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| Christina Handley's Belgian photos were featured in the December 2008 issue of Horse Illustrated. |
Equine photographer Christina Handley has launched an online photography school with Virginia native Laura Cotterman at
www.learntotakephotos.com. The online photography courses are targeted for equine and outdoor photographers, two subjects that the pair knows very well.
“The world of photography is rapidly changing. All of a sudden it seemed like everyone had a digital camera!” says Handley. It didn’t take Handley long to realize that she could turn her talents to teaching enthusiastic photographers to take beautiful photos of horses.
A professional horse photographer since 1996, Handley has seen her career progress through event photography to editorial and commercial work and now making the logical next step in the progression to teaching. 2008 was a big year for Handley and Cotterman with over 40 consumer magazine and advertising catalog covers to their credit.
The icing on the cake was the Horse Illustrated December 2008 issue featuring the Belgian Draft horse breed. Handley’s photos graced the cover, centerfold and breed feature article. “It was a big achievement for me to see a body of my work in print like that in Horse Illustrated,” says Handley. “Horse Illustrated does a beautiful job. The photos looked fantastic.”
That big name recognition among horse lovers is paying off. The online photography courses are proving very popular. For example, the short course in winter snow photography has attracted dozens of students from all over the US and Canada.
The online photography course consists of a written lesson with lots of examples and a photography assignment. Students upload their photos and receive helpful feedback and advice. There is a Q&A area where students can get advice and have a dialog with the teachers as they work on their assignment.
Plans for the future include adding other instructors and online courses. In addition to instructor taught courses the school will be offering on demand learning tools like tutorials, workshops and training in video and eBook formats.
Learn to Take Photos offers a free short course each month for new students. With ongoing enrollment students can join anytime. Upcoming courses include Digital Photography 101, Making Photo Collages, Winter & Snow Photography, The Business of Equine Event Photography and Silhouettes. The complete schedule is available on the website.
View Handley's work at www.christinahandleystock.com.