Mark Holmes Photography Workshops

San Diego, United States

5

Closed now

20 reviews

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 858-361-6682
Website:
www.markholmesphoto.com
Address:
San Diego, CA 92101
Downtown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miCivic Center
0.3 miCounty Center/Little Italy
0.4 mi5th Avenue
Categories:
QR code
Download QR Image Download vCard

Map

Streetview

Activate map

Today

Today 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Diego) 06:07 Friday, 30 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Digital photography classes and workshops in San Diego aimed at beginner and advanced photographers. Photography classes and private lessons range from introductory courses to advanced workshops in DSLR and digital photography techniques. Regular classes and individual private lessons. Class sizes are kept small for a better learning experience.

History

Established in 1998.

First established in England before moving to California in 1998,

Meet the Business Owner

Mark H.

Business Owner

Mark Holmes is a professional photographer and photography instructor based in San Diego. He is the author of Digital SLR Photography eLearning Kit For Dummies. He has over 20 years experience as a photographer and instructional designer and has developed many instructional texts, workshops, and online classes devoted to photography, technology, and media-​related subjects. His experience covers commercial photography for leading technology companies, including Hewlett Packard, while his interest in portrait photography led to professional assignments in Japan, Korea, and Qatar.

Mark Holmes Photography Workshops also recommends

Nelson Photo Supplies — CLOSED

138

reviews

Photography Stores & Services

Mark H. says,

«I have sent many of my student photographers there and I have never been disappointed to hear reports of the first class service they all received.»

Kurt’s Camera Repair

111

reviews

Photography Stores & Services

Mark H. says,

«I am 100% confident in their services as a Nikon and Canon authorized repair center.»

Casually Candid

4

reviews

Photographers

Mark H. says,

«Angela has established a successful business as a family and newborn photographer and receives rave reviews.»

Related places

Explore similar places:
1
mi
The Workshoppe
2400 Kettner Blvd Ste 109h (Little Italy)
1
mi
San Diego Fruit Carving Laura Lynn
San Diego (East Village)
1
mi
NewSchool of Architecture and Design
1249 F St (East Village)
1
mi
Cortez Hill Academy
201 A Street (Downtown)
1.2
mi
San Diego Junior Theatre
Casa Del Prado 1650 El Prado (Balboa Park)
1.3
mi
Sylvia’s Ceramics
Spanish Village Art Center 1770 Village Pl, Studio 13 (Balboa Park)

Nearby

Near this location:
1
ft
Unrooted
Headquarters Mall 789 W Harbor Dr
1
ft
O’Connell International Arts
1
ft
Through The Lens By Laarni
1
ft
Art Services
1
ft
Diversified Business Services
1
ft
Friends of Balboa Park
2125 Park Boulevard

20 reviews of Mark Holmes Photography Workshops

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Borrego Springs, CA
Mark has a gift for teaching: he is clear, knowledgeable and enthusiastic; his classes are interesting and packed with content. I took the first two of his basic-​dSLR series, took the third as a private class due to a schedule conflict, and am looking forward to more classes. I’m a complete beginner with digital photography: in the private class, as an older person wrestling with new technology and physics of exposure and focus, I was impressed with his patience and adaptability: we stayed with it until I understood clearly, and I left with confidence and eagerness about putting what I’d learned into practice. In the group classes Mark could respond to the needs of people at different levels of skill and still keep up the momentum as we moved through the subject matter. I highly recommend his classes.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I knew nothing about DSLR cameras and decided to take Mark’s beginning class. I was amazed at how much I learned and how much more comfortable I became with my camera. I then took the next class and was blown away by all that I learned and how amazing my photos look now. I look forward to more classes, thanks Mark!
Place rating: 5
Chula Vista, CA
Just positive things to say about Mark! I’m very happy that I took his class. First I had purchased a mirror less Sony a11 and took his class once I got there we noticed that my camera had an error. Talk about worst timing but he understood and paid him anyways, but he told me we could just reschedule. Super upset returned it and Got the Canon Mark 3. Soon enough I emailed Mark and we met up on Saturday. Learned a lot in that class. He is really nice and he answered all my questions. Someone I recommend for all levels! For me is better to learn hands on that just of the manual. He emails you also as a reminder for your class. If you are trying to learn more about photography this class is handy. Taking black & white photography class and soon I will have digital so I will be taking Mark class again soon! But since I purchased a brand new camera I wanted to learn everything and sure enough he explained very well. Thought me some great ways to shoot too! Things that I never knew a camera would have he knew! Thanks Mark! For the patience you had with me! Great teacher!
Place rating: 5
Chula Vista, CA
I contacted Mark because I wanted to learn my camera better and also learn how to take better outdoor photos. Especially of my kids. I chose the one on one class with Mark at Balboa Park and I was not disappointed! I learned SO much from him and he even sent me an email recapping what we learned the following day. He asked me questions about what we spoke about to make sure I really had a clear understanding of what he was teaching me. I would recommend Mark Holmes Photography Workshops to anybody and everybody interested! I am already thinking about taking another class!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I consider myself medium to advanced in photography and had received a 2 hour personal session with Mark. I met him at balboa park and learned a ton from him. Very personable and knowledgable and would recommend him to anybody of all levels.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took his DSLR Photography Basics workshop and I am so glad I did. I am kind of an introvert and his small classes really helped me learn and step out of my comfort zone. He is a really great teacher and I can tell my pictures are improving. I signed up for the DSLR photography techniques workshop and I can’t wait to see what I learn!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took 2 of Marks workshops in one day and it was the most enlightening day of photography I have had. Mark teaches so everyone can understand his message and doesn’t let anyone fall behind. I look forward to taking more workshops with him.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My friend and I did a class yesterday with Mark at Balboa class. And he was GREAT!!! We are just starting out with our new cameras, and Marks knowledge and experience shows as he gave a good start to using these complicated cameras. We still have lots to learn and will def be returning for more classes. I would highly recommend Mark!!! Thank you.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I absolutely enjoyed Mark’s DSLR I class. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned in just a few hours. Mark is an excellent teacher! His explanations are simple and clear. He has a great sense of humor which does not make class boring at all.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I received a pack of gift certificates for classes with Mark Holmes and this made for an excellent gift. As a self proclaimed advanced amateur photographer, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually learn taking the DSLR 1 class. But let me tell you, there was tons to learn. I was highly impressed how Mark was able to talk about Nikon, Canon, and Sony camera settings and knew which buttons and dials to adjust without hesitation.
Sure, I’ve been shooting for several years and shot everything from weddings to my nephews soccer games, but I still didn’t know all about the settings on my camera. In this one class I learned so much about iso, white balance, shooting modes, etc. Mark took the time to make sure everyone knew what he was talking about and he talked to everyone as if he cared that we learned. He did not come across as some hot shot professional that was waiting his time talking about the basics. I think that is what kept everyone engaged in the class.
If you are new to photography or want to learn more and get out of Auto Mode and make your pictures pop, I highly recommend this class.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I got a Canon Rebel Eos for Christmas and couldn’t wait to learn how to use my new camera. I could not have picked a better teacher. I had a 2 hour 1:1 with Mark who was patient and kept me fully engaged throughout the lesson. We walked through the park and chose interesting subjects to shoot while learning the many features that assist in creating beautiful photographs. I will certainly be taking additional lessons from Mark in the future and would highly recommend him to anyone.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took mark’s flash class today and enjoyed the class!
I was late to the class and Mark called me and make sure i’m on the way so he didn’t start the class without me .
Mark was very patient in explaining all that I need to know, he walked me through all of the ways I could better use my camera.
also he was very easy to get hold when I wanted to register to this class and find it hard.
I’m really looking forward to my next class and highly recommend Mark as a teacher.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Mark is very knowledgable and patient in explaining all that you need to know, including your questions. I had a lot fun in these classes and I definitely grew with more knowledge about photography. It is definitely worth it!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took Mark’s advanced DSLR techniques, both Night Scenes, Flash, and Capturing the Shot workshops at the beginning of this year. Since then I find myself using every technique he taught me. As a result of the night scenes workshop I was able to capture amazing B&Ws in China when visiting the street markets. I never would have thought to shoot B&W at night if it hadn’t been for that workshop. Because of the Flash workshop I was able to take some beautiful couples photos on the beach at sunset and the capturing the shot allowed me to photo the local Masters swim team.
I am looking forward to taking Mark’s portrait workshops in the future.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took a whole series of workshops from Mark starting at the basics all the way through action photography, plus the nighttime classes. They were awesome! I left the first day knowing what all the buttons on my Nikon D80 meant, which I never supposed would happen. He also emailed promptly and was very flexible one time when the weather was bad and gave us all a coupon to come back any time to finish up the class. He’s very clear, concise, and a really nice guy. His accent makes things more interesting to listen to somehow. And shooting in Balboa park or downtown couldn’t be better places to learn, right? I highly recommend Mark as an instructor.
Place rating: 5
Encinitas, CA
Wow — I understand how to use my external flash.
I’ve started the class only knowing how to turn on the flash to feeling confident about shooting a friend’s wedding (no pressure there).
First. he wrote THE book. So already that establishes credibility. Second, he supports local business so that gave me enough confidence to booking the Flash Class.
I have an olympus PEN EP3. Recently invested in an external flash. Read the manual — who writes those anyway? I was reading the English version but it may as well have been French — I had no idea how to understand it.
Mark took the time to explain the different settings on the camera and what that meant. By the way other students had Nikon and Canon so his knowledge spans different brands.
And then he showed what the application of the different settings would do in a daylight shot and indoors shot.
I also learned how to position the flash depending on the room, and effect. And then he also touched a bit on the various accessories you can get with the flash.
All in all the 2 hour class flew by and felt as if it was 20 minutes. I learned enough that I feel confident I can do this on my own.
Tips: Take a small notebook and pen so that you can take notes to help you remember.
I would recommend Mark as a teacher to help you understand how to use your camera.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I had a great two hour, one-​on-​one lesson with Mark last Saturday. I left the lesson feeling more confident in my photography and took home a ton of very helpful information that I now use daily in my work.
Mark has a very «easy to follow» style of teaching and I found that he answered every one of my questions in a way that I thoroughly understood. He had me do some extremely helpful exercises which reinforced what I was learning and showed me some amazing «tricks of the trade».
I highly recommend Mark as a great instructor for professionals like myself, who need to take the next step in their photography and also for amateurs just starting to wrap their heads around the DSLR world.
Looking forward to more lessons!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’ve taken both a private lesson and a group class with Mark. Both were excellent and I would highly recommend signing up for his classes. He’s an excellent teacher and very patient. He’s really helped me figure out my camera in just 2 lessons. I had been reading the manual and a book for the last year and wish I’d taken his classes sooner. The other thing that makes Mark stand out from the other classes out there is that he will never cancel a class, even if only a few sign up and he makes himself available after the class if you just want to talk/​ask questions. Outside of class he also runs a monthly photo meetup which is free.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I have been taking private lessons with Mark for a couple of months now. He is extremely patient and is great at adapting his teaching style to fit his students style of learning. He helps to bring out your own artistic voice, not trying to make you a carbon copy, but offering up what he has learned through experience so that you do not have to waste time bumbling around in the dark aimlessly. I love his humor and gentleness of spirit. I always look forward to the next photographic adventure with him. If you are looking for a great teacher… Mark is your man!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I took private lessons from Mark last weekend and I can’t say enough good things. He did a little overview on his kindle to help me understand a little of the written material but then we spent most of the time practicing and shooting. Mark did a great job of explaining things and his classes are perfect with not too much information as it can get very overwhelming. I had a different camera than he did and he still was an expert. I can’t wait to take more classes! Highly recommend for anyone needed to learn about their DSLR