What michael frye photography does

Michael Frye Photography is a privately held sole proprietorship operating from Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite National Park, that monetizes landscape and nature photography expertise through digital education products, published books, and experiential workshops. The company's product portfolio centers on Adobe Lightroom instruction (covering Basic Panel tone controls, Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, HSL Panel, curves, masking, HDR/Panorama Merge, and Milky Way processing) delivered via PDF ebooks with bundled video tutorials under the 'Landscapes in Lightroom' brand across three tiers — Essential ($47), Advanced, and a dedicated Masking Panel course. Hardcopy and digital books, notably 'Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters' (Focal Press) and 'The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite,' extend the catalog, with the latter serving as the basis for an iOS/Android mobile app ($6.99) sold through Apple and Google marketplaces, with one-third of proceeds directed to the Yosemite Conservancy.

Revenue mechanics are predominantly one-time perpetual-license sales distributed through the operator's owned storefront, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon, augmented by professional-services revenue from in-person destination workshops co-led with Visionary Wild (Antarctica, Greenland, Grand Canyon, Oregon Coast, Yosemite, Eastern Sierra) and live/recorded webinars. The target customer base consists of amateur to intermediate landscape and nature photographers seeking Lightroom workflow mastery and Yosemite shooting guidance; the educational content funnel runs through a long-running blog (active since 2009), email newsletter, YouTube video tutorials, and organic social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram). Geographic reach is global through digital channels, anchored regionally by event-driven workshops. Operationally, the business is single-operator (founded as a formal entity in 2009), with no disclosed funding, headcount, or institutional investment.

Name

michael frye photography

Legal name

Michael Frye Photography

Website

https://michaelfrye.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Michael Frye Photography is a sole proprietorship that sells landscape photography education products, including Lightroom online courses, Yosemite-focused books and mobile apps, and destination workshops serving amateur and intermediate photographers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Videography (EDAAAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Photography & Videography Workshops (THAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Landscape photography education
• Online photography courses
• Photography workshop tours
• Adobe lightroom training
• Fine art photography books

Headquarters

HQ city

Mariposa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Online Courses and Ebooks: PDF ebooks with bundled video tutorials sold as one-time purchases through the education platform. Includes Landscapes in Lightroom courses at $47 per course.
2. Photography Books: Physical and digital books on landscape photography. Signed copies sold directly, with retail availability through Amazon.
3. Mobile App Sales: iOS and Android app for Yosemite photography sold through Apple App Store ($6.99) and Google Play Store. A portion of proceeds benefit the Yosemite Conservancy.
4. Photography Workshops: In-person workshops to destinations worldwide, co-led with partner organizations like Visionary Wild.
5. Webinars: Live and recorded webinar instruction on photography topics, including the Photo Planning Made Simple webinar.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Michael Frye Photography sells landscape and nature photography education to amateur and intermediate photographers. Core offerings include three online Lightroom courses, two authored photography books, an iOS/Android Yosemite location app, in-person destination workshops, and webinars. The founder is a 30-year Yosemite resident and award-winning photographer whose expertise anchors a direct-to-consumer education brand.

Product overview

Michael Frye Photography operates as a photography education business offering a portfolio of online courses, published books, and mobile applications focused on landscape photography and digital image processing. The core offerings center on Lightroom Classic instruction through three-tiered online courses (Essential, Advanced, and Masking Panel courses) and instructional books covering landscape photography techniques. The flagship products include 'Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide' ebook with video tutorials, the hardcover book 'Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters', and the iOS/Android 'Photographer's Guide to Yosemite' app. The education platform also includes webinars, forum discussions, and workshops. The product ecosystem is unified around teaching landscape photography techniques, with physical and digital books, video-based online courses, and a location-specific mobile app all serving different learning formats and use cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide A PDF ebook with 20 accompanying video tutorials covering Adobe Lightroom Classic CC workflow for landscape photographers, including Basic Panel Tone Controls, Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, HSL Panel, curves, spot removal, HDR Merge, Panorama Merge, and Milky Way processing. Sold to amateur and intermediate landscape photographers at $47.
• Landscapes in Lightroom: Advanced Techniques An advanced online Lightroom course building on the Essential guide, covering advanced retouching, masking panel mastery, and professional-grade post-processing workflows for landscape photographers. Sold to experienced amateur and intermediate photographers.
• Lightroom's Masking Panel: In Depth A specialized online course focusing on Lightroom's Masking Panel features and Range Mask capabilities for selective adjustments in landscape photography. Sold to photographers seeking targeted Lightroom masking expertise.
• Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters A Focal Press hardcover book exploring traditional landscape photography techniques (Eliot Porter, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams) adapted for digital photography, featuring work by Minor White and Philip Hyde and interviews with John Sexton and Charles Cramer. Sold to landscape photographers at $31.95 retail with signed copies available at $27.95 plus shipping.
• The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite (Book) A book covering photography locations and techniques in Yosemite National Park, which serves as the foundation for the companion iOS/Android mobile app. Sold to photographers planning Yosemite trips.
• The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite Mobile App A native iOS and Android mobile app providing in-depth descriptions of 40 outstanding photography locations in Yosemite, including a Locations Filter for finding the best spots by month and time of day, over 100 photographs, detailed maps and directions, photography tips, sunrise/sunset times, and a seasonal planning guide. Priced at $6.99 through Apple App Store and Google Play, with one-third of proceeds benefiting the Yosemite Conservancy.
• Landscape Photography Workshops In-person and destination photography workshops led by Michael Frye, covering landscape, night photography, digital image processing, and printing. Includes destination trips to Yosemite, Eastern Sierra, Oregon Coast, Grand Canyon, Antarctica, and Greenland, often co-led with partner organizations such as Visionary Wild. Sold to photographers seeking expert in-field instruction.
• Photography Webinars Live and recorded webinar instruction on photography topics such as the Photo Planning Made Simple webinar. Sold to amateur and intermediate photographers seeking guided remote instruction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of photographers have improved their Lightroom skills through the courses
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Visionary WildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael co-leads photography expeditions for Visionary Wild, including trips to Antarctica, Greenland, Grand Canyon, and other destinations. Justin Black is the founder of Visionary Wild. Jerry Dodrill serves as co-instructor on multiple trips. The partnership provides destination photography workshops to participants.
• Yosemite ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA third of the proceeds from the sale of The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite app benefit the non-profit Yosemite Conservancy, which funds educational programs, restoration projects, and research in Yosemite National Park.
• Chris LinderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-instructor on Antarctica photography trips for Visionary Wild. Professional photographer and educator who teaches alongside Michael Frye on expedition workshops.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Visionary Wild: Photography workshop operator co-founded by Justin Black that runs destination landscape and nature photography expeditions. It is both a partner and a direct peer, offering similarly structured premium workshop experiences to overlapping audiences.
• Scott Kelby: Photographer, author, and educator producing online courses, books, and training content on Lightroom and photography techniques. Highly comparable direct peer in the online photography education space, with similar course-plus-book-plus-newsletter model.
• Tony & Chelsea Northrup: Photography educators producing online courses, YouTube tutorials, books, and software plugins. Direct peer in the photography education business with overlapping product formats (courses, ebooks, video tutorials).
• Jared Polin (Fro Knows Photo): Photography educator offering online courses, YouTube content, workshops, and educational products. Direct peer targeting the same amateur-to-intermediate photographer segment via a multi-format content approach.
• Art Wolfe: Renowned fine art nature and landscape photographer offering workshops, books, online courses, and prints. Highly comparable in the premium nature/landscape workshop and education niche with an established personal brand.
• Thomas Heaton: Landscape photographer and YouTube educator producing tutorials, online courses, and running photography workshops. Direct peer in the landscape photography education niche with similar teaching formats.

Broad incumbents

• CreativeLive: Large online education platform hosting photography courses from many instructors including workshops and Lightroom training. Broad incumbent offering overlapping photography education but across many instructors and categories.
• Skillshare: Mass-market online learning platform with extensive photography and Lightroom course offerings. Broad incumbent that competes for the same amateur photographer audience through subscription-based access to many instructors.
• National Geographic Photography Workshops: Photography workshop and education programs operated under the National Geographic brand covering travel and nature photography. Broad incumbent offering destination workshops with strong brand authority in nature photography.

Emerging players

• Chris Burkard: Adventure and landscape photographer producing educational content, books, workshops, and prints with a focus on coastal and remote landscapes. Comparable emerging personal-brand photography educator with similar multi-format offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MFryePhoto
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8-YIiN-_nQ42GXv-iSbdcw
• Facebookfacebook.com/michaelfryephoto
• Instagraminstagram.com/mfryephoto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about michael frye photography