Review of Princeton Photo Workshops on macro water droplet and flower imaging held on September 23, 2018 in Princeton NJ. The instructor for both the Water Droplet and Macro Flower Workshops was Don Komarechka. Don is a fascinating and energetic instructor. His photographs of snowflakes and water droplets are truly unique and have been extensively used commercially. In particular he is known for his iconic image of the Canadian maple leaf, which has been used on Canadian commemorative coins. He has a keen eye for composition and in particular botanical subjects. In these two workshops Don shared his philosophy, approach, and techniques for capturing magical images of tiny subjects. Both workshops began with a lecture slide show presentation of examples. Don reviewed the optical basis for obtaining crystal clear macro images of the water droplets and flowers. He assisted workshop participants individually with hands on direction and sharing of his personal equipment in the second half of each workshop. Particularly fascinating was a demonstration of using the water droplets themselves as tiny lens to focus the objects behind the flowers. There was plenty of encouragement and I look forward to utilizing these types of images in my portfolio. Great workshops! read more

I have been to at least a dozen of Frank's workshops and enjoyed every single session. I found Frank and his guest instructors (Alan and Kevin) to be extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Participants had full access to Frank's studio and lighting equipment. The workshops are offered at a convenient time. It is structured to allow plenty of time for practice and often with one on one help when needed. Models are always available for the lighting workshops. The presentations are packed with usable information and easily reduced to practice. Frank is a great teacher. He has a good sense of humor, is very approachable and attentive to the workshop participants. Frank breaks down the techniques into easy to follow steps, provides helpful tips/insights and I often receive one on one help during the practice section. I attended a number of lighting workshops and always walked away with some new information or was able to refine the techniques I learned. The HDR workshops provided excellent tips for creating the right shots and the workflow was easy to understand with helpful hints provided in the handouts. Frank really knows how to make his classes a fun learning experience and I am looking forward to attending future workshops. read more

I got into photography becauseof Frank Veronsky's workshops in Belle Mead, NJ. I was given a professional camera as a gift and I did not even know how to operate it. My kind cousin introduced me to something called a "photography meet up" in Delaware. I then started looking for something local in central jersey. A fellow photographer referred me to Frank's meetup! I have attended many of Franks workshops on LIghting, Posing, Using strobes, Composing and so forth. A year later I opened my own studio and today I am doing professional portrait and event photography at my studio and off site. I could not thank Frank enough for his patience and his thorough knowledge of theory and Art side of photography. He is an excellent photoshop instructor and I use his work flow quite a bit ! Kevin Alex helped me a lot in understanding my DSLR and even fixed it when I "crapped out the sensor" with dust !! Alan Kessel - you are the HDR guru...I need to have a one on one with you since I am so impressed with the one class you tought over the summer ! read more

I took a two hour private class with Alan yesterday to start learning Adobe Light Room. It was amazing, and exhausting (but in a good way). My brain was so full and i was very excited. Today I've started the tedious, and necessary, task of organizing my pictures and setting up collection sets and collections. . . Then on to turning my pictures into ART!! I'm so grateful for all of the offerings of Princeton Photo Workshop. This was probably the best money i ever spent. Alan was very kind and patient, as well as incredibly experienced and knowledgeable. I felt like we were on the same page philosophically as well. The offer of ongoing support was also very generous and much appreciated. I feel like I learned alot, and also feel more confident. I'm excited to start taking more pictures, and then working with them to make them into art. You guys are the best. Can't wait until I'm ready for the next level. Until them - practice, practice, practice ;-) read more

My daughter has finished the summer workshop today. Here is her opinion: I loved my time at camp and I wish it lasted longer than a week. I learned so much and made some new friends . The knowledge and experience of the instructors really helped this week. The environment was very supportive and the place where we took pictures had been chosen perfectly. I would really want to come back next year. Thank you to all the counselors and teachers for making this experience really special. From what I have gathered, she enjoyed learning about different styles of photography and found the one she liked best. She has also found learning about and using editing software very interesting. I believe the workshop was a perfect opportunity for a budding photographer to learn about the basics of photography and it sparked an even bigger interest in it. It made her aware of and opened her eyes to a world of possibilities. She was definitely happy to have attended the classes. read more

just did the intrepid in nyc w/alan kesselhaut and tom mills.this was my first on location w/ppw and I cant wait till the next one .the one thing I liked was alan and tom came with a plan .this wasn't just a high and go shoot photos .this was a walk together to help you learn and understand how to be a better photographer in the setting w were in.alan and tom made sure everyone was on the same page .I had a problem finding the right setting on my Nikon and of course tom had downloaded every nikon manual onto his ipad .tom not only took the time to look up how to find what I needed but made sure it was set up right and that I knew how to do it .alan is so camera savy and ready to give up all of his knowledge even without asking.tks guys.doing the Princeton university walk and looking to do grand central station also .I think the fireworks at Lambertville look super interesting. read more

Thank you, Frank, for giving me an opportunity to learn new photographic skills and meet new friends in your workshops. I have attended several of your programs and find that they are all well organized and interesting. You seem to have a natural ability (and patience) to teach everyone on their level from beginner to experienced. When you notice a new member in the group you make a point of introducing yourself and help that person feel welcomed. One issue is puzzling to me. What happened to your ego? Although you are a very talented and a well know professional photographer, you act as if you are one of the group without any pretentious airs. However, the only downside I see is that we need you to schedule workshops more often. Thanks also to your wife, Jennifer, who serves delicious food and tends to many of the needs of the group. You both offer a unique experience. read more

This camp was just perfect for my 14 year old daughter. She had an interest in photography but no formal background. The staff taught her so much in the one week camp session. They started from square one. A one week camp was the perfect amount of time for our family's summer schedule. It was a low key atmosphere. However, the photos she took looked like she'd been studying photography for years. They taught her both how to use the camera in manual mode and use editing software to get the best photos. The trips around town were very nice with lots of photo opportunities. She even taught me how to use my camera in something other than auto mode. We went on a family trip to Vermont and New Hampshire after the camp was over and our daughter was able to be our official photographer for the trip. Beautiful photos. Highly recommend this experience. read more

Adobe Lightroom Basics: I was hesitant about learning any post processing programs, fearful I would be overwhelmed by them. This four hour class was fantastic and it removed all of my fear. Alan is a great communicator/teacher. He is patient, and explained everything, making sure all the participants understood one point before he went to the next. Our group size was small, and he took the time to answer all of our questions. He is very friendly and knowledgeable and excited to share his expertise with his students. The day after class, he sent a video that showed all that he discussed in the classroom. I'm looking forward to practicing what I learned and attending Adobe Lightroom: Unlocking the Power of the Develop Module next week. read more

Princeton Photo Workshop was a fantastic team-building activity for our group of 18. We were looking for something fun to do in the Princeton area before dinner, and the Smartphone Photography class with Thomas Hedges was perfect. Thomas kept the session light and engaging. His humor had us laughing throughout, and we were surprised by how many iPhone features we'd never used before. It was great to try them out while exploring different spots around the building. The weather was beautiful, which made being outside even better. The Princeton Photo Workshop team was responsive, easy to work with, and made sure we wrapped up in time to get to dinner. We'd highly recommend them for company outings or simply a fun local activity! read more

I met Alan this past summer at a class at Grand Central Terminal where he taught me and 7-8 others how to look for great shots both inside and outside the terminal building. Since the class was small he gave me and others well appreciated attention. Alan is great at recognizing the shot as well as processing the shot afterwards using programs like Photoshop, Lightroom and Photomatix. Since that workshop I have taken 3 more classes which have all been excellent. Alan's wife Barbara helps with the scheduling of the classes and all the administrative stuff you need to run a successful workshop. This includes picking the place to eat after the workshop has concluded. I would highly recommend attending one of their workshops. read more

I've been to several of Frank's workshops and simply put, they have been the best workshops that I've been too. Frank intimately understands the nature of light and truly loves to teach photography. Consequently, his workshops have been extremely informative with an incredible spirit of sharing and camaraderie. I've also attended Alan's HDR workshop, Even if you're not a fan of HDR, this is also a workshop that shouldn't be missed if you want to extend your photographic skills. The workshop starts with basic photography techniques and shows how they extend into the HDR realm, as well as covers all the latest HDR software and techniques. read more

I have attended numerous workshops and all were fantastic! I know that I will always get my money's worth. Their workshops are thorough, informative and fun! I always come away very happy with what I learned. Most importantly, they provide post workshop support by answering questions and providing assistance via email. I recently attended 3 workshops....Infrared, Water droplet and Macro photography with Don Komarechka-they were wonderful. Don is exteremely knowledgeable and helpful. The balance of lecture time and lab/shooting time is just right. Alan and Barbara are the best! Highly recommended. read more

I've taken several photo field trips with Rich Sherman, each one was a great learning experience. The locations (NYC, boatyard and horse farm) were full of photo ops. Rich meets with us first to review the location and provides useful info to go out and shoot with. He also makes sure to answer any questions throughout our class. The learning didn't stop at the end of the event. He encouraged us to email our processed images to him for a useful critique. If you have a desire for a hands on educational workshop, I strongly recommend PPW. read more

I've taken 3 of Frank Veronsky's classes/workshops and came away with increased knowledge and enthusiasm for photography each time. Frank has an impressive background and body of work as a professional which demonstrate the possibilities of what a person with a camera can achieve, and is happy to offer great tips and share his talents with photographers of all levels. As a novice, I appreciate Frank's approachable, friendly style of teaching. I look forward to further developing my skills with the Princeton Digital Photo Workshop. read more

Recently took Alan's Photoshop class. He is knowledgeable and patient. Photoshop can be overwhelming. I've tried repeatedly to understand layers. With Alan's help I now get it. Alan makes sure you understand the concepts. Because remembering the step by step can be difficult Alan a) will provide a video for each technique upon request so you can review later on your own and b) answer questions and help solve problems well after the your class is done. That extra service makes the cost of the class a bargain. read more

I just had my first class with Alan after picking photography back up after 30 years. He reviewed the basics with me which was a huge help and made it more understandable and less daunting than I remember. He also gave me great incite into the new technology available today and I am excited at the prospect of the great photos I will be taking. I look forward to more classes and participating in some of the great field trips they have planned. Thank you so much! read more

If you are into HDR or just looking to learn more about this photography technique this is the course to take. Alan will walk you through the process in easy steps and vastly improve you photos. The course I took when over workflow which gave me an overview of lightroom, photoshop and several post processing plug-ins. You will come away understanding how to make your photos look the way they did when you took them or even make them something totally different! read more

The Advanced Lightroom: Unlocking the Power of the Develop Model class was extremely beneficial in helping me better understand how to develop my images. The instructor, Alan, was very knowledgeable. The small classroom setting allowed the participants to easily ask questions and interact with the instructor, which cannot be done with online tutorials. All-in-all, I'm pleased with the results of the class. Tom Spurgeon - February 2017 read more