Designed for both film and digital photographers, this course is filled with tips and tricks to help you take better photographs. You'll learn the basic technology that all cameras use, and you'll receive helpful information on exposure and lighting. You'll also explore strategies for taking excellent photos in all types of situations, including portraiture, landscape, macro and still life.

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.

A digital or film camera, Internet access, e-mail, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser. This class does not involve digital editing or other computer specific programs, so both Mac and Windows operating systems are welcome.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Beverly Schulz.

Beverly Schulz is a freelance photographer and a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography's Professional Photographer's program. She teaches a number of classes in digital photography and has more than 25 years of classroom instruction experience. Her writing and photography have been published in a number of magazines. She has traveled extensively and participated in onsite photography workshops as well as independent photo quests. In addition to teaching and photographic work, she provides consulting services for digital photographers and clients.

“ Compared to many of the students, I'm a real novice with novice equipment. Nevertheless, the many and varied suggestions of the marvelous instructor have helped me a lot. I understand my camera much better and am considering upgrading. In fact, the other day I drove into a local shopping mall, noticed the light on the trees with their fall color and wished I had a camera with me! ”

“ From day one, I felt the lessons were providing valuable information and techniques that have improved my ability to take pictures. The supplemental information was invaluable. Although I did not contribute to the discussion groups, I did review them and found a lot of information and positive feedback from the instructor and assistants. Great course, thank you. ”

“ I really improved my photographic skills. My husband said that my photos look like they were taken by a pro. (Prior to this course he wouldn't comment!!) I enjoyed the instructor's writing style. She made the online course feel much more personal by sharing her own experiences. The TA's responses were prompt, pleasant, and helpful. Thanks! ”

“ This is the second photography course I have taken with Beverly and feel she is an excellent instructor. I have really enjoyed the assignments after each lesson and appreciate the feedback on the photos from her or one of her assistants. ”

“ The course was a great overview of photography. I enjoyed the variety of topics and the assignments took me into types of photography that I would not normally do. The web links to outside websites was especially useful. ”

“ I loved the class and learned a lot. It was very helpful and the TA was extremely capable and knowledge. I'm going to miss being in this class. ”

“ I truly enjoyed the course and have already started taking better pictures. It is nice to be able to better understand my camera and what it can do for me. ”

“ This course exceeded my expectations! I loved it, and am sorry it has come to an end! I set out to learn the manual settings on my DSLR, and I learned that as well as so much more. I was frustrated with only using my Auto setting before this class, now I'm excited about my camera and all that I can do with it. I found Beverly to be a very good instructor, and Kimberly to be a great TA! Having the chance to interact with fellow students by reading their comments and seeing their photos is immeasurable. Thank you so much for a wonderful course! ”

“ I had a really great time and learned a lot. I have signed up to the Travel Photography course as a result of the fun and knowledge I have gained from this. Thanks to everyone involved. See you at the next one! ”

“ This class was great! Many times I have tried to learn photography from books and I just was not successful. This class did the trick. Now I understand how it all goes together. I wasted several years trying to teach myself. Thank you so much. ”