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Not long ago I was in the same position as you. I wanted to improve my photography prior to a big trip I was taking. I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, but had never used anything other than my phone or a basic point and shoot camera. The thought of venturing beyond auto and into the manual settings was a little daunting. Never-the-less, I was supposed to be going on a safari in Uganda, and I wanted to be able to take some really phenomenal photos on this once and a lifetime trip.

What I found was that there are a lot of resources out there to help the novice photographer. You don’t have to go back to school to learn photography. Everything I’ve learned about photography was either self taught through blogs (like my own) and videos, or taught to me by my husband who’s been using a camera a lot longer than I have.

I know how hard it can be to get started, so I’ve put together a little list of some of the most helpful resources I’ve come across.

Classes and Workshops

I’m sure if you do a quick search, you can find a local camera shop in your area that offers photography classes. One that I had signed up for, but was unable to take before Covid-19 closures, was through Mike’s Camera.

Many community colleges will also offer classes to the general public without requiring you to be enrolled in a degree program.

You likely can even find a class in the same genre you are interested in, for example travel photography or portrait photography.

Online classes

If you can’t make an in person class work in your schedule (or with the current Covid-19 lockdowns), there are online courses you can take as well. MasterClass is an online learning platform offering classes in a variety of categories from top names in their field. They consistently get rave reviews across the web and seem to be a good value for the cost. I haven’t used MasterClass myself yet, but am planning to take Jimmy Chin’s Adventure Photography course over the summer to help improve my skills.

Some photography bloggers offer online courses as well. I’ll introduce you to a few of those in the next section.

Blogs

There are many great photography blogs out there with helpful tips for beginners and experienced photographers alike.

Digital Photography School: They offer both free tips in their blog posts and online paid courses.

The Photo Argus: Another great source of tips and gear reviews.

Improve Photography: They also offer tips for both beginners and more advanced photographers, as well as online paid courses.

YouTube Videos

YouTube is a goldmine of photography tutorials. These are a few of my favorite channels:

Tony & Chelsea Northrup have an excellent channel, including a Beginner’s Photography Essentials playlist.
Thomas Heaton’s channel has great videos on landscape and outdoor photography.

Academy of Photography has a Basics of Photography for Beginners playlist that breaks down every aspect of how your camera works and what each setting does.