Harvard Offers Free Online Digital Photo Course

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UPDATE: Darn! This offer is no longer available. However, you can select to be notified when it is back again!

Want to learn photography? 📷

You may be interested to know that Harvard (yes – that Harvard!) offers a completely Free 12-module online Digital Photography class as part of their Open Learning Initiative!

The 12 modules of the course will take an average student about 10 to 15 hours to complete and teach a wide range of topics in digital photography, including exposure settings, reading histograms, learning about light, how sensors and lenses work, and how to post-processing photos.

Digital photographyIf you’re just starting out in digital photography and would like to take this free 12-module Harvard photography course, head on over here, create a free account, and hit the “Start This Course” button.

(Thanks, Peta Pixel!)

Join The Discussion

Comments 46

  1. Julie

    Really appreciate you sharing this!

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      SO glad to help Julie! 😉

  2. melanieeee

    I’m so signing up for this. Actually very excited about this and it’s free. Lovin it. Thank you Collin

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You’re welcome!

  3. Rose

    WOWW that sounds amazingg i m soo soo doing this 🙂 thanks Collin 🙂

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You’re very welcome Rose!

  4. Nydia

    Wow! This is so interesting. I would never have known about this without you guys..thank you so much.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You are so welcome! 🙂

  5. Melissa

    And as a side benefit, after we complete the course we can tell everyone we studied at Harvard.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Yes! 😉

    • Leslie

      That’s what I was thinking!!!

    • jlgclassof2000

      My resume has been updated! 😉

    • Amani

      My thought too! Lol. I do love photography but this makes my day.

    • LindaS

      And no student loans to worry about

  6. Arianne

    Guys…I just got accepted into Harvard!! 😝

    • riss

      Hey, hey, hey….you’re not the only one. Me, too! 😉 So this is how it feels to get accepted to Harvard, lol!

    • Haseena

      lol it’s always been my dream to say that 🙂

  7. Cari

    Has anyone else tried this on their phone. I signed up but it sends me to their page but I don’t see anything except for ads?

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Darn! Are you able to request the “desktop view”? Hope this helps!

    • Cliff

      @Cari….I agree the mobile site is junked up with ads and click bait, but there is a green Start This Course button just below the picture of a woman holding a camera and the 4 out of 5 stars. Note the link to sign up is for Alison.com which is a online course clearinghouse. The course is provided by Harvard but you are signing up through Alison. Alison appears to have a LOT of ads and click bait so be careful which “Download” button(s) you click on.

  8. Heather G

    Thanks! My teen son is very much into photography and will benefit from this tip!

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Awesome! You’re welcome Heather!

  9. candace

    I’ve seen some free at your pace courses at Stanford and Harvard before. Maybe those can be posted more often for others?

  10. Roeseeohh

    How do you go back to this site if you’re taking the course? Do you have to do the course all at once? Bc I can use the link to get to the material but how would I get back to it once I close the browser? Do you have to sign up through the login options or just go through the start this course option?

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You will need to create an account, which then should help you track your progress. Also, you can login or create an account at the top of the site or when you go to start the course you will get a pop up login option. Hope this helps!

  11. Julie

    Learning more about photography is on my list of resolutions this 2017, and it’s my birthday today! Thank you, once again, Collin and Hip2Save!!

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      How exciting! Happy Birthday Julie! You’re most welcome! 😀

    • peepslob

      Happy Birthday!!!!

  12. Shannon

    Edx offers tons of FREE online classes. My hubby takes them all the time. Great addition to your resume!

    • Justyou&me+3

      New to the online school..Where can we go to learn more about what EDX offers?? thanks

  13. Jamiela

    Is anyone else having issues with this? It is telling me to confirm my email but I have not received any emails from them.

    • Maria

      Me too. 🙁

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Darn! Be sure to check your junk, spam or promotions folders of your email. Hope this helps!

  14. ros

    It looks like petapixel posted an update…

    Update: It turns out Harvard isn’t affiliated with the ALISON version of this course. Harvard’s course materials are available through this website, and it seems that ALISON took the CC-licensed materials and is offering it as a free course through its service.

  15. Luv 🌺

    I finally received the confirmation email but when I click on start this course nothing happens. Has anyone tried it, and can be able to attest to its functionality? Thanks for any input. 🌺

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Hmm, have you tried clicking through in a different browser? Hope this helps!

  16. Nina

    The confirmation email took a while to come, about an hour but once confirmed, worked fine.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Sweet! Thanks for the helpful feedback Nina!

  17. Dee Miranda

    This is amazing! So many free courses… I want to take them all! 🙂

  18. Emmie Collier

    Does it require a certain camera?

  19. jamie

    I’m a newbie to online courses. What is EDX? I am always worried about doing online courses in case they are scams. Please help!

    • Iris

      If they are free. and you don’t provide a cc, there is nothing to be scammed on. Unless thinking Harvard is as great of an institution as it once was, then you were hood-winked.

  20. Misty

    Does this require a manual digital camera?

  21. Susan

    Has anyone been able to view/take this class? I can get to the course but when I click on the modules it just has a popup that says “This Harvard University Digital Photography course which has been hosted on the ALISON free learning platform since 2013 has been withdrawn for free access at the request of Harvard University. The course has previously been hosted by Alison under a Creative Commons licence.” ….?

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Oh bummer! Thanks for the heads up Susan! It appears that you can select to be notified when it is back again. Hope this helps!

  22. Erica

    I already signed up, but I received this email today:

    “We are writing to inform you that this Digital Photography course published under a Creative Commons license is being withdrawn at the request of Harvard University.

    As you are already enrolled in this course, you have until Wednesday 15th February 2017 to complete your study and make any purchases of a certificate. Beyond this time, the course will no longer be able to be accessed and you will no longer to be able to make a purchase.

    Alison will shortly publish a new suite of digital photography courses and as a valued learner we will communicate these to you when they are released.”

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