Absolutely Amazing Teachers. I specifically recommend the out-in-the-field "safaris" (Day trips). Love the Hands-On experience. Took a couple of classes with the David and Ally McKay (using Groupon) and then joined a few of their Safaris. The Safaris are a great experience. A group of 15-20 people with 4-5 excellent teachers who supported my photographing experience to grow and develop - technically and artistically (composition and such). The McKay academy teachers helped me move from photographing on automatic at all times to manual, being more artistic and improve my technique. If you're a beginner/intermediate photographer, enthusiastic and interested. The McKays are your perfect match. read more

It's like having a friend who's a professional photographer hanging out with you. I joined MPA for the 1st time to Yosemite National Park in the winter. It was a wonderful experience with a great bunch of photographers enthusiastic about learning and having a good time. We arrived as strangers and left as friends. 10 students: 2 instructors David & Paul were our instructors and they were very attentive, informative and willing to share their experience and answer questions. They are also just nice people which made the experience all the more enjoyable. MPA arranged for the transportation within the valley and took us to vantage points that allowed us to take fantastic shots of Half Dome, El Capitan and more. We were never rushed, we took time at each location working on composition, lighting, settings, etc. I met many students on the tour that were MPA alumni, which speaks to the quality of the company, I certainly plan on joining them on future tours. Definitely recommend. Thanks MPA for a great experience. read more

McKay Photography Academy - Half Dome in the winter - Photographers Near Me - Gold River, California

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Just back from a Yellowstone photo trip with this group. My sister and I planned the adventure last year after having traveled to Alaska to shoot the Northern Lights. David was on the trip with us this time with Paul. Both super knowledgeable photographers with a great eye and easy style. Something for everyone. Another special memory for us. Thank you so much! read more

I just returned from another amazing trip with David McKay and MPA to Yellowstone. Leading up to the trip, MPA provided great detailed instructions on logisitics, what to pack, gear recommendations, etc. On the ground in Yellowstone, David and our other instructor, Paul Anderson, were so knowledgeable about photography and how to get great shots. They are very patient with newer photographers and give great help for more experienced photographers to hone their skills. MPA works extra hard to develop relationships with local guides and outfitters to make sure that all of their guests have the best possible experience. This is my third trip with MPA and I am sure it won't be my last. read more

Friends raved about the McKay photography tours so we decided to dip our toes in with a winter trip to Yosemite. McKay provided detailed pre-trip information. (Hint: Yaktrax on my boots kept me from falling on the ice and snow.) As a newbie photographer with borrowed equipment I was nervous about keeping up with the pace. Could not have been more wrong! David's instruction was patient, methodical, and progressive with lots of one-on-one and small group time. I had not expected so much active teaching. Paul, the other instructor, was equally patient, encouraging, and generous with his time and talents. He especially helped me with photo composition. Highly recommended! read more

Disappointed. I ordered a photograph on canvas backed with masonite. When the photograph arrived, the white masonite edges was visible. As a result, I could not frame the photograph with the floating frame I wanted. The problem: I called and spoke to Ally- unfortunately, I had no idea, nor was I asked about what type of frame I would be using with the photograph. read more

This review is for the Acadamy. Got a Groupon for $49. Original price $400+ on Groupon. San Jose Convention center, 8am - 1pm on a recent Sat. Pros: 1. SC Convention Center. Right on the light rail. 2. lots of techy stuff for real camera peeps (iso, shutter speed, etc) 3, taking q's during class, during breaks and staying "as long as neccessary" after class 4. super A+ for Vision Culture; peeps can keep on learning and some proceeds go to help less fortunate peeps around the world, see: http://www.mckayphotographyacademy.com/Vision-Culture.html 5. thanking current and former (Vets) who have served; another super A+ 6. Value for money? yes with Groupon $49 for p&s peeps 7. learned how to take better photos', yep 8. deep discounts on products 9. giveaways/raffles - somebody got a nice mono pod 10. great info on "compostion": how to take a better pic. that's what I came and paid for. 11. Knowledgeble store owner from SF present. Cons: 1. SC convention center. Huge convention going on, had to wait for men's restroom... 2. need to tell peeps where bathrooms are, refreshements and when to expect breaks RIGHT AFTER INTRO. Some info about bathrooms at the Hyatt would have been helpful, given the mass convention going on... 3. not geared to p&s peeps, but I get it. A sep class for us grand parents and p&s dummies; smaller size, more hands on and "what camera u have can do for u" I'd pay 2x. Not good; not bad: 1. got what I paid for for a p&s person 2, would pay 2x that for a "dummies" class and more hands on and smaller amt of peeps 3. learned how to take a better pic. (see #7 under pros) 4. didn't really get my q's answered for my p&s, but I get it. Not dinged for that. when your brain is really full of geek digital cam stuff, one doesn't really know what to do with a p&s and doesn't care. Dear David, 1. don't respond 2. if u do, keep less than 50 words, nobody reads past that, even mine. :) read more

Went on a winter photo workshop of Animals of Montana & Yellowstone with the McKay group in January. This was not my first photo workshop but it is certainly the last I will take with the McKays. In Oct when I signed up they had only 1 space left and at that time there were 10 photographers. When we arrived to start the workshop there were 17 photographers. We were booked in a hotel on the edge of town with no transportation. The hotel didn't have a restaurant and walking to a restaurant meant walking in the dark on ice. When I asked what we were doing about dinner David was "offended" that I expected him to figure it out for me. How professional is that? One day ended up being a Snowmobile Day and the night before was told if you have any back issues this isn't for you. So I spent the day on my own, on foot in West Yellowstone where the only thing I could have done was take a dog sled ride but that was booked up. Had I know before hand I could have booked this as an option to the "Snowmobile Day". Glad I didn't try the snowmobiles because the group had washboard paths at high speeds and at least 4 accidents were reported. This was a "photo" workshop and most riders never got their cameras out. We only had 1 day for Yellowstone so we started out from the hotel before dawn. The McKays trying to negotiate with the company they hired to drive is into the park because they didn't know there was a charge per person and that the drivers tip had been included into the cost of the deal. While the sun was coming up we were in our buses dealing with "who has a senior pass or military pass so they wouldn't have to to pay for them"...... All in all, advertisement for the trip was misleading, the leaders were unorganized, unprepared and unprofessional. On the up side, the Animals of Montana ranch was wonder and so was Yellowstone in the winter. I got lots of very nice images. read more

My experience with McKay Photography has been very positive. I was first introduced to them a year ago when I attended a beginning photography class that I purchased through Groupon. This class was recommended to me by a friend and I was glad that the offer became available again. I would consider myself a little more advanced than a beginner so some of the information was more of a review but very helpful as well. I would have paid more than the $49 Groupon price. I returned to their Intermediate class a couple months later and was not disappointed at all. I was able to add to my growing photography knowledge and had many questions answered. The information was very helpful and presented in a way that was easy to understand. Again, priced very affordable. David and Ally have a lot of fun and definitely love what they do and it shows in their classes and in their images. Recently I was able to attend a Photo Safari with McKay Photography to Yosemite. The experience was great! David and Ally and their staff worked with us one to one and very hands on. Being "in the field" made everything real and we had to made decisions and learn on the spot. Because we were in such a small group (10 people) it really gave us the opportunity to learn and understand what we were learning. OK I'm not gonna lie, the scenery wasn't bad either! The McKay's are great people and I can't wait for the next photo safari that I can take with them. I would recommend their classes to anyone wanting to learn more about photography! read more

I kept on saying I wish I took better pictures but never bothered to learn how. My wife bought me the groupon for the beginner class which I attended almost a year ago. I didnt realize it was seminar style but I was excited and I showed up with my camera, my notebook and an open mind. At the end of the 4 hour class (or whatever it was) I was ready for more. I signed up for the intermediate class as well as the photoshop class. I attended both and I learned a TON from those as well. I tell everyone that I can that this class is a great way to learn beginner photography. The pace was nice, the atmosphere was controlled and I can honestly say that I am officially obsessed with photography because of what I learned from Dave and Ally. It is exactly as advertised. Its a beginner photography class. I walked out knowing what I needed to know so that I could go out and learn more. Less than a year later I have a photography FB page, a pretty nice website, and I shoot just about every weekend. If you want to learn - you will learn. Period. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. read more

I recently used a Groupon ($49) for a beginning digital photography course with McKay Photography (Baltimore, MD). It was strictly lecture and ran for 5 hours. I arrived an hour late but that wasn't a problem since the heart of the lecture took place between hours 2 through 5. For someone like myself who never went beyond the automatic camera setting this was an excellent course. The speakers (husband and wife) knew their material and presented it clearly with plenty of images. They were both open to questions and always seemed to have an answer. I took notes but also bought the 4 CDs which covered the lecture material plus offered other photos. Was it worth the additional cost of $50? For me it was. Yes, all this info is available in books, but the McKays lay out the basics very clearly. I felt I got my money's worth. read more

I've had a chance to have some studio portraits done for two of my clients. (I have been working with professional photographers for the past 30 years as part of my advertising agency business. I've worked with some excellent photographers and some real hacks.) I'm pleased to say that based on these two experiences, McKay is one of the excellent ones. The clients enjoyed their portrait sessions. The studio lighting was ideal. The focus and exposures were right on. A key point of difference with a photographer is the rapport they create with the subject to get the desired mood and image. This was done very well. One of my clients was a middle-aged woman who was sensitive about wrinkles and lines. They lit her perfectly to soften all of those areas without making it look like one of those soft-focus glamour shots from the 80s. I wouldn't hesitate to send other clients of mine there for portraits. read more

The most beautiful photos I have ever had taken..I have used McKay Photography on many occasions while living in California... I love my photos..... they capture the very essence of my family, the beauty in my kids and the love we all share shows through the photographs they have taken. They made my family feel right at home so posing for them was very easy. They are extremely professional and I still recommend them to friends and family in Cali..... I even show their impressive work to new friends here in Knoxville TN.. Eventually when we visit California again we will be hiring them again. I have written this recommendation before and have had Yelp take it off... I would appreciate if yelp would leave this on... I will keep recommending the McKays for as long as they do photography!!! read more

I really enjoyed the beginning photography class I took today with Dave and Ally. My review will counter many of the previous reviews. First, it was a Groupon for $49 so I didn't expect much, because really, for $49.00 and a roomful of people, what should I expect? You get what you pay for, right? I took a similar course for more money from Nikon and that was a disaster. With that as my baseline this one hit the ball out of the park! I am happy to say that the class exceeded my expectations 100 fold. We did learn about the settings of the cameras, and they were very good about addressing the different camera brands and their different settings. So I didn't have to guess which dial represented the one they were referring to because they anticipated my Nikon brand settings which are different from Canon which are different from Sony, etc. They anticipated their audience level. They were clear on the course outline and within each section leading us to the next point. Yes, tons of people took photos of the slides on the screen (very green) and what was fun about that was how at the beginning everyone was using flash, but after a good lesson on shutter speeds and ISO sensitivity most people stopped using the flash. You also learn some about composition, lens types and their uses, etc. They are very approachable and took a lot of time for questions during the breaks. It was a really good use of a Sunday morning. Now I am off to rewrite my notes and practice with the lessons I learned. I am already signed up for the intermediate class. read more

David and Ally McKay were great. Our family of 5 thoroughly enjoyed our photo shoot. Never thought it would be a fun family event to have a portrait taken. We had a ton of laughs - couldn't take a serious portrait, although we certainly tried. We returned a week later and viewed the most beautiful images of our family. Needless to say, we purchased quite a few family photos, including a real treasure for the entry of our house and another for our bedroom. These are memories that we'll cherish for ever, and hope to pass down to our kids. If you find the sepia style portrait attractive, then this is your place for family portraiture! Nice people. No pressure. No upsell. Just a really fantastic product. Highly recommended. read more

David and Ally McKay provide fun, personalized technical and aesthetic training for serious photo enthusiasts. I have take their Alcatraz and Yosemite Safaris and have been extremely impressed by their knowledge and ability to teach what they know to many levels of students. Both trips were well organized and packed full of opportunities to take pictures in various situations with many challenges. Anytime I had a problem, one of them or their capable assitants was able to show me a solution. This is a very hands on learning experience, which is inspiring and satisfying at the same time. The other students in the group were all interesting and since we all had the same focus, we had a blast together, and learned from eachother as well. I am planning on attending more 'safaris' in the future and would highly recommend this group. read more

I have not used their photo service, however, I did attend their seminars. I would NOT recommend unless you can tolerate annoyingly goofy humor and plenty of sales pitches. I left early with a headache each day. read more

I just took the basic course. I have taken two other one day courses and have yet to understand basic photography. I have been stuck on "auto". After the McKay course I FULLY understand the elements that go into shooting great images and all of the controls (well most of them) on my Nikon. As a teacher myself i can say their technique is solid and they have the right stuff. Thank you and see you soon in the intermediate class! read more

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second. Marc Riboud Traveling provides us with unique opportunities to interact with people, crossing paths for a moment in time. This is why I love to travel...bridging the gaps between cultures, remembering that we are more alike than different. Photography captures and freezes such moments. Each trip with McKay Photograpy Academy is significant for so many reasons. Words cannot express my deep gratitude to the McKays and their team for such memorable, instructive adventures. McKay Photography Academy truly offers PTFA - Photography, Travel, Friendship, Adventure! read more

This is a review of the Beginner Photography class & the Beginner Photoshop class. Over all these are decent classes that I would recommend for anyone interested in learning manual mode & the basics of editing photos. I do feel that the "sticker-price" is incredibly inflated. I do not know if people pay the $600 for any of their classes, but I know if I did, I would have feel cheated. That said, I bought the beginner photography class from groupon & then took the beginner photoshop class with a coupon code I received via email for past students. I took the Beginner Photography class in January 2012. The first half of the class, if I remember correctly, was very basic - talking about the types of camera bodies available, and what different lenses offer for different situations. The latter half was more of the "meat" of shooting in manual - the big three settings were covered very well: ISO, Aperture, & Shutter Speed. I had already been playing with these so the information was somewhat redundant, but still good information and very well presented with examples. Overall for me this class more solidified some of what I already learned and added just a bit more to my knowledge base. The passion that David & Ally have for photography is clear, their talent unmistakable. I would sit through the class again just to view their amazing images! October 2012 I took Beginning Photoshop. I recently purchased a new laptop (previously I had worked on a desktop, & was unable to take the class due to not having a laptop to bring to class for hands-on learning) and installed PS Elements 11 which was released on September 26 2012. While I wasn't expecting the class to be taught in PSE11, I was rather surprised to hear that the instructor had only briefly checked out PSE11 the night before. I would think if you know you are going to be teaching a class soon, you would take at least a few hours to familiarize yourself with the newest version that has been available for download for 3 weeks, especially with such drastic changes between versions 10 & 11. Many of the students sitting around me had just downloaded PSE11 the night before, I was thankful to have downloaded it 3 weeks prior so I had time to familiarize myself with the changes from CS2 & PSE10 (both of which I had previously used) and I still got lost a few times. Once again the beginning of the class was a lot of basics...however being a PS novice the material was still great to hear and interesting. My main problem with the class was that SO much time was spent on the basics - nearly 2 1/2 hours of the 4 hour class; a 10 minute break turned into a half hour break, leaving less than an hour for the "good" stuff that I was there to learn - editing the picture for skin, eyes, teeth, etc. It felt SO rushed, my head felt like it was spinning. And then the sales pitch of "just buy our DVDs" practice came in and I was somewhat annoyed by that. I took copious notes, spend 30 minutes after class was over trying to practice the techniques in case I had any questions, but no I did not buy the DVDs. (I get it, this is their livelihood and this is a business, which the main purpose of a business is profit, so while annoyed, I totally get it). Some of the techniques that we rushed through I also wasn't sold on. For example, the red eye reduction technique that was taught seemed fine for an image where the subject's face is small, but what about a close up picture? Most people don't have gray eyes. I would have liked to see an example of removing the red eye from a close-up (while I usually shoot in manual & don't have red-eye, I often get pictures from family members who always use a flash and have lots of red-eye, especially around the holidays). Overall I felt the Photoshop class could have benefited from better Time Management of the material. I felt like the instructor went over the "beginning" material so slowly that it robbed us of the more "nitty gritty" photo editing that I was hoping for. Along the same lines, better preparation would have been appreciated. Instead of searching through various folders with dozens of images to look for the images the instructor wanted to demonstrate the technique, instead have a single folder with the images organized to quickly find the desired material. Lastly, I wish there had been some sort of recommendation for preparation on the students' part. Tell us to find images that are underexposed, overexposed, with red eye, etc. so that we could practice on relevant images. Or, provide some images for the students to download prior to class to work with. Do I regret taking either class? Not at all. These classes are beginner classes, thus they are meant for BEGINNERS. Duh! I hope I can take the intermediate class next year if my work schedule permits it. I spoke with a few other students who also highly recommend the safari excursions, so perhaps I will be able to make one (or more) of those as well to improve my abilities. read more

Best photography classes available! I've taken a few various classes with other instructors before finding Mckay Photography. It wasn't until I took their first class that I started understanding my camera. I've since taken their intermediate class and photoshop class, and will return for future classes. Thank you David and Ally Mckay for making the classes fun and educational! ;) read more

I'm working on checking things off my bucket list. A photographic Safari is one of the top. I was lucky enough to get a spot with David and Ally in March. David has been extremely helpful with reservations and very detailed with what needs to be done- step by step. He seems to be available most of the time to answer questions, if not he will get back to me without a doubt within the hour. I know I've made the right choice and I feel very confident that this will be a trip of a lifetime and I'll come back with incredible images!! I'm so excited!! read more

I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a trip in January to the Animals of Montana & Yellowstone trip with the McKays and their amazing staff. This was a trip of a lifetime! I have been on other trips with other photo groups, but nothing even came close to what the McKays offered. First I have to say that my photography skills noticeably went up several levels from all the hands on attention I received from not only Ally and David, but their staff as well. The accommodations were great, they carefully chose hotels that were very close (walking distance) to a variety of restaurants and stores for both of the locations we shot in. We had private transportation arranged for us and accessible to us the whole time. Even though we traveled as a group, we were given the opportunity to have meals on our own or with a large group. The care and thought that they put into planning this excursion is what sets them apart from the other companies I have used. The amount of personal attention, the locations, and the comfort of their guests is more than apparent. My experience with the McKay Photography group was so amazing, I immediately signed up for two more excursions, one of them being Greece for 2 weeks in September. I can't wait, they have me as a customer for life. read more

Both my wife and I purchased the McKay's Beginner Photography class on Groupon. We purchased only after reading so many positive (5-star) reviews on Yelp but I'm surprised to see them all disappeared now. Wonder what happened. Anyway, we loved our Beginner's class. We've both had a Nikon D90 for 2 years and had been using the 'Automatic' setting for all that time. After the 5hr class, it opened up our eyes to never use Automatic ever again. There's so many basic things we didn't know. We knew that we were amateurs but didn't realize by how much. LOL. We liked our Beginner's class so much, we signed up for their discounted Intermediate class. And that was very good too. Sooo many cool things you can do at night with your camera. Loved the surprise trick they showed at the end - we can't wait to try it out with our friends & family. The best part was that when the McKays offered an all-day photo-shoot safari all around San Francisco, we jumped on the opportunity. And we absolutely had a WONDERFUL time. The class size was only 20 students and we were trucked around to various cool spots across the city/north-bay in two 15-seater passenger vans. There were 4 instructors all together and we learned so much about composition and what type of things to look for when at various scenic spots. Best part was when we shared our photos with Family and Friends, they all started saying that you guys are going to be taking all our event photos from now. :) Very highly recommend McKay Photography. read more

I really enjoyed the class for beginners in Baltimore, Md. Guys are professional and not boring ;) Would recommend if you are new to photography. read more

I am anyways not big on writing reviews and would have avoided writing this update after my longest ever review below had I not seen the negative reviews. To say the least, I am perplexed and I don't get why most of the 5 star reviews are hidden!! I don't get why these reviews are all "filtered" and it troubles me that someone has even had the audacity to call this a "SCAM". This is a simple, teaching business being run by an amazingly creative, skilled, experienced, and a hardworking couple. Scam? Seriously? And Yelp has to show THAT review and hide nearly all of the 5 star ones??? This is a disservice - not just to the business in question - but to the people reading these reviews to decide whether or not to take the classes. I am a dude from Virginia - go see all my other reviews. How and why is my review for a California run business being filtered when I've only met the owners twice - in the two classes where they were the instructors??? read more

I purchased a groupon for a photo package and was very pleased with the results! They owners/photographers were very accommodating, professional, and easy to work with. My coworker suggested their services and I was very happy I used them :). read more

I've had the opportunity to take several classes from the McKay's and am now scheduling a portrait session for my family as I think their work is beautiful! Having "grown-up" in the advertising business working for a firm in Chicago (Leo Burnett) I have had the opportunity to see the work of many great photographers. These folks have heart and soul and a beautiful technic...... If you are thinking of a family portrait I'd recommend you pick up the phone and experience what customer service is all about! They take the same approach to photography as the Selland family takes with The Kitchen. read more

When I first attended the McKay's introductory seminar (via a Groupon deal), I barely had any prior understanding of the technical aspects of photography (aperture, shutter speed, ISO). In my opinion, David & Ally did an incredible job in imparting their knowledge and experience to large crowd of attendees at the convention hall. I was so impressed by their teaching methodology and their passion that I decided to try out their photo safaris to Yosemite. Am I glad I did! It was an awesome learning experience, with a 1:4 instructor to student ratio. David, Ally, Adam & Chris were extremely helpful and simply inspiring! I've joined a photo safari with a different company in San Jose in the past, and i barely learnt anything from the creative perspective. The instructors from company X would simply shout out the required setting for our DSLR, and leave us alone to shoot. The McKays, on the other hand, will make you learn both the technical as well as the creative side of photography. I've since gone for more photo safaris with them: Old Town Sacramento, Animal shoot at Moab. If you really want to explore the creative side of photography (beyond understanding the rudiments of aperture, shutter speed and ISO), then join them for one of their many photo safaris. Thanks to them, I've finally embarked on my creative discovery journey, something which I didn't know I could do. :) read more

McKay Photography offers a great service at a very reasonable price. My experience with their portraits was beyond what I was expecting and I would highly recommend David and the team! He seemed to know exactly what to do, in terms of lighting and framing and we let him take charge. Needless to say the finished product came out great as well. Thank you. read more

I thought the McKay Photography Academy was AMAZING!!! So far I have taken the Begininng Photography class and I found David and Ally (and all of their staff) to be informative, funny and easy-going, yet still very professional. I learned A TON! Because I loved the class so much I have also signed up for their Intermediate class as well as Photoshop 1 and 2. I can't wait to learn all they have to teach. read more

Dave and Ally and their team are amazing. I note "team" specifically, as there are always additional instructors, each with a unique skill-set, and more importantly a passion in sharing that skill-set with the clients. I have become friends with a number of them on the side. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard bonus activities and added options "well the plan was to let everyone (meaning us clients) have a couple hours rest this afternoon, but if you're interested, Dave just got the conference room for a Photoshop instruction session", or "in an hour, Ally will be doing an added drop-in photo review in the lobby", or "hey, Jeff grew up in this area and just scored us an amazing opportunity to take snowmobiles up to Two Tops on the travel day to Yellowstone". Ironically, Dave and Ally have all clients sign a waiver ahead of the tours which basically states that we as individuals as a part of a group have the responsibility to be kind to each other, respectful of each other, on time, and work as a group. My first tour coincided with my daughter being in kindergarten, and I subsequently call it the "kindergarten waiver", because it covers just those very important lessons in interaction that should be learned at that age. In my opinion, if you want to travel happily, you must be happy to travel. The predictability of the living room couch cannot be expected, nor, in my opinion, desired. On to the next adventure, Kylie read more

I purchased a Groupon Voucher and was excited to use it towards a photo session of my kids. I called to book the session and I found the lady on the phone very impersonal. I requested a 4pm time slot as this is what works for my family and yes this is what time we have done in the past. Ally told me that I should book an am session because children cooperate better. Yes, that is true, but I have 2 kiddos in school at that time. Ally then suggested I pull them out of school to have this session. I was speechless. What example would this be setting for my children, not to mention the funds a local school in her community would loose for this. I proceeded by telling her that was not an option for us and again requested a 4 pm appt. I explained I completely understand and would not hold them responsible if my children did not have the best experience being that is was in the afternoon. Ally proceeded by telling me that it was also an inconvenience because they have to work extra hard at getting kids to smile, speechless I found myself again. I am paying you to work! At this point I realized this was not business I wanted to support and called Groupon who within 2 minutes refunded my money. I was extremely disappointed by how I was treated on the phone by Ally. I would not recommend this business. Also they require you to wear long sleeve solid colors. I understand the solid colors but never before has my son wore a long sleeve solid color shirt and although they claim it makes for better artwork by focusing in on the children's face I disagree. All of their so claimed artwork looks exactly the same and boring. I would rather capture my little one in his favorite solid short sleeve shirt with his little chubby arms shinning through. Really no creativity in their portfolio. Now on to write some fabulous reviews about other local photographers who have done a great job capturing my children in short sleeves at 4pm! Also if you purchased a Groupon voucher and are hesitating about this buisness call them. Their customer service was outstanding! read more

My mom used a groupon to take their class in CA and recommended it to me. David and Ally are wonderful teachers and are hilarious! I start cracking up just hearing them call out to their assistant. Their tips and tricks are great and they're super patient with beginners. They talk a lot about fancy add-ons, which are great to keep in mind, but it's not like those things are necessary to still take wonderful photos, which they'll tell you since not everyone can spend hundreds of dollars on lenses, flashes, etc. Their beginner class is good even if you have a basic point and shoot. After the class is over, you can still email them with questions, and they're really cool about answering-you are never treated like an idiot. I HIGHLY recommend their classes if you can get a groupon (and if you miss buying the groupon, email them and they'll send you the discount code to get the same price). read more

Absolutely Amazing!! In the process of scheduling our 2nd family portrait. Of all the artwork in our house from all over the world, our McKay family portrait gets the most compliments and all we had to do was drive down the street to get it done. Definitely a focal point in our home and we love it. read more

I have taken the beginners and intermediate classes with the McKays and was very happy with the instruction and setting. More importantly, I have also gone on a couple of on location photo safari adventures with them and they are fabulous. They are very hands on and took all the time to make sure that students/participants were getting the best pictures, gaining knowledge and having an overall good time. They were more interested in teaching and imparting knowledge instead of showing off their skills. I highly recommend them. read more

I took the McKay Photography Academy Beginning Digital Photography Class on January 20, 2013. I cannot say enough about how much I learned, what great instructors the McKay's are and how personable they were. They had a very large class and took a little time to bring the true beginners up to speed. I saw people coming in the class room with the camera still in the box. Some people were not even aware of the type of camera they owned. So I appreciate that the McKay's started slowly for those people. Mr. McKay could also be a comedian. He is very funny. Their style of teaching is awesome and they took a lot of time during breaks and after the class to answer peoples questions. I was so impressed with their Beginning class that I am signing up for the Intermediate class as soon as it is available locally. I also signed up to go on a Safari with them. I was so impressed to learn that they are not in this for the money. They are truly passionate about what they do and they love helping others. I was also impressed that they think of others much less fortunate than most of us will ever imagine. They have started a cause called Vision Culture. They donate to charities for the worlds poorest and needy people while providing an on going education opportunity for those that want to learn more about photography. I could tell how much both of the McKay's cared about this cause as they spoke about it. It was heart warming to see that successful people are genuinely concerned for people who literally have nothing. I would recommend their classes to anyone and everyone who is interested in photography. I can't wait to go to the next class with them. It was truly a rewarding experience and way worth the cost of admission. read more

I purchased a Groupon for Mckay Photography class in Portland for Sunday, April 29th, I was so looking forward to this! I have been taking some good pictures, but wanted to learn more. This is my experience. I got to the facility they were holding the class at, stopped at the table and "registered" was handed a lot of info, seemed they were more classes, cd's to purchase, etc, and they wanted my email, I didn't give it, I asked why? to notify you of further classes, products, etc. So I sat towards the front, and then at 4 pm the class starts with a slide projection and some music, this is how they started the class, by 445 pm, and the class is over at 9 pm, The husband and wife team seemed friendly enough, but I swear, they spoke at least 20 times, at that point, as "we will teach you that later" and spoke of breaks we would take. The lighting was poor, lots of acoustic issues with the speakers, I thought wow! when are they going to teach something? anything? by 5 p.m. I noticed a couple others get up and leave, I followed suit, and the gentleman at the table said "leaving" I said yes, and then when I got in the hallway, another staff member approched me and asked me what was wrong, I told him, all these jokes, one liners, and telling me "what they were going to teach us" and we were 20 percent thru the class! He said, its pretty much like this, you might want to return for the last hour and a half of the class, serious! this is what I was told. I said no thank you, I was going to be asking for a refund, he stated that I would need to contact groupon for that. So, what this boils down to is mayby how they package thier class? get to the meat and bones of what we wanted to learn, yes, having fun is nice, I probably will learn more from going to my local library. So I contacted groupon the following day, and quickly they said no problem! you have been creditited, so I look and they issue what is called "groupon dollars" back to me, another words, certificate for future purchases, contacted them again and stated that is not what thier fine print says, and quickly he came back and then put the $49 back to my credit card. the way it should of been to begin with. I feel that the folks at McKay have the knowledge, just have not found the proper way to translate it to the students. Mind you this is just my opinion. read more