Martin Osner Photography School

Learn Photography Online with Martin Osner

Master your camera and take photographs you are proud of, with an award winning photographer who has been teaching for more than thirty five years. Learn online, at your own pace, with lessons that are practical and easy to follow.

Find the right course for you Read the free guides

Hands holding a camera with its settings screen lit, learning photography online

Start here

Photography courses for beginners through to advanced

Two courses take you the whole way. The first gets you off auto mode and in control of your camera. The second teaches you to see and use light. Both are online, so you can start today from anywhere.

The Essentials Photography Course title over a close up of a camera lens

Step one, for beginnersPhotography EssentialsJust bought a camera, or still on auto? Short video lessons take you through exposure, focus and composition until manual mode makes sense.About the Essentials course ↗

The Advanced Photography Course title over a close up of a camera lens

Step twoAdvanced PhotographyYou know the basics and want more. Six weeks on light, metering and creative control, with assignments and feedback along the way.About the Advanced course ↗

Two photographers with tripods in silhouette during a private lesson at sunrise

At your sidePrivate lessonsPrefer to learn one to one? Book Martin for a lesson on Zoom, in the Hout Bay studio, or out on location around the Cape.How private lessons work

Free photography guides

Start learning now, for free

Short, plain guides from Martin on the things every new photographer runs into. No sign up needed.

Close up of a camera mode dial showing the P, A, S and M settings

GuideThe truth about auto modeWhy auto mode gives you flat, average pictures, and what changes the day you leave it.Read the guide

A photographer at the viewfinder, drawn over with a network of thinking lines

GuideThe camera can't think, that's your jobA new camera and disappointing pictures? The camera measures light. The decisions are yours.Read the guide

A camera and lens lying on a desk beside a keyboard, in teal tones

Quiz, on the school's siteHow well do you really know your camera?Ten questions on manual mode and the basics every photographer should be able to answer.Take the quiz ↗

A camera showing its settings screen, held beside a laptop, in black and white

Guide, on the school's siteRAW vs JPGWhat a RAW file keeps that a JPG throws away, and when each one is the right choice.Read the guide ↗

A photographer standing beneath a large tree during the Swellendam retreat

Learn in the field

Photography workshops in South Africa

Four and five day workshops in small groups, in Swellendam, Montagu, Stilbaai and on the edge of the Kruger National Park. Martin and Samantha Lee Osner teach side by side, and you come home with finished work.

See the workshops

Martin Osner, photographer and teacher, standing in his gallery

Your teacher

Meet Martin Osner

Martin Osner is a multi award winning photographer, artist, gallery owner and photography teacher. He co-founded the National College of Photography in South Africa, and later his own Photography School and Art Academy.

With over 35 years of experience as a professional photographer and educator, he has helped thousands of students take meaningful steps in their photography, from mastering the basics to building strong, expressive portfolios. His lessons are carefully structured, inspiring and easy to follow.

About Martin and the school

Watch and learn

Photography explained in 13 minutes

See how Martin teaches before you begin. In this free video he explains how photography works, in plain language, in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

Two more free videos for beginners

Martin Osner on YouTube

In their words

What our students are saying

I never knew what real photography was until I took the photography course at Martin Osner's. It is like entering a new world of colour, texture, and creativity. I've learned so much and will never retake any photos in automatic mode!

Mary-Ann Sim

At the beginning of the course, Martin said that by the end of the course, we would be taking better photographs. I thought: here is someone who has much more faith in my photography than me. But he was right! The course was presented professionally, clearly, concisely, and easy to understand.

Sue Docherty

After years of dabbling in photography, Martin's advanced course gave me the clarity and creative push I needed. His knowledge is exceptional, and his ability to teach both the technical and artistic sides of photography is rare. Highly recommended.

Brian Manning

Photographs made by our students

Every photograph here was made by someone who started where you are now. Each one represents not just skill, but a personal journey of growth, vision and confidence.

And when the camera has become second nature, there is a next chapter: the art of photography, taught at the school's Art Academy.

See more student work

Nine photographs made by students of the photography courses