Amateurs are often quick to blame their low-quality photographs on several excuses. There's more to taking a great picture than pointing a camera at an object and snapping away. It takes dedication and expertise to get that professional shot. A person with these skills should definitely monetise it and share it with those who need to learn. It’s worth to learn how to create photography online course.
Why should a photographer create an online photography course?
If you've got the skill-set, then you’re in the perfect position to create your own photography courses that others can benefit from.
Secondly, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the photography industry hard. Numerous photography and social events that would typically require photographers have been canceled until it’s safe to host them. Creating an online photography course would be a great way to make some extra income.
While the pandemic is terrible, it has created some new opportunities for people to pursue new skills by learning from home and now is a great time to sell these online courses to add to lost photography income [1].
Creating a photography learning app
Other than photography courses, a budding entrepreneur could also create a photography learning app.
This application would be perfect for people who don't have the time to dedicate to learning an online course. Instead, they could just download the app for an easy, targeted crash course on photography [2].
Using a mobile app for these programs
Whether it's a photography course or a photography learning app, it's best to create them as mobile applications. Remember these courses are meant to be easy to use and suited to a potential customer’s lifestyle. They shouldn't have to find a desktop or PC and more for an online course.
A content creator who builds a mobile app can rest assured knowing that it will be easily accessible to the client. Plus, mobile courses allow for a more personalized, customer-friendly interface [3].
Solid mobile apps are great for content creators also. They can receive analytics information that helps them fine-tune the app, and even add features such as push notifications that can boost engagement by 88% [4].
Steps to creating a successful online photography course
Choose your topic of expertise
Consider your talents, experience levels, and achievements and pick a topic that you’re great at. There’s a ton of options here – lighting, exposure, resolutions, flash photography, or just about anything else in the world of photography.
Define a course outline
Having chosen a topic, you’re one step closer to making the online course a reality. Next, you should create an outline for the course with different topics.
A great place to start would be with something that ends in “…for beginners”. Then, a couple more topics, with an evaluation at the end should suffice.
Choose the delivery mode
Is the course going to be text all through? Due to the nature of the course - photography - there's only so much students can learn through text. It's recommended to add photos and videos to the course
Pick a platform to host the course
Platforms such as Coursera and Udemy are great, but they make it a bit complicated when it comes to monetizing your course and accessing your income.
Go for an all-in-one platform such as Gurucan that allows you to create, upload, market, and sell your course online without being a tech geek.
With Gurucan, teachers can also create mobile apps or use white-label apps for their online courses [5].
Fine-tune the course
It's best to create a photography portfolio as a marketing tool. This is also a great way to show off your capabilities and built trust in your expertise. Organize the course into themes and ensure the website it's launched on is SEO optimized [6].
Using a mobile phone to shoot professional videos for an online course
Obviously, if you’re someone who's about to create your own photography course doesn't need to be taught how to make videos.
However, it's pertinent to understand how to make videos FOR an online course.
Customers need high-quality videos to understand the lectures. It's best to use an app with an interface similar to Professional Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras (DSLR). These can be found in some third-party apps.
Use different video modes when appropriate. Also, editing goes a long way in cutting out unnecessary parts and creating smooth transitions that make it easier for students to understand [7].
FAQ
How do I create my own online course?
Start by choosing a topic and creating a course outline to go with it. Then, find a platform such as Gurucan to host your course and work with them to create the finished work.
How can I learn photography online?
Take an online course. Choose one that is taught by a qualified photographer. Supplement this with video tutorials. Also, get more in touch with your camera, and practice as much as possible.
What is the best photography course online?
No one course is regarded as the best. Picking a standard course depends on your current skill set, your level of understanding, and how much money and dedication you can invest. Note that expensive doesn't necessarily mean the best. There’s a ton to choose from Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare, and more.
How can I teach myself photography?
Start with some basic stuff - get a camera and go through the manual. Learn what the different terms means and that the buttons do, then try it out. This can be a bit tough when you have zero background in photography. So, go online and take advantage of the materials on the topic there.
How do I create an online course in 2020?
Validate your course by surveying your potential customer pool. This will help you figure out the direction to take. Create a course outline. Then, create content that is engaging, and educational. Host it on a suitable platform and set a reasonable price.
How do you price an online course?
Setting the price too high might scare customers off while making it too small will make you lose your profit. Consider the amount of work you put into the course and test different price points before settling on one. Start little and increase over time. Be sure to add extra value to justify price increases.
Is online teaching profitable?
It is quite profitable depending on the business strategy you adopt. One could decide to monetize their course through different means including charging directly for the course, creating subscription and membership options for a price, and via ad revenues.
How long is an online course?
This depends on the subject, content creator, nature of the hosting platform, and customers. It could either be in form of a timed course that lasts anywhere from a few weeks to even 6 months. Or it could be a learn-at-your pace type of program which boils down to how dedicated the student is.
Being a good photographer requires some expertise. An online photography course is undoubtedly a great investment to make, so, we recommend taking one.
As for a content creator, it requires patience and a lot of effort. Take some of the stress away by choosing a host platform that provides guidance on the way and all the tools needed to create and launch the course.
References
- The COVID-19 Pandemic is Shutting Down the Photography Industry on Every Scale. Nicco Valenzuela. Fstoppers.https://fstoppers.com/originals/covid-19-pandemic-shutting-down-photography-industry-every-scale-463617. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- Best Apps for Learning Photography. Adorama. https://www.adorama.com/alc/0014280/article/10-Apps-that-will-help-you-learn-photography. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- Why do your online courses need a mobile app? Julia. Gurucan. https://www.gurucan.com/posts/mobile-app-online-courses. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- How to Win Back App Users Who Opt Out of Push Notifications. Emma Mullan. Clutch. https://clutch.co/app-developers/resources/how-to-win-back-app-users-to-push-notifications. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- Main steps to create an online course (part 2). Julia. Gurucan. https://www.gurucan.com/posts/online-course-steps-a. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- 20 effective ways to learn photography without going to photography school. Canva. https://www.canva.com/learn/20-effective-ways-learn-photography-without-going-photography-school/. Accessed 16-09-2020.
- Making videos for online courses with your phone like a pro. Julia. Gurucan. https://www.gurucan.com/posts/making-videos-phone. Accessed 16-09-2020.
