Whether you want to get inspired to take photos or learn about the history of the field, there are loads of lectures out there that can let you sit back, watch, and expand your photography knowledge. Here are 50 such lectures that will help you learn about photography basics, famous photographers, photojournalism and much more to get your creative juices flowing and help you hone your craft.
General
These lectures cover a wide range of topics from an introductory lecture on photo basics to exploring the growing popularity of collecting photographic works.
- David Griffen on How Photography Connects Us: Watch this lecture to see how powerful images make the world a more connected, united place.
- Alison Jackson looks at celebrity: This lecture takes a look at how photographs of celebrities capture what we secretly want to see them doing.
- Sensing Place: Photography as Inquiry: In this MIT collection of lectures, you’ll get to take a look at how photography can be used to investigate places and landscapes, among other topics.
- Introduction to Photography: If you want to take it back to the basics, this lecture will give you a great foundational overview of the field.
- Photography in the Street and Studio: Get some tips on how to take great photographs, no matter where you are in this lecture.
- Picturing People: Photography in the MoMA Collection: If you’ve never gotten the chance to explore the photography collections of MoMA in person, this lecture will let you see a sneak peak right from your home.
- Documentary Photography and Social Change: Take a look at the the real and lasting effects that great documentary photography can have on history through this lecture.
- Photography: Inspired Collecting: In this lecture, you’ll learn about the rise in popularity of collection photography and what that may mean for the field.
Photographers
In these lectures you’ll hear from photographers, both well-known and more obscure, giving you a chance to learn about their methods, creative inspirations and more.
- Miru Kim’s underground art: In this lecture, photographer Miru Kim explains her images of the industrial ruins of New York and the places that lurk just below the surface.
- Jeff Wall Talks about His Work: Perhaps one of the best known modern photographers, Jeff Walls gives a talk at MoMA about his work.
- Photography of Christopher Bucklow: Watch this lecture from the Forum Network to hear this photographer talk about his well-known pinhole silhouettes.
- Love and Rockets: The Photography of Laura Noel: Here you can see Laura Noel talk about her most recent work as well as earlier parts of her photographic career.
- Saul Leiter: Life Lessons: Learn how this one-time painter made the switch to photography and how he sees the world around him.
- Vik Muniz: A Primer: While not all of Muniz’s work is traditional photography, in this lecture you can learn how he plays with the medium and elements of perception.
- Jackie Nickerson: Faith: Check out this lecture to learn about a photographer who went from taking high fashion snaps to sensitive, moving portraits.
- Miranda Lichtenstein: Photographs: If you have an interest in more conceptual photography, you’ll appreciate this lecture from non-traditional photographer Lichtenstein.
- Michael Thompson: Images: Take a look at advertising and fashion photography through the work presented in this lecture.
- Joan Fontcubera: Photo Fictions: In this lecture you’ll hear about the work of this Spanish photographer.
Creativity
Help give yourself the creative rush you need to take truly great photographs by listening to these lectures about the photographic process.
- Rob Forbes on ways of seeing: In this lecture you’ll hear from Rob Forbes of Design Within Reach as he shows a collection of photographs that shape his way of seeing the world, and that may expand the way you see the things around you as well.
- Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity: Often, we expect the impossible from those with extreme talents and gifts, but Elizabeth Gilbert explains in this lecture how there is genius in all of us.
- Creative Method: Edward Steichen on Photography: Steichen is one of the most well-known photographers in history, and in this collection of archival recordings you can hear what drove his creative process.
- The Creative Personality: Here, mathematician Jacob Bronowski discusses how to locate and understand the qualities that make someone creative.
- Conditions for Creative Work: Rudolf Arnheim, Margaret Mead and Milton Nahm talk about how you can optimize the conditions that are conducive to creative work.
Photojournalism
The photographs and photographers in these lectures are involved in documenting the history, social changes, and lives of people around the world.
- James Nachtwey’s searing photos of war: Watch this video to see the photos that helped this photographer win the 2007 TED award and hear his mission to keep taking the best photographs he can.
- Kristen Ashburn’s photos of AIDS: In this lecture you’ll see stunning documentary photographs on the impact of AIDS in Africa.
- Taryn Simon photographs secret sites: These photographs will reveal places and and people that are often hidden and removed from the eye, including photos of men who were convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.
- James Nachtwey fights XDR-TB: Watch this video to see photographs of the impact of a drug resistant strain of tuberculosis and the man who is fighting the medical crisis.
- Paul Koontz shares his pix of North Korea: Here you’ll find pictures from this man’s trip inside North Korea, a place few outsiders get the chance to photograph.
- White House Photographers: This video will let you get to know some of the photographers that have worked closely with past and present presidents taking photos in the White House.
- David Burnett: Iran Revolution: Check out this lecture to hear about the work of Burnett, photographer for big names like Time and Life, and his work documenting the tumultuous years of the Iranian Revolution.
- The End of Polio: With many of his photographs representing humanitarian efforts, here you can learn about the efforts to end polio around the world through these photos.
- Far from Zion: Take a look at Jewish culture and history through the photos presented in this lecture.
- Sze Tsung Leong: History Images: In the work of Leong, you’ll see how he documents the history of Chinese cities that are disappearing in the wake of modern expansion.
- Ken Burns and Scout Tufankjian: Documenting History: Watch this lecture to hear how documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and photojournalist Scout Tufankijan use their media to document important events.
Technology
Watch these lectures to see the impact of new technology on how we record life and how technology has impacted photography.
- Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos Photosynth: Check out this video to see the how the latest technology may be changing how we see and organize digital images.
- The City of Sardis: Approaches in Graphic Recording: In this lecture you can see how technology has changed how we understand the past, from old illustrations to modern photography and digital images.
- Time Frame: The photographs presented in this lecture explore not only portrait photography but the impact of new technology on the lives of those people.
- The Virtual Life of Photography: Use this lecture to take a look at how new media is changing the life of photographs.
Environment
In these lectures you’ll see amazing photographs from some of Earth’s most fragile places.
- Edward Burtynsky photographs the landscape of oil: The photos in this collection will document the progress of oil from the pipeline to your gas pump.
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand captures fragile Earth in wide-angle: See stunning images of earth from the air in this series from photographer and activist Arthus-Bertrand.
- James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss: Think global warming isn’t a reality? These photographs may convince you otherwise.
- Frans Lanting’s lyrical nature photos: Here you can see a series of photos that capture the story of Earth, from its tumultuous beginnings onward.
- Edward Burtynsky on manufactured landscapes: Take a look at these landscape photos that show humanity’s impact on the environment and the world at large.
Photographic History
Take some time to watch these lectures to explore the history of photography–a medium combining elements of traditional art with the tools of modern technology.
- Vintage Photographic Portraiture at the Boston Athenaeum: Here you’ll get a chance to learn more broadly about tintypes, daguerreotypes, and cartes de visite and more specifically about the collection of these images held at the Boston Athenaeum.
- Street Photography: Listen to this lecture to learn about street photography and the role it played in the Vietnam Era.
- Alfred Stieglitz’s Photography of Georgia O’Keefe: In this lecture, you’ll learn not only about the famous painter but the photographer who took pictures of her and made a big impact on the history of photography.
- Two Women on Great Women of Photography: Use this video as a chance to learn about some of the biggest female names in the history of photography.
- Prized Photographs: The Harry Callahan Archive: Take the time to listen to this lecture to see some of the numerous negatives, prints and other photographic memorabilia from the The Harry Callahan Archive at the Center for Creative Photography.
- The Printed Picture and the History of Photography: Get a great look at the history of photography through this free iTunesU lecture from Yale.
- Why the Spanish Inquisition Was Good for Photography: This lecture from Coventry will surprise you with one of the unexpected results of the Spanish Inquisition.
