Learn Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the Art with Your Camera or Phone

In this guide, we’ll show you how to learn photography from scratch, using free online resources, and how you can turn your skill into potential remote or freelance income.

Why Learn Photography?

• Improve your personal and brand content

• Start freelancing (weddings, product shoots, portraits)

• Share your unique perspective through visuals

• Earn by selling stock photos or offering local shoots

• Build creative and visual thinking

Step-by-Step: How to Start Learning Photography

1. Understand the Basics of Photography

Learn these 3 core concepts (the exposure triangle):

• ISO – Controls your camera’s sensitivity to light

• Shutter Speed – Controls how long light hits the sensor (great for motion blur or freeze)

• Aperture (f-stop) – Controls how much light comes in and affects background blur

🔗 Read: ISO, Shutter & Aperture Simplified – Photography Life

2. Start with Free Photography Courses

Here are top free courses you can start today:

• Harvard Digital Photography Course (Free)

• Coursera – Photography Basics and Beyond (Free with audit mode)

• Alison – Diploma in Digital Photography

3. Learn Smartphone Photography (If You Don’t Own a Camera)

Your phone is enough to master photography fundamentals:

• Composition

• Lighting

• Framing

• Storytelling

🔗 YouTube: Smartphone Photography Tips – COOPH

4. Practice With These Free Photography Challenges

Try 30-day challenges like:

• 1 photo a day

• Portrait, architecture, street, macro themes

• Use natural light only

• No editing challenge

Join communities:

• Reddit: r/photography

• Discord: Free photo critique groups

• Facebook: Local photography clubs

5. Build a Free Photography Portfolio

• Create a Behance or Pixieset portfolio

• Or start a free Notion portfolio site

• Link your work to your Instagram or personal blog

Remote & Freelance Photography Opportunities

Once you’ve practiced enough, you can start earning:

• Sell stock photos on Pexels, Shutterstock, or Adobe Stock

• Offer local shoots for events, products, and portraits

• Work remotely as a photo editor or retoucher

• Join remote platforms like:

  • Upwork Photography Gigs

  • LinkedIn: Photography Remote Jobs in Pakistan

  • Guru / PeoplePerHour

Tools You’ll Eventually Want to Learn

• Lightroom – For editing and color grading

• Photoshop – For advanced retouching

• Snapseed (Mobile) – Quick smartphone edits

• Canva – For overlay graphics or branding photos

• Google Drive – To share albums with clients

Start the Free Harvard Photography Course
Apply to Photography Jobs on LinkedIn

Final Thoughts

Photography isn’t about the camera you have—it’s about how you see the world. Start small, stay consistent, and share your journey. With the right learning and creative spirit, your hobby could turn into a full-time skill or income stream.

Learn photography from scratch with free online courses and tips. Whether using a DSLR or smartphone, start building your portfolio and apply to photography jobs in Pakistan today.

learn photography from scratch

learn photography, photography for beginners, free photography course, smartphone photography tips, how to build photography portfolio, DSLR basics, photography jobs Pakistan, remote photography freelance, Pixelizes learning blog