This venue, 65,000 works of art, is worthy of a visit even if you have no camera and for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, there is no entry fee. Bring your camera anyway, ID as well.

Your DPA instructor will likely start the workshop with the 658,000 square foot building itself, constructed in Beaux-Arts style by Paul Cret, in 1927, with additions added in the 1960’s and 70’s. More recently substantial renovations have been made.

Whether focusing on the picturesque fountain that flows in front of the grand entranceway steps, the dramatic trio of arches or the entire structure, your DPA teacher will discuss perspective, angle, and cropping as well as selection of camera controls, depending on which visual effect appeals to you. (Certainly, you will practice use of Shutter Speed Priority on the fountain, rendering everything from an impressionistic depiction of velvety smooth ever-flowing waters to stop action, crystal clear rendering.)

The artwork itself is awe-inspiring but no less than the grand interior design concepts. Learn to photograph interior spaces in natural as well as ambient light. Look carefully at close-up architectural flourishes but don’t forget that broader views might reveal a dizzying pattern to delight the eye of the viewer of your photos.

With a Rule of Thirds Composition strategy, you can create dynamic visual layouts of an overwhelmingly cavernous space which at first, might seem daunting to capture with your camera. With leading lines and other easy to learn composition tricks you can help the viewers of your photographs begin with a focus specifically on one section of the image, and from there, launching a pathway of vision in and all-around within the frame of the shot, telling the story you intended when you released the shutter.