Portrait Photography Course — For DofE Award Participants
Portrait photography that counts towards your DofE Award
Eighteen modules on people, light, posing and editing — at a DofE-discounted price. Ten tutor-assessed assignments with personal, written feedback. Eligible as the Skills section for Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. We submit your Assessor's Report directly to your eDofE account when you complete the course — usually within 72 hours.
Taught by Stephen Walton, Head Tutor & AAP Manager★★★★★ 4.9 from 100,000+ members
Eligible for Bronze, Silver & Gold·Assessor Report to eDofE·CPD-certified certificate
Photograph by Jessica Nightingale, iPhotography Member
18modules100k+members4.9★rated
100,000+photographers taught
Since 201214 years teaching
4.9★average member rating
18modules in the course
For lifeof your account
What you'll be able to do
From "they never smile properly in photos" to portraits people thank you for.
Most people freeze in front of a camera. The job of a good portrait photographer is to take that away — with the light, the pose, the conversation, and the timing. That's what you'll learn here.
Photograph anyone, anywhere.
A window-lit family at home. A planned shoot in a park. A pet on the rug. The same handful of principles, applied to whoever's in front of you.
Pose people without making them look posed.
Stop worrying about awkward hands and stiff smiles. The small cues that get partners, kids, grandparents and clients looking relaxed in seconds.
Use the light you've already got.
Window light, lamp light, a single off-camera flash. Read it, shape it, soften it. No studio required — though we'll cover that too.
Studio or on location — whichever suits you.
Where you photograph changes how you photograph. The trade-offs of both, so you choose with confidence rather than habit — and how to build a studio on a budget when you're ready.
Candid moments that still look like portraits.
Not every portrait is planned. Storytelling, timing and quiet observation — the lessons behind every photograph that makes someone say "that's exactly them."
Edit faces without making them plastic.
Skin retouching, colour, black-and-white conversions, clean-ups. Taught with restraint — so your portraits still look like the person, not a CGI version.
Inside the course
Eighteen modules, six phases — one thing taught at a time.
Each module covers one thing properly, in plain English. Open any phase below to see exactly what's covered.
01
Foundations of portrait photography
Find your way around any camera, then understand the three settings that decide how every portrait looks.
3 modules+
Introduction to Portrait Photography
Camera Basics
Shutter Speed, ISO & Aperture
02
Light, composition & setting
How to read light, place a subject, and use props or backgrounds to support the photograph instead of fighting it.
4 modules+
Basic Light
Props & Setting
Composition
Mastering Light & Shadow
03
Photographing the people closest to you
Family, partners, babies, children. The techniques that put anyone at ease — from setting up to that last shutter press.
4 modules+
Setting Up for Clients
Family Photography
Babies, Toddlers & Children Photography
Couples Photography
04
Pets, headshots & individuals
One-person portraits and the trickier subject of all — animals. Posing, patience, and the practical bits that make the difference.
2 modules+
Animal Photography
Headshots & Individual Photography
05
Creative direction & craft
Black & white, the working tricks of experienced portrait photographers, and the mistakes that catch people out.
3 modules+
Creative and Black & White
Professional Tricks & Techniques
Mistakes & Pitfalls of Portrait Photography
06
Editing your portraits
Skin retouching, colour, clean-ups and creative finishes — taught in Photoshop, with restraint as the rule.
2 modules+
Basic Portrait Editing
Advanced Portrait Editing
The course trailer
Watch a quick look at what's inside.
A short trailer giving an overview of the course — what you'll learn, who you'll learn from, and the kind of photographs members are making.
Your tutors
Real people. Real photographs. They'll know you by name.
The tutor who writes your assignment feedback is the same person whose photographs are on the page. Real photographers, replying to you in person — not a help desk.
Stephen Walton
Head Tutor & AAP Manager
Art-school trained, photographer since 2005. Over a decade managing a high-end portrait studio — more than 4.5 million portraits taken, from the general public to household-name celebrities. Now a freelance landscape and portrait photographer, with work published by Adobe Photoshop and multiple industry awards. As iPhotography's AAP Manager (Authorised Activity Provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award), Stephen oversees the Assessor's Reports submitted to your eDofE account.
The CameraSense method
Learn the way that suits you — not the way a textbook tells you to.
CameraSense is the teaching method behind the iPhotography Portrait Photography Course. The course is built around the way you take in information — whether that's listening, watching, reading or doing — so the lessons stick whichever way your brain prefers.
Four ways to learn the same craft. Mix them up, switch as the mood takes you, finish at your own pace.
Listen
Photography podcasts you can put on while you're out walking, driving or making a cuppa.
Watch
Video tutorials that show you the technique, the gear and the result — no skimming required.
Read
Course chapters and blog posts for the times you want to take it in at your own pace, on paper or on screen.
Do
Photo assignments to put what you've learned into practice — the only way it really sticks.
The Member's Photo Gallery
Share your work. Swap notes. Make friends.
The Member's Photo Gallery is where the club hangs out. Upload your shots, see what other members are working on, leave comments, take part in the Weekend Challenge. Tutors drop in regularly to comment on photographs that catch their eye.
1
Try the technique
After each module, head out and shoot. Bite-sized, doable, on your own subjects — not busywork.
2
Upload your photograph
Pop your best shot into the Member's Photo Gallery. Friendly, private to members, no public scroll.
3
See what the room thinks
Members comment on each other's work — honest, encouraging, sometimes brutally helpful. Tutors join in regularly too.
4
Pass it on
Comment on other members' work, ask questions, take part in the Weekend Challenge. This is where the friendships start.
Members' work
Photographs taken by people who started where you are.
Every photograph below was taken by a real member after taking the course. None of them set out to be professionals. All of them are now photographers.
You start with a thousand points the moment you join.
Every member at iPhotography has a points score and a rank badge. They're not gimmicks — they're how the club recognises the work you do, the modules you finish, and the help you give other members. Points can also be redeemed against exclusive training content inside the club.
+1,000
when you join the course
+500
when you complete the course
+30
for every module finished
+50
for every photo shared in the gallery
Distinguished5,000 pts
Established10,000 pts
Expert75,000 pts
Legendary300k+
Included free with the course
Three bonuses that go with the course.
Hand-picked extras that make the teaching stick longer. Yours the moment you join — no upsell, no fine print.
Your bonuses
Free
Bonus 01.
10 Tutor-Assessed Portrait Assignments
Ten hands-on portrait briefs across the course. Each one gets personal written feedback from an iPhotography tutor — and together they feed into the Assessor's Report we submit to your eDofE account on completion.
Free
Free
Bonus 02.
Member's Photo Gallery & Weekend Challenges
Share your photographs with the club, get personal tutor feedback, and join the Weekend Challenges — themed photo prompts every weekend with the rest of the members.
Free
Free
Bonus 03.
Media & Download Library
A growing library of training videos, eBooks, presets, cheat cards and reference guides — yours to download any time.
Free
What members say
Real reviews from real members.
Pulled verbatim from members who've taken our courses. We've left the typos in — that's how you know they're real.
★★★★★
"The course was so easy to follow. The tutors are friendly, knowledgeable and really helpful with feedback. I've gone from being scared of my camera to actually loving the time I spend with it."
TM
Tony Mills
Member · iPhotography
★★★★★
"I've tried a lot of online courses. This is the only one where a real person replied to my photographs. It changed how I shoot, but more importantly it changed how I look at things."
RH
Robin Hollamby
Member · iPhotography
★★★★★
"Best money I've spent on my hobby. The modules are clear, the feedback is genuine, and the gallery is the friendliest corner of the internet I've found."
SY
Simon Young
Member · iPhotography
★★★★★
"I was nervous about being the oldest one in the group. Turns out everyone here is welcoming, and the tutors don't talk down to anyone. I'm finally taking photographs I'm proud of."
DG
Debbie Gammie
Member · iPhotography
★★★★★
"Stephen's feedback on my landscape photograph was the most useful 200 words I've ever read about my photography. Worth the cost of the whole course on its own."
JG
John Gallagher
Member · iPhotography
★★★★★
"I took the course over a long winter. By the spring I was photographing things I'd walked past for thirty years and never noticed. That's the real gift."
AS
Audrey Schweikert
Member · iPhotography
The course, the bonuses, the Award — one payment
Everything you get when you join today.
The Portrait Photography Course for DofE — the full course at the DofE-discounted price, the bonuses, account access for as long as you keep it, and a thousand Community Points to start you off in the club.
18 modules (kept for as long as your account is active)
10 tutor-assessed assignments with personal, written feedback
Eligible for Bronze, Silver & Gold Awards as the Skills section
Assessor's Report submitted directly to your eDofE account on completion
Three bonuses — included free
iPose Photography eBook — included free on course completion
CPD-certified Course Completion certificate
1,000 Community Points on day one · 500 more when you finish
Rank badge that grows with you
30-day money-back guarantee
DofE Portrait Course
$139
One payment · for as long as your account is kept active
Pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal.
30
Day Guarantee
Try the course for 30 days. If it's not for you, we'll refund you in full.
We've been teaching photography since 2012. We know the course works — but you don't have to take our word for it. Join, take the first few modules, share a photo in the gallery, and if it doesn't click, email us within 30 days and we'll refund the lot. No hard feelings.
Common questions
The things people usually ask us first.
How does this work for my DofE Award?+
The course counts as the Skills section of any DofE Award level — Bronze, Silver or Gold. When you sign up, enter your eDofE ID and chosen Award level on the registration form. Work through the eighteen modules and ten tutor-assessed assignments at your own pace, share your photographs in the Member's Photo Gallery, and complete the course. We then email you your Assessor's Report and submit it directly to your eDofE account — usually within 72 hours. You keep lifetime access to the course material.
Can I use this for Bronze, Silver and Gold?+
Yes — all three. The course content is the same across every Award level; the difference is the time DofE asks you to put in for each level (three months for Bronze, six for Silver, twelve for Gold, depending on whether photography is your major or minor activity). You can take the course alongside other Skills activities or as a standalone — you decide when you've put in enough time to claim completion.
How long do I have access to the course?+
For as long as your account is kept active. No expiry, no resubscription, no "course access window". The modules, the gallery, the bonuses, and the certificate stay with you.
When do I get tutor feedback?+
On every assignment you submit. The ten tutor-assessed assignments built into the course each come with personal, written feedback from an iPhotography tutor — specific, signed, and yours. Most replies arrive within a few working days, and the feedback feeds directly into your DofE Assessor's Report at the end.
Inside the wider Member's Photo Gallery you can also share other work and join in the conversation. Tutors drop in often, members swap honest comments and advice, and PLUS+ members get priority and enhanced tutor feedback on their gallery uploads as part of their subscription.
What are Community Points and rank badges?+
They're how the club recognises your activity over time. You start with 1,000 Community Points the moment you join, earn 30 for every module you finish, 50 for every photograph you share, and 500 when you complete the course. As your points grow, your rank badge changes — from Regular through to Legendary.
Can I get a refund if it's not for me?+
Yes. Email us within 30 days of joining and we'll refund the course in full. No quiz, no hoops — just reply to your welcome email and let us know.
Is the certificate worth anything?+
The Course Completion certificate is CPD-certified, which is recognised across the UK for continuing professional development. For most members it's a quiet bit of pride rather than a career credential — but it carries genuine weight if you want it to.
Come and learn with us.
The world's friendliest photography club has a place set for you. Join today, take your first module tonight, share your first photograph by the weekend.
Distinguished
5,000 pts
Established
10,000 pts
Expert
75,000 pts
Legendary
300k+