Master Your Camera Controls and Composition in the Field - Photo Workshops

The DPA Instructors who lead these workshops are professional photographers

For each Master Your Camera Controls, a maximum of 5 attendees sit for 90 minutes with the instructor who will walk you through the manual camera controls of your specific camera. More than 5 attendees would be too chaotic if each person brings a different camera, with different controls.

After enrollment we procure the exact camera manufacturer and model in advance so the teacher is sure to point out any special features. This allows the photographer the option of overriding the automatic camera controls which sometimes disengage because the mechanics of the camera miscalculate the visual effect you are attempting.

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.

Established in 1936, to commemorate the Texas Centennial Exposition, the Hall of Horticulture, now Texas Discovery Garden, began as a relatively modest conservatory including the “Garden Room,” half the size of what now encompasses this multitude of photo ops for any sort of photographer. Even without a camera, the Texas Discovery Garden is worth a visit.

But you won’t be disappointed as a photo enthusiast, with a cell phone camera, point & shoot or high end DSLR or Mirrorless camera.

The photo workshop begins with composition techniques to capture vibrant wall murals and hanging sculptures in the two-story lobby of the Main Building, including a series of hanging hand-blown glass and steel structures depicting insects and flowers amongst other natural world themed creations. While fauna, butterflies and plant life will be your main themes, there is also a lesson on overcoming the challenges of photographing multi-faceted glass structures as they are often obscured in glaring sunlight.

Your instructor will also share tips on shutter speed priority at the site of the lovely fountain in the Grand Allee du Meadows pavilion, to allow you to photographically create a split second of clear water, stopped instantaneously, or a velvety smooth impressionistic depiction a soft flow of water.

Whether focusing on thousands of flowers or as many butterflies in the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House, you can walk away with luxurious images of your subjects, close up, or in a spare of color from a further vantage point. There are easy to learn composing tricks that you can use for every future experience where you bring your camera. Some of these might be meaningless to you know but soon you will have an artillery of strategies to turn snap shots into compelling images among them, Leading Lines, Rule of Thirds, Negative Space, Layering and many more.

General admission gets you access to the gardens, butterfly house, snake and reptile shack, outdoor playscape, garden trains, ponds and pools, and the entire 7.5 acres for the entire day.

Adults (13+) – $12
Seniors (65+) – $10
Children (4-12 years old) – $6
Military, Teachers, First Responders, Students with ID – $10

Meet by the hanging sculptures in the 2 story main building.

3601 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Dallas, TX 75210

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

Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, 3601 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, Dallas, United States