An online course with Mara Ellis
Syllabus
Make clear, considered photographs in low light. One camera, a tripod, and a little patience.
Curriculum
Four modules. Each ends with a photograph you can make close to home.
All modulesLearn to make a sharp, balanced frame while the sky still holds a little color.
Before changing ISO, look at what moved. A blurred leaf and a blurred building are different problems. Keep the camera fixed, make one test frame, and inspect the edges of something that cannot move.
Open modulePractice a repeatable focus check when autofocus begins to hunt.
The infinity symbol is a reference, not a guarantee. Magnify a distant light, adjust until its edge is clear, and verify the photograph at full size.
Open moduleBalance a dark sky and a grounded foreground without turning the night into daylight.
A brighter sky is not always a better sky. Start with the shape of the foreground, then decide how much detail the photograph needs.
Open moduleSelect and finish four photographs that belong together.
Choose the frame for its light and composition before adjusting it. A brighter edit can distract from a weaker photograph.
Open moduleYour instructor
Mara is the fictional instructor for this sample course. Her teaching starts with a short walk, a test frame, and a notebook of settings.
Meet MaraStart with the complete course, join a focused workshop, or take the field guide outside.
Four written modules that take you from blue-hour exposures to a finished set of photographs.
$149
Enroll: Night photography: the complete courseA focused evening exercise for balancing the fading sky with street lights.
$49
Enroll: The blue-hour workshopA printable reference for exposure checks, focus checks, and keeping useful notes.
$19
Enroll: The after-sunset field guideA camera with manual shutter control and a sturdy tripod are enough for the core exercises. A phone with manual controls can be used for the blue-hour assignment.
This demo course uses written lessons, annotated examples, and printable assignments. It does not include a video player or a student account system.
The sample course is self-paced. Plan an evening for each field assignment and a second session to select and edit your photographs.
A real course needs a delivery service or learning platform connected to its payment provider. The demo checkout links do not charge or deliver files.
A repeatable view is more useful for learning than a new location every evening.
A simple routine for separating a focus error from camera or subject movement.
A note on editing shadow detail without losing the scene you photographed.
Find a familiar place. See what changes when the light falls.
Explore the curriculum
