Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography (Udemy.com)
Learn how lighting, composition, and photography techniques help you create stunning landscape and nature photography
Created by: Charlie Borland
Last updated June 2024
Our take
Based on the ratings of 985 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in June 2024. No course pays to be reviewed.
Charlie Borland is a professional landscape photographer, and the course leans on that. It runs about 12.7 hours across 93 lectures, moving from gear and the exposure triangle to lighting, composition, winter shooting and a big processing block in Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom and Photoshop. There are field trips filmed outdoors, plus bonus lectures on favorite places in the U.S., some with directions. It is pitched at beginners, though it expects a real camera and a tripod.
Reviewers like the composition lessons most. One says he now spends more time surveying a scene before he shoots. Another bought a Canon Rebel alongside the course and now gets paid for shoots. The outdoor videos get praise too. The complaints are consistent, though. Borland takes his time on simple ideas, and one reviewer watches at faster speed to stay awake. Another finds it repetitive and dated. One reviewer found the Photoshop section heavy, and one student wanted the AI captions proofread.
The course was last updated in June 2024, with newer lessons on fog effects and depth of field, so it has not been left to age. Of 985 ratings, 824 are four or five stars. It suits a beginner who learns by watching a pro work in the field and does not mind bumping the speed up. Someone who already knows exposure can skim the early sections and head straight for composition and processing.
Pros
- Composition lessons made one reviewer slow down and survey a scene before shooting
- Field trips and bonus lectures show real locations, some with directions or GPS coordinates
- Covers the whole workflow, from gear and exposure to Camera Raw, Lightroom and Photoshop
- Refreshed as recently as June 2024 with new lessons on fog and depth of field
Cons
- Slow pace on simple ideas; one reviewer sped it up to stay awake
- Assumes an SLR, tripod and spare cards, which frustrated one true beginner
- Processing section is long and Adobe-focused, and felt too heavy to one reviewer
Great course with lots of good examples of the entire process, from capturing the image in the field through the digital development with Lightroom and Photoshop.
Beginner level fits, but a camera and tripod are needed, and some experienced shooters found it basic.
What you will learn
- You will gain the ability to find subjects and scenes worthy of photographing.
- You will understand what great light is and the best light for different subjects.
- You will learn to master composition and compose better photographs.
- You will understand what photo equipment is best for broad or narrow landscapes.
- You will learn the Exposure Triangle and capture perfect exposures each time.
- How to take a mundane RAW file and make it look fabulous.
- In the Field Trip section, the instructor takes you into the field and demonstrates important techniques.
- Bonus lectures include Amazing Places in America, how to find them, and how to photograph them.
Course content
13 sections · 93 lectures · 13 hours of video 2 quizzes, 7 articles
- 1Introduction to This Course and Landscape Photography 1 free preview1 lecture · 6 min
- 2Equipment for Landscape Photography (for Beginners)6 lectures · 38 min
- 3Photography Fundamentals for BEGINNING Photographers10 lectures · 1 quiz · 52 min
- 4Photography Fundamentals: Exposure (Beginners)8 lectures · 1 quiz · 50 min
- 5Lighting: A Key Ingredient to Beautiful Photography7 lectures · 50 min
- 6The Art of Composing Your Scene 1 free preview10 lectures · 1.3 hours
- 7Adanced Compositional Techniques10 lectures · 1.3 hours
- 8Winter Photography6 lectures · 36 min
- 9Processing Your Digital Landscape Photos11 lectures · 1.3 hours
- 10Processing with Adobe Camera RAW6 lectures · 39 min
- 11Creative Shooting and Processing Techniques8 lectures · 2.8 hours
- 12Favorite Places to Photograph 1 free preview8 lectures · 1.5 hours
- 13Course Wrap-Up and More Learning Opportunities2 lectures · 4 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Beginning photographers who want to improve their skills for better nature and landscape photographs.
- People with any type of camera, planning a nature field trip they want to photograph.
- Even those with point-and-shoot cameras or smartphones will benefit from this course.
What you need before you start
- No experience required: I will teach you everything!
- If you have a camera then a basic knowledge is helpful is helpful, but not required.
- Basic computer knowledge to process digital photography image files.
- Passion! A love for the natural world compliments great nature photography.
- A camera, lens, and tripod are required to practice the self-assignments.
How it compares
Against the other 275 rated Udemy courses in Photography on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 69% of them
- Reviews985#57 of 276 by number of reviews
- Length12.7 hourslonger than 92% of them
- Last updatedJune 2024more recently than 68% of them
Course Description
UPDATE: 6/2024 Creating a Fog Effect Using Lightroom
UPDATE: 1/2024 Creating the Illusion of Depth of field
UPDATE: 9/2023 Intro to Generative AI for Landscape Photography
UPDATE: 2/2023 3 Videos on Processing Landscapes for Dramatic Effect
UPDATE: 3/2022 Photographing the Tulip Farms
UPDATE: 2 new videos on travel photography
UPDATE: 9/2021 video about camera filters
UPDATE: 8/2021 Photoshop Sky Replacement tool
UPDATE: 1/2021 on Creating mood when processing landscape images.
UPDATE: 2020 New video on Rescuing a Death Valley Image
Do you love the outdoors, landscape, nature, and travel photography? If so, you are in the right place.
Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography.
In this course jam-packed with p[hotography tips, you will learn the key ingredients to creating amazing landscape and nature photos. You will learn about the gear best suited for landscape photography, how to obtain a perfect exposure, how to develop your ‘Eye’ to see striking compositions, and how to ‘see’ the light.
Join me as I share 35 years of landscape photography experience from across America. We’ll look at how to photograph mountains, rivers, the desert, sunsets and sunrises, forests, all four seasons, and much, much more.
In this course you will learn:
Everything you need to know regarding photography equipment for landscape photography
How to master exposure settings
How to creatively use Depth of Field
Visual strategies for stunning compositions
Finding the best light for a subject
How to make the image ‘pop’ with processing
And effective assignments for you to practice and expand your learning
Why learn from me?
I will share the same techniques I used to create landscape photographs that have appeared in over 500 calendars, hundreds of magazines, advertisements, web uses, books, and more. I have photographed in every state in the lower 48 of the U.S. and will demonstrate the necessary techniques to create stunning photographs. I will show you how I created quality photography that resulted in being published in National Geographic, Outside, Sports Illustrated, Backpacker, Snow Country, Outdoor Photographer, and many more.
Wait, there’s more:
Also included, are multiple lectures all captured while photographing in the wild. They are called Field Trips and are designed to demonstrate important techniques included in the course lectures. I’ll take you with me as I explore and employ a variety of approaches for creating beautiful photographs while in the field.
There are Bonus lectures as well.
Having traveled the entire U.S. photographing, I certainly have my share of favorite places and that is what these bonus lectures are all about. I will show you the photographs I captured, where to find those locations, and in many cases, including the directions to get there and/or GPS coordinates. In some cases, other information is included such as when to go, the best time of day, and even technical details will be included.
Are you ready to create stunning nature photography?
Then join me in this online adventure and in no time, you will gain a better understanding of how to create great landscape photographs.
The mission of this course is to stop letting the camera control you by providing you the knowledge that shows you how to take control of the camera.
Are you ready to discover simple and easy-to-follow strategies for creating beautiful photographs that I have used for 30 years in my professional business?
Want to learn more about this course? Click to watch the video above.
Enroll today! Just click Take This Course now so you can get started right away!
And you can review this course for FREE! And in case you did not know, there is a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee, meaning there is NO RISK TO YOU!
Who’s the Instructor?
There are many courses on how to be an amazing photographer, but how many are taught by true professionals who have a career and worked as a photographer?
I was formally trained at Brooks Institute in the 1980s and have worked every day since. I have been published in countless magazines (you’ve no doubt heard of), calendars, outdoor product manufacturers, and had my outdoor images used thousands of times. I have taught photo workshops across the USA and the Middle East. Founded two stock photo agencies, and sold thousands of stock photos.
I have taught over 30,000 photography enthusiasts including photo workshops across the USA and the Middle East. Founded two stock photo agencies, and sold thousands of stock photos.
I love to teach and want to ensure you succeed and love photography as I do. You can trust me to teach you photography!
Read what they are saying:
I am an amateur photographer and have been taking landscape photographs during hiking trips for the past 7 years. Coming into this course, I had a basic understanding of landscape photography but relied much of the time on intuition rather than a technique to compose and frame my photos. Sometimes this worked well, other times, less so. This course really helped to give me a much more solid foundation in landscape photography. In particular, it gave me a fresh awareness of how to look at a beautiful scene and identify various ways to capture that beauty in a photograph. Charlie Borland presents each topic in an easy-to-understand, practical way that I found engaging and easy to follow. The course is comprehensive and well structured and the topics are well thought out and to the point. Charlie's been a landscape photographer for a long time and that came through in his presentations. No hype, just good information, and inspiration. No course can ever cover everything, but I'm glad I chose this course as my first photography course with Udemy. It's re-ignited my interest in photography and helped me to think about where I might go next. Thank you, Charlie!
-David R.
Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
985 Reviews
Charlie Borland
Charlie Borland has been a professional photographer for over 30 years. He has traveled extensively for a wide range of clients including: Xerox, NW Airlines, Fujitsu, Nike, Blue Cross, Nationsbank, Mentor Graphics, Texas Instruments, Cellular One, Early Winters, Camelbak, Columbia Sportswear, and many more.
His imagery has been used thousands of times worldwide, including: National Geographic Adventure and Traveler, Outside, Women's Sport and Fitness, Newsweek, TV Guide, Sports Illustrated for Women, Time, Backpacker, Sunset, American Photo, Outdoor Photographer, Eco Traveler, Southern Bell, to name a few.
Charlie has taught photography throughout his career and teaches internet courses and location workshops. He has lectured on photography in the US and Middle East . He is co-author of Understanding Flash with Bryan Peterson and author of the eBook: Outdoor Flash Photography available on his website: borlandphoto(dot)com.
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Reviews
By Saundra Hopkins on 11/11/2025
While I appreciate his expertise, I do not find it helpful for those who share his love of the outdoors, to assume we all do not already have: SLR cameras, tripods, extra batteries, and more importantly SD cards for our images. Anyone with zero photography experience would probably be signing up for a class to help them get started learning about their camera. The list of things he has in his backpack did include a couple of items I'll look into getting...except buying yet another camera. Sorry budgets must!
By Hynek Kyvala on 12/15/2024
The course is well-designed and suitable for beginners holding a camera for the first time, as well as for those with some experience who feel something is missing in their photography. It offers a variety of photography techniques and easy-to-follow guidance on photo editing using Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw, and Adobe Photoshop.
By Carlton Thompson on 12/6/2021
I've learned so much from Charlie!! I picked this course up at the same time I picked up my Canon Rebel T6 and I haven't looked back yet. This course actually helped me understand all the basics and then some when it comes to landscape/ nature photography. I gained enough skills from this actually, that I was able to grow into an amateur photographer that's getting paid for shoots now. I'm purchasing Charlie's class on real estate photography next as it seems like a fun thing to add into this photography adventure I'm on now.
By Peter Blandino on 11/4/2021
Amateur photographer, just about 1 year into learning. This course was excellent. I thought the first few sections were too basic but then it took off! Excellent presentations. What to do, how to do it and uses multiple examples so you revisit the concepts. Repetition is just right, not too much, not too little. I also have learned more here on Lightroom than an entire course dedicated to it. Thank you Charlie!
By Klemen on 1/24/2021
This course is interesting. The instructor explains the topics very understandably. But the scope of the course is not well defined. Is it for beginners or for more advanced users? It tends to be for both. For beginners topics are running too fast, whereas for advanced users some lectures are too basic and would rather see other more advanced lectures to be explained in more detail.
By Gary Robinson on 9/4/2020
I enjoyed the course and Charlie's style of teaching. I am a professional photographer and probably more skilled than the average student that would take this course. I still feel education is a very important thing and I continue to take classes even though I've been at this for 40 years. You never know everything and I still learn and take-away something from almost every course I take. That makes it worthwhile. Well Done.
By Alex Vujicic on 6/11/2020
This course is amazing and really exceed above and beyond my expectations. I will safe and archive this course for future referencing as I continue to grow and develop my skills. This great course will be my guide for my photography journey. I believe all photographers who take this course will gain something valuable from it. I guarantee this! If not than you have stopped learning "You know what they say about people who have stop learning?" They stop growing.
By David Robinson on 12/15/2019
I am an amateur photographer and have been taking landscape photographs during hiking trips for the past 7 years. Coming in to this course, I had a basic understanding of landscape photography, but relied much of the time on intuition rather than technique to compose and frame my photos. Sometimes this worked well, other times, less so. This course really helped to give me a much more solid foundation in landscape photography. In particular, it gave me a fresh awareness of how to look at a beautiful scene and identify various ways to capture that beauty in a photograph. Charlie Borland presents each topic in an easy to understand, practical way that I found engaging and easy to follow. The course is comprehensive and well structured and the topics are well thought out and to the point. Charile's been a landscape photographer for a long time and that came through in his presentations. No hype, just good information and inspiration. No course can ever cover everything, but I'm glad I chose this course as my first photography course with Udemy. It's re-ignited my interest in photography and helped me to think about where I might go next. Thank you Charlie!
By Paweł Czerwiński on 4/14/2018
1. This is one great course for photographers! I'd say it's not only a beginners level course. Here are the things I liked about it: 2. Useful explanations of all the important basics. If you are confused with different metering modes, those 18% grey cards, just listen to Charlie's explanations and you'll manage to get good exposure without messing with those. Also the information on depth of field and huperfocal distance are very clear. I appreciate the tips on how to choose lenses. 3. In my opinion the most valuable and interesting part of the course is about the composition. There's way more than the rule of thinds. And there are literally hundres of photos to illustrate the ideas, losts of the photos come with a short story and details on how they were planned and shot.
By Patty Hefner on 1/14/2018
Good review of basics as a starting point. The section on lighting was helpful to me, already trying to use the "clock" when composing. Lots of useful points on techniques of composition; the "real world" examples were most helpful. A little too much on Adobe Raw, but that's probably because I use Lr! Picked up some valuable tips on processing and doing comparisons. Thank you!
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100









