begins June 17, 2024
Megan Arndt
Mastering Manual Exposure
4 WEEK Small Group Workshop
WORKSHOP LESSONS WEEK BY WEEK
Week One
The Exposure Triangle
Learn the three keys to proper exposure, how they relate, and what to use when. You'll also learn how to read a histogram and camera's meter, plus common exposure pitfalls.
Week Two
Depth of Field and the Zone System
This week, we will take an in-depth look at aperture and the settings the pros use to get gorgeous portraits with soft, creamy backgrounds. We'll also discuss the Zone System and how you can begin identifying different colors, tones, and zones to improve your exposure.
Week Three
Freezing Action and Motion Blur
This week, you'll learn to master shutter speed. We'll discuss the factors that affect motion and how to choose a shutter speed, techniques for sharper photos, and when and how to use motion blur creatively!
Week Four
Bringing it All Together
We wrap up with a discussion of ISO, how to get clean and beautiful color in different types of light, and "creatively correct" exposures.
meet your instructor
Megan Arndt
Megan Arndt is a lifestyle and fine art photographer in the suburbs of Chicago, where she runs a photography business capturing families and newborns. When she is not chasing around her 4 boys with a camera, she and her family love to travel on new adventures. She has been featured in magazines and blogs and has a huge passion for teaching the magic of photography.
2 questions. Can I ask questions if I am “study along”? And I shoot with a Nikon. I know Meg shoots Canon. Could I get Nikon specific questions answered?
Hi Cheryl! Study Along registration allows you to view all material and discussions, but if you’d like to ask questions, you’ll want to sign up as a Full Participation student (this also allows you to join discussions and submit assignments for instructor feedback). The core content in the course applies irrespective of camera brand, and while different brands (and different models therein) may have a few differences when it comes to naming or menu options, instructors will always do their best to answer your questions.
Hi Cheryl! If you are study along you are unable to ask me any questions regarding the materials. You do receive all of the material, but cannot post anything for feedback. If you are full participation you can ask questions.
In regards to your camera body, I can help to a certain extent. This workshop does not heavily focus on understanding your camera body, but more so understanding manual mode, proper exposure, white balance, etc.
Will there be another one of these classes?? Fingers crossed for a January 2024 class?!?!?!
Hi Nicole! Yep, there sure will; the next date will be scheduled and on the calendar soon!
When is the next run for this course? :) I would like to do a Full-participation.
Hi Marie! This course will be running next in November, and full participation is a great choice (you’ll get lots of individual help and feedback from Megan!).
My dream is to become a photographer and now that both my babies will be in school full time momma is trying to find herself. I think it’s my time to give it a good try. I have a Sony mirror less camera and I was wondering if this class is the right one for me to understand my camera and start. TIA
Hi there! So exciting that you can dedicate some time to this art form now; I think you will fall in love with it like so many of us have! A Sony mirrorless is perfect for this class. Any camera will work, as long as you can switch it to manual mode so you can take control of your settings. This class is a great place to start! It will teach you the basics of metering and understanding the settings of your camera so that you can select how you want to expose each picture, rather than letting your camera do it for you. Hope to see you in class!
I have a new camera. It is a Canon EOS Rebel T7. Can I take the guided or self paced class? Thank you!
Hi Alicia!
Yes, you can definitely take this course as a study-along or full-participation with any camera that shoots in manual mode. I believe that the Canon EOS Rebel T7 does shoot in manual mode, so you should be good to go!
Hi Megan,
Thank you for the information. I am going to get signed up!
Hi, I was wondering what kind of setup I would need for the full participation (I don’t use Photoshop or do any post processing, I’m more of a beginner). Thank you!
Hi Sonja!
In this class we really focus on your in camera settings and so you don’t need to worry about having any software like Lightroom and Photoshop. You will just need you and your camera! The images you take, you will upload to the classroom for feedback but no editing is required. I would love to have you join us and let me know if you have any other questions!
Is this course appropriate for someone with an old camera, a Canon Rebel Ti 1?
Hi Jerri! Yes you can use an older camera like the Canon Rebel Ti 1. There may be a few less features on the older camera (fewer ISO and white balance options), but your Instructor can help you work through that to achieve the consistent images that come from learning manual mode. We would love to have you join us!
Thank you, Rachel! I’ve signed up.
Yay! I’m so excited for you to join us!
Hi, I am really keen to learn Mastering Manual Exposure. Will the course lessons be available in perpetuity so that there is no time pressure for me to finish them? I am juggling with a lot of things so need the freedom to learn at my own pace. Thanks for clarifying :).
Hi Seema! The workshop has four weeks of guided instruction (if you sign up for a full participation seat, you’ll receive personal support, feedback, and interaction from your instructor during this time); thereafter, you’ll have access to the workshop classroom for one year from the workshop’s start date. In addition, you can download a personal copy of all the written and recorded materials so that you can continue to study or refer back to them indefinitely.
Hello,
I am not an english native speaker – so sometimes I have difficulty understanding the exact technical terms. Do you offer videos with subtitles?
Hey Eva! Please reach out to support@clickandcompany.com. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our Click Photo School courses.
Hi. I can already manipulate my shutter as shoot primarily sports and and normally shoot shutter priority but will shift to manual when the light is tricky. I am looking for a course to help with capturing light , dealing with shadows, capturing light at different times of the day and making it work for your photo. Would this be best or another course.
Hi Debbie! We practice shooting in all kinds of light and being confident in manual mode 100% of the time. I think it will be a great addition to the knowledge you already have! I really think you would love the class and everything you would learn over the 4 weeks! Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you!
Could this course be taken at anytime? Or do i have to wait for the next one ?
Hey Gissel! The current run of this class is no longer open for registration. We do have a run coming up at the end of January that may interest you. Please reach out to support@clickandcompany.com with any questions you may have.
Could this course be taken at anytime? Or is it too late ?
Hey Gissel! We have a run of this course starting on January 31, 2022 that is currently open for registration.
Please reach out to support@clickandcompany.com if you have any questions about that or if you want to learn more about how our Click Photo School classes work.
I just completed this class and can’t say enough about it. I had taken two self-paced courses before this one and a was bit hesitant to take this one. I didn’t know where to start with manual mode and was unsure how I would learn with a 4-week online class. If you are hesitant about taking this class, don’t be! I highly recommend taking it with full participation. The course is well designed and being able to ask questions and get feedback from the instructor is so worth it. Mandalyn was a wonderful instructor – thank you, thank you, thank you! She was patient and so kind and helpful. I still have lots of practicing and learning to do, but am so much more confident with shooting in manual mode and really don’t see myself shooting in another mode now!
I’m so happy you decided to join the course, Kerri!! It was such a pleasure to meet you, see your beautiful work, and watch you grow as a photographer!
Hi Meg
Really does look good, how does it work in terms the online full course $300 with the Australian time zone?
Hi Jacinda! It will still work perfectly with the Australian time zone, as there are no set times for the lessons. You can access the lessons on your own time and ask questions as you go. Your course instructor will still be able to answer your questions and give you feedback on your assignments without time issues. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for your reply Mandalyn! That’s great to know. And if is Meg Loeks taking the class through from this Monday on right?
Thanks!
You’re so welcome, Jacinda. Yes, Meg is teaching the section that starts today (8/30/21)!
Hello –
I don’t yet have a DSLR. I have always been interested in photography but have never taken the time to learn and am now interested. Do I need a DSLR for this class or will my current camera work? I have a Sony a6000.
Hi Kelsey! As long as your camera can be used in manual mode (which it can be with the a6000), this class will be great for you! I would love to have you join us! ❤️
Just completed the course last week, and it is life changing! For many years, as a photography hobbyist, I have been using auto mode or aperture priority mode, and pictures come out blurry or out of focus. After taking Meg’s class, I am finally very confident to say that I know how to use manual mode on my camera (and that is the only mode I am using now). My pictures are now at perfect exposure, and I know how to set my dials based on how I want my pictures to come out. Meg is a fantastic teacher. She is very encouraging, patient in answering all my questions, and very clear in all her explanations! Really recommend taking the class with Meg!
Hi – this course sounds really interesting but I don’t yet own a DSLR camera, I have an Automatic one with manual setting options. I’m really keen to go beyond point and shoot – is this course still suitable, or does it require a full DSLR camera? Thanks.
Hi Katy! I would love to have you join us! With the camera you have, you will want to make sure you are able to change the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, and white balance. As long as you have those options, it should work well for the class! If you need any additional help figuring out if those are possible on your camera specifically, let me know!
I have just completed this course with Meg Loeks and it was fantastic! Such a shame that 4 weeks fly by so quickly but I have learnt so much that I will definitely have to go back to the course materials in future.
I really must commend Meg on the way she provides feedback and is so encouraging and supportive.
It is really a skill that not many people have mastered to be able to provide feedback without damaging the person who is receiving it. Meg is an excellent example of what it truly means to give constructive feedback, and I really want to thank her for that.
Signing up for this course with full participation is *the* best thing I have done for my photography since buying a camera. I was already shooting manual for a bit, but had so many hits and misses that it felt like good luck whenever things worked out exactly the way I wanted. The rest I would usually edit, but it was time consuming. Since taking this course I feel so much more confident because I can now recognize the challenges I face in a particular situation AND know what to do about them. Also: exposing correctly with proper white balance means less editing, hurrah! Meg is a wonderful teacher who in the kindest, most constructive way, helps you understand the theory and gives great practical advice (as well as spot on personal feedback!) on how to apply it in your photography. Thanks again for everything, Meg!
I just completed the Metering Manual Exposure course with Meg Loeks and it was the best investment in my photography that I have made in a long time. It’s been eons since I took a photography class and had fallen into a pattern of relying on the auto settings too much (mostly due to shooting my daughter’s sports), so jumping into full Manual mode made me a little nervous. The way the course is structured each week builds upon previous weeks. From the beginning, I saw positive changes in my photography. Reading materials and videos are informative and well laid out. I printed the reading material for ease of reference when I needed to revisit key information. I was concerned about the time commitment with full-participation, but I found I was able to meet the requirement for submitting assignments (2x per week) while working full time. Meg was wonderful, her responses to questions and correspondence were timely. Her critiques were thorough and if there was an aspect that needed additional work or adjustment, she provided an explanation and was encouraging in our ability to make those adjustments. I recommend this class (full participation or study along) to anyone just starting out or needing refreshing.
Mastering manual exposure is an essential course for anyone who wants to improve his/her photography. Megan Loeks is a wonderful and patient teacher, it was a pleasure to learn from her. After using Aperture priority for years thanks to Megan and her course I finally switched to Manual :)
This course was so informative and Meg is such a wonderful and encouraging teacher. Would recommend this course to anyone starting out in manual as the lessons learned here are foundational to getting great exposures.
I just finished this class with Rachel and I learned so much! If you are new to photography this class is a must and I highly recommend the full participation. Rachel was so good about giving feedback and making sure we understood what she was talking about when answering a questions.
Thank you so much Amanda! It was so much fun having you in class and I loved seeing your growth over the past month!
I adored this class with Rachel. There is so much incredible information all in one place. I thought I knew how to operate my camera in manual mode but now I *actually* understand it all. I realized that I had a lot more holes in my knowledge that I even fathomed and Rachel was so great at answering all of my questions. I am so glad that I took this class. Thanks, Rachel for all of your guidance and sharing of wisdom!
Thank you so much Laura! You did such an amazing job and I loved having you in class!
I highly recommend the Mastering Manual Exposure course. I have taken photography courses on and off for YEARS and was initially concerned it would be too basic for me, but after reading the reviews, I took the plunge and am so incredibly thankful I did. Meg Loeks was my instructor and she has an ability to make a non-live virtual workshop feel personal- she is responsive, direct about the strengths and challenges of an image and helps you see what needs to be adjusted to make it better. I looked forward to the bi-weekly messages that said “your CC is ready”, like it was a special gift, because that is what helpful critiques are- gifts from a passionate experienced photographer to another on her learning journey. My knowledge increased exponentially with Meg and this course and I will keep reviewing the course info over the long term. Advice for future participants: to get the most out of the course, take advantage of the Q and A opportunities in between assignments. And try and share as much as you can- I wish I had done more- but I learned a lot from my classmates who did.
This is a great course for all levels.
Correction: twice a week messages, not bi-weekly!
I don’t usually leave reviews but this MME class with Meg Loeks was such a wonderful experience that I wanted to share it with others who may be thinking about this class. MME gave me the knowledge and foundation to finally take my camera out of auto mode — and Meg was so kind, patient and encouraging throughout the process. Her feedback on weekly assignments was invaluable, and it really helped me to better understand the concepts and what I needed to adjust for the next assignment. Taking the full participation was absolutely worthwhile!
I’ve thought about taking this class for years and am so glad that I finally did. My only regret is not having done it sooner. Thanks again Meg for sharing your time, experience, and knowledge. I learned so much more than I ever expected and hope that I’ll have more opportunities to learn more from you in the future!
This is an essential course. Just what I needed for grasping critical foundational knowledge. I’d spent a lot of time trying to understand exposure before, but this material and Meg’s guidance and feedback brought it together for me in a way that nothing else has. Highly recommend!
I just finished taking this course with Meg Loeks and it was definitely a game changer. I have been shooting in manual for about a year and thought I had a good idea of what I was doing. Boy, was I wrong! This course is full of information I never knew and is so helpful!
I just finished MME with Meg and my only regret is that I haven’t subscribe to this course already a year ago. I have enjoyed every minute of taking this class and I learned more as I expected when subscribing. I am working full time plus two kids but the flexibility of studying along is great and chatting with other participants an additional ad on. Feels very personal and not really an online course you would expect. Therefore I highly recommend Full participation!
@Meg, thank you again for your guidance, reviews, tips and flexibility! Looking forward to learn more from you and other CP mentors.
Hi,
I’d love to try the full participation starting on 26th of October. Since I’m working full time plus 2 kids not sure if I will manage with the time. Can anyone explain from the time perspective how long does it take? Is it daily studding, how many hours per week, is it possible to do 2x evening few hours? Need a bit of more insight on the schedule please Thanks! Tina
I just finished taking this 4 week MME course with Rachel Nielsen and I truly wish I would have found this sooner! Rachel’s expertise and feedback on our weekly projects helped me get comfortable in manual mode – you truly learn how everything functions and how it can improve your photography. The course is so well organized and easy to follow along, you can pick up when you can which was extremely helpful for me. The fundamental lessons learned in this course have already allowed me to improve my photos as well as my confidence as a beginner photographer. I would highly recommend taking the full course so you can take advantage of the amazing expertise, patience and encouragement from the course instructor. Thanks again Rachel for all of you help!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! It was such a joy to have you in class and I loved seeing your growth doing our time together! ❤️
I have had a camera for more than 10 years now. I am self taught up until I did the Mastering Manual photography course. Now I wish I would have found and taken this course earlier. There have been so many AHA moments during this 4 week span. Now when I hold my camera I have a plan in mind. Rachel has been an excellent and a very patient teacher. From day one ,she coaxed us into asking questions. She made us so comfortable ,constatnly telling us that no question was too small or petty for her to answer. My doubts about everything photography were answered very promptly and in depth. Thank you Rachel for all the help that you gave me during the course. I would strongly recomend this course to anyone who wants to take their photography to the next level….
Thanks so much Sejal! It was so great to have you in class and I am so glad you had so many AHA moments! I loved watching you grow as a photographer during our 4 weeks together online! ❤️
If I want to take this workshop and do the study along version but the workshop started a week ago, can i still join late and receive all of the materials and discussions or do I have to wait until the next available workshop starts?
Thanks!
I was on the fence about whether to take the class full participation, but I’m so glad that I did! It was absolutely worth it. Marissa was an amazing teacher and was so generous with her time and knowledge. In addition to the video and PDF course materials, Marissa’s answers to our questions and her feedback videos provided so many helpful insights. I always felt comfortable to push myself and take risks because she was so kind and encouraging. The material covered in MME helped me establish a solid foundation and has given me a lot more confidence in my photography skills.
Can I have more information for the full-participation? Is this a zoom class? Is there a schedule?
This is an incredible class. I’ve just finished as a FP student with Rachel and I can’t begin to tell you how helpful it was. I’m new to photography but was able to shoot in manual mode from learning from books and the internet but there was so much that I didn’t know and so much that I didn’t realise that I was doing wrong! The class is absolutely packed with information, I loved being a FP student too, I was worried about the extra expense but it was great to be able to ask questions and get feedback from Rachel. She was an excellent instructor and so generous with her time and information. If you want a solid foundation for photography then I really do recommend that you take this class. I can’t wait to do one on light next!
Thank you so much Abbi! I loved having you in class and watching you grow as a photographer! ❤️
This class was a HUGE help for me. Meg provided loads of tips and guidance each week. For years, I fumbled with all of my buttons on my camera not really knowing what I was doing until I took this class. Now, I feel like I have real control and I can feel proud of the pictures I take. I’m excited to try out the new things I have learned with my children. I highly recommend this class!
Although I have been shooting in manual mode for years, and thought I knew how to adjust the exposure triangle, I learned SO MUCH! There was so many little things I just didn’t know, or didn’t understand properly, and those little details made a HUGE difference in the quality of my images. It was a wonderful course, and worth every penny.
I was intimidated by manual exposure and I thought long and hard before I decided to just sign up and take this class. We are always so busy and the stay at home order for Covid just came in. I thought if I am going to be home with the kids and homeschooling them, I am going to do something for myself as well! Marissa was fantastic! She is a great cheerleader and a wonderful teacher. I had so many lightbulb moments and now I feel confident when I pick up my camera. I still make sure I practice everyday. Thank you so much for giving me a skill I can use the rest of my life, Marissa!
Taking Mastering Manual Exposure with Marissa Gifford was one of the best investments I have ever made. I’m already a professional photographer, however when my application to ClickPro was rejected, I knew I needed to dive into the technical aspects of my work. I learned SO MUCH. Marissa is so sweet and approachable but always guides you when you may have missed the mark in a way that is helpful, not overly critical. Plus you get to keep all the learning materials so you can always go back and brush up if you need.
Hello! I am really interested in taking this course! But I don’t think I can do the one starting in May due to some other time commitments. When is it next offered & can I sign up in advance? So excited for this!
Hi Lorna!
Mastering Manual Exposure will run again on June 29th and July 27th if May does not work for you.
To anyone interested in really understanding how to operate your camera in manual mode, I would highly recommend this class! I just completed the full participation course with Marissa Gifford and learned a ton and also had so much fun interacting with my classmates. Marissa provides thorough feedback in such a positive and encouraging way. Even I was surprised at how many “aha” moments I had! Marissa was wonderful and very quick to respond to questions. Treat yourself and take this class!
I just completed this class led by Marissa Gifford and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone wanting to learn how to shoot in manual mode better. I was afraid it was going to be too basic for me and I was so wrong. My mind was blown on how to properly meter! And the explanation of depth of field and how your settings / lens choice / position all matter was amazing. Every single week, I learned something new. Marissa was so patient (even though I asked her a million questions) and had the BEST explanations. If you can afford it, I would definitely take the full participation class. Having personal feedback on your own pictures is priceless and being able to ask the expert all the questions is so helpful. The confidence that I have now in all lighting situations (thank you, Kelvin) and being able to handle my camera without being nervous was worth the money spent. I immediately enrolled in another CM class and I would not be able to do it without having the MME as a foundation. You will not be disappointed!
Four words of advice: Take. This. Class. NOW. But seriously, I truly cannot recommend this class enough. This course was absolutely amazing. The material was so thought out and I learned SO much in such a short time. I am genuinely sad that it is now over – definitely going to be taking more courses. I have been trying to learn manual on my own for just under a year, and while the online resources were helpful, this class cemented for me why shooting in manual is so powerful and is a MUST for anyone who wants to take photography seriously. Marissa is an amazing instructor – her feedback was incredibly helpful, and her positivity is simply contagious. I wish I had taken this class sooner – if you are on the fence, just DO IT! I promise you won’t regret a thing.
Hi! This class sounds like a must!
I’m Curious, how much time can I expect to spend working thru the class materials each week?
I think it depends on why you want out of the class. I definitely would recommend shooting something everyday to get the most out of it. I think for the actual assignment parts of the course, I spent 3-4 hours per week. I probably spent on average 20 minutes a day just shooting trying to master the concepts.
I am a beginner. One lens and a mirrorless camera (Sony a6400, lens is 3.5-5.6/18-135) would this class be beneficial for me or is it for more advanced photographer?
This was such an amazing class! Meg was so incredibly generous with her time – answering all of our questions, and giving us such invaluable feedback on our assignments. I’ve truly grown so much as a photographer in such a short amout of time. I am so glad I took this class as a full-participation student and highly recommend it to anyone who is hoping to take charge of their camera!
I’ve been shooting fully in manual mode for 3 years. I always knew there were gaps in my knowledge, but overall I thought I had a good understanding of manual exposure. I was a little hesitant to take the course for fear it would be too basic and I wouldn’t learn anything new. I was WRONG. And I’m so glad I took this course. It is not basic. It delves into the specifics and filled in lots of the missing pieces–all the ones I wouldn’t have even known I was missing. There’s so much information out there on the internet to help teach proper exposure, but none that are so thorough and really help to achieve perfect exposure every time. I’d highly recommend the full participation so you can get specific feedback on your photos. This is my first class with Click Photo School and it will not be my last. Thank you, Meg for an awesome 4 weeks.
This course has been fantastic! There is a before and after! Absolutely worth taking the full participation. Megan has been a fantastic teacher understanding real fast how I could improve my pictures (exposure & WB).
I was already shooting in Manual for several years but was doing many pictures to get the desired picture.. and obviously missed many fantastic moments. With this course you will learn to nail your exposure and WB which will avoid a lot of time in processing. The documentation is easy to understand, the assignments will allow you to realize you have more questions than you thought but with the teachers comments doubts will be solved. And if not you can always go to question and answers and raise your question.
Meg has been of great help when I had an issue with the setting of my camera and couldn’t find how to fix it, she came back to me with possible solutions and until it wasn’t fixed she did not stop!!!!!
Thanks so so much Meg!!!
I recently completed the Full-Study course under Marissa Gifford’s guidance. It was the best investment in photography continuing education I have ever made.
I was frustrated at the amount of wasted shots I was getting and something was missing with my understanding of manual exposure. My aha moments came in the first week discussing metering and how to use it. Marissa was so patient and kind with my many questions, she responded quickly and with detail. I was so excited to finally get the answers I could not find anywhere out there!
I am just so impressed and grateful. I have confidence and a new found enjoyment as I head out with my camera now.
This course is so worth it!! I look forward to exploring more courses in the future.
Thank you Marissa and Click Photo School for such a wonderful learning experience.
I just recently completed the full study course under Marissa Gifford’s guidance. It was the best investment in photography continuing education I have ever made.
I was frustrated at the amount of wasted shots I was getting and something was missing with my understanding of manual exposure. My aha moments came in the first week discussing metering and how to use it. Marissa was so patient and kind with my many questions, she responded quickly and with detail. I was so excited to finally get the answers I could not find anywhere out there.
I am just so impressed and grateful. I have confidence and a new found enjoyment as I head out with my camera now. This course is so worth it! I look forward to exploring more courses in the future.
Thank you Marissa and Click Photo School for such a wonderful learning experience.
I am so glad I took the MME class (Started May 29 with Meg Loeks.) The full participation really pushed me to practice, and Meg was very encouraging with constructive critique and encouragement. And so kind with answering questions. Well worth the time and money. As others have mentioned, many things just “clicked” after reading the materials and watching the videos. I also really appreciate how it was mentioned several times that it takes practice, practice, practice. Again, I’m so glad I took this class!
This class is an absolute MUST. Meg is kind and thoughtful, with such helpful critiques. And the information shared throughout the course is fantastic. It is well structured, with great assignments and lots of Q&As to help guide you. I cannot say enough about what a great experience this class provides. I only wish I had taken it sooner. Thank you to everyone who created such a phenomenal course!!
I wish I had taken this class years ago. I already understood how manual mode functioned on my camera, but I was still struggling to get consistent results. Sometimes I would get lucky and have beautiful photos. Sometimes I would spend hours editing an image to fix my mistakes. This class has helped me be more consistent with my exposure and, for the first time, I’ve had the confidence to change my white balance to manual, which really does help images look better. I’m really looking forward to having more consistent straight out of camera shots, which means more time shooting and less time editing.
Like many other reviewers, I regret not taking this class sooner! Great class! If you can swing $300 for full participation, DO IT! It will be money well spent and help you build a strong foundation for your photography. Took this class with Meg Loeks. She is a great teacher, a clear and concise communicator, and a masterful photographer. I was really intimidated to post my work for a ClickPro and a group to see. However, Meg is positive and encouraging and the class materials provide the base for going full manual! After 4 weeks, I see a major improvement in my exposures and have more confidence and understanding of what I’m doing.
Take the class, put in the time to practice and commit to fully understanding the concepts each week. Ask questions early. Chances are other people have the same questions you have. Also, take the time to watch other classmates’ critiques. I learned a LOT from Meg’s comments regarding other people’s work. A bonus is that the class videos are narrated by other ClickPros, so you get exposed to others’ work and teaching/communication style! Armed with understanding, now it’s up to me to practice, practice, practice.
I am so pleased that I was able to be a part of this course! I was in Meg’s most recent course (April-May) and I learned so much! I have been shooting manual for some years now, but it was nice to really break down the exposure triangle, learn about white balance and start to break old habits I had learned simply because I didn’t know any better! The weekly download materials are tucked safely on my external HD, and will live there for as long as the drive works! What a wonderful resource, and I can’t thank Meg enough for her time, knowledge and patience with us! CHEERS!
Just finished Mastering Manual Exposure with Meg Loeks. It was amazing and I should have done it sooner. This was my first course, and I was on a budget, so I took Study Along. It was absolutely worth it, and having taken the class, I would not hesitate to recommend it. I’ve been using a DSLR for years and I learned new things each week. All the lessons are easy to understand and Meg was super nice. I admit that I was a little intimidated because photography is a creative outlet for me and not something I am considering as a business, and I was a little worried that everyone would be more advanced than me and I would be out of my depth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If this is something you are interested in, I highly recommend it. I have seen an improvement in my skills in just these four weeks. Thanks Meg! Amazing class and I am so glad I participated.
My first full participation class was MME with Marissa Gifford. I’ve taken a few study along classes before and was nervous to take FP, but I am glad I did – it made me accountable and motivated to practice more regularly. Marissa was so kind, quick and detailed in her feedback, which along with extra info was so helpful in finally grasping concepts about metering and exposure that I’ve never really gotten before. There is so much information that I am still working through and will continue to refer back to as I practice. It was such a friendly community of talented classmates at varying levels of photography experience from whom I learned a lot. I really enjoyed the experience and can’t wait to practice what I’ve learned and take more full-participation classes in the future. Thank you so much, Marissa!
MME (Mastering Manual Exposure) is phenomenal class! Each week is laid out thoughtfully with assignments and quizzes to help solidify the materials. The class is jam packed with valuable information that will take your shooting to the next level. If you consistently shoot each week, you will see growth by the end of the four week course.
And don’t think this class is just for ‘newbies’ picking up their camera for the first time. I am not a pro but have been shooting for a few years and this class cemented and solidified areas I still struggle with in my own shooting. I’ve heard it said, and it’s so true, nailing your shot in camera saves tons of time in post process. This class absolutely gives you that foundation.
Marissa is an extremely knowledgeable instructor who responded quickly to questions in an encouraging and insightful way, helping to further clarify the materials. She helped build an encouraging community during our four weeks together and I learned as much from her responses to my peers as did to her response to my questions.
I can’t recommend this class enough. Another great offering from Clickin’ Moms!
I just finished Mastering Manual exposure with Meg Loeks and I honestly can’t say enough about how amazing this class was. It truly took my photography skills to another level.
I took this class as a full participation student and I think this is a class where it is important to spend the money for full participation because getting personal feed back and questions answered is invaluable to learning to shoot in manual mode. It amazes me to look at how much I learned over the course of a month – I have gone from shooting aperture priority mode to always shooting manual and choosing my own white balance. Instead of editing my images to try to get the photo I want I now get the image that I want in camera and do minimal editing.
Meg was a fantastic instructor. She’s super approachable and makes you feel comfortable asking any question, no matter how basic. Her critiques are very helpful, especially dealing with learning to see the correct white balance, and learning to see when you are Blowing your highlights.
If you are on the fence about this class I wholeheartedly say do it! It will teach you more than you expect.
I just completed the Mastering Manual Exposure class with Meg and boy, was it a game changer! She made the learning experience fun and really interesting and I can’t recommend this class highly enough. Prior to the class, I really had no idea what I was doing — would shoot on Aperture mode and thought well, at least it’s not on Auto mode. Now I can confidently take control of my camera and instruct it what to do.There were informative lessons each week, with supplemental videos that were extremely helpful. Although it’s an online class, it really didn’t feel that way. Between the forums, Q&As, personalized feedback, it was as valuable as an on-site class, maybe even more so. Take this class! You will not regret it. I loved it.
I can’t say enough about how happy I am with this course! I wish I would have taken it sooner and not be so nervous about stepping into manual. I have read books and watched videos in the past, but nothing ever made anything “click” until I took this class. I not only learned about metering, aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance, but I learned about so many other things as questions were asked in the forum. I took the full participation and it is worth every penny! Meg was wonderful with answering any and all questions we had and making sure we understood everything before we moved on. Her critiques of the assignments were full of wonderful information for me to absorb and learn from. And, her enthusiasm keeps you excited about taking picture after picture! If you are thinking of taking this class…do it! You will not be disappointed.
The best course I have ever taken. It teaches you a hell of a lot. I think this is a MUST course for every beginner photographer. Meg is so incredibly helpful and answers any and every question you have. She is able to explain things in a very understandable way. If you’re thinking of purchasing any photography course – this is a MUST. Highly recommended. You won’t ever regret spending $$ on this one.
I have absolutely loved taking this course with Meg Loeks – it was amazingly eye opening. I should’ve taken this course as soon as I bought my first dslr YEARS ago. I love that this course not only taught me how to take a good photo straight out of camera, but also WHY it was so important to do so. Getting feedback on my photos was a bonus. Meg was an open book and so supportive and informative. Thanks a million!
I took the MME course with Meg Loeks and let me just say…WOW! Taking this course was by far the best decision I have made for my photography journey. There was so much information to learn about the exposure triangle (that I thought I already knew… boy was I wrong) but it was presented in the least intimidating way possible, and Meg’s help and critiques really made things click for me! Its been a month and I have had 2 successful photoshoots so far due to everything that I’ve implemented from class. I couldn’t be happier with my experience. If you’re thinking about signing up, do yourself a favor and take the full participation course – you won’t regret it!
I just finished up the full participation course with Meg Loeks. It was fantastic! I’m going to leave a longish review because I know I really read these things when I’m trying to decide whether to commit to something like this or not, so maybe my experience will help you decide. But I’ll say this up front — if you are waffling, I’d say (1) take the course and (2) do the full participation.
I started with one photography course 25 years ago, in the film days, and I have tried to learn more/get better on my own in fits and spurts ever since — strictly as a hobby. I came to a point recently where I was tired of sort of getting a halfway decent shot in camera and then spending forever fixing it in Photoshop. And still not happy with the results — and not really understanding why it didn’t turn out like I envisioned. I had never taken any CM courses before, or anything participatory at all since college. Like most of you reading this, I’ve got kids and work and all the other demands of life and I was really nervous about the time commitment.
If this kinda sounds like you, then I really encourage you to jump in. It’s a lot to learn, but doable. And it’s so rewarding when it starts to gel. I learned SO much in the last month (and probably unlearned even more bad habits/misunderstandings) — committing to do it and then seeing such tangible improvement has been a big deal for me. I can’t believe how much more comfortable I’m feeling already with something that seemed very overwhelming a few weeks ago.
One other thing I wanted to note in case this clicks for anyone else — beyond the technical things I learned, I loved that this has been such a positive, energizing experience for me. Meg was awesome with quick, specific, honest and supportive feedback — patiently finding 18 different ways to explain a tough concept so all of us would understand and feel great about learning it. And participating with a really cool, talented, just NICE group of ladies has been so refreshing. I’ve worked in a very male-dominated area that’s sort of the polar opposite of this environment for so long . . . this class has felt like heaven!
Finally — about Meg — I actually decided on this particular workshop because after I saw Meg’s ProFoto flash video series, I was so motivated to jump in and take something she taught. And I was right! I love Meg’s work and her calm approach, and she is a fantastic teacher as well. Can’t wait to take another one with her!
Best investment I could have made to up my game. I was so confused and frustrated whenever I tried to shoot in Manual so I would just give up and shoot in aperture priority. Now I feel confident shooting in manual and really see the value of getting out of Aperture Priority mode! The full participation feedback was thorough and helpful. Marissa Gifford was always happy to answer even the most basic questions and explained things in a way I could understand. My only problem is that the course had to end!! I will definitely be taking more classes through ClickinMoms
Thank you so much for your kind words, Amanda! I loved having you in class and I’m so happy to hear that you’re feeling so confident shooting in manual mode now! <3
I debated signing up for MME until I read the reviews here–and multiple reviews said that their only regret was not taking the course sooner. I agree! I’ve been dabbling in photography in and out for almost 10 years. I love documenting, but the overhead of editing and missing shots inevitably frustrated me and I’d put photography on the backburner. I’m so glad I took MME for the foundation and am ready for more courses! Rachel was a wonderful instructor, always available, supportive, and knowledgeable. The Clickin Moms courses and breakouts are great, but I think the supportive community of instructors and students makes everything amazing. Thanks!
Thank you so much Melodie! I loved having you in class!
I learned SO much in 4 weeks, the instructors clearly know what they are doing the pdfs are well written and the feedback is timely. I found the full time participation very time consuming and quick paced: submitting photos on Saturday, new lessons on Sunday, review feedback from previous week’s assignment Monday or Tuesday, midweek photo and quiz due Wednesday and repeat. I think offering an 8 week option might be something click photo school should consider for people who are working full time, or I suppose study-along might be more manageable. Regardless, I loved it and highly recommend it!
Thank you so much Ali! I agree – it is super fast paced and there is so much to learn in 4 weeks!
I was hesitant to spend the $300 to fully participate in this class, but I am so glad that I did! In a weeks time I had learned more than I had in the 12 years prior that I had just been playing with my camera. Rachel was super sweet & helpful. Can’t wait to take my next class!!
Thank you so much Carol! I so appreciated your participation and I loved watching you grow so much in just 4 weeks!
I highly recommend this workshop and this instructor! Marissa’s knowledge, enthusiasm and genuine care, along with (great) class materials, truly helped me to better understand my camera in manual mode.
Thank you so much, Tami! I loved having you as a student and so appreciated all your active participation! I can’t wait to see where you go from here! <3
When I first picked up my camera, I fell in love with photography. However, over time I grew frustrated. While I knew the basics of the exposure triangle, my work lacked consistency. I struggled to achieve consistent exposure, white balance and focus. I knew I needed detailed feedback on my images to help me grow. Reading books and practicing on my own was not leading to the kind of growth I desired.
This class delivered on all my expectations. My work is growing more consistent and I am more able to identify the issue when an image falls short of my intentions. I can now distinguish camera shake from motion blur. I now know how to handle a scene that challenges my camera’s dynamic range. But to me the most important reason to take this class is to learn what you do not know that you do not know – your blind spot. For me, it was depth of field. I thought I understood the concept, but for the first time it became clear in a whole new way. So I would encourage you to take this class to find your own blind spot – and to have your own ah ha moments – so you can fall in love with photography all over again.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Amy! I loved having you in class and watching your growth over the 4 weeks together! <3
This class was extremely helpful and eye opening for me. Meg was a fantastic teacher and so patient with all of the questions I’d asked during the 4 week class. She went above and beyond to provide a level of detail that helped me grasp the concepts where I may have struggled otherwise. I am so happy that I chose full participation, it was absolutely worth it. I would highly recommend this as one of the first classes to take (this was my first class) if you’ve never taken one before. Thanks Meg!!
This was my first photography workshop and I’m so happy I decided to join. I learned so much every week and feel that my current pictures are by far better than they were prior to me taking this class. I took this class as a study along and feel like it worked better for my current schedule with 3 little kids. I loved watching Meg’s CC videos for the full participation students and I felt like I was able to learn tons from them. If you are new to photography or just wanting to brush up your skills this is the workshop to take. thanks Meg, I really enjoyed it!!
I took this course with Meg and it was so informative. It was my first CM course, and I was really unsure about taking the full participation due to cost, but I’m SO GLAD I did!
I self taught myself in manual and shot this way for just over a year before taking the course, and I assumed I knew what I was doing, although I wasn’t happy with most of the photos I was taking. In the first week of class I quickly realized that there was still A LOT of the basics that I didn’t understand! I now know much more about the exposure triangle, and how/when to use certain settings. I’m confident that I know how to adjust my camera settings in various environments to capture better pictures, and although it will take a lot more practice for it to come naturally, I now have a solid understanding of the basics that I can expand from.
I highly recommend the full participation simply for the instructor feedback. Hearing Meg talk through her reviews of my photos provided so much insight into what she was looking for, and it’s definitely helped me critique my photos in a more constructive manner. I also loved the Q&A that was available throughout the course. Meg was quick to provide answers, and all of her responses were easy to understand/apply. I’m so glad I took this course in full participation!
This was the greatest class! I learned SO much about shooting in manual, and even just about my camera. I liked the way it was presented, and Meg was a great instructor.
This class was amazing and I’m sad it’s over! I learned so much and Meg’s feedback was so helpful. She is very thorough and informative, I’m so glad I had her as my instructor. I had considered taking this class for quite some time but didn’t know if it was worth the money. Now I know it was worth every penny! I’m usually self taught, so before this, I had read many articles and tutorials about shooting in manual and I thought I knew everything about the exposure triangle. Boy, was I wrong! I learned so much more in in this workshop and my photos are now more consistent. I highly suggest taking this class, especially as a full participant. Having that critique and feedback on your photos helps tremendously. Thank you Meg for being such an amazing instructor!!
This class was beyond awesome! It was my first Click course so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t sure if I would get my money’s worth, I think I got more than my money’s worth. I had so many AHA moments. The material is presented so well and it really ingrains the information into you. The feedback from the instructor is so valuable. I took the class with Rachel Nielsen and she was great, so helpful and very responsive.
Thank you Rachel, you were a fantastic mentor and resource and very generous with your time. You have helped me re-ignite my passion, feel comfortable with my camera, understand skin tone & white balance and tricks to look for to get it right! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I just completed Mastering Manual Exposure. I’ve written drafts upon drafts of reviews for this course but none seem to underscore how amazing this class was. There were so many AHA! moments. This class gave me so much confidence in using my camera by utilizing video lectures, online forums, homework assignments for accountability. Rachel was a wonderful instructor that was always available when I felt stuck. If you are reading this review wondering if you should invest in this class the answer is YES.
I just completed my first workshop through CM and it was definitely beyond what I expected to get out of the class. I was a little skeptical if it was worth spending the money for the full participation option but it was WORTH EVERY PENNY! Rachel Nielson set the bar high as being such a thorough and well knowledgeable instructor. She answered so many great questions from her students and gave us a wealth of information to save and take with us in our photography journey. I looked forward every week to getting to watch her critique my personal photos and give me great feedback to improve. I feel so much more confident in my everyday shooting with still images and more importantly my rambunctious kiddos! My husband has confirmed that my skills have greatly improved and agrees that the class was well worth the money! I look forward to taking another class with CM and will especially look for classes taught by the talented Rachel Nielson!
I am so glad I took this course!! It was my first Clickin Moms course and it was just fantastic! The materials were easy to understand and clearly written, the videos were all so helpful. I did the full participation and highly recommend going that route. Getting feedback from Marissa Gifford was the best!!! She is knowledgeable, personable, and very responsive to questions, etc. For me, the ability to get feedback from the instructor and to have the ability to ask questions made it. I know I’ve improved my photography by leaps and bounds – beyond what I could have done by just reading tutorials or books.
You’re too kind, Dawn! Thank you for your words here and for all your active participation in the workshop. I loved having you and am so happy I could play a small role in your photography journey. <3
I have taken several formal photography classes in the past but I wanted to brush up on my skills. I felt I must be doing something wrong in camera to spend so much time editing my sessions. I learned something new the first week that really helped me to improve my work in camera. Marissa was an excellent instructor and very helpful in her answering of questions and in giving feedback. This would be an excellent class for both beginners and people that are pretty familiar with their camera and photography.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Michelle! I loved having you in class and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! <3
This course is worth it! I recommend to take this course if you want to improve your technical skill. I really enjoyed taking this course, each lesson i took made my confidence gotten stronger each day. Meg thank you so much for taking the time to communicate our lesson, the workshop was amazing and easy to follow. The information and guidance was valuable compared to the other courses that i’ve taken outside of Clicking Mom.
I’m so glad I chose to do this workshop at FP, the feedback that you get on your assignments is so valuable to progress, and the fact that you have a mid week and then a final, really helps in learning from your mistakes and understanding what went wrong and try to work on that. Meg is so supportive when providing feedback and answering all your questions that I never felt that I couldn’t ask anything. I had been shooting in Manual for some time but always spent too much time guessing rather then understanding why I needed to choose certain settings, this workshop has removed the guessing and now it’s just a matter of solidifying the knowledge.
Amazing class! Meg is so sincere and honest in all of her CC. I loved learning from her and the clear direction she gives to achieve proper exposure. I also love how she always reminded us this was not a composition class, which really helped me focus on the technical part of my photographs. I can’t wait to practice more and expose correctly more and more often! <3
I was so so sad how quickly this course was over! I really felt immediately “at home” in Marissa’s class. She has a gift for making people feel welcome, capable and confident – features everyone should have in their teachers. The class material in itself was well put together and well explained. Despite already shooting in manual for a few years, I still learned a lot of the basics that were missing from my knowledge and my photography has improved ten fold. I now am getting consistent results instead of hoping for the best. I decided to do the full participation as I need the accountability of having an assignment due each week to make sure I do the material!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Kristin! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed having you in class and I love following along on your family’s adventures on IG. <3
This class was exactly what I was looking for and more… There is so much information given in a very organized and encouraging way. I highly recommend it!! 5 stars! Thank you Marissa!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Kate! It was such a pleasure having you in class! <3
I am completely thrilled that I fully participated in Mastering Manual Exposure! Prior to this class I had never shot in manual, much less know how the exposure triangle works. The weekly PDFs are incredibly helpful and so easy to follow along. Any questions I had about the material were answered thoroughly by Meg Loeks. I also loved the videos to aid in my learning. This course is definitely challenging and pushes you to practice and learn every day. I definitely put a lot into this course and I feel that my pictures have been taken to the next level. I am completely hooked on shooting manual and feel confident to continue pursuing my learning. This is the first class I have taken through Clickin Moms and I can not wait to take more. This is an excellent class to begin with! Meg is a fantastic instructor and her feedback was genuine and encouraging. I loved every aspect of this course!
Whether you are just starting to use manual mode or have been using it for a couple of years, this class is for anyone who truly wants to master exposure. I took the class as full participation which allowed me to submit assignments and received constructive feedback. It also allowed me to post addditional photos and ask questions in the Q&A forum in between assignments. This was very helpful in really trying to understand what we were learning and how to apply it. Before this class, I always thought my photos were pretty good, but I knew that there was something that was missing. I was frustrated as I thought I was doing everything right within the exposure triangle. I would sometimes have one good photo and then one completely blown or one really dark. I truly thought there was something wrong with my camera. As soon as I started the course, I said that I truly thought this class would raise the level of my photos and it has! There are situations that I now know how to handle to get a properly exposed shot and I now know my there is nothing wrong with my camera! I can now capture shots in situations where I would have put on the flash just to be able to get something. I now know how to expose for the light and my subject and don’t need to resort to the flash. Meg was a great instructor and really tried to help us all by asking the right questions to help figure out what was happening in each of our situations, so that she could guide us to a better result. I need to practice a lot more for things to become more automatic, but I’m excited about the photos I will take in the future.
I have been considering this course for years, but despite reading so many glowing reviews I kept putting it off. I really wanted this to be the key to finally making manual mode click for me and I think I hesitated because if it didn’t work, I wasn’t sure what the next step would be. I thought I had a good understanding of manual mode, but just wasn’t getting the results I wanted. Now I know I really had no idea.
This course included so much helpful information, explained in a way that makes sense and the videos discussing sample images were incredibly helpful. I’ve watched so many other tutorials on my mission to master manual mode, but I’m kind of baffled by all of the important points that just aren’t covered in them. This course has been such an eye opener.
More than anything, Meg Loeks feedback and encouragement made the biggest difference to me. To get feedback on my own images and see how she reads a scene has really changed the way I think. She gave us the space to ask any (and every!) question we had and answered them so patiently and clearly. I’m so glad I chose full-participation for this reason.
I had decided not to switch to manual mode for client sessions until I’d spent much more time practising on my family, but yesterday I had to change to manual after just 15 minutes. I knew what I wanted my camera to do for me and this felt so much more natural in manual mode. The results were so much more consistent and I couldn’t be more excited. I still have a long way to go and lots of practise to do, but I know there’s no turning back now.
I was unsure about taking the course as I have been doing photography as more then a hobby for some time… So I decided not to do the Full Participation but the Study Along. It was great, I tried to keep up with the weekly materials but always fell behind but there was a FB group created and we were able to chat about things together there! I took this course because I am self taught and I always struggled in a few areas. This course has brought light to the unknown for me and I’m so very thankful I took it! Although as a SA i was not able to talk directly to the teacher (Meg) most of my questions were asked in some form on the Q&A forum. Meg was thorough with her answers and she knows her stuff! Now I have so much more confidence in my shooting where before I shot until it looked the way i thought it should! Now the guessing has become knowledge!!!!
I just finished the Mastering Manual Exposure workshop and it was absolutely amazing! I have always wanted to learn more about photography, and prior to this course I had been attempting to shoot in manual for a few months, but with only a very basic understanding of what each component of the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) meant. I had no clue how to put these components together to create a properly exposed photo straight out of the camera. This workshop has taught me that, covering in depth each of these components and beyond — it also covers metering, achieving proper white balance, how to achieve sharp focus, etc. I now feel confident with my camera set to manual and have the knowledge and tools I need to get a properly exposed image in a variety of settings. I took this course as full participation and I’m so happy I did because the instructor Meg’s very detailed, individualized feedback on my submissions was invaluable. I also loved that we had 2 assignments per week because that ensured that I practiced regularly to get the images I needed for each assignment. This course has also left me very inspired to keep shooting, practicing and continuing to learn more about composition, lighting, and processing.
If you are a novice at photography and want to learn how your camera “thinks” you should take this course. Refreshingly Excellent!
Thank you so much Patricia! It was a pleasure having you in class and I loved seeing your hard work pay off! <3
Wondering how to actually use that expensive camera you have? Wishing you could capture photos that actually look like what you see? Want to take photos in low light? Capture a fast moving child? Take this course! It was one of the best decisions I’ve made and I’ve grown closer to being the photographer I want to be. Rachel Nielsen was a fantastic instructor and created a comfortable environment to ask questions and share work.
I loved having you in class Rhiannon! Thank you for joining me and I loved seeing you improve so much in just 4 weeks! <3
Love this class! It’s my third class here at CM and again—a WINNER. I was shooting manual mode for YEARS before this class, but I would shoot, shoot, shoot until it looked right and if I couldn’t figure it out–it was due to the circumstances, not me. Hahah! So wrong. After four weeks I can set my camera settings before I shoot and make an educated decision of what I want in the picture. Low light? No problem. Fast moving kids? No problem. Stop motion? Slow motion? Have correct White Balance? No problem, no problem, no problem. I know now the triangle and what makes a fantastic, sharp picture. My only complaint? I wish it was longer!!! I am going to miss my daily “Ahah moments!”
It was such a pleasure having you in class Eva! I loved watching all of your ah-ha moments and seeing your hard work pay off! <3
Great class!! Meg was so thorough in her review of our images. She gave me great things to work on and I felt more confident each week. I love that I finally feel comfortable shooting in Manual Mode and that I’m taking full advantage of my fancy camera :)
I took this class back in May. I really hesitated signing up for this class because I have been photographing for 6 years. My first instructor (college), really left out important information that has always left me missing something to make my exposure consistent with every click. Within my first week, Marissa was able to give me that piece I was missing for so many years. If you have never picked up a camera or if you are like me and have been photographing for many years but are not happy with your work then TAKE THIS CLASS. Marissa was awesome! She really takes the time to make sure you are understanding how to get the perfect exposure. I can’t wait to take more classes from CM
Thank you so much for your kind words, Desi! I loved having you in class and being a small part of your photography journey! <3
I am SO glad I took this class! I love that i can “get it right in camera” and not always think “Oh i’ll fix that in photoshop” The instructors share valuable information on shooting in manual mode and give CC as needed in a very gentle but truthful way. Taking this class has made me a more confident photographer!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the workshop so much, Julianne! It was truly a pleasure having you in class these past 4 weeks. I’ll miss seeing your gorgeous boys each week! <3
Taking Mastering Manual Exposure was a great decision. The PDFs and videos, along with Marissa Gifford’s comments and critiques, have cleared up a lot of the confusion I was encoutering about shooting in manual mode.It was 4 weeks very well spent. Also, I’m glad that I took it as a full participant. Receiving personalized feedback on my images each week helped me to better understand the concepts. It also showed me exactly where I was making the same mistakes over and over in my shooting. I’m very happy that I took this class.
I am so glad I took Mastering Manual Exposure as my first workshop. I think this is an awesome starting point for someone looking to learn about photography. Marissa Gifford’s critiques were very helpful. She answered questions thoroughly and in a timely fashion. I took the class at Full participation which allowed me to have this feedback. I would not trade this experience for the world!
It was a pleasure having you in class, Amy! Your hard work really paid off and I can’t wait to see where you go from here! <3
Thank you for your kind words, Beth! I’m so happy that it was so helpful for you – but you put in the hard work and rocked it! I can’t wait to follow along on your photography journey! <3
This class was amazing!
so eye opening… so many AHA moments… I am absolutely grateful to Marissa and all of her knowledge, her charisma and her availability!!
Ive owned a camera for years. I was totally intimidated by manual mode. I thought to the take class many times and am so happy i did it!!
it was hard to decide between full study and study along but boy am i glad i did full study. i loved the material and videos but gotta tell u theres something nice in getting feedback and questions answered !!! do not hesitate to take the class!!! its so rewarding when it just clicks!!! and u get the shot!! thank you marissa!!
I’m going to miss having you in class, Tina! I really appreciated your enthusiasm and thoughtful questions. And now you’re totally rocking manual mode! Yessss! <3
Such an awesome course even for those that have been shooting in manual for a while. It teaches you how to get it right in camera to save time in the editing chair! Meg was wonderful and answered all of our questions. My only regret was taking this course while trying to move. You really need to devote several hours a week to reading and practicing the material that is taught.
I am SO grateful I just so happened to stumble upon a Facebook ad for this particular class. I never heard of CM before and this was a blessing to discover. I thought that Mastering Manual Exposure sounded like exactly what I needed to learn to move forward with photography. The materials are so easy to follow and are very thorough. The instructor was helpful, answered all questions, and gave honest critiques.
I have owned my camera for 2.5 years and up until the point I took this class I would just guess at what my settings should be, or try shooting in one of the cameras automatic modes and I would look at my pictures and be so disappointed that they were all unfocused, grainy, underexposed, overexposed, etc… I was frustrated with my camera pretty much every time I picked it up. Now, in my final week of class I’ll go out and shoot hundreds of pictures in a day and come home and look through my pictures and they are pretty much ALL perfectly exposed. I can finally once and for all say “I know what I’m doing with my camera!” I couldn’t be happier with my progress.
Thank you so much Marissa!
It was wonderful to have you in class, Vanessa! You did an amazing job and you should be so proud of yourself! Your hard work is definitely showing and I can’t wait to see where you go from here! <3
I am SO glad I took this course. I began with a basic understanding of the exposure triangle and was a little afraid that I wasn’t going to learn anything new, but after reading the reviews I signed up. I cannot overstate how much this helped. Despite understanding the basic ideas of manual, I never felt confident enough to take my camera off of aperture priority. The class was full of tips and information that really made everything click and I don’t plan on taking my camera off of manual again. Marissa Gifford was great and was so thorough in her explanations that she really helped me to stop overthinking everything. I took the class as a study along and wish I had taken full participation, but I still walked away feeling so much more confident and knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Shawna! I am so happy to hear that you got so much out of the workshop and that you’re feeling so confident shooting in manual mode now. <3
Like many, I developed an interest in photography and bought my DSLR after my first son was born. I’m totally self-taught and six years later, I was still fumbling along with a very basic understanding of how my camera works. This was the first photography class I’ve taken and I can’t say enough good things about it! The course design, content, materials and instruction was so well thought out and delivered. My main goal in taking this class was to increase my proficiency in the technical side of things. It was worth every penny! I strengthened my understanding of the things I knew but also learned so much more than I was expecting to learn! I highly recommend full participation. The feedback I received was invaluable in accelerating my learning curve. Meg was knowledgeable, kind, patient and always available. You’ll be so thankful you took this course!
This course is absolutely amazing! If you are on the fence you need to hop on over. I taught myself manual mode and had been taking photos for about a year before I took the course. I’m so glad I did it. I learned so much more than I thought I would and I am now understanding why my images were a little off before. Meg was an awesome instructor. She was online all the time and gave such thoughtful feedback and answers to each question.
This class really patched up many holes in my photography education, as I am completely self taught. I shot in Manual mode for years, but wasn’t ever consistent with my outcome. Instead of doing things haphazardly, now I have a guide and reason to doing the things I do. My photos have improved a lot in just 4 weeks. Meg was my teacher and absolutely incredible! She was very reassuring and kind in all of her answers and always gave such helpful and positive feedback on every single question. I loved taking this course and just wish it were longer! I’ll definitely be taking courses from Meg again!
The Mastering Manual Exposure course was what I needed! Even though I knew a lot about my camera, this course brought it all together in the basics. I recommend spending the extra money for the on-line review as the feedback is individual and provides encouragement as well as instruction which helps to guide how to improve your shots. Also, the more I participated in the ‘homework’, the better the information sunk in.
Absolutely loved taking this course and I wish I had taken it earlier :) The way Marissa and others made us/me look at Exposure really rocked my world, in a good way. I will treasure all the materials – both PDF’s and video (feedback) given to us during the one month course and go over these many more times. It was a real fun and challenging experience – with assignments during the week to put into practice the materials being taught. It was my first course with CM and I will definitely come back for more, after getting a taste of it.
It was such a treat to have you in class, Ewien! Your hard work paid off and I hope you’re proud of all your growth! I can’t wait to follow your journey and see where you go from here. <3
I took this class 2 weeks after purchasing my first DSLR camera as I wanted to learn manual right from the beginning. I was amazed at what I learned in 4 weeks and was so appreciative of Marissa’s patience with my beginner photography questions. I took the class full study and gained so much knowledge through the bi-weekly homework assignments and the feedback from Marissa and the other students. This was by far one of the best investments I have made in my photography journey!
I loved having you in class, Michele! Your hard work over those 4 short weeks really paid off! <3
This is a class for everyone, I promise you will get something great out of it even if you have been shooting in manual for for several years.
The material presented in the first week alone pays for itself. Marissa is an extraordinary teacher, she loves what she is doing and has a great way of conveying that.
I highly recommend this class
I absolutely loved having you in class again, Monica! I miss our daily interactions already! Thank you for joining me in both MME and Photoshop for Beginners! <3
After being a member of the Clickinmoms forums for years, I finally had the opportunity to take Mastering Manual Exposure. The order in which the lessons and concepts are presented set you up for success. I am still amazed that I was shooting in manual mode after the first week. Marissa was very attentive, accessible and knowledgable. Her encouraging and educational weekly critiques enhanced the experience and helped me hone in on the areas I needed to improve. I regret not taking this course earlier, and I can’t wait to practice and apply the skills I obtained. This course is an excellent investment in your photography journey!
It was a pleasure having you in class, Katie! You worked hard and it absolutely shows! I love keeping up with your journey via social media. <3
If you are considering taking this course, do it! Hands down, this is the best investment I’ve made. I took it as a full participation and learned an incredible amount of information. I’m new to working in manual (just a few months) and even though I had read a few books and done as much online research as I could, it’s no comparison to what I got out of this class. I took the course with Rachel and the feedback was invaluable! She was absolutely wonderful and always quick to answer all my questions. The course materials are great – both PDFs and videos. They are detailed but not overwhelming to read/watch and understand. Again, if you’re thinking about taking this course, I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you again Rachel! It was great being in class for the 4 weeks – it absolutely flew by!
Thank you so much Danielle! I absolutely loved having you in class and watching you grow and improve so much! ❤️
This workshop is absolutely amazing. Completely worth the time and investment!!! I came into the workshop already being very familiar with the exposure triangle and what aperture, shutter speed and ISO do and how they work together. I was honestly a little leery about taking this course, at first, because I was very comfortable changing my settings already, and didn’t want to “waste” money. Boy, was I glad I went through with this class!! Everything I had learned previously was piecing together my own research and learning on my own. This course took the puzzle pieces that I had and put them together, along with adding the ones that I was missing so I can see the whole picture clearly. It was amazing content. I also can’t say enough about our teacher, Lacey Meyers. She was so enthusiastic when we learned a concept and was so patient and willing to help and answer questions. She was very clear and made everything understandable. She was so helpful and kind and amazing. I cannot recommend this workshop enough. Definitely take it Full Participation. These workshops are so much better being Full Participation. Friendly help from other students just can’t make up for a teacher answering questions and providing direct feedback. Another really nice feature of this class is that it kind of introduces a newbie to the forums in a gentle and kind manner instead of just throwing them into something really intense….. It is an awesome, awesome workshop, and I can truly say I learned A LOT from it, despite having used manual on my dSLR exclusively since I got it a few years ago. Of course, I still used my point and shoots most of the time, but I can say that is a thing of the past now!!! Take this workshop. It is completely worth it!!!
I can’t say enough good things about this class! It was an amazing experience – I learned so much and enjoyed every single day of it! If you really want to learn how to shoot completely in manual, there is no better way to do it than in this class. The approach, content, instruction and camaraderie all combine to make it a fantastic learning environment! Rachel was so knowledgable, patient, and kind. She spent so much time making sure that we all understood and grew throughout the class. I took this very early in my photography journey, and I am so glad I did. While I was pretty new to my camera, I loved learning to do things correctly from the start. I now have the best possible foundation to build on, and I am grateful for that. I will also say that not only did I learn a lot from the materials and Rachel, but the interaction with other participants was fantastic and I gained so much from their questions and assignments. Do not hesitate to take this class – I would do it again in a heartbeat! Thank you to all!
Aww thank you so much Gina! It was such a pleasure having you in class and I loved watching all of your hard work pay off!
I wish I had taken this class sooner. It was such an eye opener for me and Rachel went above and beyond! If you are questioning whether or not this workshop is for you, please do not hesitate! It’s a game changer for sure.
That really means a lot Jaimie – thank you!! I loved watching you improve and grow so much as a photographer during class!
For four years I tried to “get it right in camera,” searching the internet, referring to tutorials of all kinds, over and over again. Even bought three new cameras, blaming the camera each and every time. I concluded I was only a camera owner, kept questioning how does everyone get such amazing images? On the verge of giving up, searching CM forums for more answers, I found the reviews on this class, and decided to invest myself. This class has totally exceded my expectations and Rachel is an amazing instructor!! I finally found the “how to” and now have the skills and knowledge to put the vision before me in camera. A whole new world has opened before me and I found a creative side of myself that I never knew existed! Thank you so much Rachel & CM!!
Thank you so much Candace! I absolutely loved having you in class and seeing it all click and come together for you!! <3
My only regret is that I did not take this class the day I bought my first DSLR. WOW! I cannot tell you how much I learned in the last 4 weeks. $300 is a significant amount of money in our budget as I am currently a SAHM. It was worth EVERY penny. Rachel Nielsen was so responsive, supportive, knowledgeable, and patient. She is a real working pro in the field, and has such great insight. My only bit of advice would be to take it ASAP, and plan on spending much more than 4 hours a week on the class. The more you put into the class, the more you will get out of it! (I found myself staying up late every night to practice:) I wish I could go back in time and have taken this class before my babies were born!
Thank you so much Rebecca! I loved having you in class and watching you improve so much during class! You worked so hard and it definitely paid off!
The biggest mistake I’ve made as a photographer was not taking this class sooner.
It was so much fun having you in class Christie and I loved watching those ah-ha moments click for you! <3
Marissa is absolutely AMAZING!!! I was blown away by how much I learned in just week 1 and then continued to learn as the weeks went on. Marissa was available at every step of the way to answer my many questions and was always so supportive when I was struggling. I have taken manual courses in person before and didn’t learn nearly as much as I did through this class. It was eye opening and lit a spark for me to continue learning more. If anyone is thinking about taking this course, I highly recommend you do. I had my camera for over 5 years and this course finally got me to take it out of auto mode and I don’t ever plan on going back!
Oh, you’re too kind Grace! Thank you for your sweet words. <3 I'm so glad you loved the class so much! You worked so hard and it was my pleasure to help you along the way.
This class was absolutely amazing! It was my first Click Photoschool Workshop and now I am hooked! Marissa Gifford was wonderful! She was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, kind, and a wonderful teacher. I could not recommend this course enough. I knew absolutely nothing about shooting manual prior to this course, I was amazed at how much I learned in a 4 week period. If you are on the fence as to whether or not to take this workshop, take it!! You will not regret it!
Thank you, Kimberly! It was a pleasure having you in class. I loved watching you grow from week to week – your hard work is paying off! <3
This has been by far the best photography class I have had, EVER!!. Before the class I thought I had quite some understanding of basic photography and was always using my camera in manual mode, little did i know there was so much more I could learn and most importantly, I could finally use the full potential of my camera! :) I loved this method of teaching, quite interactive and the PDFs and videos are great and very easy to understand. But most importantly, the teacher, which in our case was Marissa Gifford, was exceptional. She has a great understanding of photography and had LOTS of patience, answering sometimes the same questions and always being there for us with all our questions and doubts.She was always very positive and encouraging, which made us more enthusiastic about the assignments. I can not recommend this course long enough. I cant wait to go on to the next class…which is hard to decide since there are sooo many that look so nice! :S Thanks Marissa!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Silvia! It was fantastic having you in class and I am glad you’re feeling so much more confident using your gear to its potential!
Can not recommend this class enough! I didn’t think my low end gear was capable of beautiful pictures – I was wrong. Just within the first week I learned so much and was able to take images I was so happy with – with my old basic entry level gear. After the first week I was so happy, the class could have ended then and I would have been content! The feedback was contrustive and encouraging. After listening to a critique it made me want to go out and take more pictures. I was a super beginner and this class was a perfect fit for me.
You’re totally rocking that D40 and kit lens, Anne! You should be so proud of all your hard work because it’s totally paying off! I loved having you in class and watching your improvement from week to week. <3
Loved this class! This class helps you feel in control of your camera and of your photos. I have learned more about my camera in the past four weeks than I have in the four years that I have owned it. Marissa Gifford was a great instructor and provided prompt and specific feedback to help improve your photography each week. I would DEFINITELY recommend this class!!!
Thank you so much for posting such a great review, Megan! It was so great to have you in class – I already miss seeing your cute kiddos for our weekly assignments.
Excellent class for beginners! There was a lot to learn in four weeks but I was never frustrated because the concepts were broken down simply and thoroughly. It was so much fun and Melissa was so positive and enthusiastic. I loved the entire month and am so sad for it to be over. I hope the next CM class is just as good!
Oops, Marissa! I meant Marissa! Christmas fog in my head! Thank you Marissa!
It was a pleasure having you in class, Tara! I loved seeing your work improve each week and you should be so proud of your hard work! <3
AMAAAZING! I honestly can’t believe how much I learned in this class! I literally bought my camera about 4 days before class started. In just 4 weeks, I feel so much better about taking the leap into the DSLR world! I’m getting gorgeous images of my little one all thanks to what I’ve learned! Thank you, thank you! I’m looking forward to more!
This is music to my ears, Aimee! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the workshop so much and that you’re feeling so confident going forward in your journey. It was wonderful having you in class and I hope to see you lots on the forum so I can follow your journey. <3
This has been an amazing course with great information, honest but gentle critique and tons of positive encouragement. I am looking forward to taking more classes!
Thank you so much Lu Ann! I loved seeing your work improve so much over the last month and you have such a great eye for photography! <3 Thank you for joining us!!
Amazing class! I took a class at a local college for a month before starting this class and hardly learned a thing. In four weeks on line with Rachel I have learned SO MUCH MORE. Wishing I never spent money on the college class! Great material, videos, Q & A threads/information. I already signed up for my next class with Clink in moms :)
It was such a pleasure having you in class Michele! <3 I loved seeing your images each week and watching your growth as a photographer! I am so glad you joined us!! :)
If you are serious about photography and you want to master your DSLR, you must take this class with @marissa_gifford. From beginning to end she guides you on how to master the manual mode in your camera. Her knowledge and constant feedback is priceless and makes MME one of the best classes I have ever taken.
Thank you, Lorena! I loved having you in class and watching you grow over the course of the workshop! I’m so glad you decided to join us and enjoyed MME so much! <3
I have tried for years to make sense of manual exposure on my own, without any success. I had come to believe that it was just too hard, and not worth the effort. So when I first saw this class, it took me a while to sign up, but I am so glad that I did. In 4 short weeks, I not only have come to understand all the elements that make a perfectly exposed photo, but I could actually explain it to someone else if necessary! And I highly recommend doing the full participation option. It was another big decision for me, especially since with the currency conversion it was going to cost me over $400 AUD, but again, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Marissa was brilliant with her feedback and answered all our questions quickly, thoroughly and patiently (even if we kept asking the same ones over and over). If you are sitting on the fence about this course, sign up today! It is well worth every cent and then some.
It was wonderful to have you in class, Mel! You should be so proud of your hard work, you really improved so much from beginning to end. It was great to watch you have so many aha moments! It was a complete pleasure to help you along on your photography journey. <3
I considered taking this course for a long time but wasn’t sure if I’d be wasting money since I learned to how shoot in manual a few years ago. I realized immediately in the first week of the course that I didn’t know how to shoot in manual nearly as well as I thought I did, I can’t believe how much I didn’t know. This course was invaluable and I know I will be referencing the materials and discussions often in the future. The PDFs and videos are excellent resources, the assignments were really helpful to learn the topics each week, and Rachel was a great instructor! I’m so glad I took this course and would definitely recommend it!
Thank you so much Laura! I absolutely loved having you in class and seeing your images each week! Your hard work definitely paid off!
Mastering Manual Exposure was my first class with Click Photo School. The experience was excellent and I can’t wait to sign up for my next class. Rachel was a great teacher and the materials were extremely helpful. I can’t believe how much I learned! Well worth the time and money. I am so glad that I took the full participation as the feedback was very valuable. I highly recommend this class to anyone interested in enhancing their photography skills.
I am so glad you joined us Tracy and I loved seeing your beautiful work each week! It was such a pleasure having you!
The amount of ah ha moments during this class confirmed I made the right choice in taking this class. The way I use my camera to its full ability and the leaps my photos have taken in 4 short weeks is crazy. I recommend anyone and everyone to take this class. Best decision I have made for myself and for my clients.
Your hard work really paid off Annette and I loved watching you improve each week! It was a pleasure having you in class!
Prior to taking this class, I had only used my DSLR in auto mode. As a beginner, I had always wanted to take photography lessons but never had the time to go to a physical class due to my erratic work schedule. Clickin Moms MME was the perfect solution – I could work at my own pace and on my own time while still having a teacher critique my work. I can’t believe how much I learned in such a short period of time. Marissa & Lacey were fantastic – their explanations were clear and easy to follow. I also had the benefit of learning from everybody else’s assignments and critiques. I highly recommend this class for beginners (and probably for non-beginners too!) interested in learning how to shoot manually. I am SO glad I took this class!
I’m so glad you were able to join us in class, Angie! I know your schedule is crazy and I’m so happy you were able to fit it in when it worked for you. It was a pleasure having you! <3
I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have gone through this course! After just picking up my camera a month ago and knowing I wanted to shoot in manual I started looking into courses to teach me because I wasn’t grasping it on my own reading tons of articles and was just getting bogged down with information. Enter, MME. I was pretty sure this was exactly what I needed and reading the previous reviews of the course convinced me it was time to sign up! In just four short weeks Marissa and her TAs were able to provide just the right amount of information and tons of examples and helpful videos that helped me really comprehend the lessons being taught. I LOVED this course so much that when it came to week four, I started dreading each day that went by because it meant that the class was almost over. I am so addicted to taking courses with Clickinmoms now– I cannot wait to start my next one!
It was so wonderful having you in class, Bri! You should be so proud of all your hard work – it’s definitely paying off! <3
If you’re considering taking this class, do it. I’ve been wanting to better understand how to use my camera on manual mode for the past two years, and I only wish I had found the Clickin Moms forum and the Mastering Manual Exposure class a couple years ago. While I had a basic knowledge of the exposure triad, this class helped me effectively understand how to meter correctly. I initially signed up for Study Along, but I was able to switch to full participation at the last moment after reading the introductory material. I recommend the FP if you can swing it as the feedback on the assignments is REALLY helpful. My first experience of CM courses has been nothing but positive, and I’m excited to take many more.
I am so glad you joined us as a full participation student Susannah! I loved having you in class and seeing your beautiful work each week! <3
I can’t tell you how much more confident I feel in using my camera!! I’ve never understood manual mode until now and NOW I feel like I can start pursuing my dream of becoming a professional photographer being confident in the photos I’ll be taking. I am so thankful and grateful for all the wonderful knowledge I’ve gained from this class.
It was a joy having you in class September! You did so well and came so far in just 4 weeks! <3
I’ve been shooting in manual for a couple years now. I was always pretty happy with my photos, but I wanted to make sure I actually knew the technicalities before I jumped in to other classes. I thought that JUST MAYBE it would be a waste of time and money….boy was I wrong! I think that anyone (no matter your skill level) can learn something from this course. It was sooo much more than just aperture, ISO, and shutter speed for me. It taught me so much more and my photography had soared in just one month! This class is amazing. Spend the $300…seriously. It’s worth so much more than that. Knowing what I know now, I’d pay more for this class. Do it! Take this class! You won’t be disappointed! Rachel was amazing and all the other instructors were great! Only positivity in this group! Don’t be afraid! They’ll hold your hand and help you along the way! Do it!
Thank you so much Hannah! It was such a joy to have you in class and I loved seeing the growth in your work over the past 4 weeks! <3
I just finished this course and am so sad it’s over! I can’t believe how much I learned in just 4 weeks and how much I enjoyed it. I have been using my camera for 2 years without actually knowing what I was doing – and now feel so much more comfortable and in control. Rachel, Monica and Marissa were amazing – so supportive, so responsive – and so good at making things easy to understand. Taking this class was a great decision and it made me so excited to build on this new incredible foundation.
Stacie, you did such a fantastic job and I loved seeing your work improve so much in just 4 weeks! Thank you for joining us! <3
This course is a must for photographers hoping to really change how their shoots turn out. I shot in manual mode before taking this, but not well. Now I have definitely saved myself post-processing time, and I’m thrilled. Metering for exposure has made been a game changer, and setting white balance by card or kelvin has really made a difference in how much I need to tweak my photos. And most of all, I have gotten to know my camera (and its manual) really well, and who knows how long that would have taken me, otherwise. Rachel, Monica, and Marissa were terrific. They answered questions, gave really useful CC and tips. Take the class – and if you can, take the full participation! It’s awesome.
Thank you so much Larissa! It was a pleasure having you in class! <3
This workshop was worth every penny! I had been reading and trying to teach myself how to shot in manual mode for months prior to taking this workshop with Monica Wilkinson. I wish I had signed up and taken it sooner. I cannot say enough about how much I learned from the material and the personal critiques! I did not want this class to end. If you are considering this class, you should definitely take it! Your images will improve by leaps and bounds!
I just finished up this course and LOVED it! I had been shooting in manual for over a year but not getting consistent results SOOC. Over the past 4 weeks I saw a huge improvement in my work. . . and learned so much. Lacey was my instructor and she was incredibly knowledgeable and went above and beyond in answering our questions and providing assignment feedback. I asked a lot of questions and she was so patient and kind and just the best teacher ever! And the TA’s – Marissa & Rachel – were incredibly thorough in their feedback and so so nice too:) I had such a great experience with this class, I’m so sad it’s over!
Thank you so much, Courtney! It was so great to have you in class and I really miss your photos of your girls already! :)
I was reluctant to pay the $300 for full participation but I am SO GLAD I DID!!! It makes a world of difference to have that feedback from the instructors and TA. This class is full of information for beginners to advanced. The downside….I can see where all my “good” photos before this class could be so much better, but the upside…NOW I can really great pictures consistently. I am so pleased with this class and am already signed up for another.
I highly recommend this class as a full-participation!!! Monica and the TA’s are absolutely amazing and incredibly helpful with ANY questions. My photography skills have gone from ‘what is metering’ to my friends asking ME for advice!! I am actually sad it is over but am very much looking forward to my next class. TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
This is exactly the workshop I needed to put my photography skills to the next level and start enjoying my pictures and not being disappointed every time by the technical part. Now, it has to become an automatism and it is only practice.
Thanks Monica and TAs, you helped a lot and had always the great and clear answer!
Thank you so much Stephanie!! I am so happy to hear you liked the class and are now enjoying your pictures! <3
This class was everything I hoped for and more! Whether you are brand new to photography, or have a bit more of an understanding, you will definitely benefit from this class. The class went beyond what I learned in a basic DSLR class, but was introductory enough for me not to get lost. The instructors were great and the feedback was thorough (so opt for the full participation if you can!). I highly recommend Mastering Manual Exposure and have already signed up for my next CM class!
Thank you so much Beth! I loved having you in class and seeing your growth as a photographer! :)
This was a great workshop to take as a follow up to the First Steps workshop. First Steps motivated me to read my camera handbook so I could change the settings on my camera. And Mastering Manual Mode
taught me what I needed to do with those settings to capture properly exposed images. Now I enjoy my camera and look forward to using it and learning more. Like a lot of things in life you will only get out of it what you put into it. I think that is why full participation worked for me. Having to post assignments for review forced me to study and actually use my camera. My only problem now is I want to spend more money on everything photography:)
Ha ha Maureen, I have the same problem! ;) It was a pleasure to have you in class and I loved seeing you improve so much in just 4 weeks! <3
I just became a member of Clickin Mom and this was my first class and what an amazing class it is. I have been shooting manual for years and didn’t know how much I didn’t know. I learned so much and my pictures in just 4 short weeks have improved dramatically. The instructors were so attentive and prompt. Not one question left unanswered. I am looking forward to taking another class soon
Thank you so much Kimberlie! It was a pleasure having you in class! <3
I have had a camera to my face as long as I remember. My first Canon Snappy I bought with change…and counted the pennies with the sales person when I was 7 years old. I ‘thought’ I knew something about a camera…until I took this course! I hummed and hawed about which course to take and for me this was the perfect place to start. Rachel and the TAs Monica and Marissa were amazing. The feedback was incredible. The amount of time they spent in answering our questions was phenomenal (not to mention it was also during the busy xmas season!). Not only was what I learned JUST WHAT I NEEDED to take my photography skills to the next level, I feel that the environment was one that was so incredibly welcoming and friendly. You honestly feel as though you start to get to know your classmates – even if it is through your computer – and there truly is no question that is a silly one.
This is a great course for someone who knows a lot or a little regarding their camera. The foundations of properly exposing pictures and taking control of the camera and shooting in manual mode allows for a whole world of photography to start to open up. Thank you CM – and specifically Rachel, Monica and Marissa – for a great experience. To anyone who is wondering or sitting on the fence about an experience like this…stop wondering and go for it!
Aww thank you so much Karin! <3 It was an absolute joy to have you in class and I loved seeing your growth each week!
I just finished taking the Mastering Manual Mode course and am so sad it is over! This class has taught me so much in the past 4 weeks. I’ve read articles about metering, white balance, exposure triangle, etc., but none of it really “clicked” until I took this course. The instructor’s feedback was invaluable. I was debating on whether or not to take the full participation or just the study along, and I am so glad I chose the full participation. I learned so much by having my photos critiqued, asking questions and having other participants share their input. I can’t wait to take another course through Clickin’ Mom’s!
Thank you so much Jenni! I loved having you in class and watching everything come together for you! <3
I just finished the workshop Mastering Manual Exposure. I found out about Clickinmoms through Click magazine. WOW! The workshop surpassed my expectations. I was apprehensive about spending $300.00 for the full participation. I made the right decision. I had all my questions answered, and now have a firm foundation in shooting in manual mode. I tried for three years other internet sources learn the dynamics of manual exposure but their explanations were incomplete or screwy. I have already signed up for my next full participation class and am eyeing my third one. Rachel Nielsen, instructor for this class was excellent!
Thank you so much Suzanne! <3 It was such a pleasure to have you in class!
I just finished the last run of MME course with Lacey Meyers. I cannot say enough good things about this course!! First of all, I am self taught and started my photography business this year. I had been very lucky sort of feeling my way through photography however, I wasn’t producing consistent results in camera. I finally decided to get some help! Taking this class full participation was the best decision I could have made for my business and on a personal level as well. I learned that I was actually underexposing ALL of my images, because I had actually misread an online tutorial on manual exposure!! That is the beauty of this workshop…feedback! Lacey and the TA’s are all amazing and getting to learn from these inspiring artists was a joy in and of itself. This course filled in all the gaps I had, and now I have true confidence on my shoots. I really understand my camera now…no more dice rolling…just consistent properly exposed images every single time. TAKE THIS COURSE! You will thank yourself again and again. Signing up for my next one as soon as registration opens!
I just finished Mastering Manual Exposure, and learned so much. Time flies by when you’re having fun! I can’t believe the 4 weeks is already over. Lacey Meyers (and the TAs) answered all questions in a timely manner, and in depth. I knew a little (self-taught) about manual use prior to this course, but I learned something new every week. The little tricks you learn to remember the information are great. I enjoyed (and learned from) seeing everyone’s photos and critiques. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone who wants a great foundation for using your camera in manual mode. This was my first CM workshop, and have since signed up for another one (as well as purchased a few breakouts!) I signed up for full participation, and it was worth every penny!
What is included in the “study-along” for this course? I’ve only done one full-participation course and am curious about what you receive for a study- along? Do you get access to all of the materials (PDF, videos) and view the photos and comments of instructors? Thanks in advance!
Hi Lauren! Study Along students have access to all materials and are able to view all content and conversation in the main workshop forum. They also receive access to their own private Study Along subforum for peer study groups and image shares. Study along students will not be able to ask the instructor questions or request instructor feedback on their assignments, but they can follow along with instructor critiques of the Full Participation assignments. We would love to have you join us either way! <3
I just wrapped up four weeks of Mastering Manual Exposure with Rachel Neilsen and learned more in the four weeks than in the previous eight years on my own trying to understand and master manual. The feedback on my own images, as well as the feedback given to my peers, was invaluable. I have a long way to go, but I am confident in my ability to ‘get’ the shot and nail the exposure. I loved the class so much, that I signed up for my next CM course before this one had ended. So happy to say I have come a long way in a short time thanks to Rachel and TA’s Monica and Marissa. Thank you all, ladies!
Thank you so much Mandy! I absolutely loved having you in class and watching you grow as a photographer! <3
What a fun 4 weeks! I just finished the workshop, taught by Lacey Meyers this run, and I can’t say enough about it. Wonderful! I had been shooting in manual mode for a short time before the course, and was worried that I would already know much of what was being taught. I was so wrong. This class is very detailed. The materials go really in depth. Then, the critiques and question/answer forums added even more layers of learning. I learned a ton! I’ve seen a big difference in my straight out of camera shots. I realized that I had been dabbling in manual exposure before, now I am truly mastering manual exposure! Highly recommend this workshop!
I found the Mastering Manual Exposure workshop was just what I needed. It made me get the camera out every day and shoot in manual!! The material and videos were easy to understand, so happy to have them to review. Lacey and her assistants were awesome! Her comments and CC were helpful and encouraged me to keep on trying! Thank you Lacey!
I just finished the MME class and have nothing but good to say about it! My class was taught by Lacey Meyers, with Marissa Gifford and Rachel Nielsen as TA’s. I have never taken a Full Participation class on CM previously as I was rather intimidated to put my pictures out there and was not confident in my skills. In contrast to the review previous to mine, I thought the class was worth every penny! My head is still swimming from all of the information that was so generously shared via the PDF’s, videos, and the instructor feedback/critique. Excellent class! I highly recommend.
I was a little disappointed in the amount of information for the price. I learned a lot, the lessons are fabulous, and the feedback was thorough but I feel like the course could have covered a lot more for $300—that’s a lot of money! I expected to be struggling to get through all the materials and get the assignments submitted; I thought, “for $300, I’m going to be busy!” Instead, I was reading through the PDF each week in one sitting. Then watch a video or two and I’m done! I was already shooting in manual and understood but didn’t completely grasp almost all of the concepts so this course was invaluable for me in solidifying what was a completely self-taught process (with lots of holes in my understanding) so I don’t regret taking it, and I wouldn’t say you shouldn’t take it unless you are brand new to manual because they really do a great job with the topics they cover. I guess I just want to make a suggestion to CMU to bring the price down or add more content. Since what’s included now covers the basics of mastering manual, around $175-$200 is a much more reasonable price for what you get. Or, add lessons about understanding basic lighting situations, use of flash, etc. but since those topics are covered in other workshops, bringing the price down seems like a better bet. I sort of felt like I was paying for the three “big name” teachers — I would have preferred to pay $100. less and had only one teacher. Honestly, I read through a lot of other people’s finals, and most of the time, the second teacher would say “I agree” with the first teacher’s assessment and then go on to restate what had been said. Overall though, I highly recommend this workshop!
A phenomenal class for those just learning to master their camera. I had only been shooting manual for a couple of months prior to enrolling. This class helped me to refine my composition (something not specific to the class but leant along the way), become more comfortable with the exposure triangle and learn to think about my “clicks” when trying to set my camera on the fly. I am certain that I learnt months worth of tips and techniques in just a few short weeks and would highly recommend to anyone trying to make the leap to manual.
I was sadly disappointed in this class. There are several comments about how much people learned even though they already shoot in manual so I decided to take this class in hopes that I would learn more. I didn’t. This class would be amazing for someone new to manual or hoping to start learning manual. The information is easy to understand and well explained. If you already shoot in manual and are fairly comfortable I suggest taking a different class. I am really sad I chose this class over one of the other classes where I could have actually learned something new :(
This course had ‘ah-ha’ moments each week. The mysteries of manual exposure were unlocked and, by the end of week four, I was comfortable and confident shooting on M. Just like learning to drive a manual shift car, composing photographs SOOC on is possible thanks to this course. I cannot praise the CM Pros enough. Lacey Meyers was the lead teacher of my session. Her responses and shooting tips were thorough and further supported by firsthand examples from her portfolio. I suggest full participation to get the most out of this course. I promise, you will be amazed by your growth.
If you are debating whether or not to sign up for this course, I have your answer! — Do it! Each week focuses on a different critical element of the exposure triangle. Discoveries will be made and A-HA moments will be had! From the PDF materials and videos, to the thoughtful individualized CC and encouragement received from the AMAZINGLY knowledgeable, talented, kind and instructors, this course is invaluable and worth every penny you spend on it. This course will give you the tools, resources and knowledge-base to form an extremely strong foundation upon which to build and achieve your goals in photography! I loved EVERY minute of this class!
This class is hands down amazing. I have taken a photography class at an art college, a community center, and another online course and NONE of them taught we as much as CMU MME. The class is laid out in a super organized way and really builds up to understanding everything you need to know to shoot in manual. Even if you think you know manual, take it anyway. I guarantee you’ll learn something you didn’t know before!
I’ve just completed the October MME workshop and it was SO, SO, SO, fabulous! I FINALLY have the right foundations to build upon. So many gaps were filled in and those things were so fundamental that I can now see why my images before were so hit and miss. Do I still require practice? Absolutely! But practice with knowledge is intentional and a whole lot more rewarding. Many, many thanks to the wonderfully talented Stacey (our instructor), Monica and Melissa (our TAs). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this workshop!!!
I just signed up for the September session….I CANNOT wait to get started!
You cannot put a price on what you can learn in this course. It is invaluable! Whether you are just taking the plunge into shooting with Manual, or you’ve been missing something and need to move beyond what you “think” you’ve learned, this course is can do it all for you. Not only did the ever so talented and inspiring Lacey Meyers (and of course the team of incredible T.A.’s) give detailed feedback, the positivity and encouragement given to all makes all the difference. I knew after the first day, after I read through the materials, read my classmates introductions, and got started on shooting for my first assignment, that I was hooked. I read so often from other photographers, how there are so many moments they will look back on as pivotal moments in their photography journeys. Signing up for this course will be one of those moments for me. So glad it was my first, and certainly won’t be my last.
Working with Lacey and Melissa in this course was an amazingly supportive and developmental experience. They helped so much to *click* (ha!) and made the education a fun and friendly experience. Their thoughtful feedback helped me grow as a photographer and made me want to join more of their courses! Highly recommended!
I recently finished the Mastering Manual Exposure class and could not be happier! I’m amazed at the amount of information passed along and the skills that I’ve learned from this class. Lacey Meyers (the lead teacher for my session) is encouraging, inspiring, easy to understand, thorough and ever patient!! I received so many valuable critiques from Lacey, the TAs Stacy and Melissa, Alumni Assistants and other students that I made a document just to reference back to the info.
If you are hoping to gain more consistency, more confidence and become more comfortable with your camera and shooting in manual mode I recommend that you take this class sooner rather than later. You will not be disappointed!
I’m self-taught, as most of us are in this field. So, even though I’d been shooting in manual for well over a year, there were certain things that still weren’t clicking for me. This class is so thorough. It’s perfect for someone new to manual as well as someone who has been shooting in manual for awhile but needs to fill in those gaps of understanding. The concepts are clearly presented in the PDFs and videos, and then driven home in the weekly quizzes and quiz review videos. I’ve taken CM courses as SA and as full participation and I would definitely recommend the full participation. Being able to interact with your peers and the CM pros and instructors is invaluable in itself. You will learn so much more than just mastering manual and you may end up finding some great photographer friends along the way who you can continue to turn to for support. Lacey, Melissa, and the teaching assistants offered feedback that both challenged and encouraged you. Fantastic course!
This class answered so many questions I never knew I had! I’d been working in Manual for so long, but there is so much more to it than simply using the basics of setting your camera to manual and rolling the dials. This class brought me to that next step in my journey to becoming a professional! They talk in-depth about everything needed to creating the perfect photo—and consistently. Which I think all us newbies struggle with. Lacey & Melissa were so great and always answered all of our questions—no matter how many ways or times they had to say it! ;-) Looking forward to learning more with all these great Pros and continuing on to the next classes! Thanks so much everyone!
I just finished up my first workshop through CM University and it was such a wonderful experience! I have been shooting in manual for awhile but knew there were gaps in my understanding. Mastering Manual Exposure filled in those gaps for me. It is such a thorough presentation of concepts ranging from metering, reading histograms, white balance, and the exposure triangle. I signed up as full participation and I am so glad I did! I loved being able to interact with my classmates, turn in assignments for critiques, and have access to the instructors that are so knowledgable. Lacey and Melissa were awesome! They were able to explain things in a way I could understand them, and were always very encouraging. Whether you have shot in manual one time, or 100 times, if you are not getting consistent results, and you want to take your photography to the next level, this is the workshop for you! I can now pick up my camera and confidently shoot in manual without breaking out in a cold sweat! :) Thank you Lacey and Melissa for helping me take this next step in my photography journey!
Shooting 102: Mastering Manual Exposure has changed my (photography) life. I know I will look back to this time of taking this course as a pivotal change in my photography journey. I had purchased my DSLR just shortly after the birth of my first son so that my husband and I could “take really fast shots” in order to capture a moment before our son looked/crawled/ran away. A couple of years later I realized that I wanted to learn how to use my camera to its full potential. What came next was a year and a half of pouring over books, blogs, google searches, etc. I had acquired a fair amount of knowledge during that time. I could explain in some detail what the exposure triangle was and how it worked. I also could provide a great explanation for each component of the exposure triangle. I had moved from AUTO to shooting in Manual mode 90% of the time. The problem was that my shots were all over the place. I was never consistent and I had no clue why. I had a pro-photographer friend tell me that I needed to practice, practice, practice. So, that’s what I did. Result? Same annoying inconsistency that led to utter frustration.
Then came the first day of this course. (Cue light coming down from the heavens with angels singing). Within minutes of reading the first week’s material I had “lightbulb moments” going off left and right and this continued throughout the duration of the course. After all of my reading in the year and a half prior one would think that I would know ALL there was to know about aperture, shutter speed and ISO – I didn’t think there was possibly any more I could learn about them – oh, was I wrong. Oh the details into which this course goes regarding metering, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance! My shots are looking amazing now – and the consistency is blowing me away! I can now be confident in getting accurate exposure and white balance in camera (yay, less processing time!). I know ALL of the factors that create bokeh (hint, it’s not JUST the aperture). I could go on and on. Besides the invaluable information you will be learning, there is also the amazing CM instructors – they are so helpful, ready to answer any questions and so positive and encouraging! I wish that I would have taken this course sooner. You will not be disappointed.
Equipped with all of the knowledge from this course I feel I can truly get out there and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE as my friend told me to do – only now I won’t be getting inconsistent shots by doing the same old incorrect habits. For the first time I will be able to practice with a purpose as I implement the techniques/information gleaned from this course. I’m well on my way to creating professional quality shots!
You should RUN, not walk to this course! I am in the final week of MME and I am already starting withdrawal!!! WAHHHHH!!! If you have been shooting in manual for awhile, but are not getting consistent results, this is the class for you! Do you want to nail your exposures with consistency straight out of the camera? Do you want to learn why spot metering can be your best friend? Do you want to learn how your histogram can give you feedback on how you are doing? Do you want to learn when NOT to trust your meter? Do you want the support and encouragement of some AMAZING teachers, who will meet you where you are at and be with you every step of the way in your growth? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Mastering Manual Exposure is the class for you! This class has completely changed my photography for the better, and I can’t wait to continue practicing all the concepts I have learned in this course! :) The course content is absolutely wonderful, and you will learn one piece of the exposure triangle in depth each week. In this format, you slowly build your skills until you put all the pieces of the puzzle together in the final week. The materials and videos are SO WELL ORGANIZED and SUPER CLEAR. And whatever is not clear to you, is explained and reexplained in the the Q & A as many times as you need it! This is the first full participation course I have taken, and it will certainly not be the last. Getting the feedback on my own photos was priceless, as it’s really hard to judge your own work. I was terrified to do it, but I am SO GLAD I TOOK THE PLUNGE! I promise you will not regret it! Thank you to the entire MME team, and especially to Lacey Meyers (the main teacher this run), for making this course so invaluable! I am so grateful to you – you are responsible for a huge step in my photography journey!
I so enjoyed taking this class and even though I took it as a “study along” I feel like I am truly on my way to “mastering manual exposure.”
I have taken many CM workshops this past year and feel that this class was the most thoroughly thought out and presented of all. Each week’s lesson taught a complete concept supported by tutorial videos and followed up with a mid week exam to ensure that we were on task with the material. I still have much to learn but I now have a good foundation on which to build on.
Thank you Michelle for a great workshop!
just wondering how much this is for the next time its running?
Hi Penny! This course is $300 for a full-participation spot and $150 for a study-along. :) I hope you’ll be joining us!