Digital Photography Live In-the-Field @ Gas Works Park

Gas Works Park carries a remarkable industrial history dating back to 1906, when the site was used to process gas from coal. The plant has been closed for more than six decades, but the former industrial complex has since been transformed into one of Seattle's most beloved and visually distinctive public spaces. The ancient machinery has been painted in vivid, unexpected colors, and if composed well, these structures can produce genuinely stunning photographs. The park balances a gritty, textural aesthetic with an inviting, family-friendly atmosphere, and it is the photographer's challenge to find the images that capture both simultaneously. Your DPA instructor will provide the compositional tools to help you build photographs that are at once dramatic and emotionally resonant.

Gas Works Park offers photographers a spectacular range of color and texture, two of the most powerful ingredients in compelling outdoor photography.

By the end of the session, you will have a working knowledge of all the essential principles of photographic composition. Foundational concepts such as the Rule of Thirds and Leading Lines will give you the structural tools to guide how a viewer moves through your image and what they see first. Composition is not decoration; it is the fundamental logic of how a photograph works.

Each Composition in the Field class opens with an instructor-led discussion before students and their instructor explore one of the many photogenic locations across the 20-plus cities in the DPA network. The curriculum spans street photography, architecturally rich interiors, farmers' markets, zoos, landscapes, and much more, drawing on student and instructor photographs from venues across the United States and Canada.

In this three-hour session, you will learn to shoot with intention, discover techniques for capturing more compelling images in any location, and walk away with a solid compositional foundation applicable everywhere from family gatherings to international travel.

Please note: If a class must be cancelled due to weather or other circumstances outside our control, we will work with you to reschedule. If you need to cancel and require a new class date, please contact us. A $25 transfer fee applies to requests made without at least 3 days' notice before the scheduled class.