Want to capture stunning landscape photos? If you’re passionate about upgrading your skills, then I highly recommend you learn from a professional – someone who has a track record of gorgeous images (and who has the know-how to teach you to do the same).
That’s where this article comes in handy. Below, you’ll find the best landscape photography courses currently available, including options from plenty of world-class shooters.
Before you invest, however, make sure the course is right for you; it should match your skill level, and it should cover the topics you’re interested in learning. You should also check the user ratings, the course length, and other features (such as whether you can interact with the instructor and other students).
Let’s get started.
1. Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography
Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography is a bestselling course from the popular e-learning platform Udemy. The instructor is Charlie Borland, a landscape photographer with over 40 years of experience, and whose publishing credits include National Geographic, Backpacker, Outdoor Photography, and over 500 calendars, ads, books, and websites.
The course includes 10 hours of video, plus a bonus lecture (Amazing Places in America), and 7 articles. You get a lifetime license, including TV and mobile access. Throughout the course, you’ll receive assignments, though they aren’t evaluated. Once you’ve finished, you’ll get a certificate of completion.
Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography doesn’t require any previous knowledge; it covers all the basics of photography, which makes it a great option for landscape beginners. That said, more experienced shooters who are after a challenge may prefer a different course on this list. Fortunately, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee – so if you decide the course is too simple, you can get a full refund (though be sure to check the refund conditions before buying).
Check out the course here.
2. Fine Art Landscape and Travel Photography
In this Fine Art Landscape and Travel Photography course, you’ll get the combined knowledge and experience of Peter Eastway and Tony Hewitt, two of the most respected landscape photographers in the world. Briefly:
Peter Eastway offers 40 years of experience as a landscape professional. He’s the author of Lonely Planet’s Guide to Landscape Photography and founder of Better Photography magazine, he was featured in the TV series Tales by Light, and his work has appeared in an Apple commercial.
Tony Hewitt is an Australian fine-art photographer and winner of the Western Australian Photographer of the Year award, the New Zealand Overseas Photographer of the Year award, and the Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year award.
Fine Art Landscape and Travel Photography features 48 HD video lessons with these two amazing professionals – that’s over 10 hours of instruction. Once purchased, you’ll get lifetime access on any platform, and you can also download the course to watch offline.
The course is designed for intermediate and advanced photographers, so it’s perfect for serious shooters looking to improve their skills – though if you’re a beginner, I’d recommend you look elsewhere. You’ll learn how to do aerial photography, how to apply your ideas and emotions to your photography, and how to build a portfolio and write an artist statement.
Learn more about the course here.
3. Landscape and Travel Photography Video Tutorial
Landscape and travel photography often go hand in hand, and nobody understands this connection better than Trey Ratcliff – artist, photographer, and founder of the photoblog Stuck in Customs.
Ratcliff is well known for his use of HDR, and together with Skylum, he developed the respected Aurora HDR software. His images have over 140 billion views and his social media counts more than 5 million followers.
Fortunately, Ratcliff is happy to share the knowledge he’s gathered throughout his impressive career, which is where the Landscape and Travel Photography Video Tutorial comes in; this amazing landscape photography course features approximately 1.5 hours of on-location lessons (from sunrise to sunset with different weather conditions). It also includes 2.5 hours of post-processing tutorials, 2 hours of a recorded Q&A, access to course image RAW files, and an Aurora HDR introductory lesson.
In total, you get over four hours of photography training, yet the cost is quite reasonable ($39, though the course is free if you have a Stuck in Customs membership). The videos are downloadable, so you can watch them offline and learn at your own pace.
Learn more about the course here!
4. The Outdoor Photography Experience
The Outdoor Photography Experience offers instruction by Chris Burkard, one of the most popular photographers on Instagram, and whose work has been featured in books, exhibitions, and advertising campaigns.
The course includes 29 HD video lessons that amount to a whopping 11 hours of instruction – and you get lifetime online access, offline download access, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Burkard explains how to choose your gear, how to photograph in the water, how to shoot at night, how to use social media, what it’s like to work with brands, and much more. So if you’re serious about landscape photography, and you want to know how you can turn your passion into a career, it’s a great place to start.
Check it out here.
5. The F4 Road Trip
It’s not just a course; it’s the photography experience of a lifetime! Buckle up as four landscape photography YouTube stars – Thomas Heaton, Nick Page, Gavin Hardcastle, and Adam Gibbs – share tips, lessons, processing advice, and so much more, all geared toward improving your landscape shooting.
This is not a traditional online course with a structured program, technical lessons, and controlled in-the-field sessions. Instead, it’s a more authentic experience, one that shows a real landscape photography trip in all its glory. Along the way, you’ll learn everything from basic landscape photography settings to advanced techniques, including real-life lessons to help you face bad weather and approach the same location in different ways.
The course includes 7+ hours of in-the-field instruction, including behind-the-scenes videos. There are also 37 post-processing tutorials amounting to 13 hours, plus access to the RAW files so you can follow along.
Unfortunately, the price is higher than the average online course, though you do get to see uniquely authentic landscape photography in action. Also, if you’re interested in fieldwork and not post-processing or vice versa, you can purchase the relevant course section for a discounted rate.
Fortunately, there are trailers for each episode that give you a good idea of what to expect – so you can check before you buy!
Learn more about the course here.
6. Photographing the World 4: Advanced Landscapes
Fstoppers offers a series of courses by Elia Locardi, including Advanced Landscapes (note that this is course number four).
Yes, the course is pricey, but I chose it for two reasons:
First, because it’s one of the only advanced landscape photography courses; most online options are geared toward beginners and intermediate-level shooters. Expect to learn more complex techniques and face more challenging scenes. For instance, topics include “blending moments in time to reveal mountains covered by fog” and “capturing stars and star trails while using a tilt-shift lens.”
The other good reason I included this course – and this is in no way secondary in importance – is the fact that it’s taught by Elia Locardi. If you’ve ever wanted to learn from one of the top photographers in the field, this is your chance. Locardi is an ambassador of multiple brands, including Fujifilm and Wacom, and he’s been featured in multiple publications, including Professional Photographer Magazine, as well as websites such as CNET and Adobe.
In total, you’ll get 15 on-location and in-studio sessions for a total of 14 hours of video, 10 behind-the-scenes videos, full RAW files so you can follow along with the post-processing lessons, and access to a private Facebook group.
Check out the course here.
7. Bonus: Landscape Photo Editing Bundle
Looking to improve your landscape post-processing? Then check out this trio of landscape photo editing courses taught by Daniel Kordan (official ambassador for Nikon and Gitzo).
This pack includes 3 editing courses: one for sunset and sunrise images, another for afternoon photos, and the last one for night shots. In total, you get nearly three hours of instruction divided into 19 videos. Just remember that the courses offer no in-the-field instruction – they’re fully focused on improving your processing abilities.
Happily, the courses don’t assume previous knowledge, so even novice photographers can benefit from Kordan’s instruction. You also get 10 Lightroom desktop presets and 10 Lightroom mobile presets to speed up your editing workflow.
In general, the price is quite good, especially if you can grab the package during a sale. And it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t like it, you can always return it!
See the course here.
Best landscape photography courses: final words
Hopefully, you now know which landscape photography course is right for you. While this list isn’t exhaustive, I’ve aimed to include plenty of options, including courses for beginners, intermediate photographers, and even professionals.
So grab your course. And let us know how it goes!
Do you have any landscape photography courses to recommend? Add them in the comments below!
