• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • ☕ Support
  • ✉ Contact
    • Contact Me
    • Request Product Review
    • Work With Me
    • Submit Guest Post
  • Blog Archives
Nutty Hiker Adventures Logo

Nutty Hiker Adventures

Hike Every Hike Like It Is Your Last

  • Hiking >>
    • Hiking Articles
    • Hiking 101 >
      • 10 Essentials of Hiking
      • Types of Hikes
      • Trail Etiquette
      • Hiking Terms & Jargon
      • Hiking First Aid Kit
      • What to Bring On Every Hike
      • Pre Thru-Hike Checklist
      • Hacks to Lighten Your Backpack Weight
      • How to Avoid Norovirus While Backpacking
      • Choosing a Sleeping Bag Liner
      • How to Poop in the Woods
      • Gift Guide for Hikers
      • Books for Hikers & Backpackers
      • Movies About Hiking
      • Subscription Boxes for Hikers
      • Thru-Hiking Trails Bucket List – USA Edition
      • Your Hiking Questions Answered
    • Long Trails >
      • Appalachian Trail
      • Lone Star Hiking Trail
    • Rails To Trails >
      • Greenbrier River Trail
    • Gear Reviews
    • Ask Nutty Hiker
  • Camping + RVing >>
    • Camping Articles
    • RVing Articles
    • Camping & RV Gear Reviews
  • Survival >>
    • Survival Articles
    • Survival Gear Reviews
  • Destinations >>
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • State Highpoints
    • National Parks & Forests >
      • Black Hills National Forest
      • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Idaho
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Maryland
    • Nevada
    • New Mexico
    • North Dakota
    • Pennsylvania
    • South Dakota
      • Black Hills National Forest
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
      • North Texas
      • Central Texas
        • San Antonio
      • East Texas
      • South Texas
      • West Texas
      • Texas State Parks
      • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    • Utah
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
  • Road Trips >>
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • Road Trip Ideas
  • News >>
    • Outdoor News
    • Interviews
  • Video’s
  • Photography >>
    • Latest Work
    • Photography Gear Reviews
    • Portrait Portfolio
  • ✎ Logbook >>
    • My Daily Antics
    • Ask Nutty Hiker
  • Blogger / Vlogger Directory >>
    • >> Add Your Info <<
    • Appalachian Trail Directory
    • Continental Divide Trail Directory
    • Pacific Crest Trail Directory
  • Resources >>
    • Recommendations
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • Hiking Essentials Checklist
    • Morse Code Converter || Send a Message in Morse Code
    • Military Time Converter
    • Message Encryption & Decryption
    • Message Transformer
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Photography / Level Up Your Photography with CreativeLive Classes

Level Up Your Photography with CreativeLive Classes

Posted March 30, 2017 / Last Updated December 11, 2017 Tags: Ad

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by CreativeLive, however, all opinions expressed in my post are my own. I received the product mentioned in this post for free from CreativeLive. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Most of you remember when I decided to give up portrait photography and go back to my original love of landscape and nature photography with the hopes of one day making it big and having my photographs showcased in art galleries and throughout people’s homes.

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about a photography challenge called Level Up Your Photography by taking a CreativeLive class. As part of my personal challenge, I took the Nature and Landscape Photography Class in order to take my landscape photography to the next level.

My Issues Before Taking the CreativeLive Class

While my first love has always been nature and landscape photography, I also found it very challenging. Some of the issues I had before taking the Nature and Landscape Photography Class were:

  1. What lens or lenses should I be using? This was a major deal for me as I have several different lenses and really wanted to rid myself of the unnecessary ones that I may never use. Of course, I also wanted to cut down on weight in my pack and how much equipment I take with me.
  2. How and when to use filters. This has always been a tricky thing for me, mostly because while I understood their purpose I never really figured out how or when I should use them.
  3. How to shoot a landscape with a bright sky but a darker land area. This one has always been a mystery to me (somewhat). This is where the use of filters comes in. Let’s just say I had an a-ha moment during the class.
  4. Why do my forest pictures always look weird? I hike a lot and love shooting when I am in the “woods” or forests. But, the pictures never came out how I planned or how I saw them with my eye. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong until I took this class!

What the CreativeLive Class Taught Me

First, let me start off by saying that I have been a CreativeLive junkie for years. This is not the first class that I have taken with them and will not be my last.

I learned so much from taking the Nature and Landscape Photography Class. All of the issues I had before taking the class were answered and I am now able to use those lessons out in the field.

While I have not had the chance to buy the filters I need (I will be buying them next week, so look for future blog posts about that) I was able to use my polarizing filter that has been sitting in my bag for about two years now!

I used it to photograph a waterfall area at a popular state park. The polarizing filter allowed me to remove glare from the water for a more natural look. It also came in very useful for photographing the river directly behind me.

CreativeLive Classes taught me how to get the entire frame into focus
I took the opportunity to not only use my polarizing filter but also using what I learned about depth of field in order to get the entire frame into focus.

A huge thank you to my husband who not only hiked out there with me (and it was a difficult hike) but also got some shots of me in action using what I learned in the class.

Husband caught me taking pictures out on the trail

I also learned that sometimes getting the right shot means getting your feet wet!

Getting my feet wet in order to get the shot I wanted
Unfortunately, I only had my monopod as my tripod head was MIA that morning which meant I couldn’t use it. The biggest thing I learned: YOU NEED A TRIPOD!

Before & After CreativeLive Classes

I thought I would show you some before and after shots. The before shots are before I took the class and the after shots, of course, are after taking the class using what I learned. I obviously still need to practice more, however, I am much more comfortable out in the field. I also feel much more at ease about what equipment I need and when I should use it.

BEFORE

Before the CreativeLive Class
A picture of a waterfall I took about a month before taking the CreativeLive class. Notice that I have “frozen” the water in place instead of showing the movement due to my shutter speed being too high.

AFTER

After taking the CreativeLive Class.
I used this opportunity to use what I learned in the class to slow the flow of water. Unfortunately, my tripod was MIA so I was unable to slow the shutter speed down as much as I would have liked in order to make the waterfall more “dreamy”.
Cactus flower
This was another attempt at using what I learned about depth of field and focusing in order to get the three flowers as well as the immediate foreground and immediate background in focus.

My Overall Thoughts

I love CreativeLive and have used them for years to learn not only about the fundamentals of photography but also the more in-depth areas of photography, from posing to sales and marketing.

What I really love is that CreativeLive is more than just photography. They also host crafting classes, business classes, and so many more genres! There really is something for everyone.

About CreativeLive

CreativeLive offers more than 1,500 classes across a variety of topics. Originally founded in 2010, CreativeLive offers lived-streamed courses for free that anyone in the world can watch and copies of the courses are available for purchase at any time.

You are also able to view a calendar of upcoming live courses so you can RSVP to them. By doing so, you will receive a reminder email (which I absolutely love, since I tend to forget!)

20% Off Your First CreativeLive Class

Don’t forget that you can get 20% off your first CreativeLive class by entering code ISHARE20 upon checkout. Check out all the photography classes CreativeLive has to offer by visiting their Photography Class page!

Which one will you sign up for? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. ThePittStops says

    April 5, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    I really enjoyed your post. Not all people realize how difficult taking a good photo can really be! It is a very involved process!

    Reply
  2. Deanna says

    April 5, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    I’m going to let my son know about this. He is an amazing photographer. He also prefers taking landscape photos.

    Reply
  3. Shira Halperin says

    April 6, 2017 at 7:11 am

    Thank you for sharing this. It’s really helpful actually

    Reply
  4. xxxgingerpawsoutdoorsxxx says

    April 6, 2017 at 7:44 am

    Wow, I also had a class in CreativeLive last year. I took travel photography and it helped me a lot. I will check on them for new classes. Thanks for reminding me again about it.

    Reply
  5. Kristy Charnock says

    April 6, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    I’m always looking to level up my skills! Thank you for this

    Reply
  6. Wanderlust Vegans says

    April 6, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    Sounds like a really good for class. I have been looking to up my photography skills.

    Reply
  7. Alicia Taylor at Taylorlife.com says

    April 6, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    I’m going to check it out. If they have some food photography classes, I may have to sign up.

    Reply
  8. Heather Pfingsten says

    April 6, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    Photography is my number one priority right now. Beautiful pictures allow us to say a thousand words without typing a single one.

    Reply
  9. Sondra Barker says

    April 7, 2017 at 12:41 am

    These are some incredible pictures! I think I’ll apply some of these tips for my skills.

    Reply
  10. themomnoms says

    April 6, 2017 at 8:35 pm

    These classes look like they would be so useful to me. I am trying to become a better photographer and I have found you can’t learn enough.

    Reply
  11. Shirley says

    April 6, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    I love the post and you are an amazing photographer. I love the pics, they are unique and i like the way you have captured them.

    Reply
  12. toastycritic says

    April 6, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    That’s great that you learned so much. I could really use getting a camera myself for taking pictures for my blog. I have to say that the picture with the flowers was awesome. Such vibrant colors.

    Reply
  13. Payastyle says

    April 7, 2017 at 4:41 am

    this class sounds great!

    Reply
  14. Sondra Barker says

    April 7, 2017 at 12:06 am

    This is some creative ideas. I’m glad to see your skill continues to grow. Great post!

    Reply
  15. Chelsea Parker says

    April 7, 2017 at 5:12 am

    So cool. Love improving my photography skills!!

    Reply
  16. Heather Botteron O'Cain says

    April 7, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    I am always looking to improve!

    Reply
  17. Rosalynn Wils says

    April 8, 2017 at 3:04 am

    I’d really love to up my photography skills

    Reply
  18. Krista Bel says

    April 7, 2017 at 11:19 pm

    It’s really obvious how much you improved. You didn’t even have to write anything

    Reply
  19. elizabethbrico says

    April 7, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    Wow, it’s great that you were able to get so many questions answered and learn so much just from the one class. I love the “after” waterfall pic

    Reply
  20. Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says

    April 9, 2017 at 2:46 am

    I would love to take my photography to a higher level and take a class. I’m so glad to find out about CreativeLive classes.

    Reply
  21. Caitlin Taylor says

    April 10, 2017 at 6:45 am

    What an awesome idea for a class!

    Reply
  22. Angela Milnes says

    April 14, 2017 at 3:00 am

    What a good ideas I want to increase my skill in photography and learn more about creativity.

    Reply
  23. Ashlea says

    April 27, 2017 at 12:13 am

    I will have to look for their live stream classes. I really need to up my photography game.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

NEXT ADVENTURE BEGINS

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL

LATEST ADVENTURE

Kentucky Destinations

Black Mountain – Kentucky High Point

October 2, 2023 0

Recent Posts

  • Black Mountain – Kentucky High Point
  • Bluetti EB3A Power Station Review
  • Bodega Electric Camping Cooler Review
  • Greenbrier River Trail Hike Announcement
  • Easylonger ES720 Backpacking CPAP Battery
  • Acebeam H16 Headlamp / Flashlight Review
  • Smokey Bear Historical Park & Gravesite
  • Visiting the Very Large Array
  • Trekroll: The All in One Camp Bed Solution (Review)
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Footer

FOLLOW

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed
  • Amazon

SUPPORT =)

This blog is my full-time job. I rely heavily on support from my readers. If you would like to help offset the cost of running this blog and my nutty adventures so I can continue to bring you travel & outdoor adventures, please feel free to donate =)
Donate to Nutty Hiker

DISCLOSURE

Per the FTC, This website contains affiliate links, advertisements, and sponsored posts. For reviews, I was provided with a complimentary copy of the item unless otherwise stated. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the amazon links located on my website. Read my full policy here.

AWARDS/ASSOCIATIONS

OWAA Member Logo Best Outdoor Blogs

Copyright © 2023 — Nutty Hiker Advenures | Bridget Carlson • All rights reserved.
The links on this website are solely for the convenience of our visitors. Nutty Hiker does not endorse, operate, or control external websites.
Terms of Use • Privacy Policy• Disclosure• Contest Rules