reviews

What people have to say about classes and tutoring at The Spot:

Randy Hoyt – WordPress Instructor:

Randy is simply a great instructor! He possesses an incredible expertise in web development, but he is one of those rare individuals who recognizes the many other components needed for creating, maintaining and keeping a successful website. His [university] course gave me the inspiration to continue building my web skills and to continue building awesome websites.
Catherine Rodriguez, Web Project Coordinator and university graduate student

Randy made the intimidating experience of building a website seem easy. He provided an array of extremely useful resources that I will continue to use as I expand my web development skills. He is very accessible and ready to help at any given moment.
Carol Welker, graphic designer

Randy Hoyt does some of the most straightforward web instruction I’ve ever seen/heard.
Harrison Massey, web editor at the UTD Mercury (student newspaper)

Randy does a good job breaking things down for beginners like me.
Cam Swegman

One-On-One Photography Instruction

I had the opportunity to spend an hour of one-on-one time with Peter asking him questions about photography issues I had and it was WONDERFUL.  He is very instructive, phrases topics in a way that really makes them “stick”.  The hour went by very fast, but I got more out of it than I expected.  I look forward to taking one of his classes and learning more from him.
Shiela Lannen (Oncologist)

My fellow designer and I needed training that fit our disparate experience that typical courses would not ably cover. Peter’s hands-on style gave us insight that was beyond the settings, enabling us to better utilize our equipment and existing environment. His willingness to split our sessions between his studio and ours, an hour drive north, went beyond our expectation. I think the personal sessions were fantastic for our needs and have helped me to better analyze our lighting and changed my way of approaching a shoot.
James Ratterree (Creative Director, Fujitsu Network Communications)

For people like me who have dabbled with photography for a lifetime…reaching out for help is both necessary and daunting. A foundation must be built and to do that requires a gift in delivering meaningful concepts as understandable analogies. That’s where you shine, Peter.
Charles Neuenschwander (Patent Consultant)

Feeling very inspired after my first private lesson with Peter.  He took the time to go over all the basics with me, in detail, which gave me a better understanding of my camera and how it works.  He also tailored the lesson around my personal interests and goals.  He reviewed some of my photos and recommended different lenses and approaches. I can’t wait to put what I learned in motion.  Really looking forward to my next lesson!!
Amber Martin

Peter is a brilliant teacher who has helped my photography immensely.  I recommend him for any serious amateur or professional.
Baer Ackerman, MD (Pediatric/Adolescent Psychiatrist)

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for the one on one appointment that we had. I was worried about spending that kind of money for a 2 hr lesson, but after having been there in that kind of setting I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn specific things geared towards them. I learned a lot and now I need to come back for more help. Also I would like to thank you for answering all my questions that I have sent to you by email.
Brian Adams (Paramedic)

After taking the beginner’s full day workshop with Peter and absolutely loving it, I decided to take my training a step further and sign up for a one-on-one session. I am so glad that I did!  Peter is not only extremely knowledgeable, but his is very patient and takes the extra time and steps to help you better understand your camera and photography concepts in general. I was able to review some of the issues that I was having and he helped me correct those issues and understand why the issues were occurring.  I definitely recommend one on one training and will soon be signing up for my second session.
Shelia Butler

Peter has been instrumental in guiding me as I set up my growing photography business. His knowledge spans every possible area of the industry, from shooting to workflow to editing, just to name a few. His generous and patient teaching style makes it all very accessible and easy to understand. I have learned many practical skills in our hands on tutoring sessions for Lightroom and Photoshop, and as a result, my business runs more smoothly. I highly recommend him for anyone who wants to be on the fast track to learning anything about the photography industry!
Margie Woods Brown (Owner, Language of the Soul Photography)

Beginner Full Day Workshop

I loved that the class was hands on. Peter spoke in very understandable terms and I walked away understanding issues I have struggled with for a long time. This class was a very smart investment!
Lori Dunn

Great beginner class. Having Peter’s camera hooked up to the projector to see examples helped me understand more of the items I  was confused about.
Todd Pettit

I really liked the hands-on and real-time demos! They made it possible to learn and experience what before I could only read about. Very easy for the average person to understand.
Laurie P.

I learned so much! This workshop took out much of the guesswork and I loved the hands on practice. I can’t wait to use my new skills and experiment in ways I wouldn’t have ever known to. I thought the price was a great value.
Sunday Grennan

Peter’s knowledge and passion for photography made the class enjoyable and interesting.
Jeremy Hayes

Everything was explained in detail without being boring, which made it interesting. Peter knew what mistakes people typically made and told us how not to make them.
Lauren Cowling

The workshop has made me more curious to take more chances and experiment. I have learned more in one day than in months of reading and practicing on my own. Very thorough and informative.
James Coleman

The class is actually in a photo studio with a friendly environment and an expert teacher.
Will Deniger

I liked the demonstrations with the tethered camera. I’ve learned things about lighting that will make my photos better. I’m really excited about applying what I’ve learned in the DSLR class.
Monica Flores

I think the most helpful thing was being able to see the pictures on the screen as they were being taken and being able to see the camera menus displayed. For the beginner I don’t think anything was missing.
John Daniel

Intermediate Full Day Workshop

Really liked the portrait lighting part and to see what can be done with a flash, umbrella, reflector, etc.
Claas Boesser

I really enjoyed Peter’s teaching style. I enjoyed getting to look at the photos we took in class and learning from them. I also liked that the class was tailored to what we really wanted.
Laurie Poetschke

I loved the class and the balance between technical and artistic considerations.
Kim Schlossberg

The studio lighting portion and hands on was great. By seeing the studio environment live and playing with equipment we can now go back and take better studio photos.
Agnieszka Szczurowska

I enjoyed the personality, teaching ability and knowledge of the teacher and his willingness to answer questions and demonstrate techniques. I can’t wait to get out there and practice.
Chrisi Mize

Peter knows this photography stuff inside and out. One-on-one help and the advice was freely given.
Tom Marusa

DSLR-1 Short Course

I enjoyed the tips on what lenses to buy, equipment recommendations and getting responses to one-on-one questions.
Ashley

Great class! Very informative. Cleared up f-stop, time value, ISO, +/- button and the (o) button (sorry, can’t remember the name).
Joe Villarreal

Loved it. Learned a ton and look forward to more. The hands-on demo and chalk board discussion were great.
Craig McNeil

Very informative and comprehensive. Felt like I learned a lot in a short amount of time. Learning about composition, metering patterns, f-stop and shutter speed was particularly helpful.
Eve Newell

Presentation was easy to understand, pictures taken during class were great examples. I understand my camera much better. Time to go shoot!
Patricia Walker

DSLR-2 Short Course

I like how flexible Peter is with answering questions as they come up. The class is a good length. There is enough time to get into specifics and answer all questions.
Candice Liles

The presentation was very interesting. The information was clearly explained and there is a lot that I didn’t know until coming to this class. The class is a good length and it went by very fast!
Nancy Green

I really liked the setting, very relaxed in a studio. It really halps a lot to get you in the right mind set for instruction.
Ramel Nasseri

DSLR-3 Short Course

Peter is extremely articulate and makes complex information very accessible. His humility and candor made me feel very at ease.
Margie Brown

When searching for workshops, I was looking for evening classes that would really apply to hands on training and this was the best thing out there! I liked all of the class topics and the ways the items were presented in layman terms. There is a wealth of information in books to read but this class touched on specifics you can leave with to start practicing immediately. The flash overview was great, really helpful.
Craig McNeil

Loved the lighting demonstrations! I’m a visual learner. This class makes everything so much clearer.
Nancy Green