Join our photography lessons at the University of Washington, one of the most architecturally diverse and visually stunning venues in the Digital Photo Academy's rotation of Seattle shooting locations.
The UW campus spans centuries of architectural style, from the French Renaissance grandeur of the 1890s to the collegiate Gothic towers of the early twentieth century and on to the modernist glass and concrete structures of the 1960s and 70s. This session offers an in-depth study of architectural photography using the campus as your classroom. The Tenino Sandstone masonry of Denny Hall and the Theodore Jacobsen Observatory, both erected in 1895 following the campus's relocation from downtown Seattle, stand as two of the oldest buildings on the uptown campus and offer some of the richest photographic texture and form you'll find anywhere.
Whether you're shooting buildings at a distance for sweeping compositional effect or moving in tight for architectural abstractions, the campus supports both approaches beautifully. The ornate interior of the Suzzallo Library, with its soaring cathedral-like ceiling and warm ambient light, provides a masterclass in working with Leading Lines and available light photography.
Statues, both historic and contemporary, are scattered throughout the grounds, offering ideal subjects for portrait-style photography as well as tools for practicing depth-of-field techniques and foreground framing in wider compositions.
Drumheller Fountain, framed against the distant silhouette of Mount Rainier on a clear day, becomes a dynamic playground for exploring the visual effects of moving water. Slow your shutter for silky, ethereal streams, or increase it to freeze individual droplets mid-air. During Cherry Blossom season, the quad transforms into an extraordinary setting for macro photography, with delicate blossoms offering intimate studies in color and form.
Bring your camera
Each Composition in the Field class opens with a briefing from one of our experienced instructors, followed by a guided walk through one of more than 20 photogenic locales spanning the cities in the DPA network. You'll encounter opportunities for street photography, farmers market scenes, zoo subjects, dramatic interiors, sweeping landscapes, and much more. The sample images included draw from both student and instructor work across venues throughout the United States and Canada.
You will enjoy every minute of the three-hour session, sharpen your eye for strategic image-making, and leave with a practical foundation for improving your photography, whether you're on the road, at a family celebration, or simply exploring your own neighborhood.
Please note that if a class must be canceled due to weather or other circumstances beyond our control, we will be happy to work with you to reschedule. If you need to cancel and would like to transfer to a different class date, please contact us. A $25 transfer fee applies when notice is given fewer than three days before the scheduled class.
