Hi Cheryl, I just want to thank you for such an inspirational class. Not only had you opened up my eyes to see colors, you also had shown me the meanings of colors, forms, shapes etc. Through your critiques and comments, I learnt how a work could be read and interpreted. Your class taught me more than just photography techniques, you also gave me directions to explore the wonderful world of arts and for that I am most thankful.

I just wanted to post a quick note to say thank you for a wonderful class and some really thought provoking assignments. I was drawn to this class by seeing some of the work from one of your previous students and I now know what it was about her work that drew me to sign-up......a wonderful learning experience.

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your insightful comments the past four weeks. Cheryl - I had heard such fabulous reviews of your class and it definitely lived up to those and more. I might be back for a repeat unless you decide at some point to offer All About Color Continues...... Thank you all.

This class has been a marvelous experience, and I expect painting photographs to become a lifelong pursuit. You set a great tone from the beginning--it's very hard to feel a personal touch in an online class, but you have done that. The balance of specific instruction with encouragement to just go and experiment has been just right for me. I hope to take "Photographing Children" from you sometime in the coming months. Thank you for everything.

Hi Cheryl, I want to thank you very much for excellent class. Your class taught me a lot and I understand the magic of color much better now. I am very thankful for the wonderful class.

Cheryl thank you so much for your great critique, you really put me one step further in my (photograph) confidence. ..I did some other PPSOP classes, but your critique, every week, was really the best.

Once again thank you SO much for your sweet words Cheryl!! You are a fantastic instructor with a very positive approach!! This was really a wonderful group and although there were seas, mountains, volcanos between us ....Photography does not have any boundary.

I really enjoyed the course. I have learned to see color in places I did not think of before. It has been great. thanks for the lessons and the critiques.

This course has given me a lot to explore. I now realize that despite the fact that I like all colors and tones, my eye is attracted to calm and serene because that's what I want my lived experience to be. However, I've decided to look at the "wild" side of color and explore it's beauty and all it offers. I appreciate the support you've given me since I signed up for this course. Your critiques were beneficial and most certainly have contributed to my growth as an amateur photography enthusiast.

I just want to let you know how much I have enjoyed the lessons and the critiques that you have provided us. For example, I have enjoyed the background information that you have provided in your lessons. In the last lesson, I found the information on painting styles very interesting. It has encouraged me to explore these styles further and see how to apply it to my photography. It opens up a whole new way of looking at things. So thanks for that.

Cheryl, I loved this class. Thanks for your help and suggestions, and once again, for the thorough critiques! I will miss doing the assignments for you.

I've really enjoyed this class and all of you. I certainly met my goal of getting off my butt and doing some new stuff, and I learned a whole bunch along the way. Cheryl, I think the info in this course was really great and stretched the topic to all sorts of new corners for me.

Hi Cheryl, Your class has forced me to think of images differently, and made me look more critically at the end result. I've also used more of my cool gadgets and gotten good results.

Hi Cheryl, I have LOVED spending the summer with you, taking your two classes! My eyes see the world a little differently. I have begun my color journal with yellow, not just solely but in its analoguous and complementary color context. I have a ton to learn about the digital brush - not sure about the dry media brushes. In the meantime,THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL AND SPIRIT-FILLED EXPERIENCE!

Hi Cheryl, first, let me say that I am sad that this is the last week. Your course deserves much more time than I was able to dedicate to it these past weeks. There is so much to learn. You have given me such wonderful advice and direction. The assignments are well paced and full of great exercises and learning opportunities.

Until now, color was just something that was there in a photo. I was just looking at objects and their relation to each other. Thus, I was creating very technical images. The feeling, however, is now coming into my images as I consider how color interacts with the objects and with the viewer emotions. Thanks again.

All About Color class is the most challenging, interesting and fun class that I have ever taken, live or online! As I have struggled through some of these assignments, I have often thought that I would never be able to create what you have asked, and then I find myself creating. What a joy! And what an amazing learning experience, Cheryl!

Have to admit that I think this last assignment is the most challenging. Two days ago, I couldn't wrap my head around it ... today I have one image and at least ideas for the others or some degree of comfort in knowing that somehow I WILL be able to create. Big change for me from the beginning of this class.

Thank you so much for your feedback and your thoughtful lessons and assignments!

What can I say?....I told you guys back on 6-12-08 how much Cheryl's class would mean to you. I knew you would feel the same way I feel about her classes. They are incredible!! I'm getting ready to sign up for Painting class(again),too, Jayne. I do agree with both of you...this class has been a real challenge. I'm still working on Lesson 4. But, I love it. It's been great being in class with all of you..hope to see you in one of Cheryl's class again. Thanks.

Your critiques are incredibly helpful and extremely kind and encouraging. We're just half way through the course and already it has been a huge blessing to me.

I'm so enjoying the course. You are completely inspirational. I feel my photogrphy has improved in leaps and bounds. I'm almost certainly going to try the painting on photographs course if I can rejig my schedule a bit.

I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your class, it is making me approach my pictures a little differently and I wished the 4 weeks of painting photos could be 8 weeks or more instead. Taking classes definitely makes me work on photos and not taking classes often means I put it off for a week or two (or three or four). I wish my schedule were open enough to go to Tuscany, that sounds like a dream. Maybe someday. Please please let me know of other seminars you are doing!

I am tempted to re-take your class just to make myself work in it some more... I feel like I only went partway into what you were teaching because I am nervous about printing, it never turns out the way I want it to on paper.

THanks again for everything

I just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful course. What is so great about the way you teach is that you foster the idea that we should not expect quick methods or recipes for our work. Rather you gave us the tools we needed -- and then said, okay, go play. And see what you can come up with. But the best part is clearly your feedback and ongoing support. It was unlike other courses I have taken at PPSOP. You clearly have found the way to "bridge the internet gap." Very supportive, very inspirational. I hope to be able to take another class with you at some time. You were an excellent instructor. Thank you again.

Professor Dorskind is what I would call a patient teacher.  She chooses her words carefully as she explains even the more complex facets of photography, ensuring that she is talking to students in a manner that is erudite but never pedantic, completely at their level but never spoken down to them.  Although she clearly has the facility to determine what is aesthetic about a given photograph, she can also view it on strict technical terms, thereby judging a photograph based upon many unbiased criteria.  What I found so enjoyable about her class was how she made the learning process completely painless.  In fact, as an advanced amateur when I began her class, I was confident that I had not learned very much, that is, until I assembled my portfolio.  It was then that I recognized how she had helped me refine my work and challenged me to always strive to be more creative, more accurate, and in general, improved.

Many thanks Cheryl for what has been a fantastic four weeks. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and have learnt so much - I have also realised that there is still so much for me to learn, and am determined to keep at it. I've now signed up for, and started, the Art of Composition course which I'm also really enjoying. Thanks for all your valuable critiques and advice which will always stay with me.

Thank you so much for spending your time with me and sharing your talents. It was an enormous help as well as great fun. I came home with many ideas and insights and most importantly, greater confidence.

Cheryl Machat Dorskind created an extremely comfortable learning environment for members of our class...Cheryl identified and praised each of our strengths, and so we felt empowered to help and teach each other. Her teaching style guided me to ask questions and then work to find answers. Cheryl's positive attitude and encouragement convinced me that even when things were difficult, I could find a way to be successful. Cheryl is extremely generous in sharing her personal experience, knowledge, and story. The technical knowledge I learned from her was invaluable, but the greatest gift I received from her class was an understanding and appreciation of my own creativity.

For the past two semesters I have had the pleasure of being in Professor Dorskind's class. From her class, I have gained a deeper understanding of what photography is. Through her encouragement and inspiration she has motivated me to be a better photographer. Professor Dorskind non-inhibiting style of teaching has promoted a creative outlet for me. Her assignments enhanced this freedom of expression. I have achieved so much as a student and a photographer by having Professor Dorskind as my teacher.

Cheryl's love of the “art form” and her years of experience are clearly felt through all of her lessons, words of advice and help. At the completion of her class I had an even greater appreciation for the craft. I look very forward to working with her in the future.

You always pushed us to do our very best and yet at the same time showed such compassion and care. It is a very difficult balance, yet you managed it so well.

Cheryl Dorskind was my first photography professor and now a friend of mine.  I was immediately drawn to Cheryl's easy manner in life and in the lab, as well as in the darkroom.  She is so capable of teaching everyone something—no matter what your background or past experience with photography.  Most recently Cheryl writes a digital photography column in our local newspaper and each week I look forward to her advice and conversational style of writing. It is through her teachings that I have landed a job in the field of photography!  

Professor Dorskind’s class was the first formal training of any kind which I received in photography, and is still the only digital-based (my primary medium) instruction I've had.  With the especially portrait-intensive curriculum you used, she taught me of the importance and beauty associated with high artistic use of the human subject.

I have always been interested in photography. But I had not pursued it for 25 years. Now in my 40’s, I have returned to school. I am trying to pursue what I did not as younger man. After taking VA-91, with Professor Dorskind, my interest in photography has been rekindled. Professor Dorskind has given me the knowledge and confidence that I lacked. I have gone as far a registering a business name and booking 3 weddings since completing her class. I look forward to VA-92 with Professor Dorskind.

Cheryl Dorskind is as brilliant a teacher as she is photographer, and I am changed from the experience of being a student in her classes. One of her hallmarks is that she develops the talent of each individual in her class, bringing out their strengths, while filling in any gaps in their knowledge.

Cheryl leads you to mastery of technique and equipment while engaging and developing your own photographic vision. We looked at many great and different photographers, learning what they had to say, and analyzing what made their photographs successful or not. This critical eye is so necessary to growing as a photographer and developing your own style and your own vision is what Cheryl is all about.

Cheryl provides valuable insight into working with children and families, as well as the business and art of photography. Her accessible teaching style provides encouragement and inspiration for photographers of all skill levels.