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!

well the one guy there is pretty and over priced items there have bought there Manny times and…read moredidn't have what I needed and should have been in stock the one item was a camera tripod plate and should have been 28 dollars and he quoted me a hundred for the same item I had bought in a different shop it was very mad that he was not a good sales person but other woman that work there do a great job but he lost me as a customer because he was greedy.

I did a pinch pottery workshop with Hue. It was 3 weeks, one session for two hours each week…read more The class was nice a small (handful of people or so), the format relaxed and Hue was so helpful, sweet and encouraging. I had such a great experience - this was my first time doing any type of pottery. The first class we just got the basics and played around and made a few small pieces. The second class we were able to add color to the clay itself, and then also in tandem, begin a "final project" aka bigger piece. During the third and final class, we learned about glazing and got to glaze our pieces! A week later, we were able to swing by the studio to grab our pieces at our convenience. I was able to make 5 pieces - some people probably made more like 8-10. I signed up for a full length class (two months) next session since I loved it so much! Can't wait to be back! And shoutout again to Hue who is awesome!! Would love to have her again as an instructor.

I love the Berkeley Art Studio! I took two classes here last year; one in Painting Fundamentals…read morewith Oil and another in Figure Painting with Oil (both with Scott Leddy). The first class is a great introduction to painting with oil, and the second was a continuation with live models. Having had been away from art for years, these classes were able to bring the connection back. They definitely made my one evening a week. Scott is a great instructor; he has a relaxed style of teaching that I definitely enjoyed. I also liked sharing a class with other art enthusiasts with different skills and styles. It was so fun to walk around the class and see how everyone would interpret the same model! The classroom was spacious, equipped with the tools we needed, and had amazing views of campus. Classes can be a little bit pricey if you're not a student at UC Berkeley (like me). Remember, you need to buy all of the materials. But, they're definitely worth it. If you're a student, you should definitely take advantage of them. I miss these classes!

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 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 wish I were writing a review of the facilities, instructors, class quality, or my experience in a…read moreclass, maybe even showing a picture of my cool finished art... but I can't, because of failure after failure on the part of the management. I received a glass flameworking class as a surprise for Christmas, paid for, with the option for me to move it to a number of dates. I chose the March 8th date. It's been THREE MONTHS of multiple calls, voicemails, and emails per week to The Crucible. We have gotten ONE single response the entire time: something to the effect of "so sorry we dropped the ball - we'll get back to you," then.... nothing. None of our calls or emails or voicemails have been returned. The March class date has now passed, and not a single offer of a refund or a reschedule. We're doing a chargeback, which we really hate to do since it's so detrimental to the business, but... if it weren't for all these other reviews I'd wonder if this place even exists? Three full months of effort on our end and not a single useful human answer?Hoping this review plus the chargeback gets us some sort of resolution.

I took two different welding taster classes. The first was great. The person teaching the class was…read morevery nice and helpful. The second was the opposite. This teacher stayed in one location which was farther away from where I was seated. I couldn't hear her instructions as a result. I managed the best I could. But she became increasingly frustrated with me even after I explained I couldn't hear her clearly. Bad experience totally negated my previous good experience.

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.

Wonderful small gallery on E Street in Hayward featuring many Bay Area photographers. They are…read morealso set up with a full darkroom that several people can use at the same time and they have computers and printers for small and large format printing. It is a welcoming place to work and exhibit.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great facilities. Full B/W darkroom. Scanners and large…read moreformat digital printer

Colin helped me go beyond my iPhone and take more professional photos with confidence--he…read moreintroduced me to a better camera and taught me how to use it just as easily as I had used my iPhone. And showed me how to edit and develop pictures for my website.

Digital camera technology continues to rapidly change. For me it was time for an upgrade. After a…read morelot of research I remained undecided. I turned to Colin who had his finger on the pulse of the industry and could easily explain what my best choices were, based on budget and application I am very pleased with both the result. I have used the new camera for six months and confident this was the right choice Thank you, Colin

Alejandro is an attentive and patient teacher and I got a ton out of his introductory lesson. I…read morelook forward to another session with him once I get the hang of my first camera, that he taught me how to use.

Alejandro is a great teacher. I bought my first serious digital camera (i.e., not a simple…read morepoint-and-shoot) in preparation for my first African safari and realized I definitely need help with the basics, the particulars of my camera (which has a 1000+ page manual), and pro tips for wildlife and landscape photography. Our 4 hour session flew by, my notebook (and head) was filled with so much practical guidance, and it was fun! Like every great tutor he tailored the teaching to me and he made it all made sense to me. I now have a solid foundation to go out, practice, get good, and get creative.

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!