Digital Photo Academy (DPA) was founded in 2007 by Richard Rabinowitz out of his New York City apartment and became an instant success.  DPA offers dozens of classes each month in over 20 cities throughout the country taught by over 60 professional photographers and photojournalists, including Jill Enfield, Russ Burden, and Christine Reynolds, among others.  Each weekend, DPA offers a variety of types of classes, from Beginner and Intermediate classes that teach you the buttons and functions of your camera, to PhotoShop classes to Understanding Composition, a photography technique class, to Composition in the Field, the most popular DPA class, which brings students out in the field with a professional photographer.

 I took my first DPA class in Boston with Kathy Tarantola this past summer and loved it.  My dad was recently given a DSLR after his brother realized that he was still walking around with his Honeywell Pentax, circa 1972, approximately, for 34 years.  Three years later, my dad still didn’t have a clue as to how to use his camera.  As the 2011 summer intern at DPA, I suggested that we take Kathy’s Intermediate class together so that she could help him transition from his film camera to his digital camera, and so that I could learn more specifics about the new DSLR that I had just purchased.  Kathy led a fantastic workshop, from the detailed powerpoint to answering all of our questions, to experimenting with us both inside and outside of the classroom.  There were about eight of us in the class, all with totally different backgrounds and ages, but at similar photography skill levels, which made for an intimate classroom environment and allowed Kathy to give each and every one of us personalized attention.  Throughout the four hours of the workshop, we really bonded as a group while Kathy taught us the photography basics, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and the buttons and functions of our cameras, like the different manual modes, the white balance, and the histogram.  When I returned to DPA headquarters in New York on Monday, I couldn’t wait to share what a wonderful experience my dad and I had with Kathy and the other DPA students.

 After learning more about the buttons and functions of my camera, I decided to take another class, this time in New York, about composition to better understand what makes a powerful image and how to improve my technique.  I signed up for Understanding Composition with Adam Stoltman and headed down to Chelsea.  Another intimate classroom setting, we got to know each other, the types of cameras we each used, from DSLRs to point-and-shoots to iPhones, and why we were all interested in improving our photography.  Adam explained some of the most important and interesting compositional techniques to keep in mind as we set up our shots.  He discussed using “leading lines” to help pull your viewers’ eyes in a particular direction, accentuating color and contrast to make a vivid photograph, and getting up close and personal to your subjects.  Looking at the many examples of close, personal photographs, I was inspired to better incorporate this technique into my own body of work, as this was something with which I often struggled.  Adam took us outside so we could practice what we had learned and then we reviewed what we had photographed together.  I found that of my own photographs from that afternoon, the best one was the one in which I stepped out of my comfort zone, used what I had learned, and photographed people in a more intimate, close setting.

 As wonderful as the Intermediate and Understanding Composition classes were, the best DPA workshop I took was Jen Olsen’s Composition in the Field class in SoHo.  DPA offers hundreds of Composition in the Field classes in ever-changing venues in over 20 cities with over 60 instructors.  As DPA’s most popular type of class, Composition in the Field classes provide the unique opportunity to take a three-hour photo walk with a professional photographer.  The class is open to all levels, interests, and types of cameras.  In a relaxed environment with up to 9 other students, Composition in the Field classes allow the students to get personalized attention, learn new compositional techniques and apply them in the real world, and gain advice from the people in the field while all photographing together.  Some popular examples of DPA Composition in the Field classes include the Highline in New York City, Greystone Mansion in LA, Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, and National Mall East Low-Light in Washington, DC, among others all over the country.  As an added bonus, DPA has teamed up with Living Social and GroupOn to offer you exciting deals on your Composition in the Field classes.

 Jen led such a fantastic class that by the end, everyone was so thrilled and comfortable with what they had learned and with each other.  Before we began, Jen helped everyone set their cameras to manual mode (or as close to manual mode as everyone could get on their point-and-shoot cameras and smartphones), and how important and beautiful it can be to control the camera settings yourself.  As we walked through SoHo, Jen pointed out interesting sites and subjects for us with which to experiment.  She taught us about the power of color, people, and art in our photographs, and how we can better look for these elements in the world, regardless of the setting.  She also explained different compositional techniques that I recognized from the Understanding Composition class such as the “rule of thirds” to find a new way to frame your subject, and “depth of field” to highlight your subject while blurring the background.  Jen was also great at answering questions, posing concerns, bouncing ideas off of, and getting advice on what you had photographed that day.  She answered questions about shopping for a new camera and taking clearer images when zooming into your subject.  Everyone walked away genuinely pleased with their experiences and excited to sign up for more DPA classes in the future.

 To sign up for DPA classes, visit http://digitalphotoacademy.com/, click on your city and scroll through the calendar.  You can sign up online or call the office toll free at (877) 372-2231.  Be sure to look for deals on Composition in the Field classes through Living Social and GroupOn. 

Questions or comments?  Feel free to email info@digitalphotoacademy.com to speak with the student liaison or richard.rabinowitz@digitalphotoacademy.com to speak with Richard, DPA’s founder and CEO.