7 Best Online Product Photography Classes

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Looking for the best product photography tutorials and online courses? We’ve put together a list of the best ones on the web, below. We’ve included both free and paid classes to give you a variety of options.

But first, let’s answer the question – what is Product Photography? Product photography is the art of taking pictures using specific techniques to represent a product accurately and attractively.

Arguably, being able to take amazing photographs of various products, from T-Shirts and mugs to bikes and coffee machines, is the most important photography skills that you need! These product photos may be used on a website, a poster or on social media. As humans are visual creatures, product photography is essential when it comes to commerce.

To be able to take fantastic product photographs, you don’t need to attend university for years. Instead, you can gather all the skills you need by learning from experts in the field on online classes. In this article, I’ve gathered the best online product photography classes and tutorials. They are suitable for a wide range of levels, budgets, and time frames. So, whether you’re the head of marketing for an international company that is looking to generate a few quick social media campaigns, someone looking to make a full-time career in product photography, or a small business owner who is wanting to cut costs and take their own photos, we guarantee that there will be a class for you. Without further ado, here’s the list of the best product photography tutorials and courses online:

 

1. Product Photography for E-Commerce Basics (Skillshare)

  • Level: Beginner
  • Completion time: 23m
  • Cost: 14-day free trial
  • Certification: No
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 732
  • Course rating: N/A

Taught by James Morelan, an experienced photographer and avid teacher, this Skillshare course will teach you everything you need to know about the basics of product photography in under 30 minutes!

In this class, James will concisely take you over the product photography basics, and he will share his own techniques that give him successful images on thousands of products. This class is compact, in-depth and is designed to give you all the knowledge you need to get started with product photography for e-commerce, as well as for social media.

 

2. DIY Product Photography: Style and Shoot Creative Stills (Skillshare)

  • Level: Beginner
  • Completion time: 35m
  • Cost: 14-day free trial
  • Certification: No
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 5,607
  • Course rating: N/A

Rachel Gulatto and Daniel Inskeep created Mango Street in order to share inspiration, tips, tricks and practical advice on photography. In this Skillshare product photography tutorial, they will give you an inspiring look at the behind-the-scenes of product photographs that will make instagram user stop scrolling right in their track!

In this Skillshare class, you will learn about: researching show-stopping concepts, choosing the right location and lighting for a shoot, how to style your shot and two distinct styles for photographs that are being uploaded to instagram.

 

3. Learning Product Photography  (LinkedIn Learning)

  • Level: Beginner
  • Completion time: Approx. 2h
  • Cost: $42.99
  • Certification: Yes
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 18,887
  • Course rating: N/A

Having great photographs of products is essential for any online business, and Joseph Linaschke will teach you everything you need to know to take amazing product photographs!

Joseph has over 20 years experience in product photography and in this short class, he shares all his tips and tricks with you. You will learn about the best cameras and equipment to invest in, how to set up a product photograph shoot, the correct lighting scenarios and what to do post-processing (e.g., retouching or optimizing exports). After completing this short course, all business owners should feel confident taking attention-capturing images of their products.

 

4. Small Business Photography for Non-Photographers (LinkedIn Learning)

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Completion time: Approx. 3h
  • Cost: $35.00
  • Certification: Yes
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 120,164
  • Course rating: N/A

Taught by Joseph Linaschke, an experienced photographer, this LinkedIn product photography course is suitable for those with some photography experience. In this class, you will learn how to take photos with a smartphone or full-size camera. You will understand how to use natural light to your advantage, how to work with props effectively, what cameras to use and basic photo editing techniques.

After taking this course, you should feel confident enough to help your business (or employer) take marketing and product photos. By investing in the course, you will be saving yourself thousands of dollars on hiring a professional product photographer.

 

5. Your COMPLETE GUIDE to Beautiful Product Photography (Udemy)

  • Level: All levels
  • Completion time: 2h 10m
  • Cost: $84.99
  • Certification: Yes
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 263
  • Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 77 ratings)

This product photography masterclass is designed to help business owners increase their sales using their smartphone or a DSLR camera. Taught by Ted Nemeth, who is a highly rated Udemy instructor and professional photographer, this class coves everything from shoot preparation to post-production editing.

At the beginning of the class, you will explore different camera angles. You will then take a deeper look at shoot planning, image backgrounds, lighting, what to do in the actual shoot and what to do post-production. Once you’ve completed this class, you’ll be well on your way to take excellent photos of your products.

 

6. Commercial Photography: Still and Moving Images (Future Learn)

  • Level: Intermediate to advanced
  • Completion time: 4 weeks (3h each week)
  • Cost: Free
  • Certification: No
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 16,062
  • Course rating: 2.9/5 (75 ratings)

Taught by James Smith and Jeanette Bolton-Martin, who both have years of experience as commercial photographers, this course is aimed for those who already have some commercial photography experience but are looking to further develop their skills.

In this course, you will take take a theoretical look at product photography. You will explore how to develop your visual boundaries, how to create exciting work, different visual approaches and how to capture animations. In the course you’re free to make mistakes and push your boundaries. By the end, those with some photography experience should feel even more confident with taking eye-catching product photographs.

 

7. The Product Photography Guide (Udemy)

  • Level: All levels
  • Completion time: 1h 16m
  • Cost: $24.99
  • Certification: No
  • Number of people who have completed the course: 19,575
  • Course rating: 2.9/5 (75 ratings)

This Udemy class is designed for anyone who has a keen interest in taking excellent product photographs. Whether you’re a complete newbie to photography, or someone with years of experience taking photographs, this class is bound to teach you a trick or two!

In this class you will learn theoretically and practically. You will firstly discuss wether to use a DSLR camera or a smart phone. After, you will explore a whole range of topics such as exposure, focus, lighting, white balance, product background, studio set ups, post production procedures and much more. After this course, those with any level of photography experience should feel comfortable enough to breath-taking product photographs on their smart phone or DSLR camera.

 

Conclusion

So, there you have it… the seven best product photography online classes.

There are a huge variety of online classes available. Some of the classes are quick and cost effective. Others are more expensive and take more time – but they offer a more in-depth product photography skills.

All of the above online classes are excellent. They are the best of the best. Each is taught by an experienced and dedicated teacher and they all have lots of satisfied and happy customers.

So, which course you decide to take depends on you experience, funds and spare time. Have you ever even picked up a camera? Or have you got some experience with taking photos for instagram campaigns? Do you have a huge amount of money to spend on your skill development? Do you have a lot of spare time, or are you just looking for a quick, but effective, skill top up?

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