payment plans from

$20 per week

AU 1300 001 703

NZ +64 98 886 451

Careers Collectiv Charcoal Exact 9024.pdf 1920 x 200

Professional Photography Certificate

Learn weddings, portraits, brand and product photography from Chris Mathisen – an award-nominated Melbourne photographer with 18 years behind the camera. He reviews your portfolio himself, and a mirrorless camera is included with your enrolment.

10001

Camera included

Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera

Switch course or refund

Mentored by Chris

1-on-1 marking

By a working photographer

IARC endorsed

International recognition

From $25/week

Interest free, no credit checks

3-day cooling off

Switch course or refund

Student Work

Shot by students who'd never used manual mode

Every image below was taken by someone who enroled with no professional experience.
This is the standard your final portfolio is marked against.

Gurmeet Sran

Gurmreet Sran - Mickelham VIC

Landscape

Justine Bayley

Justine Bailey - Medina WA

Submission of choice

Skye Dipple

Skye Dippel - Boyne Valley QLD

Photoshop Edit

Taylor Haynes

Tayler Haynes - Conder ACT

Photoshop Edit

Meet Your Tutor

Chris Mathisen

Melbourne Photographer · Weddings, Portraits & Brand · Award Finalist
Chris Mathisen is a Melbourne-based professional photographer specialising in weddings, portraits and commercial brand imagery. A finalist in the 2025 Mono Awards and Australia’s Emerging Photographer Awards, Chris brings real industry experience into every lesson. He personally reviews student portfolios and mentors each student through to their final shoot.

400+

weddings shot

2,100+

students mentored

18 yrs

in the industry

“If a shot isn’t working I’ll tell you why, and exactly what to do differently. That’s the part you can’t get from free videos.”
chris mathisen

Mirrorless Camera Included

Everything You Need to Get Started

Your enrolment includes a Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera with RF-S 18-45mm Lens  — a professional-grade starter camera valued at over $800. Everything you need to start shooting from day one, included in your course fee.

No hunting through marketplace listings. 

Already own a DSLR or mirrorless body? Talk to your Course Advisor about enrolling without the kit.
iarc logo

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

Recognised by the International Approval and Registration Centre

The IARC is a globally recognised non-profit organisation committed to quality in education – helping graduates gain employment worldwide. Our Professional Photography Certificate carries IARC recognition upon completion.

CERTIFICATE ISSUED

Industry Recognised

PAYMENT METHODS

Upfront & Payment Plans

ABN 52 642 492 895

Registered Australian business

REFUND POLICY

3-day cooling-off period

What You'll Learn

Career & Salary Outcomes

Freelance Photographer

Weddings, portraits, families and events - priced by package, not salary.

Brand & Product Photographer

Small business and e-commerce clients, retainer or per-shoot.

Employed Studio or In-House Role

Studio assistant, second shooter, or in-house content creator.

Your package price x jobs per month = your
monthly revenue

Module 8 covers exactly how to price, package and find clients. What you earn depends on your work, your market and how you price – your Course Advisor can talk through realistic scenarios for your area.

ASSESSMENT & CREDENTIAL

How you are assessed

Assessment is competency-based and takes place progressively throughout the course. Each module concludes with a short knowledge quiz covering the theoretical content, followed by a practical assignment in which students submit photographic work demonstrating the techniques covered.
Practical assignments are reviewed and marked by the course tutor, who provides written feedback and, where required, guidance on resubmission. The course culminates in a final portfolio submission of at least thirty finished images, demonstrating competency across portrait, event and commercial work.
On successful completion of all assessments, students are awarded the Professional Photography Certificate issued by Careers Collective, together with a full unit transcript. The certificate carries endorsement from the International Approval and Registration Centre (IARC), an internationally recognised body that assesses vocational courses against global education standards.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Open to all students

No specific entry requirements – open to all students. There are no prerequisite qualifications, prior experience or portfolio submissions required to enrol in the Professional Photography Certificate.


Students should be at least 16 years of age and have working English language skills sufficient to complete written coursework and communicate with a tutor. A reliable computer and internet connection are required to access the online learning platform.
A DSLR mirrorless camera is included with enrolment, so no camera equipment is required to begin.

Course Modules

8 modules. A portfolio by the end.

01

Photography Foundations

Get set up right from day one. Learn what gear you actually need (no overspending on kit you don't need), how to set up your camera properly, and how to think like a photographer before you even take your first shot.

02

Mastering Exposure, ISO & Low Light

The technical stuff that separates amateur shots from professional ones. Understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO — and how to shoot confidently in any lighting, from golden hour to a dim indoor event.

03

Colour, Composition & Style

Learn how to use light and colour to set the mood of a shot, and the composition rules that make an image look intentional instead of accidental. This is where your photos start looking like your style, not a copy of someone else's.

04

Shooting Every Genre

From landscapes and products to portraits and events — learn the specific techniques for each so you're not just a "good photographer," you're a versatile one who can say yes to any client brief.

05

Lightroom: Organise & Manage Your Library

Stop losing hours searching for photos. Learn how to import, flag, label, rate, keyword and filter your images so your workflow is fast, clean and client-ready.

06

Lightroom: Develop Mode Editing

A full, step-by-step walkthrough of Develop Mode — tone, exposure, highlights, blacks, presence, saturation and more — so you can take a flat RAW file and turn it into an image people stop scrolling for. Finished with exporting and watermarking your work like a pro.

07

Photoshop Essentials

Layers, selections, cropping and finishing touches. The editing skills that let you go beyond basic adjustments and actually retouch, refine and finalise images at a professional standard.

08

Turn Your Skills Into Income

Photography is a skill. This module makes it a business — how to market yourself, find clients and start getting paid for the work you've just learned to do.

Final Practical Assessment – apply everything you’ve learned in a hands-on final portfolio, reviewed personally by Chris. A certificate only means something if you can actually do the work.

Modules

Specialist electives

On completion of the core modules, students choose one specialist elective to deepen their practice in a chosen area:

Hobby Photography

A broad foundation covering light, lenses, composition and shooting a range of everyday subjects.

Photographic Practice

Portraiture, fashion, weddings, nature and landscape combined with industry pathways in freelance and commercial work.

Travel Photography

Portraiture, fashion, weddings, nature and landscape combined with industry pathways in freelance and commercial work.

Landscape Photography

Composition, weather, natural environments and architectural elements in landscape and environmental photography.

Digital Photography

Image capture and storage, digital processing, colour depth, effects and outputs for print and online.

Wedding Photography

Photojournalism and classical styles, ceremony and reception coverage, post-production and the business essentials of wedding work.

Photographic Lighting

Light characteristics, exposure control, flash systems and studio versus on-location lighting techniques.

Not sure which?

You don't decide now. Your tutor recommends one based on the work you've already submitted through the core modules.

Getting Started

How it works

01

Talk it through

Call an advisor or request a callback and we'll ring you, usually within ten minutes during business hours. A real conversation about whether it's right for you - not a pitch.

02

Enrol and choose how you pay

$25 a week interest free, or pay upfront and save 20%. Enrolment takes a few minutes online or over the phone with your advisor.

03

Start shooting

Your login lands in your inbox and your camera kit ships. Module 1 starts the day you're ready - there's no intake date to wait for.

Testimonials

Hear from Our Graduates

Course overview

Payment options

This course can be paid off through an interest free payment plan for $25 per week. It also qualifies for a discount for upfront payments.

Course duration

This course is made up of 5 in-depth modules and make up 32 lessons. The amount of study time required to complete this course is approximately 300 hours of study. There is an option to reduce modules from this program to suit your needs.

Tutor support

You are studying online – but you are not studying alone. Our tutor support service comes with all of our courses and is available to you 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Certification & equipment

Professional Photography Certificate and full unit transcript on completion. Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera included in your fee.

Your Investment

Pay Upfront

$3,080

$3,850

One-time payment. Save $770.

Most Popular

Pay Weekly

For $20/week

Interest-free. Total course fee $3,080 (down from $3,850.) No credit checks

3-day cooling-off period

Enrol, get inside and look around properly. If it isn't the right fit in the first week, switch to another Careers Collectiv course or request a refund under our refund policy. No pressure and no argument.

Included in every enrolment: all 8 core modules and your specialist elective. 1-on-1 tutor marking with written feedback and resubmissions . Personal final portfolio review by Chris Mathisen . Professional Photography Certificate and full unit transcript . Student support 6 days a week

FAQS

The things people ask us

No. Module 1 assumes you know nothing and starts with which button does what. Roughly half our students have never shot in manual mode before enroling, and a good number have never done any study since school.

Simply find the course you're interested in, click Enrol Now and follow the checkout process. You'll receive a confirmation email with your login details and instructions to access your course straight away. If you need help choosing the right course, call us on 1300 001 703 (AU) or +64 98 886 451 (NZ) and one of our advisors will help.

You can start immediately after enrolment. Our courses are 100% online and self-paced — there are no fixed start dates, no live classes and no deadlines. You study when it suits you.
No. There are no prerequisite qualifications for any of our courses. All you need is a device to study on and the motivation to learn.
Any computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone will work. All you need is an internet connection and you're ready to go.

I've never used a camera before. Is this too advanced?

Yes — our courses are available to students across Australia and New Zealand. If you're based elsewhere and want to enquire, get in touch with our team.

Still deciding?

Talk to a Course Advisor first

Nobody enrols in a course like this on a whim and we don’t expect you to. Ask us anything – including whether it’s the wrong fit. We’ll give you a straight answer either way

1300 001 703

Mon-Fri 9am-6pm AEST . NZ +64 98 886 451
support@careerscollectiv.com

302/91-95 Murphy Street Richmond VIC 3121

Download Course Guide