How to Use Visual Education

Explore our classes

With 900+ photography classes to choose from, we’ve got a huge range of material designed to educate and inspire you.

If you’re a beginner, you should head straight to our Essentials section and watch our Introduction to Photography course. From there, we recommend moving on to Travel and Landscape Photography.

The classes in the Lighting section are a bit more complex, covering lighting theory and equipment. Before you can truly understand photography, you have to understand light. For this reason, we recommend you study the classes in this section closely, regardless of whether you’re a nervous novice or a seasoned pro.

With the essentials under your belt, you’re free to delve into the various types of photography we cover, whether it’s Portrait, Fashion or Product. Those sections all contain image editing and retouching demonstrations, but we also have a dedicated Post-Production section for you to explore.

Go LIVE with us!

With our regular interactive live shows, you can watch real-time, start-to-finish photoshoots, interviews with world-renowned photographers, ‘Working to a Brief’ assignment launches, members’ image reviews, and more.

Tune in, get involved, and ask your questions along the way. And if you miss a show, you can always catch up on the replay.

Rise to the challenge

Our Weekly Challenges help you focus your creative powers on a specific theme or subject. From cosmetics to cutlery, books to bottles, white-on-white to watches, and many more, we help you get out of your comfort zone, try new subjects and experiment with new techniques.

Post your images in our exclusive members’ Facebook group, or share them on Instagram, using #VEWeeklyChallenge.

Keep it ‘brief’

Our ‘Working to a Brief’ assignments give you a unique opportunity to practise the real-world skills of interpreting and executing a commercial photography brief. Karl provides a visual sketch, mood board images, and a written description for you to respond to. He then reviews the submissions in a follow-up live show. Sometimes, he even tackles the shoot himself!

Find your creative community

Our members-only Facebook group is a fantastic place to share your images, receive and give feedback, and generally connect with your fellow photographers. It’s also a great way to keep track of all the exciting things going on at VE!

Be in it to win it

Our photography competitions offer you inspiration, motivation, and the chance to win some incredible prizes. Based on themes like ‘Blue’, ‘Interior Spaces’ and ‘Three’ (to name just a few), our competitions are open to all members. To date we’ve given away prizes including cameras, studio lighting kits, filter sets and tripods, and we’re always blown away by the entries we receive.

Get down to business

Whether you’re preparing for your first-ever paid shoot or looking for advice on how to make your existing photography business more successful, our Business section is full of tips and resources to help you maximise efficiency and minimise confusion.

Discounts you can count on

As a member of Visual Education, you qualify for exclusive discounts on a range of top photography brands, including Manfrotto, Broncolor, and V-Flat World.

Read all about it!

Expand your photography knowledge, get inspired, and stay up to date on VE news with our photography blog. We try to post at least once a week, so be sure to check back regularly.

Your questions, answered

Everything we do is designed to make you the best photographer you can be. If you ever get stuck, or want something clarifying, or need to resolve an issue with your subscription, please get in touch with us.

If you have a question about a particular class, feel free to post it in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Karl does his best to respond to as many questions as he can – or you might find that one of your fellow members has the answer you’re looking for.