This review is massively overdue. I'm a former frequent flyer here, and I have to say TIF is my…read moreall-time favorite one-stop shop for anything photographic in the Bay Area. I started coming here six years ago to augment the lab time and instruction I was getting in school. Their darkroom was my happy place for a long time and was fairly priced. What impressed me the most about their gorgeous space was that they encouraged clients to get their work off their screens and onto the walls. Literally, any time I had a question about anything related to photography or printing, Stuart, Ed, Constance, Chrysta, or Nathan would make the time for me and help me out or give me feedback. I enjoyed printing there and always left feeling inspired because they were so kind, knowledgeable, and professional. If you'd like to learn about photography, I highly recommend checking out their services, classes, and workshops. I wish I could give them more than five stars!

A a small business owner I have never left another business a bad review, but this experience was…read moreunacceptable. My artwork was mishandled and the finished product I had hired them for was poorly executed and unusable. I had to take it to a qualified business afterwards who confirmed they did not do a good job. When I raised the issue, the owner and staff were dismissive, refused a refund, and ignored multiple emails and calls. Their unprofessional behavior was bizarre and astonishing. They clearly aren't equipped to handle valuable artwork. Save yourself the headache and take your projects elsewhere.

I needed a 11x14 copy of taken with film a 4x6 print in 1999,. Initially scanned the 4x6, at…read morehome.Took a lot of post processing to correct color, etc and enlarge to 11x14. Initial print at Mikes had lots of digital noise. Justin,the print guru at the Menlo Park store, asked me to bring in the 4x6 print so he could scan it . Fortunately I was able to find the original negative ( one good thing about being a packrat). Justin was able to make a HD scan of the negative, do some processing and print a beautiful 11x14 image - I couldn't be happier. Great service from a very knowledgeable and talented printer - something you don't always find in a local store I have entered many prints made here in photo contests - win or lose- the judge usually mentions they were high quality prints. Problem often with my composition - not the print. On average need 1-3 prints a month for competition, more if having exhibit. Will continue to get them from Mike's Camera Menlo Park

This is your old fashioned camera store with very good counter service. Prompt, knowledgable, but…read moreunfortunately unable to provide the part needed for an older Sony camera. We do have the part number now, and perhaps can get it directly from Sony. We do not live in Menlo Park but are often in the area for family and medical. Downtown Menlo Park is so delightful. Free parking, walkable, and lovely stores and restaurants. The small, locally owned businesses are just great.

I recently finished the Beginner and Intermediate 1-2 workshops at PhotoSprouts. Jordi is an…read moreamazing and incredibly knowledgeable instructor who knows how to break down technical settings so they actually make sense. Photosprouts provides their own mirrorless cameras and lenses for these workshops but you can bring your own as well. I brought my own and Jordi helped a ton with helping set it up and answered tons of my questions about when to use various features. The class structure is a mix of lectures and immediate hands-on exercises. The photowalks during the intermediate sessions were especially useful for applying manual settings to real-world scenes and learning how to compose shots on the fly. Getting that direct practice with my own gear was the biggest takeaway and I walked away with a much better handle on my camera. Highly recommend PhotoSprouts and I plan to take some of the more advanced workshops in the future!

Christina is the best!…read more I first came across PhotoSprouts when I took a beginner photography lesson in 2023 with Jordi. Afterwards I followed up with questions on what the best camera to buy for a safari would be, and PhotoSprouts owner Christina went above and beyond in helping me compare and contrast the 2 models and lens I was debating. She literally wrote me an essay and I remember being blown away. Fast forward to 2025 when I bought my first real camera (the Canon mirrorless one that she'd recommended two years ago) in advance of a safari honeymoon. I took 2 private lessons with her to learn how to use it. I'm a complete beginner (ex. I barely knew how to attach the lens and adapter to the camera base). Christina is knowledgeable, warm, and patient. She suggested we go to the SF Zoo to practice shooting different animals to best recreate what the honeymoon would be like. We started off with the basics (ex. aperture, ISO, shutter speed) in the Zoo cafe. Christina was prepared with printouts, props, and example pictures which helped me grasp the concepts faster. After we went through the 101 printout, we walked around the zoo to put the concepts in action. It was so helpful to have her next to me so I could ask her all my questions as they came up in real-time. For example, she pointed out that I had a tendency to over-expose my shots (because they looked dark on the LCD and viewfinder when we were out in the sun) and that I could be more aggressive when pressing + holding down the shutter release button. I also only had one battery which died within an hour, and she kindly lent me another for the remainder of class. I was amazed by how much I learned in the 2 hour lesson and took a follow-up lesson on how to import, store, and edit photos. Thank you Christina for the amazing classes and tips!

It has been almost 5 years since I took Tom's DSLR jumpstart class, and the lessons I learned that…read moreday are still in use. The class really helped ignite my ability to properly set up my camera, but also how to adjust setting on the fly. Since his class, I have been published in multiple aviation books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines. Last Year I was an Editors Choice in the 2023 Aviation Week and Space Technology Photo edition Without Tom and his class I would no doubt be plodding away with my camera with the usual mediocre results instead of what I am shooting now. If you want to do more with your photography this one is an easy call. Give Tom and PhotoTrainer a try.

I came to Tom looking to get some knowledge about photography and a better understanding of how to…read moreuse this new SUPER DUPER XYZ 99-100 SUPER FLY camera I bought. After 2.5 hours with Tom I now feel like an INVINCIBLE KRYPTONITE IRON CLAD NINJA JEDI.....ok, ok, that may have been a bit much. My experience with Tom was very good, I got a better understanding of the craft, and feel better in the workings of my SITH SLAYING SURGICAL SLICING LIGHT SABER of a Camera ....(clearing Throat) excuse me, a better understanding in the workings of my camera. Let me keep it professional, Tom was an excellent teacher, very knowledgeable in his craft, & was very patient in answering all my question's. For me this was money well spent. Thanks Tom... Your Kung-Fu is strong.

I highly recommend this photography class! Peter is a very skilled photographer and will explain…read morehow to work your camera and take beautiful photos. He will give you tips on how to se

I just finished Peter's class today. I've read so many things on the concepts of how the elements…read moreof apeture, shutter speed and ISO work, but I couldn't get the concepts to click to put it into action with my camera. I'm now walking away finally understanding the main concepts to get my DSLR out of AUTO and it has already significantly improved my photography. Peter was patient, funny and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend this class to anyone wanting to improve their skills. I will say that this is not a class for someone that doesn't know how to use their camera at all. You do need to know the basics of how to find and adjust settings and in my opinion you'll get way more out of the class . Thanks Peter for inspiring my creative side again!

I've had a DSLR for four years and finally decided that I needed to stop treating it like a…read morepoint-and-shoot. At first I tried looking up photography blogs online and tutorials on YouTube. While I found a lot of helpful tips, I ultimately felt like I needed to set aside a dedicated chunk of time and attention to learning the basics. One quick "photography class" search on Groupon, and a cross-check of Yelp reviews for this studio later, and I had a voucher for two beginner classes and/or photo walks for $142.40 (the usual price is $178, which is still a steal, but Groupon usually has some sort of 20/25% off promotional code floating around). It was easy enough to book the beginner class because they offered at least one each week, usually on Saturday or Sunday morning. I chose a Saturday morning session, 10 am to 1 pm, at their studio in the Mission. For some reason 3 hours seemed like a long period of time on paper, but the actual class just flew by. Darrell was our instructor and he walked us through shutter speed, aperture, ISO and some composition tips, all while fielding questions specific to the different cameras everyone brought in - very helpful! He also gave some suggestions on starter equipment with reasonable price ranges (i.e. prime lenses, tripod, circular lenses, etc.). It was a bit harder to book the photo walk since those only seem to come around once per month, but it's not impossible. In late November, I was able to book a Sunday evening session, 3:30 to 5:30 PM, in early December. You start off at the Warming Hut Cafe near Crissy Field, make your way up to a lookout point with a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and then head up close to Fort Point with views of the Golden Gate and the SF skyline at dusk. Darrell was our guide on this excursion and we had a chance to play around with f-stops, depth of field, white balance, histograms and metering. After we wrapped up our class, I decided to head off to Farmhouse Thai for dinner with coworkers and then Salt & Straw for dessert (can't waste any trips into SF if you live in the East Bay), lol. All in all, I credit Isla Studio with helping me feel more confident in manual mode - no more auto for me!

Wow! After years of treating my expensive DSLR like a point-and-shoot camera, I decided to look…read moreinto a class, and boy am I glad I did! Our instructor (Lindsay) was incredibly patient, thorough, and taught us not just the basics of photography itself, but also how to operate our own cameras (and iPhones, for those who needed it). She gave great, practical suggestions on where we could go to continue our learning, and followed up with more great advice after the class. Couldn't recommend this class more.

Anwen was such a pleasure to work with! I mentioned it to the manager, and he admitted how lucky he…read morewas to have her working there. The vibe in this shop is very can-do. We had an odd shaped photo we wanted to shrink to fit a square frame we brought in. They had to go at it a couple of times to get it right, and then Photoshop out a dark spot at the top, and it turned out great. They really wanted to make us happy with the result. I hadn't been to a camera store in years, and it was so nice to go in and see how alive and well the business of photography is and especially Mikes Camera Shop!

Excellent Service! I…read morewanted a Tamaron lens that wasn't in stock, but they had it ordered for me right away. James was great, he was very polite and professional, and explained F stop to me in the best way possible using an older lens as an example. He really is passionate and knowledgeable about cameras from past and current technologies. Everybody was great, the staff was playful and joked around here and there. I was a bit picky of how the lens needed to be handled, but James respected that and understood. The lens was in immaculate new condition and it was the best purchases I ever made, especially for the price!

Our son has joined Tara's photo school for three summers in a row. Tara gets the class to…read moredifferent, interesting places to take photos. She also has a teaching style that is both challenging and encouraging--helping students expand their technical skills and artistic vision. It has been fun for him, and exciting for us to see the growth in his work.

From the owner: We host exciting and educational experiences to help you learn to create incredible photographs to…read moremaster your craft! We offer classes, workshops and summer camp programs throughout the year!

I've been following Bruce's Instagram account for some time and really enjoyed his photos and the…read morelocations he was using in the Bay Area. A friend recommended him, so I hired him to do a one-on-one session to help me with sunset photography. The session was awesome! Bruce is extremely knowledgeable about the area, he took us to a fantastic location for our sunset photos, and he answered a ton of questions I had about taking photos (framing the shot, settings, gear... etc.). I learned a LOT from the session and took one of my favorite photos ever. Overall, it was a great learning experience for me. I would highly recommend Bruce to anyone for one-on-one or a group session. He is amazing at what he does and he's honest about his input and feedback. I can't wait to schedule another session! Thanks, Bruce!

Building a new restaurant, Mersea, on Treasure Island, I've seen may of Bruce Getty's beautiful…read morephotography and own a few of his pieces, and the view from our restaurant on TI is spectacular, and the only person I had in mind to capture the SF Skyline beauty if Bruce. He is very professional and committed to providing the BEST view possible. His passion for his craft shows in the stunning photos. I look forward to his next set of photos for our new restaurant.