Key Takeaways

• Smartphone photography courses can be useful for some, but they're not always helpful.
• Courses are handy information sources if you're a complete beginner or want to learn more about your phone's specific camera.
• Smartphone photography courses may not be useful for people who already know a lot about photography.

Smartphone photography courses can be useful, but there are times when you should think twice about starting one. Learn about the situations in which both could be the case, based on my own personal experiences and photography knowledge.

When Is a Smartphone Photography Course Worth It?

Smartphone photography courses can have their merits, but it depends on your goals, existing knowledge, and the actual course itself. Below are some scenarios in which you might find value in taking one of these courses.

1. You Want to Learn More About Your Phone’s Camera Features

Each smartphone manufacturer offers different camera features, and not knowing these means you're not maximizing your device’s capabilities. Even if you’ve owned a previous device from the same company, features change over time.

If you’re interested in learning more about your specific device’s features, taking a course could be worthwhile. After completing it, you should have a good basic knowledge of every shooting mode it offers and when to use each one.

If you own an iPhone, you can get started by learning the essential iPhone camera settings.

2. You Don’t Want to Look for All the Information Yourself

One of the biggest pushbacks against online courses is that “the information is already available online for free”, and this is often true. But in my opinion, most people with that criticism don’t acknowledge how long it takes to find the information required to become more advanced.

Speaking as someone who’s spent over seven years trying to take better photos, courses are sometimes more convenient than looking up everything yourself. This is for two reasons:

• If you find a good course, you get all the information you need in one place—you’ve basically outsourced playlist creation to someone else.
• The best online courses often reveal new topics that you otherwise would not have known about, allowing you to further improve your skills.

Learning how to stay productive when taking an online course will help you get more out of your experience.

3. You Want to Learn More About Framing Your Pictures

In the summer of 2017, I returned home from a trip to Belgium. Keen to better document my experiences on future adventures, I decided to learn more about taking unique pictures in touristy locations and elsewhere. As you can imagine, I turned to the internet for help.

If you’ve taken photos with your smartphone for a long time and want to take your images to the next level, online courses can teach you essential photography elements like composition. You’ll learn how to use the rule of thirds, how to pick your main subject, and more.

After becoming an advanced smartphone photographer, you might then decide to buy a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The skills you learn from these smartphone photography courses are transferable, meaning that you’ll become more advanced in a shorter period.

4. You Find a Short and Free Course

Some free online learning platforms offer photography courses at no cost, and you may find a handful that aren’t too time-consuming. If you find a topic that interests you, starting the course is risk-free. If you later decide that it isn’t for you, you have no obligation to complete the program.

Before starting the course, you can always look at the modules and watch a preview if it’s available. After doing that, you’ll usually have a pretty good idea of whether it’s worth pursuing further.

You may also find courses when using a free trial for apps like Skillshare. If you’re new to online courses and don’t know how to choose one, consider reading these criteria to think about before picking an online course.

When Is a Smartphone Photography Course Not Worth It?

Although I’d recommend smartphone photography courses for some people, there are also some cases where I would suggest thinking twice before doing it.

1. You’re Only Interested in Pointing and Shooting

While I love photography (both with a smartphone and a mirrorless/DSLR camera), I know that I’m an outlier in constantly wanting to improve my skills. Some people are happy with keeping smartphone photography a hobby that they don’t take too seriously, and that’s absolutely fine. There are some pretty good reasons why you should think twice about monetizing your hobby.

If you’re only interested in pointing your camera at whatever interests you, a smartphone photography course might not be necessary. As you take more photos, you’ll naturally improve anyway.

2. You Already Know Your Smartphone Camera’s Settings

If you’ve had your smartphone for a few years and you’ve taken lots of pictures in that time, you’ll probably know all—or at least most—of your camera settings. If you’re looking for courses related specifically to your device, you will probably get minimal value from them.

Sometimes, smartphone manufacturers will introduce new features via software updates. In these circumstances, a course could be useful, or just reading online articles.

3. You’re Already Well-Versed in Photography Basics

Whether you use a smartphone, digital camera, or both, you’ll build up an extensive knowledge of photography with enough experience. While you can find some advanced smartphone photography courses, many are geared toward beginners. So, you may not get much out of them.

The best way to determine if a course is right for you is to look at its programming. If you think that you’ll learn something useful, go ahead and take it. If not, consider looking elsewhere. If you are more advanced, consider reading these rules and formulas for professional photos.

So… Should You Take a Smartphone Photography Course?

Photography courses are useful if you’re a complete beginner and want to learn about compositions and other basic elements. And if you don’t know how to use your specific smartphone camera, these courses will also help you get more out of each mode on your device.

On some occasions, you might find free courses that don’t take too much time to complete—these are often also worth trying. However, you may not find much value if you’re only interested in taking point-and-shoot-style pictures. Similarly, many courses won’t provide new information if you already have a good understanding of photography.