Take better travel photos
MatadorU’s travel photography courses will equip you with the skills and knowledge to create compelling and publishable imagery.
- Faculty feedback on all course assignments*
- Opportunities for one-on-one workshopping with editors
- Access to paid market leads and press trips
- Lifetime access to course material
What is the MatadorU Travel Photography Program?
MatadorU’s Travel Photography Program is made of two courses:
- Fundamentals of Travel Photography
- Advanced Travel Photography
Fundamentals of Travel Photography builds a strong foundation of primary skills centered around:
- Unlocking the power of your camera
- Understanding exposure: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO
- Creating compelling compositions
- Taking advantage of the best lighting situations
- Editing images
- Putting a portfolio together and publishing it online
Advanced Travel Photography provides rigorous training in storytelling through photography and the business of being a professional photographer:
- Compiling publishable photo essays that tell a complete story
- Preparing for and working in the field
- Advanced techniques in post-processing
- Developing your brand, marketing it, and networking
- Pitching editors and publishing your work
Which course is right for me?
If you can answer the following questions without too much difficulty, consider the Advanced course:
- What is the exposure triangle and how does it relate to photography?
- What is the difference between the basic and creative modes on your camera?
- In which situations do you prefer to creatively over- or under-expose a shot?
- What controls DoF? Which situations would you want a shallow DoF? A deep DoF?
- Which features in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop do you use most often?
- What are the benefits of shooting in RAW versus JPG?
- Which social networks should you be on to build your brand?
- What financial revenue streams are available for working photographers?
- What are the important elements in a photo caption?
- How do you tell a compelling story through your images?
If you find the following questions more aligned with what you think about in your photography, you should consider the Fundamentals course:
- How do I get more comfortable shooting in manual modes?
- What is exposure, and how do aperture, shutter speed, and ISO relate to it?
- What are the best lighting situations to take photos in?
- What does white balance mean?
- What makes for compelling compositions?
- What should I include in my captions?
- How can I improve my focus?
- How do I read a histogram?
- What should I be looking for when I edit my images?
Choosing the course that best fits your skills right now will help you stay engaged and keep you from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.