Students give our workshops an
average of 4.8 out of 5 stars
I adore Charly Savely and the artistry, kindness, and awareness she has brought to Wildlife photography but this workshop was unfortunately very lacking in substance and left much to be desired. I agree with the other one and two star reviews that this is a workshop for beginners and it is barely justifiable at the discounted price of $150 and I would be sorely disappointed if I had paid more. Charly's presentation is lovely but I truly wish it went more in depth. I felt like from the inspiration in finding your own style through the gear, safety, shooting in the field, and editing - it was all very surface level and it did not dive deep into any of the above. There was also a decent amount of time in each editing part that could have been skipped over (ie healing tool as Charly joked) and filled in with more useful information. I'll continue to admire Charly's work and cheer for her success but it is important that those putting money into this workshop know what they are paying for.
Rose Conway
June 11, 2021
This workshop was really disappointing. I hesitated to leave a review because I wish so badly that I could leave a positive rating for the one solitary woman amongst the current 11 Wildist instructors. I also really love Charly and her photography! That being said, this workshop is for a beginner, and a beginner only. (It is currently advertised to aspiring and professional photographers, and priced at $299.) The majority of the workshop was spent covering pretty general conservation topics, sharing personal stories, and teaching very basic lightroom editing techniques. The only videos that were actually spent out in the field were 13 minutes total and more of a ride-along in Katmai specifically than they were actually providing info about wildlife photography that would be useful to a different environment. The only info given about how to plan/research was quite literally "know the animal you want to shoot and do research about it via google, facebook groups, and locals." As another student wrote in their review, this workshop needs to be advertised as a tutorial for achieving Charly Savely's gorgeous artistic editing style, rather than as a general wildlife photography workshop. If it had been, it would not have left so much to be desired. All love, genuinely. Just not at all what I thought I was paying for.
Janelle Dransfield
February 12, 2021
I feel like this workshop did really teach wildlife photography at all. Charly is a great photographer and I love her style. This workshop did a great job of sharing Charly's editing style, theme, and color choices. It also shared her passion for conservation while touching on ethics of photographing animals. Though, I didn't think the way she shared her ethics were tactful at times. Honestly, I felt that this course could have spent more time in the field. For wildlife class, I want to see more planning, scouting, and capturing wildlife. Less so the editorial process. I think this course needs to be renamed to something that's more fitting like: "Charly's ethical and editorial process for wildlife photography"
Gordon Armour
February 8, 2021
Before I say anything more, I just gotta say that I am a big fan of Charly's work and respect all that she has accomplished. However, if I am being honest, I just really didn't get much out of this workshop. It was much more of a photography 101 and highly basic Lightroom editing. Also, there were a few mistakes in some of the basic camera settings terminology, as well as in Lightroom. And please don't think I am trying to nit-pick with that, but I am just simply saying that for $149 (and that was on sale) I expected a pro level workshop, and that's just not what this is. A fantastic beginner course that highlights a specific artist's editing style and approach, but that's about where I would leave it. Finally, it was quite short for the cost - definitely watchable in a few hour sitting. That would've been fine had the content been more fulfilling. Again, I mean no disrespect, as Charley has made a name for herself far beyond my dreams... and I have nothing but respect for that. But, it just fell way short of my expectations.
Ryan Sheldon
October 27, 2020
Not to be critical about Charly Savely: it's not a bad workshop, but I feel it is totally mis-priced. I found it interesting to hear about Charly Savely, her development and how she managed to become who she is. I found the part about Wildlife Photography specifically rather thin, but it picked up a few interesting tips about editing pictures. Overall, I think it was worth watching the workshop. However, for 149$ including all rebates, I think one could barely justify the price. Had I paid the sticker price of 300$, I'd be really disappointed for what you get out of this. I have bought courses from photographers like David Yarrow, Elia Locardi or Jimmy Chin in the past and they have way more things to talk about or to teach (in depth and scope) for that price or less.
Dr. Eickhoff
October 25, 2020
This was a really fun and informative workshop for anyone hoping to learn more about wildlife photography and editing! I got the most value from the editing sections. I've been editing my own shots in Lightroom and Photoshop for quite a few years now and still walked away with brand new tools and techniques I didn't even know existed in these programs! My boyfriend was also a park ranger at Katmai this past season and knew the guide and pilot featured haha So it was even more cool to see the park from Charly's eyes.
Joy Sheehan
December 6, 2020
I've been searching for this exact workshop since I returned from Alaska in October. I've also recently taken up hunting/tracking and I find animal behavior completely fascinating. This was a great motivator to take my photography to the next level. Thanks so much Charly! The conservation section was a nice added bonus to the course. (Hooray no pebble mine!)
Caitlyn Houck
December 2, 2020
Charly Savely is shifting the wildlife photography industry with her artful approach that creates a connection between the animal and the viewer. Her globally recognized style has landed her client work with FOUR PAWS International, REI, Burts Bees, Marmot, and a spot on the SONY Alpha Collective team.
