If you've ever considered taking a class in photography, Alex is type of teacher you want. He…read moreclearly and simply describes each element of the shot (shutter speed, types of film, aperture, etc) and the tradeoffs/adjustments of the camera. During the beautiful walking tour of North Beach, he answers all of your questions no matter how rudimentary or technical. Highly recommended. I can't wait to see how my photos of the parrots at telegraph hill came out.

Fantastic afternoon spent in North Beach. An ideal way for visitors to see some of San Francisco…read morewithout just aimlessly wandering around - you learn about photography at the same time! As a complete rookie it was great to have all the basics clearly explained and demonstrated in a relaxed atmosphere, and then straight away have the chance to put some of that knowledge into practice. Definitely recommended. Tip: Make sure to leave enough time in SF to get your photos back!

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!

I took my first class with CP, and it was exactly what I was looking for. I have been modeling for…read morejust about a year and was craving guidance, knowledge, and a resource to direct questions to. In my first class I learned all about runway walking and casting etiquette, it was all new things I had never heard before and I now hold them very valuable to my heart. I can't wait to continue learning under CP, and see how far this modeling journey can take me.

Charleston is a very knowledgeable and experienced teacher. He has many connections and can help…read moreopen doors for people. I attended a few classes and learned things I'll never forget. He preaches anyone can be a model. Attending his class you'll see various heights, ages, ethnicities, body types and weights. Which is why I found it quite hurtful he found it appropriate to send me an exercise video. I'm disabled, which he was made aware of. Its an invisible disability but it can impact my physical capabilities so I've chosen to no longer attend.

I can't say enough about working with Christelle. She is simply great. I have studied French for…read moremany years, in many settings, and my experience with Christelle has by far been the best. She has a number of qualities that I really appreciate: -- She is a a professional teacher, with a clear understanding of how people learn languages and common pitfalls that occur. She also has excellent knowledge of both French *and* English grammar, and can explain the French language in a way that makes sense for English speakers. -- She does a good job of balancing grammar studies with free conversation. To speak a language well, I am a firm believer you just have to spend many, many hours speaking it. A solid understanding of grammar, though, is essential to accelerating this process. In our lessons, we would spend a good fraction just chatting. She would then identify rough spots where we could review grammar points and add vocabulary. I really liked this adaptive approach, and felt like the session was finely tuned to my needs. -- She comes prepared with a huge array of content: radio interviews, videos, newspaper clippings, grammar summaries, vocab sheets, etc. She tries to identify subjects her students are interested in (cooking, traveling, hobbies, etc.) and then tunes the content to those areas. Christelle is the best language teacher I have ever had. I just can't recommend her highly enough.

Finding a tutor through BAFT was very easy, I just emailed their website describing my background…read moreand needs as a French learner and they connected me to a tutor quickly. I ended up taking lessons with Christelle and had an amazing experience. Christelle is a wonderful teacher and when I take lessons with her I feel as if all of the struggle and headache that usually comes with learning a new language goes away entirely. The process is fun and accessible and it is always a pleasure to work with Christelle, and each week I feel as if I have gained noticeable progress. She is very understanding with student's unique needs and backgrounds and as someone who had come to her with zero experience with French I felt that she gave me a fantastic level of support in starting from the ground up.

How can I condense my 6 years of tutoring at the Center on Yelp? Perhaps through an anecdote from…read morelast year: I was a junior in high school, commuting to a rigorous college prep school in SF. My grades were good, but my PSAT scores were pretty pitiful. I decided to take the SAT 1s anyways, towards the end of junior year. 1950. Not bad, but not acceptable for the schools I wanted to attend. Immediately after getting the devastating news that I would have to retake the SATs and forsake much of my summer, I contacted Hamayoon and the Tutoring Center. I received tutoring from them for the SSATs and my experience was very positive. I also was receiving math help once a week at the time. Hamayoon and I worked on math together for a month and a half. Diana and I worked on grammar and reading together for the same amount of time. Each week, I'd spend 4-6 hours studying and I took four free full length SAT 1s in the month before taking the test. My scores ranged, but I knew I had improved my math score from 610 to at least 650 and my writing score from 660 to the low 700s when test day came. I was aiming for 2100 though, and the week before my test I scored in the high 2000s. Test day came, and I felt pretty good about my performance. The day I received my test scores back was one of the proudest of my life. My score was 2130-- 710 in math, 730 in critical reading, and 700 in writing. My SAT 2 scores were also impacted by my work with the Center. English lit went from 630 to 700 and US history--710. How? The tutors at the Center and my intense studying. Hamayoon made the math especially fun--our sessions were actually interesting and we had our share of laughs. Diana and I read poetry aloud as a creative way of overcoming my difficulties with middle English. Do not hesitate to try out the Bay Area Tutoring Center. YOU GET THE FIRST SESSION FREE IF YOU MENTION YELP! -D

I just got my SAT and got a 1550 which is all thanks to this tutoring center. I can't thank…read moreHomayoon and Shanna enough for all their help. Definitely recommend going here

TechSF and coding courses didn't work out. BAVC should stick to video production and support adults…read morefrom all age groups, not just young adults under 25.

BAVC is an amazing place to learn about video production. It has helped me a lot and I don't even…read moretake advantage of all its resources. I have taken a bunch of classes in video editing, After Effects, and some web design. With a couple of exceptions, they all have been really good and I've learned a lot of stuff that I've been able to use at my job. I would particularly recommend taking classes with David Santamaria or Doug Garth. They're really good instructors, well prepared, and know what they're doing very well. Students come from many places. You'll find professionals trying to get new skills or get better at them, unemployed people trying to get into a new area, people who need to learn a specific software... BAVC has different programs where you can get access to classes at no cost. I have personally done it through the Corporate Training program, but there are others. I find the way classes are usually taught very useful. Every student has their own computer with the necessary software installed and the instructor works on a computer connected to several monitors that you can check while you're working. That's WAY better than having to look at one single screen on the wall. They usually give you a lot of exercises to do during the class, which is very helpful. A lot of the classes are during the weekend, eight hours a day, one or two days. This is great because you can learn a lot in just one weekend, but on the other side it's quite hard to absorbe so much content in such a short period of time. I sometimes wish they were offered through several weeks to have time to practice as we learn. The space itself is quite nice, with a common area where you can bring your food or take a break, although there are several places around where you could go get lunch. They recently made their restrooms gender-neutral. I'm so happy this place exists.

We just finished a wonderful week of fundamentals of photography camp where my 13 year-old teen…read morereally enjoyed everything she learned from the instructor Tara. The various field trips to different parts of the Bay Area really built on each other and leveraged the techniques learned during camp throughout the week. We actually joined this camp as an out-of-towner (but ex-Bay Area-er) from Southern California and found it worth all of the efforts to make it happen, thanks to the heart and soul Tara has put into making this camp possible. Highly recommend!

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.

I grew so much from your classes. I went from being an overthinking, comedy-only improvisor to…read moresomeone who could engage in real emotional depth in a scene. I can't thank you enough for expanding my range and abilities as a performer!

Full Spectrum Improvisation is like playing with friends, as I recall it as a child.. Freeing the…read morebody to express creative impulses, connecting with others in endless ways, and learning techniques from a master teacher to open up, reveal and connect. Much self-discovery and shared exploration, feeling safe to go there. Joya creates an environment of structure and freedom, xoxPeg