Our founder, Briana Stroman, started teaching photography classes in Fall/Winter of 2022 through a non-profit organization called ArtBuds, which took place at our current home base, Urban Art Gallery (aka UAG). While she was present as a guest instructor for a few class days, it captured the attention of UAG. From there, DBM Visionaries was born in Summer of 2023.

We are based in Philadelphia, PA, and host programs throughout the city, including community spaces and outdoor locations. We also travel within the Greater Philadelphia Area or the Tri-State Area. Our current home base is with our youth partners at Urban Art Gallery in West Philadelphia.

For both youth and adult programs, we aim to host them at least 3-4 times a year.

We welcome youth as young as 11 years old up to elderly adults.

Our youth workshops are FREE due to our partnership with Urban Art Gallery. Our adult workshops has a registration fee based on the program you're interested in: Essentials (4 weeks - $99) or Essentials + Creator (8 weeks - $199).

No. In fact, our academy primarily caters to beginner photographers.

No. If you don't have your own camera, we provide loaner DSLR cameras for you to use during class.

Yes. We encourage students to bring their own camera if they have one. We highly recommend to bring a digital camera such as a DSLR or Mirrorless camera (of any brand) so that everyone can be on the same page with learning. If you have a film camera, point & shoot/bridge camera, or decide to use your smartphone, you can still participate...but your process will be different than others.

You can stay updated one of the following ways: Sign up for our academy newsletter via email (scroll to the bottom of our website to sign up) Text DBMV to 888-298-6740 to receive updates to your phone. Follow us on social media (Instagram: @dbmvisionaries | Facebook: DBM Visionaries | LinkedIn: DBM Visionaries)

You can support us by attending events, donating, volunteering, or spreading the word about our programs.

The first thing to try is refreshing the webpage. If that doesn't work, please let us know so we can assist you.

Our youth workshops are designed for ages 11-17. There are two exceptions to our age requirement: If your child is age 10, they must be turning age 11 within the program they're signing up for. If your child is age 17 & will soon be 18, they must be 17 by the start of our program.

Yes, our youth workshops through Urban Art Gallery are free.

We primarily announce our enrollment in our newsletter, secondly our showcases, thirdly our website, and lastly our social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn). We provide the link to our application so parents/guardians can enroll within the allotted time.

Yes, we go on trips to different areas of the city, photo studios, photo galleries & etc. We provide a 2-week notice of all trips.

On average, we teach 15-25 students (sometimes smaller classes). We have limited spots available to provide loaner cameras.

Not necessarily. Our enrollment isn't based on skill. It's primarily based on the order of submission (aka first come, first serve). However, we do strive for a higher priority to enroll students who've never completed the program before.

Yes. However, if they're in need of a loaner camera, our priority will go to new students first. If there're loaner cameras available, we will review returning students in order of submission. If your child has their own camera, they'll be welcomed back with open arms (with being re-enrolled of course).

It's our concluding ceremony event where the youth students graduate from the program & have a photo exhibition to showcase some of their work. In addition, we have a silent auction which helps students make money from their photo prints. Students will receive a certificate of completion as well as their auction paycheck at the end of the night.

We have two different programs/workshops: Essentials (E) - $99: A 4-week program that concentrates on photography fundamentals (camera operations, composition, exposure triangle, camera modes) Essentials + Creator (EC) - $199: A 8-week program that concentrates on photography fundamentals and advanced + creative knowledge such as lighting equipment, live in-studio demos with models, set design, photo editing, photo printing & more. It also includes a feature in our concluding exhibition with a silent auction to see photo prints.

You must be an Essentials + Creator (EC) student to be featured in the exhibition. If you're just an Essentials (E) student, you'll have the opportunity to sign up to be an EC student, which means the remaining balance would need to be submitted.

We do offer photography education programs for adults. Free programs are only associated with nonprofit organizations, which as of now, we're completely independent for adult programs. However, we have affordable programs that adults can take advantage of.

We accept credit/debit cards, and CashApp. If you need to pay in smaller installments, we also accept AfterPay.

Whether you're in the Essentials (E, 4-week) program or the Essentials & Creator (EC, 8-week) program, everyone starts on the same day. The only difference is, the Essentials students finish earlier than the E students finish sooner than the EC students.

Yes, if you're in the Essentials + Creator (8-week) program. For our Essential (4-week) students, we'll still go on photo walks in the neighborhood.