors who are hosted on Superprof South Africa can be commissioned at an average cost of R256 per hour.

In terms of topics, here are a few that would typically be found in photography classes online for beginners:

• Different camera types
• Camera resolution including an explanation about pixels
• The types of files for shooting (e.g. Jpeg or Raw)
• Controlling light through exposure
• ISO
• The aperture also called f-stop
• Shutter speed
• The critical relationship between shutter speed and aperture   
• Depth of field – both high and low
• Landscape photography
• Portrait photography
• Motion and sport photography

Besides the invaluable personalised attention that private tuition offers, there are many other important benefits to investing in a private photography tutor. Consider some of these:

• Informal and relaxed lessons.
• Instant feedback to individual questions.
• Not needing to patiently sit through question and answer sessions on concepts that you have already grasped.
• Flexibility and personalisation in terms of both course content and class schedules.  

The benefit of being able to learn anything new online today certainly extends to photography where all you need is a webcam and meeting platform, like Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype, of your preference.  

Fundamentally, It’s All About Controlling Light

The most important theory that you will learn in photography is how to control light, or indeed exposure. This is all centred around the critical relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and your ISO. So while there is a lot to learn in photography, find out how much time your potential tutor intends to spend on this subject. 

This is a really good question to ask at your first free lesson.

Finally, this point really cannot be emphasised enough. Of course, there is so much to learn about photography, including how to actually use a digital camera, but there are two vital pieces of advice that every new photographer should consider.

Firstly, regardless of whether you are looking for quick and simple photography lessons online or embarking on a course of any kind, take your time to master the theory of exposure.

Secondly, don’t forget to practice, practice, practice, because it is those invaluable times in between your theoretical lessons when the camera is in your hands that you will undoubtedly learn the most!