Photography Classes in Chicago, IL

This workshop will offer instruction for people who want to learn the ins and outs of their cameras. Improve your skills no matter which camera model you own! Take this Course if you: Just purchased a Digital SLR Camera/Point and shoot camera Want to learn to make simple and creative changes to your pictures using the functions of your camera...

Millennium Park is a fantastic combination of art, culture, nature, and urban life. With some of the most unique architecture and most interesting art work in the city, not to mention the free tours, concerts, exhibitions, and family events, Millennium Park is understandably one of the greatest attractions in Chicago. Join your Digital Photo Academy...

With more than 81 acres of water at the Garden, these areas and the reflections they create are ideal image subjects. Students will acquire the skills and practice needed to photograph water features with reflection and varied light levels. 

Learn the techniques and principles of photography. You will explore the basics of photography, including image composition rules, how the camera works, proper exposure, and the functions of lens aperture and shutter speed. The course requires a digital SLR camera. No previous experience is required.  This class will be taught online via Zoom....

Did you buy a new camera recently? This workshop will help you set up your camera and learn basic operations.  Please have your digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, mirrorless camera, or advanced point-and-shoot camera on hand. This class will be taught online via Zoom. All registrations must be submitted online two days before your...

Summer offers photographers a unique perspective of Japanese art and landscape architecture.  Learn about the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden and its three islands—Keiunto (Island of the Auspicious Cloud), Seifuto (Island of Pure Breezes), and Horaijima (Island of Everlasting Happiness)—as you acquire photographic techniques that...

When the sun drops below the horizon, bring the Garden to life by photographing your selected subject with a beam of light. Moving a light source during a long exposure creates a look that can only be obtained by using light as a brush. Students must have a DSLR camera (no phones or tablets, please) and a sturdy tripod. A cable or remote shutter release...

Different types of trees require different photographic techniques to represent their beauty. For evergreens, the emphasis is on texture and pattern; for deciduous trees, capturing branches and the changing color of leaves as individual subjects in close-ups is the focus.  Digital SLR cameras with a medium to wide-angle lens and macro or close-focusing...

Bridges in a myriad of styles, materials, and lengths connect the Garden’s islands. They make interesting photo subjects themselves and also serve as wonderful vantage points from which to capture the land and water around them. Learn the best focal lengths and framing techniques to use when taking pictures of bridges and from them.

With 27 gardens, nine islands, six miles of shoreline, and natural areas spread across 385 acres, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a dream and a challenge for photographers. Discover places and techniques for creating captivating images, review compositional ideas, and explore how to capture the essence of the Garden. Then, put your knowledge to work...

Make your images even better with Adobe Photoshop Elements—a user-friendly photo editor that has the same concepts as the full version of Photoshop. Apply selection tools, layers, and smart brushes.  A laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop CS5 installed and a digital camera are required. This class will be taught online...

Thoughtful processes are key steps in learning to identify, then capture, an impressive and artistic image as an intermediate photographer. Use lead lines, selective manual focus, and appropriate aperture settings to enhance your photos. Prerequisite: Beginning Digital Photography or the consent of the instructor.

The locals have the inside scoop on the Wicker Park Historic District, 4 acres, as a place for hipsters, culture bugs and artists so not surprisingly there is an abundance of charming shops, galleries and restaurants. The park was established, thanks to alderman Charles Wicker and his brother, Joel in 1868 and has undergone a series of significant...

Gold Coast’s character and architecture attract visitors from far and wide to gawk at the magnificent mansions and classic brownstones.  After all, Gold Coast is one of the most affluent and beautiful neighborhoods in the country.  Yet it has more to its charm than wealth.  Since its establishment in the late 1880s, Astor Street has...

Back in 1907 designed what Chicago’s West Side called a Pleasure Ground, Garfield Park, and it gloriously stands today as a picturesque warming spot in the dead of winter as well as in full bloom in the other season. If you dare the cold, begin your collections of photographs on the outer glass structure of patterns, shapes and reflections. Inside...