Photographing People With Your Digital Camera

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Lesson 1
Photographing people is one of the most exciting and complicated kinds of photography. Yet, with just a few skills, you'll soon be taking better pictures of people. In this lesson, you'll learn some of these basics, including lens options, composition, subject management, and lighting.

Lesson 2
Most people love looking at portraits and group photos. But creating them can be a bit difficult. So today, you'll find out how to take the best portrait shots and how to work with your subject. You'll also find out how to pose a group shot for the most effective photo.

Lesson 3
Close-up shots of a person's face make great photos, but they can be difficult to capture effectively. In this lesson, you'll discover how to take great close-ups. You'll learn how to pose your subject, use special effects, and work with lighting, composition, and angles.

Lesson 4
In this lesson, you'll discover how to take the best photos of children and babies. You'll find out how to catch those priceless expressions, how to get the best angles, and how to capture the moment. Your children and baby photos will be much better after you learn a few basic skills.

Lesson 5
Action shots are fun and exciting, and today you'll find out how to take great ones. You'll learn about speed settings, stop motion settings, and how to capture the movement you want. With your camera and a little practice, you'll be taking better action shots in no time!

Lesson 6
In this lesson, we'll explore how to create mood and theme within a photo. You'll look at some examples and learn some tools and tricks for producing more stunning photos of people.

Lesson 7
Today, you'll find out how to use Photoshop Elements to enhance your photos. You'll learn how to fix common problems, how to resize your photos, and techniques to improve a photo's quality.

Lesson 8
In this lesson, we'll explore specific ways you can use Photoshop Elements to enhance photos of people. You'll see how to fix blemishes, red eye, hair color, glass glare, lip color, and other common issues. Armed with these skills, you'll be able to make your people photos look better than ever.

Lesson 9
Special effects and text can make your photos of people much more interesting. Today, you'll see how to work with effect and lighting filters in Photoshop Elements, and how to add creative text to your pictures.

Lesson 10
Photoshop Elements gives you the capability to create combined and composite photos by easily removing and adding people. We'll explore this today, and with the skills you gain, you'll be able to take your people photography to a whole new level.

Lesson 11
Naturally, you'll want to print copies of your people photos. However, getting the best print output can be difficult. In this lesson, we'll consider resolution, paper choices, sizing, and other printing techniques for getting the best possible prints of your people photos time and time again.

Lesson 12
Digital photos are digital files and you'll need to manage and take care of them. In our final lesson, you'll learn how to work with electronic files, and how to share you photos through e-mail and over the Internet so that others can enjoy your work.