From enrollment to gear recommendations — your complete resource guide.
Acromatico Academy is designed for young creators ages 7-14. Our 30-minute micro-learning format is perfect for this age range — long enough to teach real skills, short enough to keep them engaged.
Absolutely not! We start from the very beginning. Whether your child has never touched a camera or has been snapping photos on their phone, we'll meet them where they are and take them further.
No problem! Every class is recorded and available in our Lifetime Instruction Library. Your child can catch up on expert-led teachings anytime, rewatch lessons as many times as they need, and never fall behind.
8 live classes per month — every Monday and Thursday at 11:30 AM ET. Plus, in December, we add 2 special 1-hour fun workshops during the first 2 weeks to celebrate the year.
Yes! Monthly plans can be canceled anytime with no penalties. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle. Annual plans are prepaid for 12 months (year-round classes including summer & winter) and save you 20%.
No problem! You can join anytime during the school year.
For Monthly Plans: You'll start with the current month's curriculum and continue through June. Any months you missed will roll over to the next school year, so your child completes the full 10-month journey.
For Annual Plans: If you join mid-year (e.g., January), your 10-month annual plan covers January-June this year, then September-December the following year. You get the full curriculum and 20% savings, just spread across two school years.
Short answer: Not required, but highly recommended for serious growth.
Your child can start with a smartphone — many incredible photographers do. But if you want to invest in their creative future and give them full manual control, here's what we recommend:
At this age, lightweight and compact is key. They need something they can carry, love using, and won't be intimidated by.
Instant printing + digital saving. Kids LOVE seeing their photos instantly. Budget: $200-250
Compact, point-and-shoot style, great for both photo and video. Perfect for learning. Budget: ~$899 (available on StepUp)
💡 Pro Tip: Check StepUp for budget-friendly options on used Sony, Canon, and Fujifilm cameras. Great way to get professional gear at student-friendly prices.
This is the sweet spot for mirrorless cameras — professional quality, lightweight bodies, and room to grow into advanced techniques.
Lightweight, fast autofocus, excellent image quality. Perfect starter pro camera. Budget: $900-1,100 (check StepUp for savings)
Compact, retro design kids love, excellent colors straight out of camera. Budget: $800-900 (check StepUp for used)
If your child is ready for professional-level gear, these are the systems we've used and recommend:
Full-frame powerhouse. 33MP, incredible autofocus, 10fps burst, 4K 60p video. Perfect balance of photo/video. Lighter than Canon, longer battery life. Budget: $2,500-2,800
61MP resolution monster. Incredible sharpness, natural color science, simplified system. Best for portraits, landscapes, studio work. Lightweight mirrorless design. Budget: $3,500-4,000
24MP full-frame. Canon's flagship mirrorless. Incredible color science, reliable autofocus, works with Canon RF and EF lenses (with adapter). 2 decades of Canon fans love this. Budget: $2,500-2,800
30MP full-frame DSLR. The workhorse we used for almost a decade. Rugged, reliable, massive lens ecosystem. Heavier than mirrorless but built like a tank. Perfect for learning pro fundamentals. Budget: $2,000-2,500 (check StepUp for savings)
💡 Pro Tip: StepUp is a marketplace for high-quality used camera gear. You can save 20-40% on Sony, Canon, and Fujifilm bodies and lenses. All gear is inspected and rated by condition.
If your child is ready to invest in glass, here's what we recommend based on 2 decades of professional experience:
Wide angle for landscapes, architecture, environmental portraits, street photography. Budget: $900
The classic everyday lens. Perfect for portraits, street photography, storytelling, and learning fundamentals. Budget: $250
Portrait perfection. Beautiful bokeh, flattering compression, isolates subjects beautifully. Budget: $600
Versatile telephoto zoom for portraits, sports, wildlife, events, and distant subjects. Budget: $2,600
Wide, sharp, perfect for storytelling, landscapes, architecture, and environmental portraits. Budget: $1,500
Dreamy bokeh, low-light champion. Creates beautiful subject separation and artistic portraits. Budget: $1,400
Magazine-quality portraits. Incredible bokeh, makes people look stunning, perfect for headshots and creative portraits. Budget: $2,000
Dual-purpose: stunning portraits and extreme close-up macro photography. Incredible detail and sharpness. Budget: $900
Workhorse telephoto zoom. Perfect for portraits, sports, wildlife, events, and any distant subjects. Budget: $2,000
Think Tank Photo — Industry standard. TSA-approved, travel-tested for nearly 20 years. Nearly indestructible. Use our referral link for $15 off. Budget: $100-300
Sony SF-G UHS-II V90 or SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II V90 — 128GB or 256GB. Fast read/write speeds for burst shooting and 4K video. Budget: $60-120 each. Always carry at least 2.
USB-C UHS-II Card Reader — Fast ingesting for editing workflow. ProGrade Digital or SanDisk readers work great. Budget: $30-50
Always carry at least 2 batteries. Nothing worse than a dead battery mid-shoot. Sony NP-FZ100 for A7 series. Budget: $50-80 each
Microfiber cloths, lens pen, air blower. Keep gear pristine. Budget: $20-40
Once your child masters ground-level photography, aerial perspective opens up a whole new world.
Lightweight, under 249g (no FAA registration needed), 4K video, incredible stabilization. Budget: $750-900
Manual mode gives your child complete creative control. Instead of the camera guessing, they decide how the photo looks — the depth of field, the motion blur, the brightness, the mood.
We teach them to master the Exposure Triangle: Aperture (controls depth), Shutter Speed (controls motion), and ISO (controls light sensitivity). Once they understand how these three work together, they can shoot anything, anywhere, in any light.
Controls depth of field. Wide open (f/1.8) = blurry background (portraits). Closed down (f/16) = everything sharp (landscapes).
Controls motion. Fast (1/1000s) = freeze action. Slow (1/30s) = motion blur (waterfalls, light trails).
Controls sensitivity to light. Low (100-400) = clean, sharp. High (1600+) = grainy but bright in darkness.
$0-300
$800-1,500
$3,000+
Remember: Gear doesn't make the photographer. Vision, composition, and light make the photographer. A $200 camera in skilled hands beats a $5,000 camera in unskilled hands every time. We'll teach them the skills — you choose the tool that fits your budget.
The industry standard for photo editing. We teach Lightroom basics in October: Photo Editing Mastery. It's how we bring colors to life, enhance natural beauty, and create that magazine-ready look.
Includes Lightroom + Lightroom Classic + Photoshop + 20GB cloud storage.
Budget: ~$19.99/month with student discount | Check Adobe's website for current student pricing
Not required. Lightroom covers 95% of post-production needs. But if your child wants to explore advanced compositing, graphic design, or creative effects, Photoshop is included in the Photography Bundle.
Most professional photographers edit 100% in Lightroom. Photoshop is for advanced creative exploration.
Best editing experience on a Mac. Ideally on the new Apple M1-M5 chips for blazing-fast performance and energy efficiency.
💡 Pro Tip: Use Apple Education Store to get education discounts on Macs. Significant savings for students and educators!
Options: MacBook Air M1/M2 (portable, lightweight) or iMac 24" M1/M3 (larger screen, perfect for home editing)
Budget: $800-1,200 (check Apple Education Store for discounts)
Best Option: MacBook Pro 14" M3/M4 with 32GB RAM — Less expensive than 16" model, incredibly powerful, perfect balance of portability and performance. This is a true powerhouse for serious photographers.
Alternative: iMac 24" M3 with 32GB RAM — Gorgeous 4.5K Retina display, all-in-one setup, perfect for dedicated editing station at home.
Budget: $1,800-2,500 (check Apple Education Store for discounts)
"I edit with speed and have multiple applications open at once. This is professional-level, not required for starting students—but shows what's possible." — Italo
Budget: $3,000-4,500 (MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro/Max/Ultra with 64GB RAM)
PCs work fine for Lightroom, but Macs offer better color accuracy, battery life, and creative workflow optimization.
Minimum: 16GB RAM, Intel i5/AMD Ryzen 5 or better, 256GB SSD | Budget: $700-1,200
Questions answered. Gear researched. Time to enroll.