Just took the beginning course & loved it! I recommend to anyone who loves to take photos!! Very informative instructor who took the time to answer questions and explain the basics of using your camera..and kept us laughing!! Thanks Michael!! read more

Mel does a great job breaking down the basics in a way that is easy to understand. He is very enthusiastic and enjoyable to listen to. I usually have a hard time sitting for 3+ hours listening to one person talk, but the time flew by with Mel. I can't wait to put what he taught me to use! My only warning: I dreamt the entire night after the class about f stops and shutter speed! I guess my brain was trying to digest all the info :) read more

I highly recommend this class. It is the best three hours you will spend. William was very thorough, answered questions throughout the presentation and gave individual help during the break and stayed afterwards until every question was answered. You will walk out feeling very confident and ready to take great photographs. read more

William is an excellent instructor, he took time answering questions, showed everyone how to work their cameras, I couldn't be any happier. I would do it again. read more

Mel was a fantastic instructor. He was organized and passionate about giving the class as much, very useful, information as possible in a 3 hour class. I will be practicing the "insider" tips and techniques he passed along to take better pictures of my art work. Def recommend this class for anyone who wants to understand their camera better. read more

I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to you guys. William is an amazing presenter and taught me more in 3 hours than from several years of photography classes at city college when I was younger. I have had a great camera and tons of equipment for about a couple of years now (it was a gift) and have been afraid to use it (sticking with my point and shoot that I know like the back of my hand). William used simple analogies, comedy and a clean, easy to follow presentation that made all my fears disappear and questions, all answered. Yeah for William and all you guys that put this together. read more

Great class - entire experience was professional and well organized - William was great instructor - patient, knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy (not ONE person got up except at break - on a cold Sunday morning - that says it all!) read more

This is a great introductory course to digital photography for people who are really beginners. It loaded quite a bit of information in a 3 hour period. Mel gave a good review of basic terminology and the functions of the camera. Mel is a very patient teacher and skilled photographer. I would take another class with Mel in a heartbeat! read more

Definitely worth it. I was skeptical, exspecting a boring lecture about depth of field etc., but found the presentation, and the presenter (William), very engaging. Wish I had brought my camera for the first half of the class since time was spent going around the room and showing students 1:1 where their settings were. I will approach my photographing from a different angle now. Have definitely moved out of the automatic point and shoot methodology. read more

Took the beginner's class on March 4th with Mel......I have had my Nikon for over a year and some things just did not make sense to me - well, it is amazing what a 3 hour class with an experienced photographer has taught me.....Mel makes it all come together and takes time to make sure that everyone understands what he is talking about....he has a great sense of humor and draws simple analogies to make even the more complicated items simple.......I am out and about with my camera and I owe it all to 3 delightful hours with Mel and a full class.....After a little more practice, I will be taking the next level class.....Highly recommend Isla and especially Mel....Nancy B., SF read more

Excellent class. Knowledgeable presenter. Our questions were all answered in a thoughtful and useful manner. We hope to take another class. read more

I just took the class last night and can only wish I'd taken it after buying my DSLR over a year ago. I learned so much about my camera and what I've been doing wrong for the last year. Lindsay was our teacher and her knowledge and passion shows in her instruction. She has a fantastic wit and her enthusiasm is completely infectious. She's extremely quick to help with everyone's questions and was able to show each person their settings if needed. She covered everything a beginner photographer would want and need to know. I can't suggest enough that new DSLR owners should take this course, it's worth it and more. read more

Lindsay's class was both energetic and informative. Her presentation wasn't too much info for a beginner, but definitely enough to get anyone started on their way to good photography. read more

Very informative class taught by Will. He took the time out to go around the class to figure out the various settings needed despite having many different cameras in the classroom. The class went by much quicker than i anticipated. It would have been nice to have taken actual photographs so we can comment on them but then again, 3 hours is all we had. I would pursue the next level class. read more

This was my first photography class and it was very informative. Lindsay was a great instructor and her explanations were fun and easy to follow. I will definitely be signing up for more classes. read more

I recently took a 3 hour photography class with Michael Thomas at the Isla studio. Although the class was more geared to DSLR cameras and I had a point and shoot, I still learned several things that helped. Also, I was inspired to upgrade my camera and Michael gave me good feedback on email that helped me select a new camera with multiple features. At the end of class Michael had us go into a large open room and shoot various types of photos. I'd say most worthwhile for the advanced camera owner. read more

I took this class with Lindsey to try and figure out why I was having a hard time getting some pictures to come out looking like they did in my head. By the end of the class I had a good understanding of how the settings on a camera (shutter speed, ISO, Aperture) can be manipulated in order to achieve desired results. At the time I had a basic point-shoot Olympus SZ-16. A week after taking the class I was able to use a friends Sony A390 with Sony 18-55, 55-200 and 75-300 lenses. From the 2 hour class, along with the PDF Lindsey sent me, I was able to get pictures that are starting to look like how I envision them. I lucked out and convinced my friend to sell me the Sony kit I and look forward to taking some more classes. I can't recommend this course enough. read more

Took the session on 12-15-13, and Michael was the instructor. Great beginner's class if you have a camera that you really haven't figured out how to use. Michael was engaging and entertaining, and certainly knows his stuff. Only comment to add was that most of the information appeared more easily applied on DSLR cameras (it just seemed harder for those with point and shoot cameras). read more

Mel led a great class. He demystified all of the terminology and features that I had been wondering about for so long. I can't wait to explore with my camera now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing with it. Thanks for the great instruction! read more

bought the group buy "beginning photography class" and attended with my wife. parking was pretty easy. the building was old and in fair shape but the office was setup very well as a large workspace. the instructor william gave an excellent 3 hour talk on the fundamentals of photography and DSLR features. was a positive experience. read more

i took the beginner class with lindsay. very fun, knowledgeable instructor. it was helpful and i would certainly take more classes with them

loved the instructor for my living social deal. the class was kind of big with a lot of people not knowing how to use their point-and-shoot cameras, and i would have liked a class catered more to DSLRs or at least separated from those who bring point-and-shoot cameras, but that's ok. it was very informative and i learned a ton and would recommend this to my non-professional-photographer friends! read more