It would be hard to overstate what a terrific workshop on bird photography that Mary Louise…read moreprovided in September. Despite the challenges of the pandemic (and in part because of that), she and her wonderful assistant Alan Clark gave us far more attention and instruction than we could have expected through a series of detailed Zoom meetings. As one who was struggling with the technology of a new camera plus LightRoom and PhotoShop, I emerged with much more confidence. Then the trip to Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, N.C., was the icing on the cake. This reserve, set up mainly to educate the public and protect endangered species, is a perfect place for practicing photography among thousands of beautiful birds, in settings that feel like natural ones. Even the birds seem happy there!

I really enjoyed this half day workshop. I generally can't sit still for long periods, but I…read morewasn't bored at all! First, she knows her stuff. She knows my camera, and everyone else's! She was hands on, patient, and genuine--the real deal. A couple of years ago I attended another beginner's class and while I wouldn't say it was awful....it was pretty bad. That instructor seemed more interested in showing his own photos than teaching us about our cameras. I loved that she supplied handouts, and a fantastic little cheat sheet. There was a ton of information, and a lot of aha moments. I now know what ALL my buttons on my Canon are for! You will not be disappointed, and I'm looking forward to my next workshop with Mary Louise.

One of the things that drew me to Michael's work was the variation in poses, the contrast in…read morelocations and the diversity of his model base. Having worked with a number of different photographers, I have to say Michael has a exceptional eye. His creativity truly know no bounds. He can take what looks like a patch of grass next to a parking lot and elevate it to a magical moment or pose a room full of humans. From mood boards, posing and directing, to the final edits, he infuses his vision - - and makes you feel beautiful in the process. Seriously, his coaching and affirmations could be recorded to play when you're feeling down. The world is a better place when creatives can share their art and his is truly special, not just for the final creation, but for the connections and the way he makes people feel.

From the owner: I'm a self-taught photographer known for creative portraits. After moving to Raleigh, I picked up…read moremy husband's camera for the first time. Two years later I'm doing the job I love showing you your best self.

Brian photographed my wedding and I couldn't be happier with the results. It was an investment,…read moreyes, but it was easily one of the most important parts of my wedding plan, and I know I chose wisely. He brought two assistants along and captured the posed photos and spontaneous moments over the course of the day. His reception photography was particularly impressive--he photographed us in low lighting, so he used external flash to avoid blurry photos, but the end results looked as crisp and clear and not overblown as those from earlier in the day. The man clearly knows his stuff and handled capturing our special moments in all sorts of lighting. Plus, I got high-res copies of my images so I could share and print accordingly.

Bless Brian for the time and patience he showed my family and me when selecting our photographer!…read moreObviously photography is something you want spend time selecting, because those are the memories that will last forever. Brian answered our questions thoroughly and patiently, smiling every second. He was so approachable and easy to talk to. He was also incredibly funny, which took the awkwardness away when it came time for taking the engagement photos. He has an open door policy, and always made himself available to respond to emails, phone calls, and in person visits. We didn't have to lay out a detailed list of the shots we wanted - he just understands what you need and does it. He anticipates what you want. Our photos weren't those cheesy staged pictures that you often see. They were candid shots of us having the time of our lives. They were amazing! The lighting was incredible as well. Most of our reception was in really dark light, but the photos turned out so crisp and clear. Even with the glow sticks that we pulled out later in the evening. He is truly talented! We received our photos just four short weeks after the wedding. In the meantime, he sent us "sneak peaks" to get us excited about what was to come. I'd highly recommend Brian. You won't be disappointed!

I went there for medical billing and coding and it was an Awesome school.They took my credits from…read moreanother school that I went to

This school is an absolute waste of time and money. I attended while it was "The School of…read moreCommunication Arts" and it was absurd how poorly managed this place was. Our instructor would leave our classroom after just a couple of minutes with no real direction or instruction. He was busy hanging out with a fellow instructor in one of the other domes. Meanwhile we were doing a drawing class in a poorly lit room where the only light was up by where the instructor would typically teach. He did this for weeks. When our ENTIRE class went to talk to Deborah, and let her know of these problems and a lack of instructor, she told us ALL that we were lying and that the instructor wouldn't do that because he was one of their most esteemed instructors. She wouldn't even walk to the classroom to see if we were telling the truth. How would an entire class be able to leave their class without the instructor wondering what was up and going to look for them. Deborah denied any refunds or rescheduling of classes. I still wish I could get some sort of refund for this place. During admissions, I was told I would be placed in advanced classes because my work already proved I would be wasting my time in beginner classes. Of course when it came time to start, I was placed in beginner classes and they said they wouldn't change them. So I spent money without any ability to get a refund on classes for things I already knew. Half the time I spent teaching my fellow classmates better techniques than the instructors did. I've heard this place is getting shut down. Not the first rodeo the owner has been through like this though. Roger K is an educational crook and so is Deborah.

If you love beautiful, natural, airy photos that really capture joy, look no further. Helen really…read moretook the time to capture some natural photos of my kids and truly has the grace, patience and expertise that is SO necessary in getting professional photos of children. We never felt rushed, awkward, or uneasy which is hard to avoid when working with kids and a photographer they're not already very familiar with. My youngest son is a true mamas boy and getting photos of him alone wasn't even on my wishlist because I didn't think we could even attempt them. Helen worked her magic and we not only go photos of him sitting alone but ALSO SMILING. HUGE win! We can't even get him to do that at home! We will be returning for her to capture hopefully many more milestones for our family. 10/10 recommend, I have worked with many photographers for photos and she has easily made it to the top of our list of favorite photographers.

Helen was great to work with and very flexible! She did a fantastic job capturing my mom and kids…read morein action as well as still photos while at a park. She was fun, didn't get frustrated, and just went with the flow. We will going back to her for our immediate family photos as well.

***BEWARE--Melissa stole almost $3,000 from my family***…read more Melissa was our doula for the birth of our son. She was excellent. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, we hired her again without hesitation. She was absent during my pregnancy except for 1 short phone call (which she rescheduled twice) and when she asked me via text to borrow $1200 for medical bills when I was 6 months pregnant. This was in addition to the full amount we had already paid her for her doula services. I told her I wasn't comfortable lending her money but I could pay her in advance for postpartum doula services. She agreed and I sent her the money. 1 week later she posted on Facebook that she had adopted a large dog--I thought that was odd seeing as she had just asked to borrow money from us. It was 3 weeks into COVID at the time I went into labor and doulas were not allowed in the hospital, so she could not attend our birth. She encapsulated my placenta and made a print of my placenta, as we had agreed upon. When I found out her partner at the time was an ER nurse with obvious close contact to COVID patients, I didn't feel comfortable with her providing postpartum doula services to my twins who were born 6 weeks premature. She said she understood and would give us a full refund but wasn't in a financial position to refund our money all at once. We said we understood and in June of 2020 we set up a payment plan for her to pay us $100 a month. We really cared about her and didn't want her to feel a financial strain during what we knew was a stressful time for everyone. From the time we set up the payment plan in July of 2020 to the time I wrote this review on July 10th, 2022 Melissa has paid us $200. My husband and I texted her several gentle reminders about our payment plan and she never responded to either of us. I reached out to a friend in the birth community to see if Melissa was ok. She told me Melissa was on a cross country vacation with her partner. I was shocked seeing as she owed us so much money. It wasn't until I threatened to contact the Better Business Bureau that she responded immediately with a slew of excuses and finally dropped off my placenta print on July 2, 2022 (2 years and 3 months after my twins were born). I hesitated to write this review because I saw a thread on a local birth Facebook page where her partner had threatened to kill someone who posted a negative review claiming a very similar experience to my own. Losing the money was unfortunate but feeling swindled by someone who we allowed to be so close to our family has been devastating. She has communicated no remorse. I would hate for anyone else to be taken advantage of during such a vulnerable time.

The wonderful team at Peace and Serenity are there to help you navigate through the journey of…read moreconception through postpartum. They are a group of educated, knowledgeable, and capable humans who will ease any worry one might have while starting a family or giving birth. It doesn't matter if it's your first time or sixth time going through this process they are here to help. My husband and I just had our fourth child and Melissa had such a hugely positive impact on our home birth experience I couldn't imagine having anyone else at future births. She is calm, educated, capable, and most importantly affective with her training to make labor and delivery the smoothest and most positive experience it can be. I would highly recommend Melissa, or any one of the doulas in her team, to be there for you too. Anyone would be so fortunate to work with them, I know my family is!

I just took a beginning digital camera course from Dave, and he is extremely knowledgeable. He…read moreexplains things clearly, and is very patient with newbies like myself, and genuinely cares about if we understand the topics covered. I appreciate his class and it has helped me to have an understanding of some things I had no clue about before. I especially liked learning about shutter speeds, but he also covered ISO and Aperture, as well as different types of lighting and how to operate some settings on our cameras. I am looking forward to learning more from him in the future!

Dave was amazing to work with! I met him when he took my professional headshots. He is extremely…read morepersonable as well as professional, and has several subtle strategies to make you feel at east with the camera. He is very experienced, and knows how to adjust lighting, posture, and props to achieve relaxed and natural photos. He also takes a LARGE number for you to choose from and is extremely patient. I feel like I cannot recommend him enough!! I will definitely be returning to him when I need updated photos!

Revolution Studios is amazing. They know how to make you feel at ease and the results show. Somer…read moreis a consummate professional and you know you are in good hands as soon as you get there. Kat is fantastic at adding touch ups to the photos after to make you look even better! And for my fellow guys who haven't a clue on how to dress for this sort of thing, Revolution works with an amazing stylist.

Upsell upsell upsell…read more My girl got totally ripped off. The "package" she got really wasn't a package. Everything was EXTRA.