Upcoming Live Classes

All live classes feature real time Q&A directly with the instructor

The Modern Tethered Workflow: Tethering Made Easy with Vail Fucci

Sat, Aug 29, 7–10pm ET Live Online

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 8/29/2026 from 7:00–10:00 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event. The Modern Tethered Workflow: Tethering Made Easy is a practical class taught by professional photographer Vail Fucci that takes the intimidation out of tethered shooting. Tethering can seem complicated if you've never tried it, but getting started is easier than you might think—and it can completely change the way you work. By viewing your images on a larger screen as you shoot, you can evaluate focus, lighting, posing, backgrounds, wardrobe, product placement, and other important details in real time, make adjustments immediately, and more efficiently create the final image you want to deliver to your client. You'll learn what gear you need to create a reliable tethered setup and how to shoot directly into Lightroom, Capture One, and Evoto, while discovering the advantages of each platform and when you might choose one over another. Vail will demonstrate tethered workflows for headshot and portrait photography as well as product photography. You'll also explore how tethering can allow clients, art directors, and other members of a creative team to view images remotely as they're being created, making it possible to collaborate, provide feedback, and approve images in real time. You'll also discover how automated retouching is changing the modern tethered workflow, allowing you to shoot for the edit, refine your images as you create them, and get closer to a finished, delivery-ready image while you're still shooting—all while dramatically reducing post-production time after the shoot. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Vail Fucci. What You'll Learn Identify the gear you need and set it up for reliable tethered shooting. Tether your camera directly into Lightroom, Capture One, and Evoto. Choose the right tethering platform for different types of photography and workflows. Evaluate focus, lighting, posing, backgrounds, wardrobe, product placement, and other important details while you're still shooting. Use tethering during headshot and portrait sessions to refine your images and collaborate more effectively with clients and creative teams. Use tethering for product photography to evaluate lighting, focus, reflections, placement, and small details in real time. Share images remotely as you shoot so clients, art directors, and creative teams can review, provide feedback, and approve images in real time. Incorporate automated retouching into your tethered workflow to shoot for the edit and make creative decisions based on a more finished version of your image. Get closer to a finished, delivery-ready image during the shoot and dramatically reduce post-production time. Work more efficiently and reduce the need for reshoots. Who It's For Photographers who are curious about tethering but have been intimidated by the setup or don't know where to begin. Portrait and headshot photographers who want to refine their images while they shoot and create a better client experience. Product and commercial photographers who need to evaluate details accurately while shooting. Commercial photographers who need to collaborate with clients, art directors, or creative teams during a shoot. Photographers looking to reduce post-production time by incorporating automated retouching into their capture workflow. Photographers who want to understand the differences between tethering with Lightroom, Capture One, and Evoto. Any experience level. No previous tethering experience is required. How to Join This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube: Live Link The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.After the live event, the class will be available for purchase. About the Instructor Vail Fucci is a Boston-based event and headshot photographer known for her warm, high-energy presence and ability to deliver polished, share-ready images in real time. Her positivity and instinctive connection with people allow her to create authentic, elevated photographs—even in fast-paced live environments. Vail has photographed high-profile individuals and events for major global brands and organizations, including Live Nation, Takeda, Eli Lilly, New Balance, Visa, the NFL, Nike, WIRED, Formula 1, and the Boston Celtics. Her work has appeared in publications such as the New York Post's Page Six, Forbes, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Boston Magazine. Before focusing on corporate events and headshots, Vail spent more than a decade as a professional wedding photographer and was named one of Boston's Best Wedding Photographers by CBS Boston. She also photographed New York Fashion Week behind the scenes in the tents at Lincoln Center as well as on the runway from the pit. At the heart of Vail's portrait work is her desire to help people see how beautiful they truly are. By guiding clients to view themselves in a whole new light—both literally and figuratively—she creates images that build confidence as much as they capture appearance. This transformative approach, along with her Ph.D. in bioethics, earned her the nickname "The Headshot Doctor," taking high-end headshots of people from all walks of life, from new hires to Nobel Prize winners. Today, Vail specializes in intentional in-camera capture, efficient on-location lighting, and instant image delivery that reduces post-production while elevating the client and guest experience. A passionate educator, she was a speaker at Imaging USA 2026, a guest lecturer at NYC Salt, and a Westcott Ambassador. Through workshops, online education, private mentoring, and digital content, she teaches photographers how to work smarter, stand out in competitive markets, and build profitable, sustainable businesses.

Getting Started with Adobe Express with Mark Wallace

Wed, Sep 9, 7–10pm ET Live Online

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 9/8/2026 from 7:00–10:00 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event. Every photographer, small business owner, and content creator eventually hits the same wall: you need a polished graphic for social media, and you need it today, but you don't have the time, budget, or Photoshop skills to make one. Adobe Express was built to solve exactly that problem, and in this class Mark Wallace breaks it down from the very beginning — no prior design experience required. Mark starts with a full tour of the Adobe Express interface, so you know exactly where to find your projects, templates, and tools before you ever click "create." From there, he walks through the core design tools — text, photos, shapes, and backgrounds — using real examples so you can see how a graphic actually comes together. You'll learn how to find and customize professionally designed templates rather than starting from a blank page, and how to set up a Brand Kit so your logo, colors, and fonts are one click away on every future project. By the end of the class, you'll have a repeatable workflow: pick a template, apply your brand, resize it for the platform you need, and publish it straight to social media. Whether you're promoting a photo shoot, a workshop, or your own business, you'll leave with the confidence to create clean, on-brand graphics on your own schedule. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Mark Wallace. What You'll Learn Navigate the Adobe Express interface with confidence, from the home screen to the editor workspace. Use core design tools — text, shapes, photos, and backgrounds — to build a graphic from scratch. Find, customize, and resize ready-made templates to fit your own message and platform. Build a Brand Kit and apply your logo, colors, and fonts to any design in one click. Export and post finished graphics directly to Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms. Who It's For Complete beginners who have never used a design tool before. Photographers and videographers who want quick marketing graphics for their shoots and workshops. Small business owners and entrepreneurs who need consistent social media content. Social media managers and marketers looking for a faster, template-based workflow. Anyone curious about AI-assisted design tools and wanting an easy on-ramp into graphic design. How to Join This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube: Link The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.After the live event, the class will be available for purchase. About the Instructor Mark Wallace is a commercial photographer and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona, and the founder of Snapfactory, a full-service photography and video production studio. He's best known for his long-running tutorial series Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography, which have reached millions of viewers on YouTube and helped establish him as one of the most trusted teaching voices in photography. Mark's commercial and editorial work has been used by brands and outlets including Sekonic, Profoto, Tether Tools, The Washington Post, and NPR. On CreativeLive, Mark is known for breaking down technical subjects — lighting, camera settings, post-production workflows — into clear, practical steps that beginners and working photographers can put to use immediately. He brings that same approachable, hands-on teaching style to Getting Started with Adobe Express, walking students through each tool step by step rather than assuming prior design knowledge.

Understanding File Formats in Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Acrobat with Jason Hoppe

Thu, Sep 10, 7–8:30pm ET Live Online

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 9/10/2026 from 7:00–8:30 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event. Stop guessing which file format to save, export, or print. This intensive, technical deep dive covers the exact mechanics of file formats within and across Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat to ensure total project compatibility and zero quality loss. Choosing the wrong file extension can ruin print jobs, bloat file sizes, or destroy editable layers. This session deconstructs native and universal formats used across the Adobe ecosystem. You will learn exactly when to use vector vs. raster assets, how to pass files between apps seamlessly, and how to configure optimal export settings for both high-end print engines and digital platforms. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Jason Hoppe. What You'll Learn Native vs. Exchange Formats: Understand the structural DNA of AI, INDD, PSD, and PDF files. Lossless Vector Standards: Master when to deploy EPS, SVG, and PDF without losing scalability. Raster Compression Engines: Decode the performance differences between TIFF, JPEG, PNG, and WebP. Cross-Application Pipeline: Place files across apps with live linking, transparency preservation, and color mapping. Who It's For Production artists, graphic designers, print operators, and digital marketers who manage assets across multiple creative tools and want to establish an error-free production pipeline. How to Join This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube. The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.After the live event, the class will be available for purchase. About the Instructor An Adobe® Certified Expert and Adobe® Certified Instructor, Jason Hoppe has accrued more than 17 years' experience in high-end production training, photo retouching, color correction, and creative workflow management. Jason has been performing high-end electronic production since the industry's inception. During this time, he has taught prepress and electronic design to hundreds of Seattle-based creative professionals and aspiring designers in a variety of settings, including one-on-one tutoring, classroom instruction, live webcasting, and large group training. He currently teaches the Adobe® Creative Suite at The School of Visual Concepts, Luminous Works, and Seattle Central College, and was the founding Instructor at CreativeLive.

Branding and Marketing for Photographers with Esther Kay

Tue, Sep 15, 7–8:30pm ET Live Online

This course is subscriber-only. A strong photography brand is much more than a logo, color palette, or beautiful portfolio. It is the feeling clients associate with your business, the promise you make, and the experience you consistently deliver. When your brand message is unclear, potential clients may admire your work but still fail to understand what makes you different or why they should invest in you. In this class, Esther Kay will help you uncover the heart of your brand and turn it into clear, intentional marketing. You will learn how to define your ideal client, identify what makes your business memorable, communicate the value of your services, and create a consistent message that connects every part of your client journey. Esther will share how she built a recognizable luxury photography brand by combining signature imagery, personal connection, education, storytelling, and a carefully designed client experience. You will leave with a clearer understanding of your brand, a stronger message, and an actionable marketing strategy designed to attract clients who value your work and are ready to book. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Esther Kay. What You'll Learn Define what makes your photography brand different and communicate it clearly. Identify your ideal client and create marketing that speaks directly to their needs, desires, and values. Build a consistent brand experience across your website, social media, client communication, and photography. Market the complete value of your client experience instead of competing on price alone. Create a practical marketing plan that attracts better-fit clients and leads them toward booking. Who It's For Beginner and intermediate photographers who are building or refining their photography brand. Established photographers whose work has evolved but whose branding and marketing no longer reflect the level of service they provide. Photographers who struggle to explain what makes their business different from other photographers in their market. Photographers who want to attract clients based on value and experience rather than price. Portrait, wedding, maternity, newborn, family, branding, and other service-based photographers who want to build a more recognizable and profitable business. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You'll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate.To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited.A unique Zoom join link will be sent to registered participants, up to the maximum number of participants per class. You'll receive this link one hour before the class start time. About the Instructor Esther Kay is a Bay Area luxury maternity, motherhood, and portrait photographer, educator, and speaker known for creating bold, timeless imagery and unforgettable client experiences. Before becoming a full-time photographer, Esther spent nine years as a first-grade teacher. Her background in education continues to shape the approachable, practical, and encouraging way she teaches photographers today. Through Esther Kay Studio, she has created a recognizable luxury brand centered on artistic direction, personal connection, white-glove service, and an intentional client journey. Esther has grown her business and online community by combining signature photography, authentic storytelling, education, and strategic marketing. She now teaches photographers how to recognize their value, communicate what makes them different, and build brands that create connection, trust, and long-term business growth.

The Professional Glamour Shoot with James Patrick

Fri, Sep 18, 6–9pm ET Live Online

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 9/18/2026 from 6:00–9:00 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event. Glamour is one of the most in-demand, highest-paying genres a photographer can shoot, and a genre where mastering both the creative craft and the business behind it can set a photographer apart. This course treats it as both. You'll learn the technical work most tutorials skip: lighting for skin and shadow, composition and implication instead of straightforward posing, styling as a storytelling tool, and directing talent for stillness and attitude rather than movement. Alongside that, you'll learn how this genre actually functions as a business, what drives premium pricing in this market, where the real revenue lives (boudoir clients, licensing, talent branding), and how to position and price your own work at that level. And you'll learn what almost no one teaches: how to run a shoot like this professionally, a real consent and comfort protocol. Walk away able to shoot glamour at a premium level, price it like a real business line, and run it the right way. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with James Patrick. What You'll Learn Light for skin and shadow to create a polished, premium glamour look. Use composition and implication, rather than straightforward posing, to build a suggestive, story-driven image. Use styling as a storytelling tool to shape mood and narrative. Direct talent for stillness and attitude rather than movement. Understand what drives premium pricing in the glamour photography market. Identify where the real revenue lives in this genre: boudoir clients, licensing, and talent branding. Position and price your own glamour work at a premium level. Run a shoot professionally, with a real consent and comfort protocol. Who It's For Photographers who want to break into one of the highest-paying genres in the industry. Portrait and boudoir photographers looking to refine their lighting, posing, and styling for a premium glamour look. Photographers who want to understand the business side of glamour: pricing, licensing, and revenue streams. Anyone who wants to run glamour shoots professionally, with a clear consent and comfort protocol in place. Photographers ready to position their glamour work as a premium business line rather than a side offering. How to Join This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube. The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.After the live event, the class will be available for purchase. About the Instructor James Patrick is a commercial photographer and media strategist based in Phoenix, Arizona. Over the course of his career, he has photographed more than 800 magazine covers across the health, fitness, and wellness industries. His work has appeared in major publications including Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, and Women's Running. James specializes in creating bold editorial imagery and helping photographers develop both their creative voice and their professional brand.

Social Media for Photographers: Turn Your Content Into Clients with Esther Kay

Thu, Sep 24, 7–8:30pm ET Live Online

This class is subscriber-only. Social media can be one of the most powerful marketing tools available to photographers, but many photographers struggle to know what to post, how often to show up, or how to turn engagement into paying clients. Posting beautiful photographs is no longer enough. Your audience also needs to understand your value, connect with your story, trust your expertise, and clearly see why your photography experience is different. In this class, Esther Kay will teach you how to create intentional social media content that supports your business instead of becoming another overwhelming task. You will learn how to identify your content pillars, communicate with your ideal audience, make your work more searchable, and create captions and calls to action that lead potential clients toward booking. Esther will also show you how to use behind-the-scenes content, educational posts, personal storytelling, finished images, and client experiences to build a meaningful online presence. You will leave with a practical system for turning everyday moments from your photography workflow into content that strengthens your brand, builds trust, and helps generate inquiries. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Esther Kay. What You'll Learn Define clear content pillars that support your photography brand and business goals. Create social media content that attracts your ideal clients instead of simply collecting views and likes. Turn one photography session into multiple pieces of strategic content without constantly creating from scratch. Write stronger captions, calls to action, and searchable content that encourages potential clients to inquire and book. Build a realistic and consistent social media strategy that fits into the demands of running a photography business. Who It's For Beginner and intermediate photographers who want to build a stronger and more intentional social media presence. Professional photographers who regularly post their work but struggle to turn engagement into inquiries and bookings. Photographers who feel overwhelmed by content creation or are unsure what to post beyond finished client images. Portrait, wedding, maternity, newborn, family, branding, and other service-based photographers. Creative business owners interested in using storytelling, strategy, and authentic connection to market their services. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You'll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate.To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited.A unique Zoom join link will be sent to registered participants, up to the maximum number of participants per class. You'll receive this link one hour before the class start time. About the Instructor Esther Kay is a Bay Area luxury maternity, motherhood, and portrait photographer, educator, and speaker known for creating bold, timeless imagery and unforgettable client experiences. Before becoming a full-time photographer, Esther spent nine years as a first-grade teacher. Her background in education continues to shape the approachable, practical, and encouraging way she teaches photographers today. Through Esther Kay Studio, she has built a recognizable personal brand and an engaged social media community by combining fine-art photography, behind-the-scenes education, authentic storytelling, and strategic marketing. As a working photographer, mother, and business owner, Esther understands the challenge of consistently creating content while serving clients and managing a business. She teaches photographers how to simplify social media, communicate their value, build meaningful relationships with their audience, and create a brand that leads to real opportunities and bookings.

How to Use a Light Meter, with Mark Wallace

Sat, Oct 3, 1–4pm ET Live Online

This course will be free to watch while streaming on YouTube Live on 10/3/2026 from 1:00–4:00 PM EST and will be available for purchase after the event. Most photographers rely on the meter built into their camera — and most photographers have been fooled by it. Reflective, through-the-lens (TTL) metering simply averages everything in the frame to middle gray. It doesn't know that the bride's white dress should stay white, or that the groom's black tux should stay black, and it has no idea which part of your scene actually matters. In this class, Mark Wallace breaks down exactly how reflective metering works, where it goes wrong, and why a dedicated handheld light meter gives you the control your camera's meter simply can't. Starting with a clear, practical refresher on the exposure triangle, Mark shows how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed work together for ambient, natural-light exposures — and how to set your meter and your camera to agree with each other in full manual mode. Then he introduces the concept that changes everything once flash enters the picture: the exposure diamond. Once you add a strobe, a single exposure becomes two — one for the ambient light in the scene and one for the flash — and now you have a fourth variable, flash power, to manage alongside ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Mark walks through cordless, sync-cable, and radio-triggered flash metering, and shows exactly where to point the lumisphere for people, products, and flat art. From there, the class moves into the real-world techniques that separate a snapshot from a controlled, professional image: metering for highlights and shadows, building specific light ratios, mixing ambient and flash (and eliminating ambient entirely when you don't want it), and using your meter's memory and delta EV functions to keep a look consistent across an entire shoot. Mark also covers reading and understanding the analog scale, checking your camera's dynamic range, and calibrating your meter to your specific camera and lenses. You'll also learn how to measure flash duration for action-freezing exposures. Whether you're picking up a light meter for the first time or you already own one and want to actually understand what it's telling you, this class will get you shooting with precision and confidence instead of guesswork. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Mark Wallace. This class includes a giveaway with Sekonic. Click here for giveaway details. What You'll Learn Explain why your camera's built-in reflective (TTL) meter can be fooled by blacks, whites, and mixed light sources — and why a handheld meter fixes that. Take accurate incident and reflected light readings using the lumisphere in both its extended and retracted positions. Set up your light meter and match its readings to full manual mode on your camera. Balance ambient light and flash using the exposure diamond, so you can dial in a consistent look shot after shot. Meter for highlights, shadows, and light ratios to control contrast in a studio lighting setup. Use your meter's memory, mid-tone, and delta EV functions to build repeatable, professional lighting setups. Who It's For Photographers who currently rely only on their camera's built-in meter and screen and want more accurate, repeatable exposures. Photographers moving from natural/ambient light into studio strobes, speedlights, or multi-light setups. Portrait, product, and studio photographers who need consistent light ratios and exposure from shot to shot. Anyone who owns — or is considering buying — a handheld light meter and wants to understand how to use it. Intermediate to advanced photographers and cinematographers ready to move beyond auto and semi-auto exposure modes. How to Join This class will be free to watch while it is streaming live on YouTube. The YouTube Live link will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.After the live event, the class will be available for purchase. About the Instructor Mark Wallace is a commercial photographer and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona, and the founder of Snapfactory, a full-service photography and video production studio. He's best known for his long-running tutorial series Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography, which have reached millions of viewers on YouTube and helped establish him as one of the most trusted teaching voices in photography. Mark's commercial and editorial work has been used by brands and outlets including Sekonic, Profoto, Tether Tools, The Washington Post, and NPR. On CreativeLive, Mark is known for breaking down technical subjects — lighting, camera settings, post-production workflows — into clear, practical steps that beginners and working photographers can put to use immediately. He brings that same approachable, hands-on teaching style to his classes, walking students through each tool step by step rather than assuming prior knowledge.

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