David Townsend and his wife own a local photography business (Townsend Photography) and also run basic photography and photoshop class. I bought a basic class (2 hours, but it went a little over) though a daily deal site.
The day I took the class it was just me and one other person. We met in lodo in front of a coffee shop, David went over the basics of photography and then we took a few practice shots. I had recently upgraded some equipment on my DSLR and decided I needed to get out of "auto" mode on my camera. This was a great class for that.
The pros:David was friendly, happy to answer questions, and the class was
useful. Also, he gives you his opinion on camera gear and the best way to get by on the cheap. Many other classes I looked at we offered through camera shops and I'm sure there would be a bigger push to buy equipment at those classes.
The cons: The class is darn basic, if you have photography experience this probably isn't the class for you. Then again, it's only 2 hours so what were you expecting. Also, at the daily deal price I thought it was totally worth it. At the normal price ($135) it might be a little steep.
Summary: Great intro if you recently purchased your first DSLR and reading the manual just isn't good enough...but maybe wait a little while and see if you can find an online deal. read more