Future Light Digital Workshops

Brad is an awesome teacher. Has helped us with digital photography, Lightroom software which is a great but not easy to use editing program and helped set up and keep our computers clean. We first took a photography class from him 6 years ago and are students for life of his. He rocks!

Brad’s passion and enthusiasm for Photoshop is inspiring. Looking forward to more classes from you and hopefully introducing you to some of my scrapbooking friends in the East Bay.

Let me preface by saying, I knew absolutely nothing about my fancy Christmas present before I took this class. The several hundred page manual was so daunting, the most I felt comfortable doing was snapping a few shots of my cat.
I signed up for the Digital SLR class, hoping to get a good overview of the basic functions of my camera. This class far exceeded my expectations.
Brad is an excellent teacher who wants to make sure your questions are answered. Not matter how rudimentary they may be.
Brad really tries to cover all the bases in this class. There’s an in shop portion where he discusses the camera with a slide show and a question/​answer portion. Then we get to apply our new knowledge in the field and snap some pictures in the neighborhood. Brad really makes an effort to work with each student individually during this portion. Then we head back to the classroom and do a brief overview of Adobe Lightroom while we looking at the pictures we just took.
I highly recommend this class.

Brad teaches a great course! I am excited to use the knowledge I learned in his class for an upcoming trip to Africa. He helped me to better understand my camera’s functionality & how to get the most of it. He also helped me to figure out what gear to take, how to better manage my memory storage and even how to clean off my camera’s sensor in the field! Brad’s command of digital SLR photography knowledge is exceptional. I highly recommend taking his course.

I took the Intro to Digital Photography Workshop, it was the best investment I ‘ve done for myself. Just within the first hour this course already solved 2 of my problems I’ve been having. I bought a very nice DSLR camera for half a year now and I couldn’t understand why all my outdoor shots are great but my indoors shots were unpredictable or just bad? My indoor shots could be too bright or too dark and the colors were off. I thought just by leaving it to auto it would work ok like my outdoor shots but that wasn’t the case. My camera has too many buttons and features and I couldn’t make sense from reading my manual. This course helped me understand some of the basics of metering and color balance. Those were my problems that auto mode doesn’t always fix. I’m looking forward to take his other courses as well. I got so much out of this course in so little time.

(This review is for the three part Photoshop CS6 class)
I had intermediate skills from an embarrassingly old version of Photoshop, and signed up to really learn what I could do with CS6.
These classes were very well organized, and hands on. You follow along with each lesson as it’s being taught. We covered a lot of helpful tools, shortcuts, and tricks. The pace really moves. I had 8 in my class, there was time for everyone to get in a few questions, and Brad was available before and after class to help. You take home a digital file of all the source material, and the lesson plan. I was able to go through my notes and redo all the lessons at home, just a few days later, to solidify everything I learned.
I followed this tip from Elaine Y, «Since each of us had a desktop provided, no need to bring pen and paper, just take notes right onto the computer and then email yourself.»

A great teacher and fun experience.
After speaking with Brad by phone and telling him about what level I was at (just bought my first DSLR but have played around with manual functions on my Canon S100 point and shoot), he suggested a couple of the workshops that he offers and I decided to attend the Golden Gate Field Workshop. This is completely out in the field, with a bit of an overview in the beginning as a group and then free-​form after that, where you can shoot on your own or ask questions all along the way. We spent the morning at the Japanese Tea Garden and the afternoon at the Conservatory of Flowers (partly because it was far too cold to stay outdoors).
I thought Brad was an excellent teacher, and I would not hesitate to take another class of his. We had Canon and Nikon users, and 20 year photography veterans as well as DSLR newbies like myself. He was patient, and spent a great deal of time with each of us one on one, helping answer any questions we had. I felt like I came away with a ton of useful tips and a much deeper understanding of the tradeoffs I had already learned previously between aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. This class allowed for a lot of actual shooting practice, as well as one on one time. Given that it was a bit less structured than some of his in-​classroom workshops, it is probably more suited for people who have already had some exposure to the concepts and are interested in deepening their understanding, rather than learning the basics.

I took two classes from Brad last year: First one was the one-​day Japanese Garden/​Golden Gate Park field workshop and the other is the 3-​evening Photoshop workshop.
At both workshop I met photographers with a mixture of experiences and skills levels. Some are very seasoned photographers while others are beginners like me. So it is a little tricky in classes like this. Does he cater to the seasoned professionals or go through details for the beginners to get a grasp at the entry level knowledge? My experiences in both workshops were it is how much you put in that you end up getting out of it.
For the GG Park workshop, I did learn about playing with depth of field and how to compose a better photo and shoot water with different shutter speed. He also introduced us to the HDR function on most of the more recent digital cameras.
For the Photoshop workshop, I felt the pace he gave was just way too fast for me. There are so many functions in the newest version of Adobe Photoshop that you can do with your photos. Obviously for those who had used Photoshop a lot it would be easy for them to follow his pace and pick up a few new tricks. For someone like me who just recently purchased PS and had barely used it, it was way over my head. Luckily I bought the book «Photoshop in a Classroom» along with the purchase of the software, so I spent an entire weekend studying the book and learned the basic «tricks» and «terminologies», so I finally knew how to crop an image, or add a text box to your photo, and simple things like that. Note that if this is what you are looking for you might as well just buy the book and study on your own, as none of this is covered in his workshop. His workshop is for more advanced users and if you don’t know the basics you will be totally lost like I did in the first class.
Even though I tried to take notes as fast and as much as possible during the Photoshop class, two months later, I don’t remember how to do most of the stuff he showed us in class. I would have to refer to my notes and look at his sample images to see how much I can remember…
I did communicate with Brad after the 2^nd Photoshop class that I was struggling with the pace of the class and needed to catch up, he was nice enough to spend a little extra time with me before the last class to answer my questions and show me how to do certain things to fix my own photos. Because that and the other things I have learned in his workshops I am keeping the four star rating for his classes. I might go back to take the Lightroom classes.

One of the best classes I’ve ever taken, and I take a lot of classes. I’ve had my DSLR for a couple of weeks and took another 101 class to learn how to use all of the settings. Brad started at the 101 level, but took us WAY beyond by helping us understand how to TAKE GREAT PICTURES. Brad is an excellent teacher. If you’re wanting to learn about DSLR photography AND learn the basics of taking great pictures, I highly recommend this class. Thanks Brad.

As a novice shooter, I took Brad’s SLR & Camera Raw Field Workshop.
Rewind. A novice shooter proudly bringing in an archaic first-​gen Rebel & (gulp) 256MB mem card hidden inside.
Brad took the intimidation out of maneuvering all those coded menus, icons, toggles, buttons and switches.
He provides a wealth of relevant, practical information — breaking it down into digestible bite-​size pieces. Learn to tell the camera to capture what the human eye sees.
I was impressed not only with the generosity of learning time but also of his teaching style; passionate, focused and patient. Fun, fun, workshop.
Two BIG thumbs up & plans to return for extended learning!

Best photography class in town!
I took Brad’s Digital SLR and Camera Raw Field Workshop and wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. The class size was small (4 of us), and Brad was very knowledgeable about each of our cameras. He starts with the basics of photography in a slideshow, then takes us to the back of the classroom where he demonstrates how to get the best white balance indoors. He also shows us how each of our cameras work and points out some of the special functions.
After lunch we were able to walk around the Mission and take photographs of interesting things we encounter along our walk. He demonstrates how to frame photos and what makes a photo stand out. The best part, however, is when we returned to the classroom and processed the photos we took on lightroom, which he was able to demonstrate on a projector. He made the software intuitive and showed us useful tools to make our photos look professional grade.
Best of all Brad is very patient, friendly, and helpful. He takes a lot of time to make sure all your questions about photography is answered. This class has truly helped me become a much better photographer. Highly recommended!

I came into this class with fundamental knowledge of photography such as composition, lighting, Photoshop, and some camera functions. The purpose of joining this class was because I bought my first SLR camera and I really want to learn the tricks of using the manual mode. Although, Brad actually discourages manual mode because there are just too many things to go over and too complicated to learn in one class, I feel like I still walk out of the class with all the fundamental knowledge I need to bring my new camera around and snap some fantastic photos.
He mainly goes over the aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation functions. Brad takes a brief moment to go around the class to see what types of camera people have and since the class is usually small with only 12 people, you can really get a lot of one on one time. Brad does some lecturing through a powerpoint for the first part of the class and then we do some field work by shooting something indoor (teaches you how to adjust the indoor white balance) and then we go across the street to shoot some murals (teaches you the use of aperture and daytime setting). After that, we go back into the classroom and upload our pictures onto our individual MAC desktops and play with them on the program called Adobe Lightroom. Personally, I am a photoshop user, but Lightroom is definitely a good program for beginners because it was pretty intuitive.
Since each of us had a desktop provided, no need to bring pen and paper, just take notes right onto the computer and then email yourself. Tips: eat a huge breakfast because the class went nonstop from 12−4pm, you don’t get a break to grab a bite to eat. Don’t forget to print out your Groupon receipt because he asks to scan the bar code right at the beginning of class (I pulled mine up on the computer and he can also scan directly from the monitor)

I cannot recommend Brad’s Intro to Digital Photography enough! At the beginning of our four-​hour session (which was a STEAL for the price he charges), he said «I know we have long time together today, but four hours will definitely go by quickly.» And boy, he wasn’t kidding!
Brad covered digital photography basics: general understanding of photographic process, use of aperture, shutter speed, meter reading, focus modes, white balance, ISO settings, RAW v. JPEG formats, sRGB v. Adobe RGB, and more in great detail. I had about seven pages of notes before the time was up!
Then we did some field work, both indoors and outdoors, and the class culminated with Brad showing us different test shots from both on the projector, while outlining some of the basic work-​flows in Adobe Light Room. Brad made excellent recommendations about gear and basic settings so that every student could get the most out of their equipment and/​or save money on other purchases.
Brad has over thirty-​five years as a professional photographer, covering everything from world-​famous sports events to intimate family portraits and everything in between. He’s been a beta tester for Adobe, so by his own admission, there’s probably very few people on the planet who understand Photoshop better than he does, aside from the developers themselves. Given all this, if you have a question about your camera or software, chances are Brad has the answer.
I’m very much looking forward to attending Brad’s classes in the future!
(Word of advice: the studio at Calumet he uses can be a bit chilly, so bring a sweater or jacket to class!)

Highly recommend this class to anyone who has an SLR and wants to do more than using the «auto» settings. In fact, I think anyone who is even considering buying/​investing in an SLR should take this beginner photography class.
Brad is an excellent teacher and he is extremely knowledgeable about all kinds of cameras, the software you use (Lightroom and Photoshop), and is full of tips after years of experience being a professional photographer. I couldn’t imagine a better person suited to teaching this class…
Extremely affordable compared to other options in the bay area and they have a good array of other classes to take once you’ve finished the beginner course.
Groupon note: Based on the other reviews I read beforehand, it seems that a typical class probably has less than the 12 max students. However, anyone who signed up for the groupon deal might expect the class to be full at the 12 max. Of course it is nicer to have less people, so that you get more personal attention, but I don’t know if I would have paid full price just to have less than the 12 people. A second note, a lot of the other photography workshops/​classes I’ve seen advertised don’t ever even mention having a max and cram as many people as possible, so I think Brad and Future light Digital does it the right way by really focusing on quality.
After my experience in the beginners photography class, I definitely want to sign up for more and think that its worth paying the regular price.
Tip: Definitely take lots of notes, so bring a pen and paper. Brad covers a LOT of great information, so I am using my notes to help me practice and reinforce what I learned.

I am a beginner to Digital SLR, and was dying to find a good workshop for people who have no idea where and how to adjust their camera setting.
It was a pain to search for good photography classes (and not overpriced) in San Francisco, until I found Future Light Digital Workshops. I took SLR workshop and Adobe Lightroom classes here.
First of all, I love how the classes are small. It gives you time to interact with the instructor more. That is especially important because everyone brought in different cameras, and every camera has all the buttons and setting in different places, so the instructor had to look at our camera one by one and help us individually.
I also appreciates that the classroom here has the high performance printers and computers with all the Photoshop and other software you’ll ever need for photography class. (Means you do not need to carry your laptops to class on top of your camera =D)
Overall I like the classes and would definitely come back for more!

highly recommend! Overall, would highly recommend to anyone who wants help understanding how to use their digital SLR properly.
took the Digital SLR RAW all day workshop. the workshop is not intimidating whatsoever (which was my biggest fear for taking a class like this). we had a small class of 7 (12 max), and even though everyone had a different camera, Brad (instructor) was able to help with everyone’s cameras (shocker!). class starts off pretty academic (presentation of basic concepts), then jumps to learning about your own camera & how to adjust settings (apply concepts) and taking some indoor & outdoor photos, then use lightroom to look at the photos & do some basic edits.
would’ve loved to learn more about the «histograms» of a photo and what readouts would make a «great» photo, and also what camera settings &/​or accessories are needed to achieve certain desired results (e.g., various types of action shots vs indoor portraits vs outdoor candids vs night shots, etc).
i took a traditional film photography class back in school ages ago, but this was my first dSLR class. i have some basic understanding of ISO, shutter speed, aperture, depth of field, but the concept of white balance and adjusting exposure to capture colors were completely new to me (and extremely helpful to learn about). i’ve had my Canon 40D for 3 years now, and know i still have plenty to learn about my camera. need lots of practice! great class — bring a notebook so you don’t forget everything you’ve learned!
not looking to be a pro — just looking to be able to get some great photos to share, and maybe good enough to sell a few here & there. class was really helpful & inspiring!

Another extremely satisfied customer! I got a new Canon Rebel T2i for Christmas and had no clue how to use all the features. I learned SO MUCH in the Intro to Digital Photography workshop! I wish I’d taken this class years ago when I got my first little point & shoot. I can’t recommend this course enough.
I agree with Analisa S. — a notebook is essential! Thanks to reading her review, I brought a notebook with me and now it’s 10 pages full of tips & tricks.
The class is pretty fast-​paced. I almost felt overwhelmed by all the information, but thanks to my notes I can take a little bit more time to revisit & digest it all. Some of the older participants seemed to have a hard time keeping up.
The next thing I need to learn is a bit more about artistic composition. This class was mostly about white balance, exposure compensation, RAW, aperture, shutter speeds, photo editing software & a bit about focus modes.
All in all, I highly recommend this class to anyone with any kind of digital camera! You will learn things that will greatly improve the quality of your photography.

The training here was amazing. Brad is really patient and keeps the classes to a smaller size so you get more one on one instruction. I also like smaller class sizes because I’m not as afraid to speak up and ask questions.
Brad is really knowledgeable about every type of camera as there were no two cameras alike in that class. He was great at knowing my settings for my Canon SLR and taught us about Raw imaging, White balancing, Aperture and shutter speed. I didn’t take notes (I forgot my notebook) but I found I’ve remembered everything about the class.
The final hour was devoted to working in Adobe Lightroom which I am going to buy soon. Brad gave a basic introduction and I’ll probably go back in a couple of months (when I have time, when the craziness of the holidays are done) to take the in depth course.
I felt like I received a good introduction to the camera (and Adobe Lightroom) which I needed and my photos have definitely improved. I will definitely be going back and I highly recommend these classes for anyone.

I bought this new SLR camera and have no idea how it works. After a one day workshop with Brad, I feel like I know all the ins and outs of the camera. He made it very easy to follow and had no problems slowing down the class if there were questions. He went over the basics and that’s all that I wanted to know. It was only a one day commitment vs a series of classes.
The class was very hands on and he knew every camera that everyone brought. He made it practical and his demos were great. I am very excited to go out and shoot pictures and perhaps take another class to take the pictures to the next level.

Future Light is a wonderful place to hone your digital picture taking skills or learn beginning or advanced Photoshop. (lighting, printing & video editing classes available also)
Brad Polt-​Jones is a talented teacher, and the class sizes are small, so you’ll get very personalized instruction using great equipment.
I had to quickly turn out a work project and hired Brad for some tutoring to get me jump started. He was so helpful teaching the best way to take the pics, manipulate them, and store them in an organized fashion… I couldn’t have done it without his help!