SLR Lounge Premium Review | Can This Improve Your Photography?

Good photography information is easy to find on Youtube, social media and other websites these days, but what’s more difficult to find are step-by-step, complete frameworks for mastering entire concepts.

This is where Pye Jirsa and the team at SLR Lounge come in. As one of the best educators in the photography industry, Pye has created a series of training systems based on the real-world success of owning and operating a 7 figure photo studio.

The training helps photographers master specific topics such as Flash, Wedding Photography, Family Photography, Lightroom, Business and more.

You can access the entire library with an SLR Lounge Premium membership, which we’ll be reviewing in-depth below.

I had a chance to dig into the course work, the community and the coaching to see if it’s a worthwhile investment for you as a wedding or portrait photographer in 2023.

The following article will lay out all its pros and cons.

What is SLR Lounge Premium?

SLR Lounge Premium is an online training program for photographers with unlimited access to 30+ full workshops and over 1,200 videos on a variety of topics, from camera basics to advanced flash photography.

Although it’s geared towards wedding and portrait photographers, a lot of the content can actually be applied to other fields of photography.

Here are some of their most popular training systems and courses:

• The Flash Photography Training System
• The Wedding Photography Training System
• The Photography Business Training System
• Photography 101
• Creative Photography 101
• Engagement Photography 101

Features

• Top-Notch Content and Teaching Style

Each course is jam-packed with useful material to help you evolve as an artist, entrepreneur, and overall human!

Pye is known for his down-to-earth teaching sensibilities and witty teaching style. What he and his team have managed to create is a space for growth with allowances for mistakes, as let’s face it – we all make slip-ups as photographers!

Each system is comprised of education, behind-the-scenes, critique, examples, and execution.

Whether you are a seasoned pro or just picked up your first camera, there’s something to learn for everyone.

The training systems are centered around core concepts like understanding flash or starting up your own business and are meant to help you develop from the ground up.

Each course levels up in intensity, knowledge, and value and is head and shoulders any other photography ‘education’ you might find for free on YouTube.

• Stream & Learn from Anywhere

SLR Lounge Premium allows members to stream workshops directly to their smart devices and even access presentation notes to follow along.

This is unlike any other photography education system that I’ve come across and allows you to pick up each lesson where you left off as long as you have an Internet connection.

Both the app and website are easy to use and show your progress as you watch each course.

• Community Support and Interaction

On top of receiving access to a myriad of educational workshops, SLR Lounge Premium provides members with access to a free online Facebook community and an online forum where Pye hosts live webinars, critiques, and tutorials on a monthly basis.

This gives users direct access to Pye, photo peers in the wedding and portrait industry, and a chance to grow from critique – this is truly invaluable for your progress as a photographer.

The group gives creatives a community to network, grow, and get featured in articles and social media.

• Wide Variety of Photography Niches

SLR Lounge offers in-depth training on a wide variety of topics, from mastering manual mode to advanced business training on marketing and branding for photographers.

What’s most interesting about the courses is that each one builds off of previous workshops, pulling from information in the past to make sure you retain the education.

They offer courses on engagement photography, newborn photography, special effects, on-location lighting, post-production tips (this one’s my personal favourite – I learned a lot here), and so much more.

This is so useful for photographers that want to branch out and learn different skills or test out a certain niche.

Value for Money

SLR Lounge offers two main options for purchasing their Premium membership:

• 12 Months: $348 (equiv. $29/month)
• Lifetime: $999

Considering their library is frequently updated with new course material, resources, and webinars, the value provided in a Lifetime membership ends up paying for itself over time.

Education is the most important and valuable investment a photographer should make in themselves.

I think most people know the value of good photography training, however, are reluctant to spend the money, understandably. You’ve just spent thousands on your new hobby and are not filled with joy at the prospect of parting with any more cash.

The sad fact is, if you don’t begin to value education then it’s likely your skills won’t improve, you can’t increase your rates, and you’ll be stuck to a certain extent.

SLR Lounge Premium is a one-stop shop for learning almost everything you need to know about becoming a professional wedding or portrait photographer, and how to improve in those roles if you already are one.

Final Words

Overall, SLR Lounge Premium is a treasure chest of education for photographers at any stage in their career.

Whether you are just entering the photography space and want to master manual mode or want to take your business to the next level, their library of workshops has something for everyone.

A fully-featured program such as this is one of the best investments you could make in your photography career because even the smallest amount of information retained has the ability to change your artistic process and photography career.

Each course features in-depth explanations, behind-the-scenes examples and industry tips to help you be the best photographer you can be in 2023.

With the team frequently updating the database of workshops, it’s exciting to see what they will add to the Premium Library. I definitely have enjoyed my membership so far and am excited to see what new courses they have in the pipeline.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post which may contain affiliate links – we received compensation to write it, but all recommendations are entirely impartial and based on the experiences of the author, with no bias to the products or the brand. In other words, you can trust what we say :)