Welcome!

The NikoniansAcademy is a photography training institution specialized in a small class size environment -typically of 10 to 15 students- to provide high quality personalized photography training in all topics related to modern photography in North America.

Powered by nikonians.org, the largest community of Nikon photographers in the world, the NikoniansAcademy is celebrating its 8th anniversary. Since 2005 our workshops are led by the best instructors who teach on the most advanced topics.

We aim to shorten your learning curve and help you to master your camera, your tools, your workflow and your vision. Toward that aim, we also offer field photography travel workshops and photo safaris.

Designed as a service to Nikonians community members, we nevertheless welcome students who may not want to become Nikonians community members.
We also welcome other camera brand users in our field/travel workshops.

Click on this link to learn more about us, our values, philosophy and faculty

NOTE: If you are a Nikonians member, please login, otherwise you will not get your member's discount

Below you can find the latest news. Scrolling further down this page you will find all the current classes offered which still have seats left, or you can use the menu at left to see what is available as of this moment by topic, by city area or by date

David Tejada Steve Simon
David Tejada Steve Simon
Jim Stamates Winston Hall
Jim Stamates Winston C. Hall
Lester Picker Michael A. Mariant
Lester Picker Michael A. Mariant

Nikonians Academy Spotlight on Maine, USA (June 19, 2013)

LesPicker_NA-thu.jpgFor the second year in a row, the Nikonians Academy is pleased to offer a 4-day workshop in Acadia National Park led by award-winning photographer and Academy faculty member Les Picker (www.lesterpickerphoto.com).

Continue reading "Nikonians Academy Spotlight on Maine, USA"

Workshop leaders preparing for annual favorites (June 12, 2013)

redwoods-225-thu.jpgOne of our most popular Nikonians Academy photo adventures begins in two weeks and your workshop leader has a few seats left.

Continue reading "Workshop leaders preparing for annual favorites"

Nikonians Academy continuing its global expansion (June 5, 2013)

Nikonians-Academy_GR_BR_225.jpgNikonians Academy Director Mike Hagen tells us in addition to workshops already scheduled in Italy and Australia, the staff has just added new workshops for The United Kingdom and Germany.

Continue reading "Nikonians Academy continuing its global expansion"

Nikonians Academy June-July preview (May 22, 2013)

Academy-square-125.jpgNikonians Academy instructors Greg Stangl, Jim Stamates and Michael Mariant will highlight the June Calendar this year.

Continue reading "Nikonians Academy June-July preview"

Richard Hulbert Efrain M Padro
Rick Hulbert Efraín Padró

Frequently Asked Questions

You may find answers to frequently asked questions here

Our Cancellation Policy can be found here


Daily Schedule
All of our one-day classes start at 8:00 AM and end by 5:00 PM

Giuseppe Circhetta Greg Stangl
Giuseppe Circhetta Greg Stangl
Mike Hagen
Mike Hagen

COMING UP SOON

Featured Workshops
in the Master Your Vision Series

By Michael Mariant
- Giant Redwoods of Northern California, June 2013

- Timelapse Photography Workshop - San Francisco, CA, July 2013

By Greg Stangl
- The Secrets of Studio and Enronmental Portraiture - September, October and November 2013

By Jim Stamates
- Grand Teton Wildlife and Landscape - September 2013

- Yellowstone - Wildlife and Landscapes - September 2013

By Steve Simon
- The Passionate Photographer - Two-Day Mastery Workshop - July, August and September 2013

By Mike Hagen
- Iceland Photo and Bird Adventure - July 2013

By Giuseppe Circhetta
- Glamour and Fashion Photography On Location - September 2013

By Rick Hulbert
- Urban and Street Photography Workshops - September 2013

By Winston C Hall
- Albuquerque Ballon Fiesta - October 2013

By Lester Picker
- Acadia National Park Photography Adventure - October 2013

Also featured in the Master your Nikon Camera Series
- Nikon D600, D7000, D7100 In Depth
- Nikon D800/D4 in Depth 1 and In Depth 2

And featured in the Master your Tools Series:
- Nikon i-TTL Wireless Flash, CLS
- Adobe Lightroom 3 & 4 - In Depth 1 and In Depth 2
- Video & Cinematography with your DSLR

- Master HDR Pgotography - Two-Day Workshop

and more.

Our workshops always sell quickly, so hurry; don't hesitate to sign up!

You may check all what is available by Topic, by City Area and by Date


YOU ARE STILL ON TIME FOR A LIFETIME ADVENTURE!
Check:
By Mike Hagen
- Iceland Photo and Bird Adventure - July 2013
- African Photo Safari, Tanzania - November 2013

By Jim Stamates
- Alaska! - Whales, Bears, and Ice Fields Wildlife Photography Adventure - July 2013
- Yellowstone - Wildlife and Landscapes - September 2013

By Lester Picker
- Acadia National Park Photography Adventure - October 2013

And the Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Trip (ANPAT), now in its 13th consecutive year - October 2013

Students keep on emailing to let us know how pleased they were with our classes. Feedback is just incredible.
We encourage you to go to the Nikonians Academy forum to see what people are saying about our workshops and/or to share your own experience


You may also want to peek at the Nikonians Academy Field Workshops Galleries to see what our students have been shooting

Eastern Sierra & The Owens Valley

Come with us to one of the hidden photographer's gems in California

Workshop Dates: October 3 to 6, 2013
...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Acadia NP Photography Adventure

Stunning sunrises and rugged coastlines await.

Some call it the most beautiful National Park in the country, a tiny gem compared to its larger siblings. Whether or not you agree, Maine’s Acadia National Park is most definitely a sparkling jewel for its combination of geology, flora, fauna… and weather....

Learn more about this workshop


 

African Photo Safari, Tanzania - November 2013

Join us for the adventure of a lifetime to photograph Africa's amazing wildlife and landscapes. 11/4/13 - 11/15/13.

We'll be photographing the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and at private luxury tent camps throughout Northern Tanzania. All with private Land cruisers, professional wildlife guides, catered meals and excellent accommodations. Yes, it is a long ways off, but start planning now for the trip of a lifetime! We are limiting the size to 12 participants and this number includes your Tour Leader....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Giant Redwoods of Northern California

Giant redwood forests, breathtaking scenery and fog shrouded trees make for an incomparable photographic journey. 2013 dates: Thursday, June 27 to Sunday, June 30

The towering, giant redwoods of Northern California are the stuff legends are made of. Trees so wide at the base, it takes 20 grown men, linked hand-to-hand, to circle the circumference. Tree tops lost in the clouds as single redwood trees that rise to heights greater then a 40-story building. Foot trails cut through the dense understory of vibrant green ferns as sunlight streams through the fog-shrouded trees, fingers of light illuminating the branches and trunks of these old-growth behemoths. With thousands of redwood trees clustered in hundreds of groves tucked away in Northern California, this workshop brings you to the perfect and ideal redwood groves, at times and locations predetermined to be the best photographic opportunity....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Iceland Photo and Bird Adventure - Summer 2013

Join the Nikonians Academy for an incredible journey to the land of Fire and Ice.

Our trip runs from July 29th to August 6th, 2013. During our journey, we'll photograph some of the most amazing scenery and wildlife Iceland has to offer. From verdant rolling hills to rugged mountains, the landscapes of Iceland are famous for their interplay between light and sky. We've also included a few photo sessions with some famous bird populations to stoke your wildlife photography passions....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Video & Cinematography with your DSLR

Unlock the power of the high-definition video features in your DSLR!

Dates: August 29 - September 1, 2013

When Nikon announced the D90 in late 2008, it heralded a bold new direction for DSLR cameras, as it was the very first to include high definition video capabilities. The video function was seen by many as an added feature, eliminating the need to have both a still camera and a video camera, but retaining the camera's primary role as a still camera. But in the cinematography world, a game-changer had been introduced...

...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Timelapse Photography Workshop - San Francisco, CA

From cable cars to bustling waterfronts to rolling fog over the Golden Gate Bridge, no where else is there a better place to learn and understand the technique of timelapse photography than in San Francisco during this intensive 3-day workshop.

Workshop Dates: Jul 12 - 14, 2013...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - October 8 - 11, 2013

Join us for spectacular Hot Air Balloon photography at one of the USA's most famous events.

Originally conceived as a competition with the balloonists performing challenges and being rated on their success, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta began in 1972, with 13 intrepid balloonists. Today the emphasis is on fun and good times. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest hot air balloon rally in the world with as many as 700 balloons participating in the 10-day festival....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Grand Teton Wildlife and Landscapes - Fall 2013

Join one of North America's most successful wildlife photographers as he leads you to the amazing wildlife and scenics of Grand Teton National Park.

Join Nikonians Academy Instructor Jim Stamates for 4 wild days to learn, shoot, and experience Grand Teton National Park in the Fall....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Alaska! - Whales, Bears, and Ice Fields Wildlife Photography Adventure

Join Jim and Kathy Stamates as they return to one of their favorite places, Southeast Alaska! This is not just a photo workshop, this is an Adventure!

Trip Dates:...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master the Nikon D800 and D4 - In Depth 1

Join us as we go in depth to unlock the potential of the amazing Nikon D800 and D4 cameras in our brand-new curriculum.

The Nikon D800 and D4 cameras are the newest generation professional cameras in the Nikon digital SLR family. This course is aimed at improving your skills with these amazing digital cameras and helping you master their operation so the cameras become second nature. You will learn directly from one of our Nikonians Academy professional photographers in an intensive hands-on environment....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master the Nikon D800 and D4 - In Depth 2

Join us as we go into the advanced functions of the D800 and D4 to further unlock the potential of these incredible professional cameras in our brand-new curriculum.

There is so much more to the D800/D4 than we can cover in our In Depth Day 1 workshop that we felt the need to build this second day curriculum to fully exploit the power of these professional tools....

Learn more about this workshop


 

The Passionate Nikon Photographer Two-Day Mastery Workshop with Steve Simon

Learn to passionately use your Nikon DLSR to go from good to great.

In his best selling and critically-acclaimed book The Passionate Photographer, award winning photographer Steve Simon maintains that to do your best work requires a technical mastery after which your creativity will soar....

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Master the Nikon D600, D7000 & D7100 - In Depth 1

For Nikon D600, D7000 and D7100 owners who want to learn their cameras in depth, with our completely reworked curriculum for 2013.

We really go into a lot of detail with these impressive cameras. We start the day with an indoors tutorial and Power Point Presentation. We cover the camera's main dial operations, menu controls and custom function screens....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master Nikon i-TTL Wireless Flash, CLS

Learn to use Nikon's innovative wireless flash system in our completely revamped workshops.

For anyone who owns a SB-600, SB-700, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910 flash and wants to understand how the i-TTL (intelligent Through The Lens) system works and what Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS) can do for you. We'll have lots and lots of flashes, and will set up many different types of shots using the i-TTL system (speedlights, cameras, gels and filters). You will learn flash techniques that will help you solve difficult lighting scenarios. We'll cover methods on how to creatively light situations that arise in studio photography, outdoor portraits, product photography, closeup and flower photography, web and product photography, travel photography, fill-flash photography and night photography....

Learn more about this workshop


 

The Secrets of Studio and Environmental Portraiture

Learn Location and Studio Portraiture with Master Photographer Greg Stangl

Master Photographer Greg Stangl will guide you through a personal journey toward becoming the portrait artist you’ve always wanted to be. In this 3-day interactive workshop you will be exposed to a series of lectures, slide shows, and lighting and posing demonstrations that will make your learning experience fun and meaningful. You will learn to pose the male and female form while also understanding how to pose couples and groups. This workshop will help you discover and develop your creativity while offering you lessons in studio, window light, and environmental portraiture....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Glamour and Fashion Photography on Location with Giuseppe Circhetta

Learn glamour and fashion photography with Giuseppe Circhetta in this two-day workshop.

• Outdoor and studio glamour photography with models: theory, shooting and photo retouch (weekend)....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Glamour and Fashion Photography on Location Optional Day 3

Optional shooting day for a select group of photographers to work with Giuseppe Circhetta on a photo campaign.

This small, select group of photographers will work with Giuseppe Ciechetta after the two-day Glamour and Fashion Photography workshop. This one-day shooting event is designed for you to be able to come up with a fashion photography shooting concept, then execute that concept in the real world, with real models....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master HDR Photography - 2 Day Workshop

Master the secrets of High Dynamic Range Photography and learn new techniques for creating amazing HDR images in this two-day workshop.

For years, photographers struggled with how to go about capturing the full range of light in a scene when film only could record a fraction of what our eyes saw. Ansel Adams took the well-known steps of Zone System in compressing or expanding the tones in a scene to match that of the final print. But now with digital, we can do the color equivalent of the Zone System by using High Dynamic Range Photography in capturing dramatic and not-so dramatic scenes that are then rendered into realistic and at times surreal visions of colorful imagery....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master Adobe Lightroom 4 In Depth 1

Our Day 1 Lightroom workshop designed to teach importing, rating, color correcting and quick image enhancements.

During this workshop you’ll learn how to integrate Lightroom 4 into your digital life. We’ll help you understand how to use Lightroom 4 to import, sort, rate, edit, color correct, and make quick enhancements to your images. Then you’ll learn how to export your digital images for print, email or uploading. Learn how to set up Lightroom as your digital hub....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master Adobe Lightroom 4 In Depth 2

Our Day 2 Lightroom workshop designed to go into more advanced topics.

During this workshop we’ll build upon the information you received in the Lightroom 4 In Depth 1 workshop by expanding our understanding of the Library, Develop, Map Slideshow, Print, and Web modules. Our Nikonians Academy workshop will help you better understand the power and productivity that Lightroom offers. Learn how to develop, map and output your digital images like a pro. We’ll spend ample time helping you understand how to output your digital files for print, web and slideshows....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Yellowstone Wildlife and Landscapes - Fall 2013

A true North American wildlife photography adventure.

DATES: September 23-26, 2013...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Urban and Street Photography Workshop

How to photograph built environments including architecture and other places for people.

Urban environments comprise the most diverse target-rich places to photograph anywhere. Most photographs contain a “subject” within a setting or background. The cool reality is that Buildings and Urban Places are both subjects and settings. Think about all of the images you have taken or will take in the future that contain buildings as the featured subject or as backgrounds to a myriad of other photo subjects … like people, for instance....

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African Photo Safari, Tanzania - November 2014

Join us for the adventure of a lifetime to photograph Africa's amazing wildlife and landscapes. 11/4/14 - 11/15/14.

We'll be photographing the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and at private luxury tent camps throughout Northern Tanzania. All with private Land cruisers, professional wildlife guides, catered meals and excellent accommodations. Yes, it is a long ways off, but start planning now for the trip of a lifetime! We are limiting the size to 12 participants and this number includes your Tour Leader....

Learn more about this workshop


 

13th ANPAT - Northern Arizona

Northern Arizona is a photographer's dream location - Join us as we explore Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and much more!

Join Nikonians founders Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) and J. Ramon Palacios (jrp) and Mike Hagen (Mike_Hagen), Nikonians Academy Director, in this 13th edition of the Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Trip (ANPAT). The ANPAT is the Nikonians field event of year.

...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Master the Nikon D600, D7000 & D7100 - In Depth 2

Join us as we go into the advanced functions of the D600, D7100, and D7000 to further unlock the potential of these incredible professional cameras in our brand-new curriculum.

There is so much more to your D600/D7100/D7000 camera than we can cover in our In Depth Day 1 workshop that we felt the need to build this second day curriculum to fully exploit the power of these professional tools....

Learn more about this workshop


 

Yosemite in Winter: A Season of Contrast

Come along for a photo adventure like none you've been on before!

Workshop Dates: Thursday, Feb. 20 - Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Death Valley in the Spring

Amazing landscapes, beautiful astrophotography and sand dunes in North America's most famous desert.

Workshop Dates: Thursday, March 13th - Sunday, March 16th, 2013...

Learn more about this workshop


 

Member prices are only applicable to Nikonians Silver, Gold and Platinum Members. Non-members can register as Nikonians members here. Nikonians Basic members can upgrade the membership level here. Membership payments help sustain the growth of the Nikonians community and its services such as the Nikonians Academy.