I went into Jeffrey's photography class knowing next to nothing about how to operate a camera, and…read morecame out feeling knowledgeable, confident, and genuinely inspired. Jeffrey is an absolute pro... he can look at any camera and instantly show you how to take beautiful photos with it. The class was made even better by the group itself! It was a diverse mix of people, all with different cameras but a shared goal of learning and creating. Everyone was kind and supportive, which made the experience all the more enjoyable. The class was hands-on, engaging, and packed with practical tips I'll be using for years. The pricing is more than fair considering the amount of knowledge and confidence you leave with. I can't recommend this class highly enough! Thanks, Jeffrey.

What an amazing experience working with Jeffrey!! I knew absolutely nothing about my digital camera…read moreI had for 8 years, taking his class has opened up a whole new world for me. Now I know how to use it!! He explained everything and the experience at the Walters Museum was epic!! Thank you Jeffrey!!

Great classes! I had no idea about photography, and he helped me a lot. He went directly into…read moreteaching me manual mode, which I think is crucial, and he made sure to build the foundations for me to become a better photographer!

Great class, l learned exactly what l wanted and more. This class took me through shutter speed,…read morelSO, f stop, white-balance, metering and more. I wanted to learn how to use my camera in Manual mode and that is what Sam learned us to do. Highly recommended:-))

LOVE LOVE LOVE this new space. For photographers who may need a studio space but don't want the…read morehaggle of their own, this is great. Equipped with lighting and even has a green room area, this is a great idea. You can get a monthly membership or even rent time by the hour. Best part is the FREE classes. (Free is my favorite four letter word.) My teenager is a budding photographer, so i am always looking for something to expand his skills, and the classes here are perfect. Catering to all skill levels, he was welcomed with open arms (despite being the youngest), learned tons, and everyone was helpful and friendly. They answer emails quickly and efficiently. Nothing to lose by reserving your spot for a free class.

More experienced photographers may disagree, but as a beginner, I found WSP's "Focus on…read moreComposition" course super helpful. The class tried to instill a habit of thinking through a checklist before taking a picture (or evaluating it afterwards). The checklist included, among other things: * What's the subject? * Do the direction and quality of light work for your subject? * Does the background distract from the subject? * Check the frame's edges: Is the cropping awkward? * Is there comfortable spacing between the elements of your photograph? Our class was small, so in addition to the lectures and the pithy, informative handouts, we could spend more time going over our homework, getting concrete suggestions for how to improve. For example, the instructor (Joe Yablonsky) would sometimes suggest moving the camera up, down, right, left, closer, or further, to get a cleaner background, a more flattering portrait angle, or more interesting "directionality" in the photo's lines. Other times, the instructor would notice patterns-- that my ISOs tended to be too high, or that there's dust on someone's sensor, or that the focusing was sometimes off. He'd then ask how we took the shot, and suggest new settings or focusing methods (or suggest cleaning the sensor!). Sometimes he'd ask the class to weigh in on the critique, so we could also benefit from our talented (and opinionated!) classmates. One session was a fun field trip to the National Mall. At the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden,we chased photogenic squirrels and captured tourists' hilarious reactions to Joan Miro's Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair. (Google it if you don't know it). I watched as one classmate got several amazing portraits of strangers, just by walking up and asking. The instructor also gave me a demonstration of how to get my camera to focus with a neutral density filter. (I had been having trouble with that). The course just ended last week, and I still need a lot of practice. But it's made my photos noticeably better. (One of my homework assignments even got published last week, as the page 2 photo in the Washington Post Express!) The downsides: Classes can be expensive! (Luckily I had a gift certificate). Sometimes you can find coupons or Living Social deals, e.g. here's one that's on right now (as of late March 2014): http://conta.cc/1jNpdud Washington School of Photography can be a pain to get to without a car. It's somewhat walkable from Twinbrook Metro, but the commute from DC (especially with weekend red line schedules) took me more than an hour.

Love these guys...they've taught me so much about the technical and functional aspects of…read morephotography, from how my DSLR works to how to better frame and compose my shots. I'll be taking my third class, on composition and design, next month. The 2 teachers I've had, Joe Yablonsky & Cortney Jackson, are instructors that I would recommend to anyone who wants to pursue photography as a hobby or as a profession.

I've had a very nice Canon digital camera for several years that has never seen any setting other…read morethan "Auto". I found Elliot Cohen and his company, Washington Photo Focus, via a Google search when I was contemplating upping my photography game. I signed up for his intro class (via Zoom right now) and just finished the three class course. It was wonderful experience! It was just what I was looking for to increase my knowledge and comfort level with my camera. Elliot is a patient, methodical instructor. He encourages questions and answers thoroughly. He keeps the class sizes small which means a lot of personal attention. He had us give him info on our cameras before the class started so that he could give us very specific instructions on the various settings. See the "before" and "after" photos of one of our dogs.

I have had two online classes and a one-on-one session with Eliot Cohen and can report that he…read moreexceeded my expectations. He is an excellent teacher: knowledgeable, clear, patient, willing to listen, and with a sense of humor. Who could ask for anything more? Bravo. By way although the review says I am in San Francisco I am really in Washington, DC. Hard to trust this review system. But my review is genuine and true.

The non credit options have been on hiatus for a while. Their site mentions vaccine status, so most…read morelikely covid related which is a few years old now. Hopefully they have some sort of update on their one off or non-credit classes.

Great classes, and great teachers. I think it's the only high quality art school in DC…read more Everybody is so helpful there.

Okello has a very easy going and wonderful teaching style. He has a way of explaining things that…read morejust make sense. I am completely new to learning to go manual on my DSLR. I took a Groupon class of his and then went to an in person class. His sense of humor along with his knowledge made it fun and not overwhelming to take my first photography class. I can't recommend him and this class enough. You won't be disappointed. I am actually taking pictures on manual and so excited to put into practice what he taught.

I took the DSLR Workshop I from this location. The class duration was from 6PM to 9PM but we got…read moreout little late. I thought it was very useful class for anyone who just purchased (or given) a DSLR camera and want a quick learning curve on how to use the device effectively. The class was held in a hotel conference room. The class was full, we had about 20 or so people. All with various types of DSLR with them. Some with more advanced camera and equipments, other with more older models (some even discontinued). The skill levels were all different but for this course, it's gear toward to BEGINNERS. Okello is an enthusiastic and funny dude. He'll probably read this review at some point, but I'll be truly honest about the course I just took. Pros: The class is very effective for any beginners. He'll go over everything about the DSLR and what to focus on. He'll spend great time discussing aperture, focus, ISO, and lighting. Basically four things you'll need to know inside out if you want to make great shots on your next trip to Jamaica or New York City. He'll explain difficult and complicated things easily using many analogies so that newbies like I can understand what he's talking about and apply. He's funny. Maybe he has to, otherwise the lecture-based workshop can be really boring and he would lose his audience. Everyone's level is different, so one may know more than others, thus make things little boring for those who are more advanced. But there's nothing Okello do about it. He does his best to engage his audience in practices and theology of DSLR. Cons: I wish he would focus and show us pictures that we can all take. Too many times, the sample photos shown on projector were taken with $1,600 lens, tripods, polarizers, and etc. Equipments we (beginners) can't probably afford and only dream about. We have 18-55mm very basic lens, so if he had shown photos with those lens, maybe we could have increased our hopes of taking great shots too. Also, I believe he spent little too much time talking about technicality of DSLR rather than skills/tips on how to take great photography. I wish he would spent more time on composition, background, lighting on different occasions. We were all very soaked in aperture, ISO and shutter speed. Those are important to know, but I, ultimately believe (I'm sure Okello does too) that it's about personal skills and experience that makes the picture spectacular. Not the ISO numbers. Summary: I found this course very effective to my growth and learning of photography. I'm a hobby photographer and want to be recognized by my friends not from the media. I probably won't take his advanced courses, but this one and Workshop II maybe great for anyone who's willing to take the photography skills to next level.