9 YouTube channels that will help you become a better photographer

YouTube is a rich source of free content for learning photography and videography. However, there are a lot of people jockeying for your screen time. To truly resonate with their audiences, content creators must find the right balance between educational and entertaining to keep us tuning in.

So who is creating the most valuable and actionable content?

To find out we went right to the source and asked our creative community to tell us who their go-to YouTubers are. We asked hundreds of visual creators to share their favourite channels and, in no particular order, here are their top 9 picks.

1. Evan Ranft

Follow Evan Ranft as he takes viewers on photo walks like the one we’ve included below. This one happens on a rainy day in Atlanta, Georgia. As he explains at the beginning of the video, he often goes out to shoot in the rain because he loves the colours and the vibe that this type of weather gives.

Check out his many tutorials as well for tips and tricks on how to use Photoshop to accomplish tasks such as taking a high-quality still from a video.

2. Mango Street

Mango Street is all about creating filmmaking and photography tutorials that don’t waste your time. They have tons of short videos offering tips and tricks that immediately get to the grain of the content.

Browse everything from tips for posing people who aren’t models to learning about common mistakes that beginner photographers make. They also post photo challenges, Lightroom and Photoshop editing tips, and so much more. If you’re looking for a wealth of photography information, you’ll find it here.

Check out their top 10 favourite shoots in this video.

3. The Bite Shot

Joanie Simon is all about teaching you to perfect your food photography skills. Watch her videos at The Bite Shot to learn about everything from which type of artificial lighting to use for flat lays to how to get those dark, mysterious food images. She even shows you how to get great food photography results using your phone!

Still struggling with the basics of photography? You can also check out her series of videos on shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, and more — all with a bent towards perfecting your food photography.

4. Peter McKinnon

Peter McKinnon is an energetic, edgy digital creator with a lot to say. He packs a lot of information into his engaging videos. Photographers and videographers alike can learn about camera gear, editing tips, and effects you can add to both still images and video content.

Check out his line of two-minute Tuesday videos for quick videos through which he shares tips, tricks, and advice. Or just geeks out about camera gear.

5. PiXImperfect

How many times have you been following an editing video but yours just isn’t turning out like the example?

Well, you weren’t watching a PiXImperfect video, we can tell you that. Unmesh Dinda, the host, does an excellent and thorough job of not only explaining every step for a particular edit but also why and how it relates to other things in Photoshop. This makes it easier to execute what you learn in each video and actually understand what you’re doing so you can use what you’ve learned for future editing projects.

6. Life of AIVAX

This whole family of digital creators gets in on the videos produced by the Life of AIVAX. This channel will help you learn how to create all sorts of creative and whimsical photographs in Photoshop.

To get an idea of how to create an entire image from the ground up by putting together different elements from different images, watch one of their speed edit videos like the one below. The video literally shows you the entire process but sped up so you can get the idea in a fraction of the time.

7. Use Your Noodles

Anja’s visual content centres around food photography and her vlogs offers plenty of resources for food photographers to grow their skills.

Ever wondered how to create those cool little splashes in drink photography? Find out in Anja’s Photoshop video!

8. Tin House Studio

Scott Choucino from Tin House Studio describes himself as a professional photographer and amateur YouTuber. In addition to editing tutorials, he also has a lot of videos simply offering advice. If you've been curious about topics such as - How do you price your photography work? How do you get new clients? What do you need to know about photo usage and licenses? You can find out in his videos.

9. Daniel Schiffer

Daniel Schiffer makes video commercials for brands. On his YouTube channel, he shares behind-the-scenes footage as well as explaining how he creates effects and his process for getting awesome video content. He is meticulous and pays painstaking attention to detail as he explains in this video about what makes his videos stand out.