Online Learning Returns to BlueHour In Its Most Polished Form Ever
Written by Paul Nguyen
When the Covid quarantine hit the nation in 2020, BlueHour did what every quick-thinking business did in order to survive: We pivoted, using all the resources we had available to us. While there was nothing we could do to save our travel photo tours and local group workshops except postpone them for a later date, when it came to creating offerings that worked within the regulations of that unforgettable (in a bad way) period of time, we pulled a few things out of our sleeves and made the most of a desperate situation.
As an education-based business, our most valuable asset was information and knowledge, and I will honestly and immodestly say that we had it by the boatload! Allie Richards and I had, by that point, developed quite an extensive library of lectures and presentations that we had been teaching to camera clubs, adult education schools, and our own mentorship program, which has always had a built-in online component. The topics covered everything from landscape to macro photography, and basic exposure settings to advanced composition skills.
We quickly turned this resource library into an online curriculum, and within days, BlueHour had something to keep our students stimulated and learning through the lockdown. We cleverly called it “Beat the Quarantine Blues” with BlueHour online learning.
I’m proud to say that our pivot worked, and between the small group “bubble” Jeep tours on Cape Cod and our online classroom, our company made it through the lockdown. Slowly but surely, the restrictions lifted, and in-person learning and local activities returned to society, followed by interstate travel and eventually overseas adventures as well. As we steadily returned to business as usual, the pendulum of interest swung towards what people had been missing out on during the lockdown: group activities and travel. So we put our online curriculum away for the next few years.
But just all pendulums (pendula?) swing this way and that several times before settling in the middle, so has this one. If there was one lasting positive outcome of the Covid lockdown, it was that we learned that while online learning and activities cannot replace the synergy of in-person interactions, the two can sit quite nicely alongside one another and be complementary.
We believed that, in 2025, our students had reached a point where they were sure that our workshops, tours, and mentorships were THE best way to learn and have fun with this, but that a reintroduction of our online curriculum could fill the gaps in between the in-person events, and continue the learning throughout the year with topics and activities such as editing clinics, question-and-answer sessions, critiques, and guest speakers that aren’t otherwise offered.
Say “Hello” to the BlueHour Virtual Classroom 👋
BlueHour is proud to offer online learning once again, but we’ve gone several steps further by offering an interactive online community where students can share ideas, ask questions, get feedback on their images, and participate in monthly challenges that keep the creative juices flowing, in addition to the “live” online lectures and discussion sessions that are recorded for those who can’t attend, and for all members to review at a later date.
Take a look for yourself here, and you’ll see how the Virtual Classroom community can be a perfect complement to your learning with us. With a 7-day free trial membership, you’ve got nothing to lose!