Chimpsy Photography

HI,
I just took this class over the weekend, it was great! I had taken another class a few months ago and learned one or two things in several hours, I learned A LOT in the 2+ hours this class lasted. I’ve had a dslr for 6 – 7 years and never really learned how to take it off automatic, I doubt I’ll ever go back to auto now. I just received the manual for the class, that answers all the questions I have about what we did this weekend.
Mario’s background is both in professional photography and education and it really shows in this class, he can present the info in a way that is clear, fast and interesting.
Thanks again for a great class.

Mario was an excellent instructor. I took this class because I wanted to learn how to use my point and shoot camera more effectively. He did a wonderful job of explaining various features, as well as providing general photography tips. If I ever upgrade to a DSLR I’ll definitely be back to take another class with him.

Mario (instructor) answered most of my questions within the first 20 minutes of class. This class was well timed, organized, and the instructor was very knowledgeable.
i would recommend this class for those that want to re-​connect to their camera and/​or just looking for inspiration.
Fun!

I took the basic DSLR class. Great class size – there were only 5 in my class on ¹⁄₂₂ Mario, the instructor explained everything very clearly. I thought going into the class that I knew all of the basic functions of my camera – but I learned a few that I hadn’t encountered. I can’t wait to take the Intermediate DSLR class.

I did not have really high expectations from a two-​hour class. Boy, was I ever wrong! In the first hour, where we stayed in the classroom, I learned so much about my camera. I had read my manual twice and watched the instructional DVDs that came with my Nikon, but I should have saved that time and trouble and just went to this class. Mario was excellent. Class size was small and instruction was so personal it was almost like getting a private lesson. Actually, better, because we (the class) shared information which was helpful as well. I left this class and headed out to Pier 7 and took some very wonderful (if I do say so myself) shots of the full moon rising over the Bay Bridge as well as some city lights shots that I would have had much worse results had I not just learned how to shoot in FULL MANUAL mode. The reason I know this is because I tried some FULL AUTO shots to compare, and, believe me, there was no comparison. Thanks to Mario and Chimpsy for this great class.

I have taken 2 courses from Mario at Chimpsy Photography. They are some of the best classes I have taken! Finally I have been able to use my camera the way it was suppose to be used, including manually. I was always afraid to do so but not now. The outside photo walks pull all the info from the classroom together in a very helpful way. I would definitely recommend these classes for anyone who wants to learn the ins and outs of his/​her camera.

I really enjoyed the class. I have owned my camera for a year and played with it but not really understood how much and what it can do. I appreciate the knowledge of the instructor and his ability to simplify the information so that you could leave with some understanding of what your camera’s functions were. I do think that it would have been a benefit to offer a longer class time.2 hours instruction and one hour of playing with the functions taught. It could be broken down in segments. The other challenge is that the class mainly had two cameras: nikon and canon. When learning the functions, the icons were different between the two. so it was easy to miss information if you couldn’t find or understand where to look. The instructor was very good and patient in assisting you… it just affected the flow of the class. I would love to take it again just to catch what I probably missed and fine tune what I didn’t.

In retrospect I would have been better off with a Nikon basic class. Although this class was supposed to be for beginners, several advanced people were taking it, including one person who made a living taking photos. The instructions were to know where certain buttons were on your camera but you did not need to know the purpose of the buttons. I should have had a basic understanding of the purpose of the buttons. Many questions were over my head and I felt like the instructor preferred dealing with the advanced users. Later they e– mailed descriptions of the features but I would have been better prepared if I had that in advance and came with more understanding. It is a good class but not the right one for me.

Mario was a really knowledgeable instructor. He was patience and as thorough as you can be for a quick 2 hour class. I feel like I have a really good handle of the basics now and I be back to learn more when I’m ready to further my training. I highly recommend Mario’s class and it was an honor to be the recipient of so much professional knowledge first hand.