23 Serious Photography YouTube Channels That Actually Teach (By Category)
Every week, someone asks me:
“I’m tired of flashy thumbnails and gimmicks. Which photography YouTube channels actually teach and help me improve?”
So I went through my own subscriptions, notes, and watch history and pulled together the channels I keep coming back to.
None of these is sponsored.
They’re channels I either watch myself or regularly recommend in Photocultivator, alongside written guides like the Ultimate Photography Guide for Beginners and my composition deep dive in Powerful Composition Techniques for Photography.
I grouped everything by genre so you can jump straight to what you need right now.
Best Serious Photography YouTube Channels By Category
General photography & creative thinking
Sean Tucker
Alex Kilbee (The Photographic Eye)
Jamie Windsor
James Popsys
Ted Forbes (The Art of Photography)
If you want structured practice alongside these channels, pair them with the drills in 14 Essential Tips To Master Your Photography and the book list inside Best Photography Courses & Books For Beginners.
Landscape, travel & fieldwork
Thomas Heaton
Nigel Danson
Mads Peter Iversen
Steve O’Nions
Henry Turner
Their lessons click faster when you echo the gear and settings advice in the Landscape Camera Bundle Guide and then take them into the field with ideas from Travel Photography Tips and Telephoto Landscape Photography.
Wildlife & technical mastery
Simon d’Entremont
Morten Hilmer
Steve Perry
Dani Connor Wild
As you watch, it helps to have a setup in mind using the Nature & Wildlife Camera Guide and support options from Best Tripod Gimbal Head for Wildlife Photography.
Street, documentary & composition focused
Eren Sarigul
Frederik Trovatten
Rupert Vandervell
Teo Crawford
If street work feels intimidating, combine these channels with my practical guide on overcoming the fear of street photography and the camera picks in Top Street Photography Cameras.
Women photographers worth following
Tatiana Hopper
Courtney Victoria
Lucy Lumen
Irene Rudnyk
Jessica Kobeissi
Their references land more clearly if you already know some background, so I often suggest skimming Most Famous Photographers in History before you sit down with their videos.
Macro & niche craft
NatureFold
Daniel Aucoin
You can turn their tips into sharp close-ups by following the focusing routines in Macro Photography: Fix Blurry Close Ups (MFD Guide) and the creative setups from Miniature Photography Tips & Recommendations.
These channels care about craft, intention and long-term growth instead of quick tricks that vanish from your brain in a week.
1. What Are The Best YouTube Channels For General Photography And Creative Thinking?
This is where I point people who search for “serious photography education,” “why my photos feel flat,” or “how to think like a photographer.”
They line up nicely with the mindset work in Thought Process Before Clicking.
Sean Tucker
Best for: Creative mindset, visual philosophy, long-term motivation.
Teaching style: Calm and reflective, centred on the inner life of a photographer and the meaning behind images.
What you learn: How to connect technique to purpose so your work feels intentional, not accidental.
Alex Kilbee – The Photographic Eye
Best for: Understanding why images work and how to see better.
Teaching style: Clear, structured lessons that use simple language and concrete examples.
What you learn: Composition, visual storytelling and how to enjoy photography again when you feel stuck or burnt out.
Jamie Windsor
Best for: Intermediate photographers who want their work to feel more deliberate.
Teaching style: Analytical but accessible, with strong breakdowns of what strengthens or weakens a frame.
What you learn: How to make photographs look intentional through choices in framing, color and story.
James Popsys
Best for: General photography, field decision making, balancing fun with craft.
Teaching style: Relaxed and self aware, focused on real-world shooting instead of studio theory.
What you learn: How to build your own style, make the most of ordinary locations and stay playful while still improving.
Ted Forbes – The Art of Photography
Best for: Photography history, artist studies and visual literacy.
Teaching style: Thoughtful and structured, often built around books, prints and long-term projects rather than gear.
What you learn: How great photographers think, the context behind iconic images and how to build a practice that grows over years. The history lessons sink in even more if you have Most Famous Photographers in History fresh in your mind.
2. What Are The Best YouTube Channels For Landscape And Travel Photography?
Think of this group as companions for search terms like “serious landscape photography channels,” “how to shoot better outdoor photos,” and “non-gimmicky travel photography YouTube.”
They sit comfortably next to field guides such as Travel Photography Tips and Capturing Sunset Photography Tips.
Thomas Heaton
Best for: Realistic landscape photography, including failures and near misses.
Teaching style: Calm and methodical, showing full shoots from planning to final image.
What you learn: Patience, scouting and composition in conditions that are not always perfect.
Nigel Danson
Best for: Structured, step-by-step landscape lessons.
Teaching style: Clear breakdowns of light, composition and location choice.
What you learn: How to plan shots, react to changing light and simplify a busy scene into a strong frame. The approach lines up nicely with focal length choices in Telephoto Landscape Photography.
Mads Peter Iversen
Best for: Composition and practical fieldwork without hype.
Teaching style: Direct and focused on what works in real locations, not only the most dramatic ones.
What you learn: How to read a landscape, use leading lines and refine familiar locations instead of waiting for rare conditions.
Steve O’Nions
Best for: Landscape with emotional depth and reflection.
Teaching style: Honest and introspective, often weaving thoughts about place and meaning into his trips.
What you learn: How to think about mood, atmosphere and your connection to a scene before you press the shutter.
Henry Turner
Best for: Practical outdoor shooting in relatable locations.
Teaching style: Straightforward, with strong emphasis on repetition and consistency.
What you learn: How to refine your field process so you come home with good images more often, not just once in a while. It pairs well with a ready-to-go kit based on the Landscape Camera Bundle Guide.
3. Which YouTube Channels Are Best For Wildlife Photography And Technical Skills?
Here we are in the “how do I get sharp birds and fast animals” part of YouTube.
These channels answer people searches like “best wildlife photography YouTube,” “autofocus for birds,” and “technical photography tutorials without hype.”
For gear, I usually point readers to the Nature & Wildlife Camera Guide alongside Best Cameras & Lenses for Safari.
Simon d’Entremont
Best for: Technical clarity and camera operation in real wildlife scenarios.
Teaching style: Precise and structured, focused on making camera settings feel intuitive.
What you learn: How to master autofocus modes, tracking, exposure and reaction speed when animals move unpredictably.
Morten Hilmer
Best for: Immersive, slow-paced wildlife experiences.
Teaching style: Quiet and atmospheric, mixing storytelling with technique.
What you learn: Patience, field ethics and how to work with nature instead of forcing results.
Steve Perry
Best for: Deep technical breakdowns, especially for sharpness and autofocus.
Teaching style: Practical, example-driven explanations with clear reasons behind every setting.
What you learn: How to configure your camera for birds, mammals and fast action so you lose fewer shots to missed focus. A good support system from Best Tripod Gimbal Head for Wildlife Photography completes the setup.
Dani Connor Wild
Best for: Story-driven wildlife content with an approachable tone.
Teaching style: Warm and narrative, often centred on specific animals or locations.
What you learn: How storytelling turns wildlife images into memorable projects instead of a folder of random frames.
4. What Are The Best Street, Documentary And Composition Focused YouTube Channels?
These channels speak directly to people searching for “serious street photography YouTube channels,” “learn composition not gear,” and “quiet street photography vlog.”
Many readers work through them alongside my guide on overcoming the fear of street photography and camera suggestions in Top Street Photography Cameras.
Eren Sarigul
Best for: Night street photography and urban atmosphere.
Teaching style: Visual and practical, often filming complete walks through city streets.
What you learn: How to work with artificial light, weather and crowds without losing control of your frame.
Frederik Trovatten
Best for: Composition-focused street photography.
Teaching style: Simple, direct explanations that emphasize shapes, lines and timing.
What you learn: How to organise a chaotic scene, read the environment and anticipate moments.
Rupert Vandervell
Best for: Minimalist, graphic street work.
Teaching style: Strong focus on geometry, light and clean scenes.
What you learn: Visual discipline, negative space and the strength of simple compositions.
Teo Crawford
Best for: Hybrid film and digital projects with a cinematic tone.
Teaching style: Artistic and narrative, yet still grounded in practical shooting.
What you learn: How to combine motion, sound and stills into a cohesive visual story, similar to the project-driven approach in my Neil Milton street photography interview.
5. Which Women Photography YouTubers Offer Serious, High-Value Education?
I am often asked for “women photography YouTubers who actually teach.”
These channels are my usual answer.
If you like building context around what you watch, you might enjoy pairing them with Most Famous Photographers in History and the book notes in Accidentally Wes Anderson: Photography Book Review.
Tatiana Hopper
Best for: Photography history, visual culture and deep context.
Teaching style: Essay-style videos that explore movements, iconic photographers and modern lessons from them.
What you learn: How to place your work within a wider photographic tradition and think past gear debates.
Courtney Victoria
Best for: Macro and landscape with a calm pace.
Teaching style: Gentle, step-by-step explanations that are easy to follow.
What you learn: How to see small details in nature, control depth of field and compose intimate scenes. The exercises in the Macro Photography MFD Guide pair well with her approach.
Lucy Lumen
Best for: Film photography, creative blocks and style exploration.
Teaching style: Honest and conversational, rooted in real-world struggles.
What you learn: How to build a personal style, work through creative slumps and enjoy the process again.
Irene Rudnyk
Best for: Portrait and fine-art style images with natural light.
Teaching style: Clear direction, practical posing and simple lighting setups.
What you learn: How to pose people, control background and light and create soft, painterly portraits. If you shoot in controlled spaces, the setups in the White Backdrop Portrait Photography Guide give you a good starting point.
Jessica Kobeissi
Best for: Fashion and editorial-style portraits.
Teaching style: High-energy but technique-centred, often with live shoots and critiques.
What you learn: How to move quickly on set, experiment with angles and guide models with confidence.
6. What Are The Best YouTube Channels For Macro And Niche Photography?
Here is where we move closer: insects, textures, tiny objects and small scenes.
These channels are perfect companions for searches like “macro photography YouTube,” “learn macro lighting,” or “how to photograph small subjects.”
They become far more practical when you combine them with Macro Photography: Fix Blurry Close Ups and the creative setups in Miniature Photography Tips & Recommendations.
NatureFold
Best for: Beginners and intermediate macro photographers.
Teaching style: Calm, straightforward and filmed in real outdoor environments.
What you learn: How to find subjects, stabilise your setup and control focus when working extremely close.
Daniel Aucoin
Best for: Detailed macro technique and fine control.
Teaching style: Instructional and precise, focused on solving practical problems.
What you learn: Depth-of-field management, lighting at high magnification and how to bring out texture and form.
7. How To Use These Channels To Actually Improve Your Photography
Lists are nice, but progress comes from doing something with them.
Here is a simple plan I recommend to Photocultivator readers.
Pick one category that matches your current goal.
For example, combine landscape channels with gear choices from the Landscape Camera Bundle Guide, or mix wildlife channels with the setups in the Nature & Wildlife Camera Guide.Choose one or two channels from that category and follow them for at least 30 days.
More channels usually means more comparison and less shooting.After each video, apply one concrete idea the next time you shoot.
You might try:A new composition pattern inspired by Powerful Composition Techniques for Photography
A different way of using light based on Low Light Photography Tips
A technical setting you have been avoiding
Review your results once a week.
Look at what improved, what still feels off and which teacher’s way of thinking makes the most sense to you. Premium readers get extra prompts and shot-lists aligned with each category, so you always know what to practise next.
Key Takeaway
Photography grows fastest when you learn from people who teach with patience, clarity and real field experience.
Every channel in this list fits that description, and when you combine them with my guides in the Photocultivator archive, you get a clear path from casual viewer to deliberate photographer.
—Hakan | Founder, PhotoCultivator.com