Making the Most of Any Photo Location is an outdoor photography course designed to help you create compelling images anywhere, especially close to home. Instead of relying on famous destinations or expensive gear, this course teaches you how to find hidden opportunities, plan effectively, and fully explore every location you photograph. You’ll learn what gear truly matters, how to scout and pre-visualize scenes, and how to strengthen composition through perspective, wildlife integration, and creative techniques like long exposures. By the end of the course, you’ll have a repeatable system for turning ordinary locations into extraordinary photographs, giving you the confidence to capture stunning images no matter where you shoot.
Class Sessions
Introduction
2:56
Welcome to this course on how to make the most of any photography location. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt like you were missing out on photo locations that are close by to your home? The fact is that there are amazing places to take photos no matter where you are in the world. You just have to know where to look, and more importantly, how to capture stunning photos. In this course you will learn how to find, scout, and squeeze every drop of photo beauty out of any photography location.
Essential Gear to Tackle Any Location
7:36
What kind of photography gear do you seriously need to invest in and what doesn’t really matter? This is the question I get more than any other question in photography. In this lesson, I’ll explain what photography gear you need to take seriously, and what kind of gear you might be wasting money on. The goal of this section is to get you high quality images, and get the most out of the gear that actually matters.
Plan Not to Fail
12:57
Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Even if you know all of your local roads like the back of your hand, chances are you can still squeeze more out of them if you know how to plan. In this section of the course, I’ll share some secret apps you can use to plan amazing photos, how to use them best, and how to find even more places to take photos without stepping a foot outside. The power of technology is amazing, and you can use it to your advantage!
Scouting For Guaranteed Success
9:32
Possibly the most forgotten art in outdoor photography is the ability to scout a location for guaranteed success. Even the outdoor photography greats like Ansel Adams spent tireless days scouting and finding the best locations and photo options. In this lesson, I’ll reveal how to scout even the most familiar photography locations so that you can get different compositions all throughout the year!
Local Locations Composition
5:45
The hard truth about local location composition is that it’s harder than going to a national park. You have to work harder to find subjects and parts of the photo to guide your viewer through the frame. Even if that seems like some bad news, the good news is that when you master this concept through what you’ll discover in this lesson, you’ll be even better at composition no matter where you are in the world. This will truly make you a better photographer.
Mastering Different Perspectives
6:16
When you think about your photography, what percentage of your photos are taken at eye level? If you’re really honest with yourself, that number could be over fifty percent. Now, that is a huge opportunity for you to see local locations in a completely different way! In this section of the course, you’ll learn how to see every photo in three different perspectives and how to decide which one of those perspectives is the best fit for each photo.
Maximizing Locations with Wildlife
5:07
Wildlife is all around us. Even if you like in a dense city, you could step outside and see birds. When I was starting out with my photography, I was not capturing all the opportunities for wildlife in each photography location. However, when I realized the opportunities I was missing, my photos got way better. In this lesson, I’ll share what I discovered so you can level up your photos too.
Fail-Proof Settings for Wildlife Photography
5:37
Even though you don’t have to change locations for landscape photography and wildlife photography, you do have to change your settings on your camera. The two genres are incredibly different even though you don’t have to move your feet from one to the other. After watching this lesson, you’ll know the fail-proof wildlife photography settings to be able to capture stunning animal images.
Wildlife Composition to Live By
4:05
There are two basic types of wildlife photography composition. One has to do with featuring the animal alone and the other pairs wildlife and landscape photography genres. Both are incredibly fun to photograph. The beauty is that you can double the fun by trying both! I’ll show you how to tackle each kind of wildlife photography composition so you can add them to your photo bag of tricks.
Next Level Long Exposures
7:06
At this point, you might be thinking that there can’t possibly be any more to photograph at a single location, right? Wrong. Long exposures are the ticket to squeeze the last bit of juice out of a photo location. Long exposures allow you to manipulate time by lengthening the exposure of your images. All you need is one extra piece of gear. I’ll show you exactly how to tackle this kind of photo.
Conclusion
1:15
After going through this course, you now know how to find local locations, scout them, plan for great photos, and capture stunning images with confidence. You now have all the tools necessary to get out to places nearby, and all over the world, and take great photos.
Your Instructor
David Johnston
David Johnston is a professional outdoor photographer located in the beautiful state of Tennessee. He is most familiar with photographing older mountain landscapes of the Appalachian Mountains, and occasionally ventures into other locations around the world to capture amazing outdoor scenes. David began his passion of photography in high school where he learned to photograph with film cameras and develop his own prints in the darkroom. However, after college he switched to digital photography and began his business photographing the outdoors as well as teaching people how to improve their skills in outdoor photography. When David isn’t traveling and taking photos, he’s just like you! He enjoys lounging on the couch, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and friends.
Bonus Material
10 Photography Tips
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
FAQs
How do I know what the Class covers?
Every Class has a free Preview video you can watch, to give you a flavor of the Instructor and the skills or project that will be covered. In addition, the Overview tab includes a thorough written description of the Class. And finally, each Class Session has a brief written summary of the content in that Session, including the length of each Session video. You will get a good feel for the Class content by reviewing these resources.
Do I have to be a Member of Outdoor Photography Guide to purchase a Class?
No you don’t. While Premium Members will receive regular offers for special deals on OPG Academy content, Classes are not reserved exclusively for Members. If you buy a Class as a non-member, we’re sure you’d also enjoy having access to our full library of great photography videos and articles as a Member, so give it a try.
How do I purchase a Class?
First you should decide that the Class is what you want. Review the Class Preview video and the various written descriptions of the Class and each Session before you purchase, so you have a good understanding of the Class content. When you’re ready to purchase and gain access to the Class, simply click the “Add to Cart” button, and proceed through the Checkout process.
How do I access/view my Class?
Once you’ve paid, you can access/view your Class by going to the MY ACCOUNT section of Outdoor Photography Guide. The MY ACCOUNT link is in the upper right-hand area of the website. Within your MY ACCOUNT, a section labeled “My Content” is where the class you purchased will appear, including a link to watch the video of your Class. You’ll also receive an email confirmation after your purchase, which will include a link to view your Class. You can access your Class as many times as you wish, and you’ll never lose access to your Account information. Just be sure to “Log In” for access to MY ACCOUNT.
Do I have to take the Class right away?
No. Any Class you buy will be accessible to you always. You can view your Class whenever you want, and you can view individual Sessions in whatever order you like.
Is there a limit on the times I can view my Class?
No. Your access never expires. You can view any Class you purchase as many times as you want, whenever you want.
Can I view a Class on my tablet device or mobile phone?
No problem. Most newer-model smartphones or other mobile/tablet devices with an internet connection are able to play the Class videos. Simply Log In on Outdoor Photography, and you can view any Class you’ve bought through the MY ACCOUNT section. Or, you can click on the “View Class” link within the email confirmation you’ll receive upon your purchase.
How do I get access to the Bonus Materials for the Class?
Until you purchase a Class, the Bonus material (any extra videos, download materials, etc.) will not be accessible. Once you purchase a Class, and go to view your Class, each individual Bonus element is accessible by simply clicking on each item. You’ll find the Bonus Materials directly below your main Class viewer frame. You can access the bonus materials as many times as you like and/or save them to your device.
How does the Class Q&A Resource benefit work?
Once you purchase any Class, within the Class viewing page, you’ll have access to post a question, comment or tip in the Class Discussions. This is not a “live chat,” but your Class Instructor and OPG contributors will answer posted questions and provide tips regularly. You can also view other Class participants’ questions and input to take part in this virtual dialogue among others who have taken the Class and are willing to share tips, answers, or ideas.
Can I print out Class details?
For any Bonus Material that is a PDF Download, yes you can. Just click on the icon/button for the Bonus element you want, and print with your local printer.
What are PDF downloads?
These are simply documents, plans, or written materials that are formatted in a way to print out and retain for reference. By simply clicking on the icon/link for any PDF Download that is included with a Class, you can print that document on your own printer or simply view the contents on your computer/mobile device.
Are there any system requirements to view the Class video content?
Your Class video content is best when viewed on a computer manufactured in the past couple of years with a good broadband Internet connection (not dialup). We also highly recommend using the latest version of Firefox, Safari, or Chrome as your Internet Browser, though recent versions of Internet Explorer will work as well. The recommended screen resolution is 1024 x 768 or larger.
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Can I get a refund if I don’t like the Class?
Because you’ll have full access to all the materials and content that is presented in the Class immediately, we can’t offer a refund after purchase. Please review the Class Preview video and the various written descriptions of the Class and each Session before you purchase, so you have a good understanding of the Class content.
How do I contact OPG Academy?
If your question is about the Class content, please use the Contact Us Link – and you'll receive feedback from the Class Instructor. Even your fellow Class participants may jump in to offer tips and advice from their experience. If you have other questions or need help, you can email us at OPGsubscription@program-director.net or call us toll-free, at 1-855-231-0652. Service Representatives will be available Monday-Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Central time, excluding normal holidays.
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