AI Rate Professor

Photography

Rick Mariani

PHOT151 · PHOTO153 · 7 lifetime ratings

AI rating
91/100
RMP rating
4.9/5
Take again
100%
Difficulty
3.7

The decision

if you want to become a real photographer and are ready to work hard for that growth.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerMaster of lightingCaring mentorPushes hardIndustry experienceWorth the work
  • Industry-level lighting master who pours knowledge into students who put in time.
  • Workload and critiques are demanding; you cannot fake your way through.
  • Near-universal praise for , and skill growth after the class.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

Students earn As by doing real photo work and taking critiques seriously; he will not let you fake the semester.

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Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

Lighting and product work demand practice, class participation, and high-quality outputs beyond a casual elective.

.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

22/100

as mandatory and class participation is required during critiques and lectures.

.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

96/100

Students call him one of the best photography instructors around and .

.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

Can be tough and push hard, yet returns written tips and students still report As when they put the work in.

Format shift

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Workload

Heavy

28/100

Requires great work, critiques, participation, and time investment; not a class you coast through.

Format shift

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Teaching experience

Excellent

95/100

Master of lighting with years of product and advertising experience who is caring, generous with knowledge, and .

Format shift

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Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

25/100

Driven by photo assignments, critiques, and written comments rather than traditional high-stakes exams.

Format shift

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Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

7 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Studio and lecture-based photo classes with required participation, critiques, and heavy hands-on lighting work from a .

Main concern

High expectations and tough push can feel harsh if you want an easy pass.

What students said

“He went far beyond the call of duty to help me with my photographic endeavors.”
PHOTO153
“If you want to learn lighting, this is the instructor to go to.”
153
“You will work in this class, but walk away a better photographer.”
PHOTO153

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Assessment centers on photographic projects and critiques with written tips rather than formal closed-book exams.

Project-based assessmentClass critiquesWritten assignment feedback

Assessment risk

Standard

60/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

Reviews emphasize assignments, critiques, and ; .

Assignment critiquesWritten feedback tips
“Returns and what was done well/bad.”
PHOTO153

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If you want to learn lighting, this is the instructor to go to. Rick Mariani is a master of lighting and is willing to help students gain as much knowledge as they're willing to put the time in for.”

Voice snapshots generated from 7 in-person reviews, highlighting lighting expertise, tough love, and student growth. Credibility rating: High.

💡 Lighting Mastery

95/100

“One of the . If you want to learn lighting, this is your guy.”

❤️ Caring Mentorship

92/100

“Rick Mariani is very knowledgeable and caring as a teacher. He went far beyond the call of duty to help me.”

💪 High Standards

35/100

“Very difficult and requires great work out of people and .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • master of lighting and is willing to help students
  • very forthcoming and
  • His experience, and teaching style; gave me the opportunity to learn from someone who has been working in the field

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Growth

  • You will work in this class, but walk away a better photographer.
  • He isn't an instructor you can take expecting to fake your way through the semester
  • he may have been tough on me and other students at time but if he didn't push us we wouldn't have known how good we really were

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • Caring
  • very nice and very helpful if you ask
  • Thankful for his dedication for his students

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

7

Recent reviews read by the AI

7

Lifetime ratings

78/100

Evidence confidence

Seven consistently glowing in-person reviews from 2010-2017 with rich detail on lighting skill and workload create a reliable picture.

Inside 7 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 56
4 out of 51
3 out of 50
2 out of 50
1 out of 50

Course coverage

PHOTO1535 reviews
1531 review
PHOT1511 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

3 reported outcomes

A range

3

A 3

B range

0

No reported values

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

0

No reported values