Composition in the field

Your workshop falls on the iconic 4th of July holiday, so your lesson will include tips and techniques accordingly. Since tonight you might be attending a July 4th fireworks display shortly after your workshop, your instructor will be giving tips on capturing fireworks displays in a compelling manner, whether long exposure, shutter speed priority and other techniques!

Digital Photo Academy’s Composition in the Field Class

The Great poet, Carl Sandberg, referred to Chicago, in his epic poem, as “City of the Big Shoulders.” The photographic drama of the Chicago River, from the water, and its amazing bridges, exemplifies that notion.

We’ll meet at the open air “pagoda” at Ping Tom Park. If you’re delayed, please call or text your instructor.

Ping Tom Park is located about three blocks northwest of the heart of Chicago’s Chinatown. Please consult this Google Maps link for the exact location. It’s a small, neighborhood park and the pagoda, where we’ll be meeting, is just a few steps inside the entrance. Please arrive early if you like and photograph the magnificent Canal Street railroad bridge just across the river from the pagoda. If you’re driving, you’ll likely want to use a public parking lot, since the on street (metered) parking is scarce and has a three hour limit. The area is easily reached by public transportation. It might be best to park at the public lot on Wentworth Ave., just North of Archer Ave – a 5 minute walk from Ping Tom Park.

The focus of DPA’s Composition in the Field class is to analyze the visual things of our surroundings and how to look for and then capture powerful, compelling images with your camera. In the initial part of the class, at the pagoda, the instructor will present some information (with visual examples), about the elements of successful composition, and review some helpful camera settings. Then, we’ll take a few minutes to photograph the park environs and that great Canal Street railroad bridge, with the “house” atop it. After just a bit, together we’ll board a Chicago Water Taxi, steps from the pagoda, and journey up the Chicago River, photographing the series of magnificent bridges, Chicago’s renowned architecture, and river life scenes along the way.

Please Note – if a class must be cancelled due to weather or other circumstances beyond our control we will be happy to work with you to reschedule or provide a refund. However, if you should need to cancel or require a new class date, contact us. A $25 transfer fee will be imposed without a 3 day notice before the scheduled class.

Call at 1 877 372 2231 or a filed agent at 917 597 7053. Lots of people seem to hang up if our welcome recording comes on instead of a live voice, but we promise to return your message within a day or two if you leave one with your name and number. It would be even better if you included your email address as well as the date and city of the class you are considering. If leaving a voice mail message is not your thing, please email us at [email protected] and include the date and city of the class you are considering, as well as your phone number .

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Bridges of the City of the Big Shoulders, 1700 South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, United States