Happy Students: The Gentlemen

I went back and started thinking a lot more about what and how to take shots. What was useful was going through your pics and then identifying the techniques and discussing how to use them.

... will definitely help. I enjoyed them very much, not only the fundamentals of photography but also clearly understanding the mechanics of the camera. He gave me a clear direction on how to operate a digital SLR. The lessons have simplified the complexity of photography ... which will help develop my skills in the future.

... we liked the fact that we were dealing with an expert one on one, but one who had the time to show us the real basics ... we enjoyed it more than say a large class in some meeting room.

Favorite part for me was that we could ask questions any time; getting your complete attention was great.

The day after we met, I went over everything again and I have been practicing diligently. Even without a camera, I walk about looking for compositions! I particularly enjoyed discussing the photographs you showed and being able to share your experiences as a photographer. I really enjoyed it.

Since then, I have started thinking about a lot of those techniques and the quality and composition of my photos has improved a lot. Also, every time I see a good photo I am now able to identify many of the techniques we discussed. The first lesson was also quite useful ...

I liked how you were adaptable and structured things to my knowledge and requirements, and the tips had a personal touch. You were very easy to talk to and ask questions, and that helped.

Your notes and conceptual knowledge on composition was most enlightening and beneficial for me and aside from knowing how to better compose a photograph now, I have also learned to appreciate photographs in an entirely new light.

I enjoyed his tips and pointers and look forward to putting them in to practice.

I can use now my camera in the creative zones and know what the different settings change. You also showed me how to compose a nice picture. It really helped me a lot and I like it to play around with my new knowledge.

After a few hours ... I have acquired the toolbox to compose an image and have better control ...

Not only is your methodology very good, you are obviously very passionate about photography and this made me extremely interested in the subject.

Both parts were interesting, yet the second part was of great help to me as I now approach a photo with a different outlook.

The main point for me was to understand the basics of the technical part, which is now the case.

Coaching and training is an often forgotten art form so I congratulate you on your approach. There is a reason why you were recommended to me from a friend and why in turn I have recommended you to another.

If one invests the money in a quality product then it only makes sense to try to use it to its fullest capacity. Thanks to your patience and guidance I hope that 'auto' will be a thing of the past and my photos will inspire the way I intend.

I especially enjoyed the 2nd lesson when you showed me some of your masterpieces and explained the concept behind and the way you shot them. I can spend another lesson just to look through your photos!

I think your lesson is perfect for beginners like me and I don't need to spend 3 months on weekly lessons for basic photo concepts before I can go out there and shoot. It's really cool!

I ... plan to review the notes and get engrossed in my photography.

I think that some of the concepts I remembered from my class in college but a lot of them were new ... I feel inspired to go out and find interesting subjects to shoot!

Overall I found the lessons very valuable and I think the part that I liked the most was looking at actual pictures with you and listening to your critiques ... I really liked that with each concept you taught you tried to either show me an example or you helped me paint an example in my minds eye ... it really helped to move from concept into reality.

It is a lot of information in a couple short sessions, and I will certainly need to refer back to your notes (which are very helpful), but you explained the concepts very clearly, and I certainly now have a much better understanding of my camera, as well as a better grasp of basic photo composition.

I particularly enjoyed taking a look at the pictures you had, which are very helpful to put the concepts in perspective. You got me very excited about photography ...

It really has helped me get familiar with my camera. You conducted the lesson at a manageable pace for someone who doesn't know much about the technical side of the camera ... Time just flew by. I'm really glad the notes are there for reference purposes as well as they help me better understand what my camera can do, so I can try and make the most of it.

The [art of photography] session, unsurprisingly, was the most interesting ... even though I had made some research ... I hadn't heard of any of the concepts you taught ...

It really helped me see that there is more to taking a photograph than just pointing and shooting ... I really can't wait to start using these concepts ...

The one-on-one format is very comfortable and relaxed and allowed me to spend more time on areas relevant to me. I am not a beginner but have come away with a clearer understanding of the fundamentals and some new tips as well. The class on composition has also introduced me to some new creative concepts which I know will make my photos more exciting and appealing.

I would highly recommend Randall's class to anyone who wants to improve their photographic skills.

I do not like class rooms! I now understand more and know what I need to read up on ...

Many thanks again.

The big thing is of course composition ... the examples and material from you was great ...

... the length of the lesson was just right ...

It has definitely put me on a good course to become more familiar and confident with the use of my camera. Glad to have overcome the mystery surrounding it all!

... I now have a stronger ability to comprehend what I'm reading ... You have taken me, "Joe point and shoot" one step closer to the far side, a place where all professional photographers live.

I'm sure anyone at any level could benefit from what you teach. To put it plainly, I can tell you have the ability to articulate up or down, professional or beginner, smart or ... well ... dumb!

... your explanation of photographic composition was the icing on the cake. The literature you provided was perfect for the lesson and will add as great reminder notes in the future. Thanks for all your help and I'm looking forward to the field lessons in the future.

It was very informative and the discussions went both ways so had a lot of substance behind each topic. The lesson was particularly good for me to just focus on that topic. Time went fast but it was more that I was really enjoying the lesson. I cannot think of anything to improve upon.

Thank you very much for helping me. After every photograph, I learn many new things.

100% of the respondents [were] satisfied with your result. You should be proud ...

Thank you very much.

I thought the approach was very clear and practical, and full of really good insights and tips. It gave me a lot to think about and hopefully develop.

Although I've read books about composition I still learned a lot ... I think I will pay more attention both when I shoot and look at photos. Comments on my photos during the field session helped me think more about the lighting, angles ... which are very useful!

I really like the way you expressed yourself, you were very clear in explaining the concepts, and you gave me freedom to ask whatever questions I had.

I am a teacher myself, and I can see you take effort to make concepts clear, to simplify and to follow and encourage the student. That's always very much appreciated.

I also enjoyed the location ... it turned out to be perfect ...

I honestly have to say that without you I probably would not have gone so far with all that fantastic stuff.

You are a big help to aspiring photographers like me. I am grateful to learn the basic techniques and you made it very easy to understand the lesson by avoiding complicated terms. I highly recommend Randall's lessons to all beginners.

Very informative! Can't wait to take another course from him.

There was no useless blabla to create confusion! My favorite part was the analysis of the pictures ...

Unlike a book, you were there to field questions and provide direct clarification on what factors impacted each other. The additional advice other available resources was also helpful.

to cement a number of ideas which I just had started to get a grasp of and introduced me to new camera concepts and techniques which will prove to be an invaluable foundation as I explore photography.

If you are new to DSLR photography and have no prior experience, I highly recommend you take Randall's lessons ... not to mention the lesson cost is very reasonable. The lessons definitely gave me a whole new perspective on photography.

... I now feel confident in all the creative zones of my camera. You were patient and gave tips and feedback on all the shots I took. You helped me find interesting subjects and gave me advice on ... factors that I never knew affected the overall image.

I can recommend lessons to anyone wanting to learn how to take better composed, unique and more eye-catching shots.

The distilled notes are also an excellent point of reference for me ...

I feel more confident in my ability to operate the camera now that I have a deeper knowledge of the basic photography goals and confirmation from a professional on right/wrong. Now that my camera literacy is much stronger and purpose more focused I should be able to advance my skill level much faster.

The composition portion of the program was an eye-opening experience for me. I can now see why I never seemed satisfied with my photographs ... I gained an understanding of how to best spend my future time in an effort to get the results I am looking for in photography.

But after my two lessons, I found that I was a lot more comfortable with my camera, and the informative lessons made it a lot easier for me to both understand and interpret photographs, but they also made it easier to take a good photograph.

They were also held in a very comfortable atmosphere, and I would highly recommend them.

Your delivery and supporting materials are very good making it easy to absorb a great deal of information.

I found the lessons easy to understand, the additional notes were extremely helpful also. I particularly enjoyed the second lesson, finding out why and how photographs look good. Taking the guess work out of the whole procedure is exactly what I have been looking forward to. The examples you showed were a great idea, explaining the principles of each topic would have been difficult without them.

You were right - I found myself viewing the world quite differently on my way home ... I have been so excited by what I have learnt that I have already been out experimenting ...

Great lessons, handouts are very useful ... I will be back for more.

You obviously know your stuff and you are passionate about it. It is very contagious and I couldn't wait to put some of it into practice.