Composition in the Field - Photography Workshop

Each Composition in the Field class begins with a talk with one of our experienced instructors, and then you and your fellow students take a stroll through one of a variety of photogenic locales (in any of the 20+ cities the DPA encapsulates). There is street photography, magnificent interiors, farmers markets, zoos, landscapes, and more, photos of which are included within. These photos are a mix of student and instructor images in many different venues and cities across the United States and Canada.

You will have fun in the three hour session, learn to shoot strategically, get more interesting photos of the event, and walk away with a foundation to improve your photographs in the future, whether you’re traveling, or at a birthday party and everywhere in between.

Officially founded in 1746, Princeton was originally located in Elizabeth, New Jersey as the College of New Jersey. In 1747, it was moved to Newark, but still before the American Revolution, 1756, the university was permanently established in Princeton. Join your DPA Instructor for lessons in capturing architectural images, a category of shooting all its own. Whether traveling locally with your camera or making once-in-a-lifetime trips, there is a lot to learn about powerfully depicting monuments, churches, historic sites and relevant details of a place.

With dozens of buildings and dozens of styles in architecture, you will spend 3 hours indoors and outdoors on the campus. From the beginning, there was the Gothic Style reminiscent of the quadrangles of Oxford and Cambridge, steeped in a thousand years of history. Capture High Victorian Gothic flourishes epitomized in the Alexander Hall structure, including closeup images of the exterior sculptures. Then step indoors to work with indoor/ambient lighting while photographing the vibrant mural mounted therein. Then move on to American Gothic offshoot with the Stick Style that emerged following the financial panic of 1873.

Your instructor will convey the nuances of photographic principles such as Rule of Thirds, Depth of Field, Leading Lines and other approaches to creating appealing compositions in your photographs. He will help you to analyze your signature style of picture taking, patterns you gravitate to both knowingly and unknowingly.

And it is not only the old-world architectural themes since other more modern styles can be found juxtaposed within the original buildings. Thanks to architectural visionary, Frank Gehry, you will find abstract patterns to work with inside and outside of the Lewis Science Building.

Besides capturing architectural themes, you will learn the art of panning, a technique to depict motion in an appealing way, whether focusing on a biker, skateboarder or passing vehicle. Throughout the seasons, there is always something to photograph on and around the Princeton University Campus.

By the Princeton University Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544-2098

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 Digital Photo Academy at 1 877 372 2231 or a field 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 and include the date and city of the class you are considering, as well as your phone number.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, United States