Photographing People With Your Digital Camera

Become a skilled photographer when it comes to taking beautiful pictures of adults, children, or babies. This course will help you discover the best way to shoot faces, fix common close-up problems, and use digital photo editing techniques to retouch your photos.

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6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs
Starting  May 14, 2025
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

University of Central Florida

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Photographing People With Your Digital Camera

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Course code: pps

Photographing people can be fun, exciting, and complicated! This course will make taking beautiful pictures of adults, children, and babies simple. You will start with the basic principles you need to know in order to become a people photographer. You will discover the best way to shoot faces, fix common close-up problems, and use digital photo editing techniques to retouch your photos and make other improvements.

Then you will move onto portrait and formal group shots, where you will learn how to organize people, which angles to use, and which to avoid. You will become proficient in action photography, and you will learn some fun, creative ways to photograph children and babies. You will even gain expertise in filling your photographs with imagery, setting moods, and creating themes. This course will have you well on your way to becoming a skilled people photographer.

What you will learn

  • Learn about common digital camera functions and equipment
  • Explore factors that control exposures and ways to control your camera to get the people pictures you want
  • Learn how to shoot better indoor and outdoor photos and deal with difficult lighting situations
  • Learn to shoot well-composed photos, improve sharpness and use depth of field
  • Learn to capture action photos that freeze or blur the movement of sports and other moderate-to-high-speed events
  • Explore how to use editing techniques using Photo Shop Elements or any other editing program you may have
  • Learn to set up your own business, handle contracts, and manage clients

How you will benefit

  • Learn how to use your digital camera to its full potential
  • Take candid photos of your children as well as improve the look of posed photos
  • Gain confidence in capturing great photos at formal events as well as those everyday pictures you don't want to miss

How the course is taught

  • Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
  • 6 Weeks or 3 Months access
  • 24 course hours

Photographing people is one of the most exciting and complicated kinds of photography. Yet, with just a few skills, you'll soon be taking better pictures of people. You'll begin this lesson by exploring digital photography equipment and learning how to set up an inexpensive home studio.

In this lesson, you'll learn about exposure and the pivotal role it plays in photography. The lesson will talk about the three camera controls that affect exposure, and you'll find out how to use these controls to achieve the desired effect in your photographs.

In this lesson, you'll learn about light. Every photo is made from the effects of light on your digital camera's sensor, so the importance of understanding and using light has an enormous impact on your photos. You'll find out how to make the most of indoor and outdoor light and how to use some tactics to give you better shots. Then, you'll explore some difficult lighting situations and how to overcome those problems in order to take great people photos.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to compose a photo. Photo composition involves not only the primary subject and secondary objects, but also the general look and overall feeling of a photo. You'll find out how to tackle common composition problems, use the rule of thirds, put tactics to work in order to shoot sharp photos, and use depth of field to your advantage.

People photographers spend most of their time taking portraits of individuals and groups, but posing and arranging these shots can be difficult. In this lesson, you'll learn how to solve common problems with portraits and how to arrange and shoot portrait and group photos that give you a true representation of the individual or group.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to take photos of faces, hands, and people with their pets. You'll discover how to manage composition, posing, and angles, and how to capture meaningful photos that communicate to the viewer. You'll also learn how to handle lighting with pets and how to keep their attention as you photograph them.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to take photos of babies and children. You'll discover some practical tips that will help you shoot those intimate, personal photos. You'll explore techniques for taking photos of children in motion, learn how to pose kids, and consider specific issues related to photographing babies and newborns.

Have you ever tried to get some good sports photos, only to be disappointed with the results? Maybe the image was blurry or the gym lighting made your photos have a yellow tint. Sports photography is often rather difficult, but this lesson will help you learn tools and tricks so you can capture great sports images. You'll learn all about managing shutter speed, composition, lighting, and you'll find out what makes a sports photo look great.

In lesson, you'll learn about macro and abstract photography. Macro photography uses specialized lenses and lens attachments that allow you to get very close to items, while abstract photography focuses on photos that may not have a discernable subject. You'll be surprised to know that you can use both of these techniques to create beautiful photos of people, and in this lesson, you'll find out how.

One of the more challenging types of people photography is shooting formal events, such as proms and weddings. This lesson will tackle this difficult subject and explore how to manage posing, lighting, and composition. You'll also explore how to manage distractions, problems, and even how to take great photos of inanimate objects, such as the wedding cake!

In this lesson, you'll find out how to make the most of image editing software and your people photos. Even good photos sometimes need a bit of editing work to make them great, and in this lesson, you'll focus on editing techniques specific to photos of people. You'll see how to adjust composition, exposure, and how to fix common problems, such as facial blemishes.

After you master your people photography skills, you may want to begin a business. In this final lesson, you'll explore the business of photography. You'll find out how to manage your clients and services and then learn about photography contracts—a vital part of your business. You'll even be able to download a contract and customize it to meet your business needs.

Curt Simmons

Curt Simmons, B.A., M.Ed, is a best-selling author, trainer, and multi-media expert. He holds degrees in English and communication studies and has more than 10 years of experience teaching English and writing in the classroom. Additionally, Simmons has authored numerous books on a wide variety of technology topics and has been a technical editor for numerous other titles.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
  • You will need a digital camera.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • A digital editing program of your choice, such as the latest version of Photoshop Elements (not included in enrollment).
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.​

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.​

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.​

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

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