PRO EDU Photography Tutorials: An investment in my portrait photography

You can invest in photography equipment yearly as new gear comes out constantly to feed our habits but I highly recommend checking out the Pro edu photography tutorials instead. 

We are a generation that is always looking for new tech and gear and we always want the newest and best in technology!

PRO EDU Photography tutorials – Quick reviews

G.A.S (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) for photographers is real. At least I personally think it is. When I hear a new camera is being released I can’t wait to read specs and figure out how I’m going to buy it. It took me awhile, but I broke this habit.

Having shot portraits over the last 5+ years, I’ve come to realize the importance of investing in my craft. Not just purchasing new gear, but learning new skills. I started investing in online learning and photography courses and I have never regretted a single purchase.

I’m hoping to convince you to step out of that mindset of buying new gear and really think about investing in yourself and your photography skills. Let’s look at a few options I have personally used to get better at taking portraits and how these can create new opportunities for you and your portraits.

PRO EDU Photography Tutorials

Learning and expanding your photography skills will always help you become better as a photographer and as a creative.

Many people stop learning once they leave high school or college, but I’m here to tell you that you should never stop learning and striving for more education. Don’t think it all has to be photography specific learning.

Learning other skills like business management, communications and sales will drastically help you build your photography business or at least your ability to collaborate and network with other creative professionals.

If you’re like me when I first started, I didn’t know where to start. There are literally thousands of websites and companies that offer photography courses online.

I hate to say I wasted some money on some sketchy courses, but I also came across some amazing courses from proedu.com and I can’t wait to share them with you.

What is Proedu.com?

ProEdu is a website dedicated to providing online photography learning to photographers of all experiences. When I first came across the website it was named RGGEdu. It has since then rebranded but the content quality has remained the same. 

I purchased a few of the tutorials (with my own money, not sponsored at all) and I loved the quality and content that these videos provided. the learning was invaluable to me as a beginner. Let’s go over a few of the ones I have personally taken and how you should consider the investment.

Don't Miss This

• • Learn Photography

Best advice for beginner portrait photographers: Learning from 5+ years of portraits

• ByJason The Creative
• July 28, 2020

Dani Diamond Natural Light Portrait Tutorial

I follow a photographer by the name of Dani Diamond. He is renowned for his portrait photography work and editing style. I follow his work on Instagram and when I found out he partnered with ProEdu.com I knew I was going to get his courses.

The first course I ever bought was the Natural Light Portraiture & Retouching with Dani Diamond. It features hours of behind the scenes portrait shoots and retouching. Dani takes you from concept to final products and I learned so much from watching these videos.

The course gives you some of the .RAW files so you can follow along with Dani as he is editing the portraits. He even provides his Photoshop actions to make it easier to follow.

This course kick started my portrait journey as I didn’t know how much I would love shooting portraits until I learned how another popular portrait photographer made his work come to life. If you’re serious about learning portrait photography I highly recommend you go check out his tutorials. See current pricing here and learn more.

Colored Gel Photography by Jake Hicks

After learning natural light portraits, I wanted to add some flare to my portfolio and I knew studio work would be a great way to make that happen. After finishing the Dani Diamond tutorials I jumped into my next learning category.

I purchased the colored gel photography tutorials by Jake Hicks and man was I amazed. I didn’t have much experience with studio lighting but I knew enough to get started.

Jake is known world wide for his gel photography. The colors and lighting skills he has built up over his career is incredible. I took his course and like the Dani diamond tutorials, I learned how to setup lighting and how to edit my photos. This is a great tutorial for anyone looking to add more of a stylized look to their work. You can check out his latest tutorials here and see his workflow for getting some amazing shots.

Lifestyle, Lingerie, and Swimwear with Dixie Dixon and Pratik Naik

I came into a time in my portrait photography when I wanted to do more lifestyle work. I wanted to learn to interact with models and direct them to a more detailed level on location. With that in mind, I came across photographer Dixie Dixon. Her work is amazing and I couldn’t wait to learn from her shooting style.

I took her tutorial course and I learned not just how to shoot lifestyle portraits, but also how to setup collaborations and get myself organized. Lifestyle shoots can be complicated and you need a team of creatives to help make your passion and concept come to life.

I learned exactly how to manage expectations and how to shoot concepts from start to execution. Dixie may not be a full-time instructor, but she was able to articulate details that I would never be able to explain as a beginner.

Next was the editing from Pratik Naik. I follow Pratik on multiple platforms and I knew learning his editing style could only elevate my own. In these Pro edu photography tutorials he breaks down his process step-by-step and brings you in-depth into the process of a professional retoucher.

He has worked with well respected photographers from all over the world and it was great learning from his workflow. If you get a chance I highly recommend looking to this tutorial with Dixie and Pratik. You can check out the latest tutorial here. 

Fashion Photography & Model Testing with Elizabeth Wiseman

Now that I knew how to shoot and how to edit I needed models for my portrait shoots. Like all beginners I started with friends and family but knew I needed more seasoned models to help me build my portfolio.

I came across the model test shoot tutorial from Elizabeth Wiseman and I can honestly say I have now worked with multiple agencies and many signed models from all across the state of Texas.

Followed her workflow for creating concepts and learning how to reach out to models and agencies has given me the ability to built a great network for all my collaborations. I loved her one light test shoots and how she uses minimal gear to maximize results. You can check out her latest tutorial here on Proedu.com.

Branch out and learn more techniques

The Pro Edu photography tutorials are more than just about portraits. I’ve purchased tutorials on product photography and car photography to expand my skills. You never know what you can learn by shooting other types of photography.

Don't Miss This

• • Learn Photography

Portrait Photography Workflow: Step by Step from idea to delivery

• ByJason The Creative
• July 22, 2020

Is it worth the investment

When you consider college courses and spending money on books and classes you have to realize you are making an investment in yourself. It is always worth the time and energy to learn new skills.

Learning online was an easy choice for me since I love the freedom to watch and practice the tutorials on my own time. I work full-time Monday thru Friday to support myself and my family. In my free-time I watch tutorials and expand my love for photography. Don’t feel like you have to purchase every tutorial up front. I have invested in these tutorials from Pro Edu over the last 3 years. I saved some extra money and purchased the courses as a gift to myself.

Benefits of learning photography online

If you have never taken a course online you are not alone. Many people still love going into a classroom and getting hands on instruction. There are some other factors to consider when purchasing these tutorials

1. I learn at my own pace. This is the best way for me to learn new skills. No stress and nobody rushing me to learn a new section.
2. Rewatching any sections of the tutorials is easy. I can always go back and study a specific section when I feel the need. The videos are always available to me on my phone and my home computer.
3. I have the tutorials downloaded to my home computer as stated above, but I also have the Pro Edu app that allows me to stream my tutorials on demand. I can watch the tutorials on my lunch break or when I have some free-time to learn.
4. Additional working files included with the tutorials. Being able to follow along with source files was a game changer for me. I could watch and see what the photographer or retoucher was doing and I repeated the process on my own.

Is learning portrait photography online right for you

Only you can really answer this question. think about how you learn best and decide if you want to give it a try. I think you won’t be disappointed. It’s a small investment compared to a new camera or expensive lens and it will keep giving long after a lens or camera breaks.

Conclusion

Expanding your skills should be a priority for all creative professionals and should never be taken lightly. If you’re a beginner or an advanced photographer the choices are the same. Learn what the people are doing and see how it can benefit your own work. I recommend checking out the Pro edu photography tutorials. You won’t regret it!