We live in the age of content. With so many people and brands desperate for your attention, churning out more and more free content in the hopes of getting it, we are spoilt for choice with the possibility of learning anything online. But we’re also overwhelmed and exhausted by everything there is to consume. When I started out there were a few distinct places for learning photography but now the sheer amount of resources would take 100 lifetimes to consume.
The quality of free content has also changed. Many photographers now lock their best content behind paywalls so anything they offer for free usually revolves around the 'what' and not 'how' which will have you running around in circles wondering why you're not improving.
I see more and more amateur photographers these days taking the route of professional online training because the self-taught route is becoming less clear. But that’s not an option for those of us who don’t have thousands of dollars or don’t like traditional methods of learning. I tend to get obsessive about things, photography being my main vice, so I am comfortable consuming a lot of information, but it’s not practical for everyone to learn this way and so I made Creative Photo Folk to cut down the noise and curate the best information from my many years of study. I chose to focus on creative photography as it’s one of the most disjointed subjects to learn, yet one of the most exciting.
I do see great value in paying for education on specific topics. Time is money, so they say, and if today I want to learn ‘product photography’ then I’m going to jump online and find a course and save myself weeks of time and effort trying to track down the right resources and learn it all myself for free. But I understand not everyone has that luxury so, if you have time on your side and an insatiable quest for knowledge, I wanted to share with you a selection of free photography resources I’ve found the most useful to at least give you a push in the right direction.
WRITTEN RESOURCES
Digital Photography School
An extensive free resource that comprehensively covers everything there is to know about photography, particularly on the more basic end. The way I have used Digital Photography School is by signing up to their newsletters and then reading anything and everything until it all became too basic.
Expert Photography
One of the newer players in the field, Expert Photography is fast becoming a handy photography resource in a variety of niches.
A Year With My Camera
AYWMC is free email training with weekly lessons aimed at complete beginners.
IN PERSON RESOURCES
Some of us prefer hands on learning so if this is the case use Meetup to find group shoots where you’ll have the opportunity to practice.
VIDEO RESOURCES
CreativeLive
CreativeLive is an online library of courses, with a strong focus on photography, delivered by acclaimed photographers. The courses vary in length but are generally 3 days long and are completely free if you watch live. The catch is you’ll likely find these courses so valuable you’ll end up paying for them to watch at your leisure. The quality of CreativeLive has dwindled over the years but they still have all their excellent early content, which they occasionally run replays of, available at vastly reduced prices. I have bought over 20 of their courses.
Phlearn
Phlearn started out by providing free Youtube videos, primarily about Photoshop. These days they’ve locked much of their content behind a paywall but their free offerings are still very informative.
Piximperfect
Piximperfect has taken over the space Phlearn used to occupy and is now an in depth resource for learning everything Photoshop.
Lindsay Adler
Lindsay is an expert in fashion photography and studio lighting but she speaks on many topics. Much of her content is now in paid courses but her free YouTube videos are worth a watch.
Gavin Hoey
Gavin's approach is very accessible and he's an interesting one to follow on a variety of topics, mainly lighting and experimentation.
Creative Photo Folk
I do of course have to mention my own creation, Creative Photo Folk, a photography and Photoshop membership that's a one stop shop for all things creative photography and the place to be if you love variety! Our blog and socials have free information but having spent so many years self-learning when I could've been shooting and improving I really recommend joining a membership that has everything laid out in a logical and defined manner so your learning path is clear and direct. Creative Photo Folk is only $24.99 USD per month.
I could easily list 100 more. I’d say I get 40 photography related newsletters in my inbox each week and I do actually browse them all, but the particular resources listed above will give you a great start and help you develop a feel for the things that interest you – then you’ll know which rabbit hole to fall down. Happy exploring!
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