Photography Training Cost

Looking to learn photography?To get the right equipment at the start, you’ll likely pay $400-700 for a camera and $400-600 for a lens or two, plus the $9.99 monthly subscription for the industry-standard Adobe photo editing products. Beyond this, you’ll want to consider the cost of photography training. You can take basic introductory courses or follow video tutorials for free or choose the polar opposite and pay full tuition to study photography at a four-year university. Students who seek a middle way might choose to take live photography courses from a more specialized school, which can range from $125 to $2500, depending on the length and depth of the course. Access to on-demand classes typically comes at the cost of a subscription to the learning platform, which usually costs about $150-$300. Read on to find out more about how much you can expect to spend on learning photography.

What is Photography?

Photography is the art of producing an image by recording light with a camera. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first photograph in 1826. Photography was a revolutionary technology because it made it easier for images to be reproduced and widely distributed. The first cameras were large and awkward to handle, and the lengthy exposure times necessary to capture an image required photographic subjects to hold still for uncomfortable intervals. However, as the technology evolved, cameras became easier to use and more affordable.

For over 100 years, all photographs were captured on film and developed using chemicals. In 1975, Steven Sasson invented the digital camera, which dramatically increased the ease of capturing and distributing photographic images. Most photography today is digital: the device taking the photo saves the recorded image as a digital file. Smartphones capture 92.5% of those digital photos, but there’s still nothing like a dedicated camera for getting a sharp, high-quality image. 

Digital photography classes will teach you how to make the most of your digital camera. You can learn how to use all of your camera’s settings to the best advantage, how to work with studio or outdoor lighting, and how to adapt the choices you make as a photographer to the environment and goals you are working with. You’ll also explore the powerful, industry-standard software that allows Digital Photographers to edit and retouch the photos they take. 

Read more about what photography is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Photography?

Since the first photograph was taken in 1826, creators have been using this skill to capture images of the world around them. Photography allows people to document events, moments in time, and things they have seen. It can also help human beings gain a better understanding of the world, in the case of scientific photography or photojournalism. Photography is also an artistic medium—the Photographer presents their interpretation of the human experience through what they choose to document and the perspective their photos show.

Another important aspect of photography is that photographic images can be reproduced, allowing them to be circulated and distributed worldwide. Even before digital photography, a film photograph was easier to reproduce than the paintings and drawings that had previously been the best way to convey an image. One early example of how the new technology of photography rapidly came to shape the world is the work of Matthew Brady. His photos documenting the American Civil War showed the brutality of the war’s impact, powerfully influencing public opinion about the conflict.

Now, with digital cameras, the distribution of photographs can be nearly instantaneous, and reproducing one only requires uploading a file. Also, the powerful editing software available to modern Photographers makes remarkable transformations possible. Social media has shown some of what one can do with the opportunities provided by digital photography, with photos of dramatic events witnessed by private citizens being rapidly distributed all over the world. However, the full potential of digital cameras and photo editing software may have yet to reveal itself.

In-Depth Review of the Training Cost

There is a wide variation in cost among the possible methods you can use to learn photography. Several factors play into the decision of which method is right for you. Naturally, you’ll consider what goals you are trying to achieve by studying photography. Other key aspects include how much the chosen training method costs on top of necessary expenses for equipment, as well as how much of your own financial resources you can afford to devote to your studies. Read on to learn more about how much you can expect to pay for various types of photography training.

The most comprehensive, but also most expensive, option is to study photography at a four-year college. In 2022, the average cost of tuition at an American public university was $25,707 a year. Private colleges in the US are even more costly, at $54,501 average tuition in 2022. College students also have to buy textbooks, pay fees, and cover their room and board at the school or in the local area.

Fortunately for aspiring Photographers, however, there are quite a few other ways to learn photography. You can get started with free introductory courses and video tutorials on basic skills and concepts. To make a serious study of photography, you will need to invest some funds in your training. The most affordable paid option is an on-demand course, which typically requires paying a subscription fee to the learning platform of your choice. These generally run about $150-$300 a year. The disadvantage of this cost-effective option, however, is that it does not offer access to an expert instructor.

To get real-time feedback and guidance from a knowledgeable individual, you’ll need to pursue a real-time training option. You can do this in-person or live online. For photography, live classes range from about $125 for a half-day workshop on a specific topic to $2500 for a comprehensive course that covers both camera usage and editing.

In-person learning is a good option for many photography students, particularly if the school provides them with camera equipment when they’re getting started and gives them access to computers with industry-standard editing software. However, This method does involve paying for travel expenses and potentially taking time off to attend. You can avoid these with live online classes, but you won’t have access to the school’s equipment. All these factors, as well as your own schedule and learning style, will shape your choice of training method.

Free Introductory Photography Course Online 

You may not be ready to dive into a full photography course right away. In that case, an overview of photography can help you determine your next steps. There are quite a few free photography courses available online. Noble has some free materials that can help you get started. If you’d like an introductory course on the editing aspect of photography, try Noble’s free on-demand Intro to Photoshop video tutorial. You can also check out Noble’s free seminar on photo retouching.

Sites like Udemy and Coursera offer some free on-demand videos about photography, both on how to use your camera and the editing process. The camera-focused courses typically take you through the basics of using your camera's settings. They teach you about composition and how to frame shots. You’ll also learn to adapt to variations of lighting. And you can explore how to work with the principles of aperture and depth of field. Brief free courses on the most popular Photoshop and Lightroom techniques are available on these sites as well.

Read about more free photography videos and online tutorials.

Learn Photography with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop’s small class sizes and expert instructors make it an excellent environment for learning photography and related skills. Students can choose between in-person and live online courses, depending on which is better for their particular situation. Students can also retake Noble classes for free, which can help expand their knowledge of the topic.

Noble offers a certificate in photo retouching specifically, delving more deeply into critical skills that Photographers should have. Another option is Noble’s popular Graphic Design Certificate, which covers Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and graphic design principles. If you don’t yet want to commit to earning a certificate, you could take an individual Photoshop course to start with. You can also do a Photoshop bootcamp for beginners with Noble.

When you do a digital photography certificate at Noble, you’ll acquire foundational skills for photography and photo editing. Students learn to use manual settings to help them make the most of what a high-quality camera offers. They also discover how to work with different types of lighting, both inside a studio and out in the world. In terms of digital photo manipulation, students explore how to manage their photographs with Adobe Lightroom and edit them using Adobe Photoshop.