Private Lessons

To sign up for your first private lesson, email Adam here.

 

What should you expect?

 

We are all naturally creative, but life tends to get in the way.  This program is designed to remove the road blocks and allow your ideas to flow through your camera freely.  As an artist, photographer, and teacher, I’ve spent over 20 years learning and practicing art.  The reason I started this program was to offer you a personalized guide to your artistic development.

Adam Marelli Florence Workshop

What’s the advantage of working with Adam?

 

Simply put, a good mentor will save you a lifetime of research and move you easily to the next steps in your photography.  We all want to progress, but aren’t always sure the best path forward.  That is where I come in.  I am obsessed with learning.  How we learn, where our creativity comes from, and how thousands of years of tradition are passed down through history…these are my passionate pursuits.

 

My secret, if I could call it that, to success is that I never worked alone.  I’ve had mentors (in art, construction, and a zen monk because we could all use a little meditation guidance) that literally catapulted me to levels I would have never reached on my own.

 

Mentors distilled years of experience into easy to follow steps that can be put into practice immediately.  That is how I learned and that is why I built these programs, so that you can stop wasting time online and get to the root of your creative problems, fix them, and achieve the goals that will fulfill you.

 

Are there different types of programs based on my current level?

 

I’ve designed a program for each phase of your creative development from mastering the basics to competing in the professional realms of competitions, exhibits, and even as a full time job.  Each program is designed to solve a specific artistic problem and exceed your expectations.

One on One Programs

 

The Beginner’s Dilemma:  What’s wrong with my pictures?

 

Length: 1 hour (bulk packages are available)

Rate: $250 USD

 

What we do: 

This is a diagnostic program where we identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current work.  I will highlight what we can enhance, fix, and eliminate so that you can stop making the same mistakes and see your pictures with fresh eyes.   This is the perfect program if you feel like you are in a rut or have hit a plateau.

 

In your first 2 hour session we will clean up all the typos.  These are all the things that get in the way of strong, powerful images.  Once you seem them, it will forever change how you look at pictures.

 

We look at your interests and strengths so you can maximize opportunities because great pictures are usually just a few millimeters away.

 

You will walk away with a list of resources, tools, and assignments to put into practice all the ideas we covered.  And if you would like to continue, I build you a custom shooting program to open up your creative channels.

 

Learn your Leica-M

 

Length:  6 hours
Rate: $1,500 USD

 

What we do:

After teaching at the Leica Akademie for a number of years, it became obvious that almost every photographer who was new to the Leica system never learned how to properly use a rangefinder.  It can be one of the most fulfilling, travel friendly systems to use, but only if you know how to use it properly. So I built a course for it, that I teach one person at a time.

 

The Leica-M system is a unique manual drive camera.  It strips away all the buttons and gadgets that cover most other systems.  But if you leave the camera on “A” you are not using it to its full potential.  Think of this like “racing school” for your Leica.  Learn how to drive everything on manual from ISO, focus techniques, and metering so that you can fully enjoy the feel that you can get from a Leica.

 

You will learn how to master manual focusing, from fast focus to shallow depth of field.

 

The Leica metering system comes with a few quirks, which you would like to learn so you can anticipate how to shoot in different situations like bright sun, low light interiors, or natural portrait light.

 

Get off the record advice on which lenses will best suit your photography and so you buy just the right kit for your needs.  (I’ve shot nearly every lens in the Leica line up)

Post Production:  How to Finish Your Pictures Properly

 

Length:  2 hours
Rate:  $500 USD

 

What we do: 

Shooting a great picture is only half of the battle.  Every photographer must know how to properly edit their pictures to achieve a natural look.  My philosophy on post production is that editing is like salt, “It is essential, but should be invisible.”  If a picture looks unfinished or over-processed it will undermine all of your hard work, and who would want to do that?  Learn how to balance your photographs and achieve a natural look that is unique expression of your vision.  Read more about my philosophy here.

 

Getting the most out of your pictures is not just a matter of “Highlight recovery.”  It is knowing what tools to use and when to use them.  You will learn why I never use presets, why there are certain sliders I never touch, and others that most photographers never learned how to control.

 

Learn how to properly color balance pictures and use Hue, Saturation, and Luminance like a painter.

 

Create final pictures that have a natural and unique feel to them and leave the over processed days of HDR to someone else.

 

Learn how good post production will make printing even easier.

 

Client Success Stories

 

Photographers from the One on One Program have gone on to produce their first books, have solo exhibitions, and have been featured in these publications and galleries:

 

Editor’s Picks National Geographic, Der Spiegel, La Repubblica, Huffington Post, Rear Curtain, LFI Magazine, Doc! Photo Magazine, Camera Obscura, Shots Magazine, Prix de Paris, LensWork, Leica Camera Blog, Art Photo Feature, the permanent collection of the German National Library, Wikipedia, Book of the Year 2015 Australian Institute of Professional Photographers … just to name a few.

 

Richard M. shared this after working with Adam one-on-one:

 

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”  That is what I have been told and truly believe.  But what happens if your pictures fail to include all the information that represents those “thousand words” you wanted to convey?  It’s the old story, if you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there!!!!!

 

Whether I took pictures of travel places or my family, I wasn’t able to have them tell a story, my story.  I had completed many photographic seminars and workshops, only to go home more disappointed and more confused about what I needed to do in order to make an image that tells my story or reason why I took the photo in the first place.

 

That is, until I met Adam and enrolled in his one on one mentoring program to improve my photography.  Adam has taught me a skill set that has enabled me to determine why I took that image, see and position the subject in my compositions, and utilize the light values that make my images truly represent a particular scene and what I saw in three dimensions.  The skill set that Adam has taught me has been a gift and greatly improved my photography.

 

FAQs

 

Is a 2 hour session long enough to see a difference?

 

Photographer Morrie Fink said this after his first session:

 

“I was worried that two hours was not going to be enough time to learn much. Man was I wrong!  Now to put in to play what I have learned from are session. I was never one to look at paintings much before. But you have changed that. Hopper’s (Edward Hopper) work just blows me away, Bierstadt’s (Albert Beirstadt) work is really beautiful. Now to study them and the others and see if I can’t benefit even more from their work.”

 

What if I can’t come to NYC and do a Skype or phone session?

 

Almost 75% of all of the One on One photographers are outside of New York City.  You do not need to come to New York for a session.  You can have it right at home.

 

Photographer Pierre Jamili did his first session on the phone as we reviewed his pictures together on the computer.  He said this about the session:

 

“Thank you very much for your time the other day. I realize that only one hour of your One on One is not really cost effective for you, but it has made a massive impact on me. One hour over the phone accomplished more than I figured out in months! I should have done this earlier!

 

Feel free to post this on your feedback page, and to anybody reading and wondering if the benefits justify the cost. Let me assure you that Adam’s knowledge is phenomenal and definitely worth it. The questions I had were not what I would expect Adam to deal with on regular basis but he still managed to provide meaningful advice and directions. It is a true testament to his knowledge and guidance skills.”

 

If you’re interested in booking a one on one session with me email, theworkshop@adammarelliphoto.com.

 

Does Adam teach every session himself?

 

Yes, you will be working with me directly.  You receive my full attention and afterwards you receive follow up material to continue studying what you learned.  I’ve heard nightmare stories about people signing up for online teaching from other photographers that never got back to them or answered their emails.

 

I limit the amount of One on One students that I take on, so each one gets my full attention.

 

Can I get professional advice on how to develop my photography business?

 

Yes, I do offer professional development consulting for photographers and companies.  Please specify this in your request for a session.

 

Scheduling/Cancellation/Refunds

 

Please request your session at least 2 weeks in advance.

 

Sessions can be rescheduled up to 48 hours before the session.  Cancellations less that 24 hours before the session will not be refunded.

 

With the program running for over 4 years, with more than 200+ photographers across 30 countries, everyone has been completely satisfied.  Which is why, if you are not satisfied with your session, I offer a 100% money back guarantee.

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