Terrible waste of money. I had one session with Layth, and another one - with Paris. Both are some students who have a very vague idea about photography and are not able to answer basic questions. Not recommend this place at all. read more

We just finished the five week beginners photography class with Charlie! It was great! Charlie is a highly skilled photographer, and a great motivator. You will only get out of the class whatever you put in - so if you don't want to do the "homework" then you won't improve. But each week we learned new tips, we practiced new skills and improved our photography. Charlie's feedback was always very positive, but also productive. I highly recommend this class if you want to learn how to better work your camera and hone your skills! read more

I signed up and paid for a three session travel photography workshop. Photomanhattan sent me directions and an emap with a pin in the nearby New Jersey Suburbs for the first session. I went there at the designated time and no one from photomanhattan was there. I called and texted from the location and got no reply. I waited a half hour and called again. Crickets. I went home and called again. Nada. a couple of days later I got a call from someone and explained what happened and asked for a refund. She said she would check, and then at 6pm on Friday sent an email that all they could offer was a future class credit. After which, no answer and they ghosted. Not good customer service. My advice: Avoid this rip off. read more

By far one of the best quick courses you can take. The friendliness of everyone is beyond AWESOME. I enjoyed my classes so much that i took photo I & II as well as Portraiture with Helene. She is AMAZING a great individual awesome instructor. You can learn so much from her. I highly recommend her if you are starting your passion in Photography. And let me not forget my boo Gabbe he is at the front desk. He is absolutely wonderful friendly helpful & sweetheart. PHOTOMANHATTAN is the place to be. Namaste kat. read more

I have attended PhotoManhattan, awhile ago and I had an amazing out come when I completed my course- From basic digital to learning portraits and wedding, as well as street photography. It was totally fun to go main stream and I was also attracted to taking photos of food, so I threw that in and WHAM BAM!! I gained more experience as a freelancer for the rest of mi life! Also not to forget I love playing with mi iPhone, so yes they had an iPhone photography course (Pretty neat). They all came in handy, for sure. I was pleased to meet numerous people around Union Sq, and it built my confident to try different places and volunteer, as well FREELY- to photograph. Of course, we still need more courses to keep learning-- so I am up & ready! Just like music keep practicing and keep going! An additional fun course was videography - that was really cool. You can follow me on Instagram: Kimayaphotography read more

PhotoManhattan - https://www.instagram.com/j.valldi_/?hl=en - Specialty Schools Near Me - New York, New York

I just got into photography and spent a mini fortune on camera, lens and other equipment and then realized that I had NO idea how to use it and it's not as easy as one may think. I read all day at work, so the last thing I want to do is pick up a book a read. (I admit I did buy some books and read the forums on Flickr). So I thought a photography course would be most appropriate for me! I looked at several other places, but PhotoManhattan has the best prices and flexibility with time/schedules and if you miss a class, you can make up that class. It's also steps away from the subway, which it's very convenient when it's raining/snowing (at least for me). It is a small place and not really fancy, but the pricing is great. The classes have lighting/tripods available. Also, if you forget your camera one day, they let you borrow the school's spare camera. I've only attended a few classes but I'm very impressed. The instructor is Charles and he's very knowledgeable and certainly makes the class fun and easy to understand. The best part is that they give you homework (taking pictures of course!). I highly recommend you attend PhotoManhattan if you want to learn to shoot. However, I highly recommend you buy a DSLR camera and not a point and shoot camera. I really look forward going to class and waiting for my next homework assignment. Once, I'm done with the course, I'll provide an update! read more

I can't believe it's taken me months to write a review on PhotoManhattan -- I've certainly raved about every other chance I've gotten, it seems! I took the 9-week course which was conveniently offered from 8:30 - 10:30pm (so it easily fit with my work schedule), and for $319, this was by far the most affordable photography course in all of Manhattan (and I did a lot of research). The course offers an extensive curriculum which covers a majority of the basics (exposure, composition, perspective, lighting, using the functions of your camera), and I definitely finished it feeling very confident that I finally knew what I was doing while using with my DSLR. My pictures markedly improved as well. My instructor, Laccone, was chill and funny, but also knew a lot about photography. During his critiques, he was always positive but still gave good constructive criticism and I loved that he was a working professional photographer (all the instructors are), so he was able to show us a lot of his own work as examples. I also really enjoyed that it's a small, intimate class size and I felt that it strengthened our comeraderie -- by the end of the class, I felt really comfortable with all my fellow classmates and they were so positive and helpful with everything. Though the homework is quite heavy, it's such a fun subject and I always wanted to put the techniques I learned in class into practice, that I never felt really burdened by the amount of pictures that we had to take (though, people who take this class really WANT to learn how to photograph better, so why on earth would you not do the homework?) Finally, the end of the course exhibition (offered for the 9-weekers) was definitely the highlight of the experience. It was amazing to showcase my pictures and to see everyone else's hard work shared as well, and I loved that so many of my friends came to support me. Add a little wine/champagne, cheese, crackers, veggies and fruit (all provided by PhotoManhattan) and everyone was having an amazing time. I cannot speak more highly about this course and this studio -- it was everything I was hoping for and more. read more

I took a 9 week Intro to Photography course at PhotoManhattan a while ago. The "school" sent me an email basically asking for referrals and offering me a $15 coupon for each friend I refer. This made me think, the main reason people choose this place versus another place is because it's the first thing that shows up in a google search search. I signed up for a course on my friend's recommendation of the instructor, little did I know about the space. Before you sign up for a course, I would highly recommend you check out the studio. It is quite dingy and like another reviewer said, it feels like a basement. There are no tables for you to put your camera or for you to write. The timing of classes are very close together (15 mins apart or so), so you will have to wait for the class before you if arrive early or if that class runs late. The front desk is less than desirable, they have never greeted me nor have they responded to an email requesting for a simple change to something they posted with my name and email on it. While my instructor was knowledgable and I did learn a few things. I feel that the 9 week course tries to jam too many topics in there. I understand the possible need to expose the students to studio lighting, portraiture, etc, but the main focus for anyone to take a photography class is to learn to use the modes of the camera and take better pictures that are exposed correctly. The class sizes can also be really large depending on the time slot, so that leaves for less individual attention. Now that I have retaken another photography 101 course and had the complete opposite experience, I highly recommend PhotoUno Photography School based in Midtown. ---- comment regarding the comment below: I did leave positive feedback after the course but that was for the instructor because he was a cool guy and really wanted the class to learn. But after leaving the class, I didn't find myself practicing in manual mode and we never learned any of the other dials so it was auto or bad pictures in manual. Until you experience what it's like to be valued as a student elsewhere, you won't know that this place treated their students like crap. Maybe things have changed, but I don't feel like paying for another course to find out. read more

A stellar educational experience. Took Intro to Photography 1 and loved the class, the assignments and the teacher. He was so incredibly knowledgable and friendly - and also critiqued our work insightfully and taught us techniques to photograph better. The amount of homework was a LOT, but the homework really did demonstrate each of the techniques perfectly. If you are a professional and work 9 to 5 or more during the week, I would suggest taking the class in the summer time. I took this class in the wintertime when there was very little natural light (flash was discouraged), and used every single weekend to do the homework since this was the only time I could be out in the natural light. I still loved the class, but think it may be more fun/easier to express yourself in sunnier conditions! I would definitely come here again. read more

I've been interested in photography for a while and finally decided to take it to the next level. I signed up with an introductory level for 300. 9 weeks. I love this place, the instructor is very knowledgeable about photography. Every class we have to do homework and that's the main to impress my photography skills. One thing I love about their classes is if you sign up for those long session classes. most likely in the end(the last class) you get to do an exhibition, and display all the great work you did through out the class, invite friends to share your work with them. I loved loved the exhibition idea. I would highly recommend everything who's interested in photography take one of their courses.. read more

After finally buying a DSLR, I wanted to learn how to use it properly. I signed up for the 9 week introductory class at PhotoManhattan, which met weekly for 2 hours each session. The classes were well structured, fun and informative. I learned a ton in a short amount of time. Each class, we would learn some new skills then have time to practice them in the room with the instructor. There were assignments each week to complete as well. There's no grading or penalty for not completing them, but you will only get as much out of the class as you put into it. So, if you want to get the most out of the class, I recommend doing the little projects each week. At the end, if you wish to participate, there is an exhibition for your class where you get to show some pictures and invite your friends and family to view them. This feature comes with all of the 9 week course, I believe. It's a fun experience to have. On top of everything, the pricing of the classes in right - around $300 for the 9 week course. I shopped around and this was, by far, the most reasonably priced option around for an introductory class. read more

I took a 3 week course with Pam S. She was awesome. The class was awesome. The 3 Sundays were long days and I wish i had more time to dedicate to my new hobby.. but it was a great class. and I am loving my camera even more. Thanks Pam! BTW, be prepared to have camera envy, even in the intro class. read more

I'm currently taking a 9 week course at PhotoManhattan. I've been quite skeptical about taking photography as it's been difficult for me to understand the basics on my own. Wow, the set up of this course is so great. It's set up like an academic course minus the stress. What a great experience. I'm not even done with it and I'm so ready for the next one. If you're thinking about photography courses, this is the place to do it. The instructor used techniques that were so useful to me. Amazing experience and not that bad. Completely affordable and worth every penny. read more

I just finished the Photograph I course there, and I couldn't be happier. The teachers are all working professional photographers, and are not snobby or "know it all" in any way. They're super helpful, and there is an exhibit at the end of the class which is really cool! When you're done you really want to show off some of your work, and they provide a vehicle for that. No grading or penalty's for not doing the work, but you WANT to do it anyway because it's so helpful. As you'll see from taking the class, the more you shoot, the better you get. If you own a proper digital camera, this course is a must to learn how to use it. You'll never use your automatic settings again! I can't say enough good things about it. Flexible class times and the location is easy to get to as well. Check it out! read more

Great place. Very motivated to go out with my cam to take some picture after going for a photo gallery. They honor some great work outside in the hall way and they are worth some time to look over. I won't suggest taking the 100 classes since you can probably learn them by picking up the camera and read chapter 1 of dummies 101. If you still got trouble, good luck at the class. I enjoy the differences btw more advanced classes. read more

This place is a hit or miss depending on which instructor you got. I took Intro to Photography with Inbal Sivan. Contrary to one of the reviews, I think Inbal is a great teacher (and a talented photographer of course). She really knows how to teach and explains concept clearly. She is also very witty. I took another two courses here, the qualify of which was average. I learnt something, but could I teach myself by just flipping through the material? Probably. read more

Took a 9 weeks Intro course with Pam S.. An amazing teacher.. Front office not a fan of, lucky I didn't have to deal with them besides the initial registration. Learn so much, signing up again for Intro II.. Photo Exhibit at the end of the course was amazing. So many people with amazing eyes for this hobby. read more

I took 2 classes here, both with Inbal Sivan, and really enjoyed the experience. I was really impressed that we were able to learn so much in a short period of time. I think these classes are best for hobbyist photographers considering more sophisticated photography. THis was a class for people who want to be better photographers with an SLR camera (not for people who want to know about the buttons on their point and soot camera). Also, just to respond to another post here, I found Inbal to be an excellent teacher- patient, wise, helpful, and her photos are great not at all rude. Also, you get out of the class what you put into it. The more effort and practice you put in, the better your photos get and the more freedom you feel with the equipment. My one complaint was that the class was in a kind of small space. Pluses: great teacher, real help, great lighting equip that we worked with, fast pace of the classes, affordable. read more

I did a digital I course and some seminars. It was really great! The teachers are fantantics and friendly, they are very professionals and knowledgeable about photography. I learned a lot. And the prices are not expansive like the others schools. read more

I am extremely angry with this business.. and this is my first negative review EVER in my life!! Photo Manhattan has extremely poor customer experience. I have wasted an hour booking using my Groupon. * The book now in Groupon doesn't work * No body picks phone * The website is horrible and that forces you to type your credit card instead of Groupon I tried to book the class on July 7th for Digital Camera Seminar, however, when I entered my Groupon that asked me my credit card as well. When I gave both the website did not take my Groupon but instead seems to take the credit card. Can you apply my Groupon to my reservation instead for Jul 7th? How hard can that be??? If a business don't want to honor coupons then they shouldn't release them in the first place only to waste customer time and money. read more

After over 3 years purchasing a total of 2 SLR cameras (digital & film) and not knowing how to use them, I finally decided to take some classes. This is were PhotoManhattan entered the picture. I found them online and checked out the student's final projects and was fairly impressed with the results. I checked out the class days/times and finally the affordable price of them and I was sold. I enrolled myself in Photo I for 9 sessions for a smidge over $300. Not bad. Upon attending the class, my instructor Charles, was very informative. Not only did he teach us techniques, but he made sure he knew what we were all using and he would let us know what to do in our case. After completing the course, you are to do an exhibit w/your final project. There I met another instructor and she was very encouraging and insightful. I can finally take out my film SLR and be proud to use it. I wouldn't mind taking more classes. read more

I took Photo I and Photo II with Maria. I love her teaching style. She explains things really well. I highly recommend her. Each class has has a lot of fun assignments. Photo I was very extensive and it would be better if a few topics from Photo I are shifted to Photo II. read more

The 9 week Intro to Photo class was helpful to me. I took the class a few months ago and now I feel much more confident with my camera. Before the class I did not know how to use all the features of the camera, now I do. I have had several months to practice with what I have learned and really do appreciate the class and 'uping my game' with my photography. read more

Overall, this school is good and a great value for your money. I have taken two 9 week courses in the past year and here's my feedback. PROS: - Classes are quite small, from a handful to just a bit over 10 students, usually some drop out by the end of the course - Teachers are knowledgeable and are professional photographers - They have recently renovated the space and expanded their classrooms to the upper floor, added chairs with desks so it's more comfortable and easy to take notes - Their front desk person seemed to have changed as now it is a much nicer and pleasant person - Weekly homework assignments help you learn by practicing (not mandatory but you just want to do them) - Easy to register for the course and easy to sign up for a make up class if you miss one - I found that teachers were usually critical enough without being discouraging - Sufficient teaching equipment (lamps, reflectors, backgrounds etc are used in some classes) - Exhibit at the end of the course is fun and makes you feel accomplished - Good value for the money - Great location CONS (constructive criticism for the school): - Teachers are not available outside of the classroom which to me was disappointing - As someone else suggested, it would be great if students had a platform on which they could communicate outside of class. It would definitely help with learning and clear up any HW assignment confusion. - In Photo 3, sometimes an entire session was sometimes taken up by photo critique as some people would bring 20+ photos (despite the fact that the HW called only for 5-6). I found this part frustrating as it did not allow us to cover everything in the syllabus. Wish the time was managed better by the teachers. - Photo 3 was too focused on the exhibit from day one rather than homework; I'd rather go over various HW assignments than look at people's exhibit photos in every class. I would recommend this school especially to anyone who is starting in photography and wants to learn the basics. You will definitely learn, especially if you do your HW. Overall it was a positive experience and I will probably be back for future classes or seminars. read more

Classes are great! I have taken 4 different courses. I especially appreciated Photo Journalism clases combine technical guidance as well as illustrated historical references that make this greatly informative and fun. read more

I started a Photography I class at PhotoManhattan last week. I have to say that eventhough I have taken photography in the past, I found the class very informative and the teacher engaging. I only had a problem with the fact that I was the ONLY person in the class that uses a film camera, when I was told it would be more of a mix of digital and film students. So half the first class I spent spacing out while the teacher was instructing students on which buttons to press on their cameras. Hopefully, things will get better for me as the semester progresses. read more

Five years ago I took my first AP class (found it on groupon) and it shaped my career. I learnt a lot and took more classes. AP, TTL, Photoshop, Digital photography... Fast forward I shot my first campaign a few weeks ago and did not hesitate to crew up with former teachers and employees. Thanks Helene, Jason and Gabriel for not only teaching me, but also being on my own set and rocking it! read more

PhotoManhattan - Specialty Schools Near Me - New York, New York

Instructor was definitely good. However, this was so over priced. Read an instruction book and save your money.

was referred to this school by a former student, I just completed the Intro to Photography course with Laccone, gotta say I loved the class and his teaching style, like Jenni the previous reviewer said basically would definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in knowing more about their camera and about the art itself read more

Great instructors and staff who are genuinely interested in helping you become a better photographer. I took the 9-week introductory digital photography course and could not be happier with it. In addition to in-depth lectures of the camera's capabilities, the instructors also devoted time to composition, effects, editing, and more. Also, since they offer a lot of courses, it was easy to take make-up classes with other groups when I couldn't make it to my scheduled one. I look forward to taking the next level class when my schedule allows. read more

Finished the 9 week class with Rocio. Man, I tell you PhotoManhattan is the best you can get with real world instructors without breaking the bank. You go through material briskly and a few things went over my head, but I learned a lot. I loved working on my photo project and Rocio's lectures were great - never boring. I didn't miss one class and I'll sign up for another class soon. Definitely take a class here if you are a newbie. And I recommend Rocio since she's just fantastic. read more

This experience was a total miss for me. First of all, the class is taught in a room that feels like a basement. You are expected to show up with a camera, your homework and the handout but there is no place to put anything except your lap. I found it a struggle to work with my camera and take notes. As if the environment wasn't challenging enough, I got a meandering instructor. The guy obviously loved photography but he couldn't teach at all.I had such high hopes for this class and was completely disappointed. When I reached out to Photo Manhattan they were not sympathetic to my situation at all. I ended up quitting the class due to mounting frustation and concerns that the experience was going to squash all interest in photography that I have. If you are still considering taking a class here, I recommend you stop by the facility and look at the "classrooms." Ask if they will let you audit the teacher first. If you have any doubts or concerns -- walk away. read more

Had a great experience in the 9 week class. Wonderful and accomplished teacher-Carla- and a syllabus that covered just enough but not too much. Highly recommend. Also a great value. I took a 1day course at ICP which was double the price of the 9 week course at photomanhattan and learned absolutely nothing!!! Take this course! read more

I just completed the 9 sessions Introduction to Photography course and I would fully recommend photo manhattan to anyone. My teacher was Laccone and I really related to his hands on teaching style. Now I finally understand the technical aspects of my camera. I will definitely be taking more courses in the near future. Bravo! read more

I would highly recommend PhotoManhattan to anyone searching for basic photography instruction. It could be five stars, but it's hard to judge without comparison... Pluses: flexibility (the place offers many types of schedule), the price was reasonable, and it is a place for both amateurs and semi-pros alike. Cons: like most classes, the teacher can be hit-or-miss, there are some simple things that could make the class better The signup via the web was very easy. When you go to your first class, you get a little syllabus. The class is squeezed into a little room, but it wasn't too claustrophobic. We had about 20-25 in the first class but it whittled down to a regular crew of about 15 people. Everyone was nice. I thought my teacher was very good. She was a first-timer, I think, but obviously a pro who knew what she was talking about and was a pretty good teacher. She was very patient (it's not so easy). The course material was fairly basic (photo 1), but for an amateur, I learned a lot. The basics include exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, some artistic pointers, depth of field, and shading. I learned a lot about why pictures come out the way they do and about my new SLR camera. For instance, I now understand why photos of white objects come out gray-ish at times. I think I got my money's worth. The one thing that I would have liked is the ability to e-talk to my classmates and teacher during the week. There was a little confusion almost every week over the assignments with one person or another. read more

I took Digital Photo II here, and I loved my teacher Mercedes - she was enthusiastic and uber knowledgable. I accomplished my goal which was to learn how to use the manual functions of my camera (mostly aperture and shutter speed), and we had a small student exhibition after which was fun. read more

I took a Digital Photo I course and it was great. I went in with my brand new camera and didn't know anything, On the first class you learn all the camera settings and exposure. After than every week there are hands-on shooting and assignments. My instructor was great, very patient friendly and knowledgeable. He took time with each one to answer everybody's questions every class. I really liked that every week we had to shoot photos for our own photo series (a set of 6) which was then showcased in a group exhibit - Lot of fun and it really added to the whole course experience. I'll take more courses. I'd highly recommend this place. read more

What makes or breaks a school to me is the teachers. I have had some disastrous teachers in the past in college and schools, so when I find good ones - I cling on to them for dear life. I was a little dubious at first thinking the price seemed cheap and generally you do get what you pay for, however I was overly impressed in my 9 weeks so far - so much so I have signed up for more. This is a fantastic entry into the world in manual photography and knowing that wonderful camera you probably just bought. The results will definitely show in your photos. Best decision I have made all year. read more

I learned so much by taking the basic photo class here. Rocio was a great teacher and I feel that the class helped advance my skills tenfold. I would recommend photo Manhattan to any blossoming photographer or someone who just wants to figure out how to use their brand spankin' new dslr =) read more

A coworker and I decided to purchase a course on a whim (Black Friday special!). Although it was a struggle to get myself up on cold Saturday mornings, the course was great! Charlie is a sweetheart and just a super cool dude -- not to mention, incredibly talented. I took this class to brush up on my photo skills and learn more about my camera, and that's just what I got out of it. I look forward to booking my second course! read more