Beginner-Friendly Photo Boot Camp: Master the Essentials in Sedona 2026

Testimonials

A few words from guests on a recent Toby and Frank-led photo workshop:

Beginners and experienced photographers alike will benefit from the style of this instruction.  For relative newcomers, you will learn the capabilities of your gear and become familiar with techniques that will serve you forever.  For experienced photographers, the challenges posed on daily shoots will push you to think differently about what you’ve “always done” and will help you grow as an artist.  Toby and Frank have a very broad knowledge base and can answer just about any question you may have with kindness and understanding.  Egos are left out of the trip – this is all about learning and having a great experience in photography. 

-Lori Jennings-Emery

 

If you are looking to take your photography skills to the next level, jump at the opportunity to attend Toby and Frank’s workshop. This “Dynamic Duo” provides a one-of-a-kind adventure while helping you with your technical and creative skills. The daily photo challenges helped push my creativity and see subjects in a new way and the image review provided an opportunity for feedback not only from the DD but from other students. I look forward to attending another workshop to expand on what I’ve learned.

-Marjorie O’Brien

 

I so appreciated the opportunity to learn more about photography from both of you in Italy, the daily challenges were outstanding as these made me “work” to achieve the objective, then be able to review everyone’s photo in that challenge was another opportunity to absorb your knowledge and how to better critique photos.
I still feel it was the most outstanding experience I’ve ever had on a tour!

– Diane Bush

 

I just spent a month with Toby and Frank on a spectacular trip to Italy. Not only was the scenery fantastic, but the exceptional instruction and assistance from Toby and Frank was outstanding. My photo skills (capture, camera knowledge, composition, and expanding my boundaries) was greatly enhanced through the daily challenges we were assigned. This soon became a highlight of my trip. I learned an incredible amount in such a short time…and came home with some really amazing shots! I feel I have really grown in my photography through this experience. Totally loved it!

– Julie Heale

 

I have traveled with the McKay Photography Academy many times since 2020. I keep going back to MPA because of the fabulous locations but also the great education by the professional instructors and the small groups. But the trip to Italy in the spring of 2023 stands out among the rest. We stayed at 3 different places for 6 days each, Tuscany, Cinque Terre and the Dolomites. Each day, we were given daily challenges by our instructors, Toby Gelston and Frank Stelges. Staying in each place allowed us to have time in the afternoon before dinner to have image reviews. The daily challenges were very creative. We shot in black and white, looked for reflections in water, looked for the “Good Life….La Dolce Vita, while in Sienna, details and motion as examples. This forced us all to think differently about how we would normally photograph, be it landscapes, architecture or people. The image reviews allowed us to learn and improve our work each day. One of my favorite McKay trips of all.

-Mary Madden

 

 

Your Italy workshop was terrific. Great scenery, wonderful food and a supportive group. What really helped me grow my skills were your daily challenges, the image review with constructive feedback, the opportunity to see how others saw the same location, and the suggestions made by my fellow photographers. A truly enjoyable way to become better at my craft.

-Rudiger Wolf