photography for complete beginners
If you have a camera you don't fully understand, you are in the right place. A Year With My Camera is a structured photography course built for complete beginners; including people who have tried before, lost confidence, or been talked at rather than taught. The course is free by email. You can also take it in our app, in workbooks, or on video. Whichever format you choose, you are working through the same patient, ordered sequence of lessons.
“After trying to learn how to use a camera from many different books, A Year With My Camera had me shooting off auto within less than 6 weeks.”
What A Year With My Camera is
A Year With My Camera (“AYWMC”) is an online foundation course in photography for complete beginners. It was created by Emma Davies in 2015 and has been taken by more than 100,000 students since. The course takes you from "I don't really understand my camera" to confident manual-mode shooting, one lesson at a time.
The free version delivers a new lesson by email each week for a year. You can also work through the same curriculum in the app, in printed workbooks, or as a video course; whichever suits the way you prefer to learn. There is no timeline pressure. You can take a week off, fall behind, come back, and pick up exactly where you left off. The sequence is what does the work.
“I joined this group as I have been an enthusiastic user of a good camera, but never took it off auto. After just a few weeks, I have the confidence to experiment in manual.”
Who AYWMC is for
You will get the most from this course if:
You own a camera (or can borrow one) and want to understand how to use it.
You feel stuck on auto mode, or you have read camera manuals and been left more confused than before.
You learn best when concepts are introduced one at a time, in plain language, with the chance to practise before moving on.
You are not in a hurry. The course is designed to be taken at the pace that suits you.
This is also a good course for you if you have tried to learn photography before and given up. The reason was almost certainly the teaching, not you. We start at the beginning and we move at a pace you can actually keep up with.
You may find this course less useful if you are already shooting in manual confidently, or if you are looking for advanced technique. There are many good resources for intermediate and advanced photographers; this course is for the start of the journey.
“This is more than just a course, it is a community of like minded enthusiasts learning, sharing and improving together.”
How the course works
Each lesson introduces one concept, explains it in plain English, and gives you a small piece of practical homework. The lessons are sequenced deliberately. By the time you reach light, you understand aperture. By the time you reach manual mode, you have practised every component of it separately.
You can take the course in any of four formats. All four cover the same material.
The free email course
A new lesson lands in your inbox each week for fifty-two weeks. The best place to start.
The app
A very small annual subscription gives you the lessons inside our community app, with the chance to share progress, ask questions and learn alongside other beginners.
The workbooks
A two-book series, also called A Year With My Camera, available in print from Amazon. The same curriculum on paper, designed for people who prefer to learn away from a screen.
The video courses
The same lessons presented visually for people who prefer watching to reading.
These are not different courses. They are different doors into the same course. Choose whichever fits how you prefer to learn; or use more than one.
“Wow what a great experience I’m having on this wonderful journey. Without the support, passing on of knowledge and teaching skills from Emma, I would still be blindly clicking very amateurish photos and making do. ”
Over 100,000 students have taken the course
Common Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The full course is free by email. There is no upsell to a paid course; the same curriculum is what you get for free. The optional app subscription (£7.99 a year) and the workbooks (paid, on Amazon) exist for people who prefer those formats, but the email course is complete in itself.
Do I need a specific camera?
No. The course works with any camera that lets you adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO; most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, and many advanced compacts. If you are not sure whether your camera will work, sign up anyway. The early lessons will tell you.
How long does it take?
The free email course is fifty-two weeks long, with one lesson a week. If you prefer to go faster, the app and the workbooks let you work at your own pace. You can also take longer than a year. There is no deadline.
Is it suitable for complete beginners?
Yes. That is who it is written for. We assume no prior knowledge.
What if I have tried to learn photography before and not got anywhere?
You are not unusual, and the failure was almost certainly the teaching. This course is structured specifically to remove the obstacles that stop adult beginners. We introduce one concept at a time, in plain language, and we give you permission to move forward without fully understanding everything on the first pass.
Can I do the course without joining the app?
Yes. The free email course is fully self-contained. The app adds community; it is optional.
Is the course UK-based or international?
The course is written from the UK by a UK-based photographer, but students are based all over the world. The teaching is not country-specific.
“AYWMC is the best way to learn not only how to use your camera but how to take photographs instead of just snapshots. Highly recommend!”
ABOUT EMMA
Emma Davies, ARPS is a photographer and photography instructor. She has Masters degrees in Psychology and Photography.
She has been a finalist in Travel Photographer of the Year, and shortlisted and highly commended in International Garden Photographer of the Year. She has been published in Outdoor Photography and Digital Photographer magazines, The Telegraph, Gardens Illustrated and by the BBC.
She is an Adobe Certified Professional in Photoshop.
Author of #1 Amazon bestselling beginner's photography workbook, A Year With My Camera.
For more about Emma, a look at her work and her other courses, visit:
“Brilliant course for anyone interested in improving. Emma has written really clear and well paced instructions. I’ve not come across such helpful material anywhere else. Highly recommended.”
Start the free course
You will get the first lesson immediately. Lessons continue weekly for a year. You can unsubscribe at any time.
