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Photography Fundamentals for Beginners: 1-Hour Crash Course (Udemy.com)

A Quick Photography Course. Learn aperture, shutter speed, ISO and composition rules in this quick photography course.

4.6
9,568 reviews

Created by: Phil Ebiner

Last updated April 2024

Our take

Based on the ratings of 9,568 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in April 2024. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short primer on the settings every camera shares: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, file types and a few composition rules. The syllabus shows 19 lectures and about 93 minutes of content, but 42 of those minutes are a photo contest review, so the actual teaching runs closer to 50 minutes. Phil Ebiner made it for people who leave the dial on auto and don't know what an f-stop does. The description says the settings apply whether the camera is a DSLR, a mirrorless body or just a phone. It was last refreshed in April 2024, and this material barely dates anyway.

Students like how plainly Ebiner talks. One says aperture, which had always stumped her, finally made sense, and the 4.6 rating across roughly 9,600 reviews backs that up, with 5 and 4 stars making up the great majority. The complaints are about depth. Three-star reviewers call it too elementary, with no actionable steps to practice, and one notes that half the runtime is the contest review rather than instruction. A lone one-star review calls it vague. Nobody complains about sound, pace or old footage. This is a crash course, and a few people wanted more than a crash course delivers.

Value depends on the goal. It's paid, and short for the money next to the Photography Masterclass listed beside it, whose title promises a complete guide. As a quick refresher, or a taster before committing to a longer course, it works well, and several reviewers describe using it exactly that way. An hour to spare and no idea what ISO means? This is a sensible first step. Anyone wanting projects, feedback and real depth should go straight to the longer course instead.

Best forTotal beginners who leave the camera on auto and want the exposure triangle explained in one sitting.
Skip it ifYou already shoot in manual, or you want hands-on assignments and feedback rather than a quick explainer.

Pros

  • Explains aperture, shutter speed and ISO in plain language; several reviewers say it finally clicked
  • Roughly 50 minutes of actual instruction, easy to finish in one sitting
  • Works for DSLR, mirrorless, point-and-shoot and phone users; no gear or prerequisites required
  • 4.6 rating from about 9,600 reviews, with 5 and 4 stars making up the large majority

Cons

  • 42 of the 93 minutes are a photo contest review, not teaching
  • Too elementary for anyone past auto mode; no assignments or practice steps
  • Composition gets about 15 minutes across two short sections
This is an excellent beginner course. Basics were explained very well. Short and to the point. As a beginner i learned a lot.
Trent Miller, a student

Genuinely for beginners: the audience list rules out anyone who already exposes manually, and there are no prerequisites.

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What you will learn

  • You will learn how to use the manual settings on your camera to properly expose a photo.
  • You will learn basic composition rules that will automatically improve your photography.
  • You will learn what aperture is, and how to use it creatively.
  • You will learn what shutter speed is, and how to prevent common beginner mistakes.
  • You will learn what ISO is, and how to prevent 'noisy' photos.
  • You will learn about the different photo settings and resolutions.
  • You will understand the basic settings and rules that all pro photographers once learned.

Course content

6 sections · 19 lectures · 1.6 hours of video 1 quiz, 4 articles

  1. 1Intro to Photography 3 free previews6 lectures · 6 min
  2. 2How to Expose Your Photo Properly 1 free preview6 lectures · 26 min
  3. 3Basic Camera Settings and Composition3 lectures · 9 min
  4. 4Composing Better Images1 lecture · 6 min
  5. 5Conclusion2 lectures · 1 quiz · 4 min
  6. 6Photo Contests1 lecture · 42 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • You are a beginner photographer, who doesn't understand things like aperture, shutter speed, or ISO.
  • You always use the automatic settings on your camera, and want to learn how to use the manual settings.
  • You are NOT an advanced photographer who knows how to manually expose your images.

What you need before you start

  • There are no prerequisites for this course. This course is all about the basic settings and rules you should know as you start taking photos.
  • Most DSLR, mirrorless, point and shoot, and bridge camera users will benefit from this course. Even smartphone photographers might benefit from taking this course, though not all the settings will be available on all cameras.

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Quality Score

No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.

Content Quality
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Course Depth & Coverage
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Overall Score : 92 / 100

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Course Description

You want to take better photos, right? This photography fundamentals course is a short crash course to learn the basics.

If terms like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and the exposure triangle aren't familiar - then this photography for beginners course is perfect for you.

Whether you have a DSLR, mirrorless, bridge, point and shoot, or even just a smartphone, you should learn these main settings and rules that all professional photographers use.

With this Photography Fundamentals course, you'll understand how your camera actually works

After taking this beginner photography course, you'll know:

  • Aperture - Adjusting your f-stop, and what this does creatively to your photo

  • Shutter Speed - How to prevent a common beginner mistake with this setting

  • ISO - Preventing photos with digital noise and grain

  • Exposure - How to use aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lights, and filters to take well-exposed photos

  • Composition - Basic rules to follow... and when to break them

  • White Balance - Make sure your photo's colors look natural

  • Photo Quality & File Types - Best scenarios to use different file types

Who is the photography instructor?

My name is Phil Ebiner, I wanted to create this course for absolute beginners who want to know the basic settings and rules no matter what camera you're using.

I hope you enjoy this photography fundamentals course, and it helps you on your journey to taking better photos.

Phil
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 1.6h

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Instructor Details

Phil Ebiner

I’m Phil Ebiner, an educator, photographer, filmmaker, and founder of Video School and Photography & Friends. Through my online courses and creative community, I’ve helped millions of students around the world learn practical skills in photography, video production, design, and more. My goal is to make creative skills feel accessible, useful, and encouraging, whether you’re picking up a camera for the first time or looking to take your work to the next level.

My teaching style is clear, supportive, and hands-on. I break complex topics into simple steps, explain the “why” behind each technique, and share real-world examples you can immediately apply. As a photographer and filmmaker, I believe great creative work is not just about gear or settings, but about storytelling, intention, observation, and connection. My goal is to help you feel confident, inspired, and capable of bringing your own creative ideas to life.


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Reviews

4.6

9,568 ratings on Udemy

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By Sibrena LaCross on 8/23/2026

The instructor was great. Clear and concise without a lot of unnecessary verbiage. Really piqued my interest in the subject matter and left me wanting to take another course. Also gives me a deeper appreciation of photography.

By Sandeep Tanjore on 8/16/2026

This 1 hour crash course is amazing. I had purchased it a long time ago but never started it. I am not a beginner photographer but having used my camera, lenses and also photo editing tools, going through this course made the concepts easy to stick plus could related to it more. Overall a fantastic course and worth spending that one hour in learning about the basis of photography.

By Nasreen Ali on 7/26/2026

I'm not someone who usually uses a camera, but I'm trying to learn how to use one by following your detailed explanations. I'm becoming more interested, and I hope to start using a camera and sharing my photos with you.

By Shi Junxian on 7/25/2026

Frankly my gripe with this course is really too elementary without any specific actionable steps to help you be a better photographer...

By Trent Miller on 7/10/2026

This is an excellent beginner course. Basics were explained very well. Short and to the point. As a beginner i learned a lot. A must for people who enjoy taking photos.

By Owen V on 6/20/2026

This course laid the foundation to my next advanced course, and hopefully this summer I can begin my photography business. Phil really helped me understand the material and made it easier to understand.

By Gwynneth Resulta on 3/16/2026

Phil is great at explaining photography concepts clearly, removing the intimidation of photography settings that felt difficult to me prior to taking this course.

By Marisol Benavidez on 2/2/2026

I have learned so much already from just starting this course! This makes a lot of sense and I can totally use these skills when I am practicing and taking pictures of people! This is great information that all photographers need especially those who are just starting out.

By Jason A/L Wannatiyah on 1/13/2026

This is a great course for beginners who want to learn about photography. I recently received a Canon EOS M50 from my partner as a Christmas gift in 2025. She knows that I love capturing photos and recording moments. To encourage me to explore photography and videography further, she gifted me this camera. Now that I have it, I wondered—what’s next? What is a camera? What is a lens? What are manual and auto settings? So many questions were on my mind. This course provided the answers I was looking for. I found the Photo Contest Winners session particularly interesting and informative. Thank you!

By Ian DEVLIN on 10/20/2025

1.5 hr mini course, with about half that being a photo competition review..

Showing all 10 reviews on CourseDuck

Read all 9,568 reviews on Udemy

Photography Fundamentals for Beginners: 1-Hour Crash Course
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 1.6h
  • Price: $54.99 Track Price 11.99 Track Price
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon April 2024
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:19 in 6 sections
  • Practice:1 quizzes
  • Students:153,500
  • Subtitles:17 languages
  • Udemy badge:Bestseller
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