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What if you change the way you teach? On Superprof, it just takes one click to accept to start online tutoring jobs. In addition to providing significant benefits for the student, an online photo course is a great way to stand out from the competition and easily find motivated and serious students.
Here are all our tips to start giving photo classes via Skype!
The Advantages of Giving Online Photo Classes
Providing photography lessons via webcam is the ideal solution to reach as many students as you can across the US.
In recent years, the practice of teaching online has become increasingly common. If this formula appeals so much, it is thanks to the popularity of digital tools. Because almost everyone in the United States has a computer with an integrated webcam, it will not be difficult to find budding photographers interested in studying studio photography, macro photography, or photojournalism online.
Whether it's a short photo course or a 4 hour photo training endeavor, the professional photographer will demonstrate his or her open-mindedness by agreeing to give a lesson online.
Discover the benefits of giving online photo classes:
- Access to a wider range of photo students: you will no longer be restricted to your geographical area and you will reach students on the other side of the States - even students in English-speaking countries around the world.
- Save money: the private photo tutor will not have to pay for trips to photograph an urban landscape under natural light or go to a photo studio, for example.
- Organize the photo session more easily: the course can take place regardless of the student and tutor's geographical location, which will mean more time on your hands. The tutor will not have to wait around for the student to be ready and will be able to concentrate on the lesson itself.
- Less formal photo classes: The online photography lesson tends to takes the stress away from beginners in photographic art, especially young students and teenagers.
Giving photo classes online is also a great way to strengthen ties in your discipline. Whether you're more into photo editing, film photography, or digital photography, you'll have no trouble finding students who share your passion, regardless of their level (beginner level, intermediate level ,or advanced level).
So, get to your computers and opt for the photo course via webcam!
What Digital Equipment You Need to Teach Photography
To give a good online photo intro course, you will need the necessary photo and digital equipment!
Nothing complicated here: it is useless to invest thousands in state-of-the-art computer equipment. As a general rule, everyone has the necessary equipment to organize a photo course, studio course, portrait course, or black and white photo course at home.
The only rule here is to acquire professional photography equipment, as would be the case for your in-home private face-to-face photography course (tripod, reflex camera, etc.)!
A short list of material you will need for giving online photo classes:
- A laptop or desktop, Windows or Mac, depending on your desired post production software,
- A quality webcam, preferably not your computer's (count between 20 and 30 USD for a webcam of sufficient quality),
- A microphone built into your computer or webcam, or a microphone via headphones,
- A good internet connection (DSL is recommended),
- Instant chatting software with screen sharing (Google Hangouts, Skype...),
- Photo editing software for post production.
- The webcam course is particularly recommended for photography tutors just beginning!
Our advice: see with the student about his own computer equipment. The student should also have a valid Internet connection and the same operating system to facilitate the sharing of images.
The private tutor and his or her photographic apprentice can keep in touch via messaging apps but also share documents with software like Google Docs.
In short, nothing complicated for digital aficionados!
What Price Should You Charge for a Photography Class?
You think that an online photo class will earn you less than a traditional private lesson? Think again!
In reality, the online photo class does not differ so much from individual classes. On Superprof, you choose the average rate for your class time when learning photography. While some lower their prices for online courses, most of the professors who are photographers keep their rates high.
As for a traditional class, the photographer will have to take into account the following criteria to fix his rate:
- The specialty of his class (landscape photo, culinary photo, light painting photo training, portrait photography, digital SLR camera...),
- The level of his course,
- His diplomas,
- His experience as a photographer (selling photos or being exhibited can raise the rate),
- The duration of the lesson (fast photo training or learning photography over a long period of time),
- What are the objectives (obtaining a diploma, becoming a professional photographer, discovering the photography profession...),
- The type of course you are giving (an individual course or group course).
Providing advanced photography techniques or options (shutter speed control, history of photography, or long exposure) is also a great way to reach more advanced students, and therefore students more inclined to pay for their courses.
By choosing to give culinary photo classes or online wedding photo classes, you may attract hundreds of students...
For example, the average price for an hour of photography classes in Los Angeles is 23 dollars... As opposed to 27 dollars for an online photography class!
The courses and workshops via webcam are fun and ideal to supplement your salary as a teacher in a photography school or if you are a student financing your studies to become a photographer.
Read more about how to set your rates for photography courses you will teach!
What Resources to Use During an Online Class
Another advantage of online photo classes is that it's a great opportunity to enjoy all the resources that the Internet has to offer!
With great seriousness, the private tutor will offer his or her student a lot of tips that will impress the student. Many students are reluctant to do their homework, regardless of the subject; with digital resources, you'll be sure to please a wider audience.
Playful and fun, online tools are also real goldmines to improve photography (to study white balance, animal photography, manual mode or automatic modes...).
And, of course, don't forget these important tips from PetaPix:
5. Use flash during the day
You might think that you should only use flash at night time or indoors, but that’s not the case at all. If it is an extremely bright day outside and the sun is creating harsh shadows on your subject, switch on your flash. By forcing extra light onto your subject, you will be able to fill in those ugly shadows and create an even exposure.
6. ISO
There are questions to ask yourself when deciding what ISO to use:
What time of day are you shooting? If you are shooting outside during the middle of the day you will need to use a lower ISO such as 100 or 200. If you are shooting at night time without a tripod you will have to increase the ISO to a higher number to be able to record the light on the camera’s sensor.
Will the subject be well lit? If your subject or scene is too dark you will need to use a higher ISO such as 800 or 1600.
Do you want a sharp image or an image with more movement in it? Using a high shutter speed to capture fast movement might mean that you need to use a high ISO to compensate. Likewise, if you’re using a slow shutter speed to capture blur you will need a low ISO to compensate.
Don’t forget, increasing your ISO increases the grain or pixel size in your photo. So don’t use an ISO of 3200 or 6400 if you don’t want a photo with a lot of ‘digital noise’.
7. f/4
f/4 is my ‘go to’ aperture. If you use a wide aperture with a long lens (200mm-400mm) you’re able to separate the subject from the background. This helps them stand out. Works every time. — Peter Wallis
Here are some sites where to find online photo tips:
- Digital Focus,
- Learn Photo,
- Digital photo,
- Nikon Passion,
- Foto Community,
- Skilleos,
- Live the photo,
- Pose Sharing, etc.
At the end of each photo class, the private teacher should recommend one or two exercises to be executed before the start of the next session. Thanks to online educational tools, students will find exercises adapted to their level, but also learn the basics of photography through simple and effective tips.
Night photo, sharpness, framing...these are many points that are also covered in photo applications!
With the help of a free photo application, the student will send the results to his or her teacher between two lessons or at the beginning of each class. Then, the teacher will select the best photo and explain to his or her student how to improve his or her focus or soft focus.
A great way to take photo classes without any stress!
You may also benefit from this complete guide to giving courses in photography...
Offering a Photo Class via Webcam
To offer an online photo course, nothing is easier thanks to Superprof's private tutoring services!
The first step is to write a clear and concise advertisement explaining the details and content of your course. Do not forget to mention your diplomas and professional experiences but also to incorporate some personal photographs for your portfolio. The student will be able to identify your style and your vision of the world with one simple glance!
Knowing that these courses are aimed at students from all over the United States, you should specify all your specializations:
- Fashion photographer,
- Flash photos,
- Nature photos,
- Film photography,
- Portrait photography,
- Landscape photography,
- Photo architecture,
- photojournalist,
- Animal photography...
Just put together a few words that will convince a student you are the right Superprof for them.
When you write your ad on Superprof, the site will ask you if you accept online courses. You just have to tick the box that says "yes" and this indication will appear automatically on your tutoring profile. What's more, students who can't find a photography tutor in their city will have direct access to tutors who accept classes via webcams.
The better your profile, the more positive your students' comments will be and the more you will appear at the top of the list. This is a way to quickly gather more photo students!
Now discover more tips to attract students to your photography classes!
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