Best Photography Classes Near Me: Find In-Person & Virtual Training

Learn More About Photography Courses

Photography is the technique of capturing images for display that dates back to the 1830s. Early photography involved trapping images on copper plates coated with silver before eventually using light-sensitive film and, currently, digital technology. Since the early 20th century, people have been able to photograph other people and objects as an everyday routine or hobby, as well as professionally in several capacities.

With the prevalence of smartphone technology, people can now photograph and record even their most mundane everyday activities. However, with the convenience of being able to photograph anything at any time readily available for anyone and everyone to see, many people have discovered a passion that could develop into a hobby or profession.

Why Learn Photography?

Learning photography can provide individuals with versatile skills that can serve as either a satisfying hobby or as an option for a profitable career. With the convenience of smartphone technology available to everyone nowadays, there are people who take pictures of virtually everything they come across. For some, the habit eventually develops into a passion that becomes a hobby that could end up as a business.

Deciding to learn photography can help with turning an interest in taking pictures into a stimulating hobby or profitable career. Gaining knowledge on the type of equipment and materials a professional photographer would need for taking pictures of weddings, becoming a fashion photographer, a news photographer, or a sport photographer can help with paving the path for a journey from hobby to profession. No matter what a person’s goals may be, learning photography can yield benefits on several levels.

Training in photography can lead to becoming a professional photographer working in a variety of capacities or simply enhancing a hobby that a person has for posting images on social media.

What You’ll Learn in a Photography Class?

Training in photography today involves gaining a wide range of knowledge in various areas of visual technology. The cliché Knowledge is Power has a strong ring of truth. While film is not used in photography nearly as much as it had been a few decades ago, knowing how to use and develop film is vital for working in any level of professional photography. Knowledge provides options, especially for appealing to clients as a photographer in many capacities. Skills with analog technologies and formats can inform how a photographer applies parallel techniques using digital technology.

Learning photography today covers a wide range of techniques and devices, from phones that everyone carries around in their pockets to high-level digital cameras with interchangeable lenses similar to earlier professional analog devices. While it’s tempting to assume that people can simply go with their smartphones as a photographic device to work with, since today’s phones do offer detailed visual capacity and definition, the ability to change lenses and filters provides more options for focusing and capturing specific details, which is an element of photography that requires knowledge and practice with various equipment.

Aside from the act of photographing, a photography class provides training for working with and developing pictures. This includes gaining knowledge for developing film in a darkroom by training on the equipment and material used in the process that can inform a photographer on how to mimic a result using digital technology. As part of this, photography classes include learning Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop is the world’s most popular photo editing software, used by professional photographers and graphic designers for photo retouching and other areas of visual design, including creating graphics for websites, web applications, digital marketing, and social media, as well as designing graphics and animations by integrating images through other applications in the Adobe Creative Cloud, such as After Effects, Animate, or Illustrator.

How Long Will It Take to Learn Photography?

The length of time it may take to learn photography can vary depending on the person as well as that individual’s purpose for training. As with nearly any area of training, how long it may take for someone to learn photography differs from person to person. Some people can pick up basic techniques in as little as six months. However, it will likely take someone who has serious ambitions with photography anywhere from two or three years to gain expert-level skills as a photographer. Any serious photographer will tell people who are learning photography that it never ends, especially in recent years with so many advances related to digital photography. However, in addition to learning concepts related to digital technology, knowledge of analog photography can also benefit anyone who takes their skills seriously, as many earlier concepts in photography, such as the daguerreotype process from the 19th century and other photographic techniques, can still be used or incorporated into digital technology.

What Are the Advantages of Taking a Photography Class?

Learning photography in a class can help with developing a satisfying hobby or with establishing a career not only as a photographer but in other areas of visual design in today’s competitive digitally-dominated labor market. With the prevalence of smartphone technology, digital photography has gone from a novelty to a mainstream, everyday activity, especially with the high-definition visual capacity available with those devices that has surpassed the capability of many of the analog cameras used by professional photographers only a few decades ago.

Because of the convenience of high-definition digital photography waiting inside everyone’s pocket nowadays, the use of images for communication has become more widespread, along with how people use those images. Enrolling in a class for learning skills with tools for handling and manipulating photographic images can provide individuals with the right training for profitable options for making their photos stand out in today’s crowded social media landscape. Photographers and graphic designers can learn Adobe Photoshop, for example, for photo retouching, along with other visual design purposes, including creating graphics for web design in websites, web apps, and social media graphics, as well as designing graphics to use as animations with other Adobe Creative Cloud software.

Training in photography can lead to careers in various professions related to visual design. Skills for capturing the right image, along with photo editing, can be applied to visual projects beyond just photographs in areas such as animation, graphic design, and web design. Training in photography can serve as a foundation for starting a career with skills in photo editing, graphic design, and taking pictures.

Best Photography Classes

There are plenty of in-person and live online classes available for learning photography. However, there are people who simply feel more comfortable sitting inside a classroom with an instructor standing in front of them to learn anything. For those individuals, there are schools around the country that offer in-person training in photography.

Developing skills in photography goes hand-in-hand with other areas of visual design, with training options in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Students can enroll for in-person classes for learning the fundamentals of photography, using imaging software like Photoshop for working in visual design, and other professions related to working with graphics and animation through expertise in the popular photo editing software. An in-person photography class offers practical ways for developing skills in an old-fashioned but relevant technology by getting hands-on instruction inside classrooms that allow students to learn photographic techniques and tools up-close for eventually working in photography or visual design.

New York City

People in New York City who are interested in photography as a hobby or a profession can enroll in the Digital Photography I: An Introduction for Beginners class through the Art of Intuitive Photography. This course provides beginner-friendly training in digital photography for unlocking the potential of using an everyday device that many take for granted. Through this class, participants will learn basic techniques in photography such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, along with learning how to capture images using the manual mode.

Upon completing this three-hour photography course, students will have gained enough confidence to take pictures with the auto mode turned off on their phones or digital cameras. Art of Intuitive Photography also offers paid memberships with the Click & Connect community for learning photography together with other hobbyists, as well as exchanging ideas outside of the classroom.

NYC Photo Safari offers photography hobbyists and tourists a fast-paced opportunity for sharpening their skills through the Photo Safari: Iconic New York (Part 1). This workshop provides participants with photographic opportunities for taking pictures of iconic places such as Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and the Empire State Building. This photography workshop can be beneficial for gaining photographic knowledge on all levels of photography. Photo Safari utilizes the New York Subway system for getting around the city to capture those images, including taking pictures of the subway trains themselves. The fare for the subway transportation is included with the cost of the workshop.

This outing for the class will cover a lot of territory, so participants are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear.

Students can enroll with the PhotoUno Photography School for the Digital Photography I: Taking Control of Your Camera course for training in photography. Through this class, students will learn the basics of photography and using a digital camera. Training includes lessons on aspects of photography fundamentals such as aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, focus control, white balance, and working with flash. Students will train using indoor and outdoor projects.

This 12-hour class meets in six two-hour sessions that provide students with scheduling flexibility for learning digital photography.

Students can also enroll in the iPhone Photography course, which is available through the PhotoUno Photography School for unlocking the potential of a tool that people have in their pockets and use every day. Everyone has a smartphone that gets used daily for making phone calls, exchanging text messages, and paying for things. People also use their smartphones to take pictures and make videos. This course trains participants in how to use their iPhone camera for taking professional-quality photographs.

Through this course, students will learn how to take pictures using very little light, as well as develop a better understanding of visual composition. This two-hour photography workshop can help with using an everyday device for taking professional-quality photos.

Los Angeles

People living in Los Angeles can enroll with the Los Angeles Center of Photography for the Basic Photography class. In this course, students will learn how to use their digital cameras for taking better pictures through learning about controls and functions, exploring composition and lighting techniques, and understanding exposure. Students will train through hands-on projects along with expert critiques for learning how to shoot pictures in manual mode for enhancing photography skills.

In this course, participants will learn about the control and functions for digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras, as well as basic camera operation procedures such as using the f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO, along with fundamental concepts of photography. Training will be conducted in both black-and-white and color for learning how to work in an appropriate mode through weekly assignments.

The Los Angeles Center of Photography offers the Working the Streets: Street Photography Basics class, which is a two-day course that trains students in street photography. This course is taught by acclaimed street photographer Ibarionex Perello. In this course, students will train on location in the streets of Los Angeles. Training covers learning about core camera features and controls with photography, developing knowledge of light and shadow, getting comfortable with photographing strangers, and culling and editing photos using Adobe Lightroom.

This two-day class trains students in several approaches to street and travel photography. For this course, students will be required to bring five images saved as JPEGs for displaying their work in the first session. Students should also bring a laptop, card reader, and USB drive to both class sessions.

Chicago

People living in Chicago who are interested in learning photography can enroll in the Photography: Superior Composition course through the Evanston Art Center. This course teaches students composition in photography for refining how they see and imagine their environment by understanding how subject matter, light, and composition work together for creating compelling images. Photographers of varying skill levels can elevate their ability with visual storytelling through this class.

Upon completing this course, students will have a better understanding of photographic composition for telling stories visually.

The Evanston Art Center offers the Exceptional B&W Photography class for learning how to take pictures through exploring black-and-white photography. This training focuses on learning photography through taking black-and-white pictures using digital cameras and smartphones. This course will guide students through taking black-and-white photographs that tell personal stories to showcase a person’s skills in photography.

Upon completing this photography course, students will have a better understanding of photographing subjects in black-and-white using digital cameras and smartphones.

Washington, D.C.

People living in Washington, D.C. can take advantage of the Capital Photography Center to enroll in the Photo Basics—Get Off Auto class for learning techniques for manually operating a digital device. This course aims at helping students take control of their cameras for photographing with knowledge of settings such as freeze or blur motion, along with controlling depth of field. In this course, students will learn how to capture images depicting home life, family gatherings, sporting events, and vacations that reveal the beauty and complexity of different environments and circumstances through class projects for hands-on practice. Lessons will focus on exposure settings and controlling depth of field. Training covers understanding resolution and compression settings, learning the manual shooting mode, ISO settings on exposure, shutter speeds, and focus settings.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own camera to class, along with a memory card, backup battery, and instruction manual for their particular device.

The Capital Photography Center offers the iPhone Photography—Getting Started at the National Gallery of Art class for people to learn how to use their handheld devices for taking professional-quality pictures. Training focuses on using smartphone editing apps for optimizing the appearance of images taken with a phone. Lessons will cover learning techniques with exposure, composition, and focus for getting the best results with using an iPhone camera.

In this class, students will use iPhone cameras on a photographic tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to take pictures of paintings, sculptures, and wall hangings as well as the building itself. The purpose of this exercise is to help with honing skills in photography using an iPhone camera.

This class is geared towards iOS mobile device users (iPhone users) along with a list of apps that will be included with the confirmation letter for the course.

Students are required to bring a fully charged iPhone along with a backup charger, as photographing can drain battery life.

Live Online Photography Classes

For anyone looking for live online training for learning photography, there are several options available. Many online education providers offer training for learning skills in photography using webcams and videos to help students learn how to take pictures using visual media. Students can choose online classes for beginner-level training or advanced courses for improving skills as experienced photographers.

Anyone who is considering taking up photography as a hobby can enroll with the Digital Photo Academy for the Photo Critique workshop. This 90-minute video conference offers participants an online critique session for advice on workflow optimization, editing, and post-processing. The course requires that students send in digital images for discussing how to tailor those images for various purposes. The instructor communicates through videoconferencing technology in advising participants.

This course is available for anyone who has internet access along with a computer or tablet with a microphone to communicate back and forth.

People interested in learning photography can enroll with the Princeton Photo Workshop to take the Digital Camera Basics class. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use their digital cameras for taking better photographs. Lessons cover basic functions and techniques for taking pictures with a digital camera. Training focuses on fundamentals such as shooting modes, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

This course is available for anyone who has internet access along with a computer or tablet with a microphone for communicating with a live instructor.

The Princeton Photo Workshop offers the Mastering Color in Photography workshop for learning how to work effectively with color as a photographer. In this course, students will learn about advanced color theory for understanding color in photography, as well as color as a focal point and compositional tool in a photograph for balancing elements and creating patterns. Students will have photographs critiqued in group sessions as well as providing advice to classmates on their work.

This course is available for anyone who has internet access along with a computer or tablet with a microphone for communicating with a live instructor.

Kelsey Kissner

Kelsey Kissner is a writer for Noble Desktop. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in creative writing from London Metropolitan University, and a certification in UX Writing and Content Strategy from the UX Content Collective. Collectively, she has 15 years of experience in publishing and marketing spanning across a variety of industries, including education, fashion and retail, and the nonprofit sector. While working in the publishing industry, she managed the books and materials for construction, architecture, hospitality management, and various trades like HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Kelsey's writing at Noble Desktop also covers a variety of professional training programs and career fields.

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Learn Photography

Learn More About Photography Courses

Why Learn Photography?

What You’ll Learn in a Photography Class?

How Long Will It Take to Learn Photography?

What Are the Advantages of Taking a Photography Class?

Best Photography Classes

New York City

Los Angeles

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Washington, D.C.

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