I did the Travel Tune Up intensive a mere 5 days before my trip to Sicily. It prepared me to start shooting immediately upon arrival in Palermo. I felt confident and trusted my camera as never before. I was inspired to seek real engagement with the various locations and the people in them. This [the coaching session] took me to the next level; now my pictures show what a place really ‘feels’ like........

Jacqueline Dingman - Musician and educator

"I've studied privately with Michael during our one on one personalized coaching sessions - he is an excellent teacher. Michael brings unique perspective, creativity, authenticity and passion to all that he does. Working with him helped me build new skills, and confidence, in both shooting and using image editing software such as Photoshop® and Lightroom®.

His critiques of my work really strengthened my composition and technique. He helped me understand the hidden features of my Canon DSLR, as well as inventive ways to use a tripod when shooting in lower light situations. We also did some outdoor shooting which helped me with lighting and finding the best material to shoot. He was able to single out the problem areas of my photography in a positive way. As a result I feel that my photography has improved dramatically and I believe that is due to the nature of studying on an individual basis."

Irene Borins-Ash

"The editing approach you showed me during our Lightroom® coaching session was a great help. I now feel motivated and inspired to keep up the hunt to seriously improve my photos. I really appreciate what you showed me today and how it brought previously unseen meaning and impact out of my photos.

It was interesting to be shown how to explore the hidden, the unconscious, and the felt, rather than the known, intention present in my photographs. That's what happened when you worked on my photos today, because you really did find what I was hoping to say with them. I'm happy with the resulting collection of images."

Bruce Lyne, Educator/Photographer

"I really liked Michael's teaching style as I found that he was well organized, knowledgeable and very easy to work with. He was able to explain complex things very well by breaking them down into simpler concepts. This approach really helped me improve as a photographer."

Nicole Kirk

"In this age of impersonal, assembly-line photography courses, where students are hardly more than numbers, Michael O'Brien stands out as a teacher who respects the artist within each of his students. He is intent upon opening his students' photographic eye and teaching them the requisite technical skills to realize their vision.

Michael has a gift for critiquing images constructively, for helping his students define and refine their own personal vision, and above all, for inspiring them."

Sandra Monteath, PhD, Educator/Photographer

"I did the People in Focus workshop with Michael and the result exceeded my expectations. Prior to the session, Michael sent me an e-mail outlining the program, and asked me what I was trying to achieve. So, basically, the private session was custom-designed for my needs, and I was able to achieve all my objectives, and more. Michael has helped bring my photography to a new level, and my images prove that.

The additional Lightroom editing session took a look at the images from our session, and Michael demonstrated what could be done in Lightroom, without the need to go to Photoshop. He showed me some techniques I never knew possible! My workflow is so much simpler now."

Joseph Pranajaya, Restauranteur

"I came to Michael's B&W workshops with little experience converting photos to black and white, or even thinking about having my end product be in black and white before I began shooting. Michael's workshop changed all that - a whole new door opened for me and I'm somewhat obsessed now with B&W photography!

I have learned a tremendous amount in a very short time feeling like my work has taken a quantum leap and I have to thank Michael's workshop for that."

Patti Ross Milne

"As a travel writer who wanted better photos for my articles, I signed up for The Digital Primer personalized coaching session with photographer Michael O'Brien. I found his advice to be really helpful - he is very patient. The session with Michael really helped me to get better results with my camera. Recommended for any traveler.

Kate Pocock, Travel Writer/photographer