“I recently met Stan Moniz for a one on one class at a local beach in Southern California to shoot the bioluminescence waves. The experience was above and beyond. He is an amazing adventure photographer and instructor - a hidden gem in Southern California. I would highly recommend his workshops. I look forward to taking another class in the future.”

“It will only take you a few seconds to realize how passionate Stan is about photography, and it’s contagious. The first thing before we kicked off the astrophotography workshop at Joshua Tree was a very rewarding sunset photo shoot. Stan taught us all about the specs, techniques, and artistic views of our compositions. He even let us try out some of his gear and see what our cameras are capable of.

After the sunset, we kicked off the workshop by going over the technical stuff about astrophotography before taking our talents to the field. Standing in the cold desert at night has never been more enjoyable, as we were getting amazing shots thanks to Stan’s guidance. I had practiced astrophotography before by self-learning from the internet, but Stan will teach you how to do it right. There is no replacement for actual in-person guidance.

Stan is very knowledgeable, patient, and passionate. I highly recommend you attend one of his workshops if you’re in the area.”

“Stan,

Thank you for your time and passion. It was obvious from the beginning of the workshop how much you love photography and the passion to be in the water. My students learned so much about surf photography but more importantly being passionate about something positive in life. They understood from your testimony that putting your energy into whatever you are passionate about will drive positive results.

You connected with the class right away and made sure to spend time with each student through the workshop. My students still talk about you and want to see another workshop shortly. Thank you for growing photography and giving back to the youth. You even taught an old dog new tricks. I now have a stronger desire to go out and get some killer photos in the water.”

“Astrophotography was a daunting undertaking for me. I learn best by doing, but being in the cold night trying to figure things out isn’t ideal. After Stan’s astrophotography workshop at Joshua Tree, I know how to figure out what to look for and how to execute optimal camera settings quickly. Sometimes that’s crucial as the weather may only provide short glimpses of the night sky.

As a self-proclaimed geek, I watch loads of YouTube videos, memorize and set every technical detail up on my camera, but there was no replacement for practical work with a pro like Stan who was right there to answer questions and provide insight in real-time.

Stan is a cool dude plain and simple. On top of that, he shares his actual techniques and explains why he does what he does from composition to camera settings to the location selection. I can see myself taking another workshop with Stan in the future. Mahalo, Stan!”

“A workshop I will remember for a lifetime. I found out about the course through Samy’s camera, it caught my eye and I was wanting to learn more about surf photography and photographing in the ocean. Not only was our instructor Stan Moniz willing to teach us the ins and outs about setting up our gear before going into the water, but he was grounded, personal, and down to earth.

This made the class super enjoyable having someone passionate and wanting to teach others. Learning all the information I got that day, I enjoyed the images from the class and the tips Stan gave along the way. Soak up as much information as you can and engage with the class, you’ll get the most out of it that way.

I highly recommend this course to any photographer beginner or professional wanting to expand their photography into an ocean platform. As long as you are willing to participate, get out there into the water with your camera, you will learn so much from Stan and take home with you wonderful memories and incredible photographs as well.”

“I’ve always been fascinated with astrophotography but it wasn’t until I got the chance to go on a workshop with Stan Moniz at Joshua Tree that I had an opportunity to do it and do it right. I learned so much in such small time that it made me even more excited about astrophotography than I already was. We learned how to prepare before the shot, what is the ideal equipment to use, and most importantly what are the techniques to get a good night shot of the galaxy as well as some other tips on the overall landscape.

Stan was very helpful but most of all he is a down-to-earth guy with a lot of knowledge that talks in a language we could all understand. He gave us all some 1 on 1 time to answer all of our questions and just made it such a great experience.

I had a great time and would do it all over again.”

“Stan Moniz is an amazing and talented photographer. With his impressive portfolio and an informative blog/website, I decided to reach out to him to get advice on which Sony camera to purchase for my needs. Stan was very helpful, knowledgeable, and answered all of my questions. Once I purchased my Sony a6300 and my two lenses (a great walk-around lens and one for action sports photography), I had the pleasure to take one of Stan’s one on one photography workshops to familiarize myself with my new camera and lens and gain the basic knowledge and foundation to shoot landscape/portrait shots and action sports photography.

Stan’s excitement and passion show through while he teaches you and he makes things easy to understand for a novice photographer like me without overwhelming you. He also taught me about the different types of filters and how to use them in different scenarios. I can’t wait to get some more experience under my belt. Stan is always there to provide guidance and share his vast knowledge even after the workshop.

I look forward to participating in his astrophotography and surf photography workshops. I highly recommend taking any of Stan’s workshops as they are worth it and he will not disappoint! Thanks, Stan for a great experience.”

“Stan has so much to offer when it comes to photography and he’s very open about sharing his trade with everyone else. He points you in the right direction but you have to be the one who gets the shot that you are looking for.

I have had the pleasure of spending some endless nights in the desert shooting stars and talking shop with Stan. Just being around him elevates your level of photography and just makes the experience memorable.”