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Capital Photography Center

Capital Photography Center is a photography school founded by Marie Joabar, offering a wide variety of classes taught by skilled and passionate instructors. With single-session classes and small class sizes, the school provides a flexible and enjoyable learning experience for photographers of all skill levels.

Capital Photography Center

Upcoming Classes at Capital Photography Center

  • Photo Basics – Getting Off Auto

    Take control of your camera and capture stunning photographs with Photo Basics: Getting Off Auto. Learn how to choose the appropriate settings for the look you want, freeze or blur motion, and control the depth of field. Join us at Capital Photography Center and unlock the full potential of your DSLR or mirrorless camera.

    Next start date: Saturday, Apr 6th, 1:30–5:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Early Morning Cherry Blossoms Photo Shoot

    Capture the beauty of the Tidal Basin at dawn as you frame the iconic Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument with cherry blossoms in the early morning light. Learn photography techniques to enhance your skills in low light settings and create stunning images. Join us for a unique photographic experience at one of Washington D.C.'s most picturesque locations.

    Next start date: Saturday, Mar 23rd, 5:45–8:15am Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Fieldwork Photo Basics with Cherry Blossoms

    Enhance your photography skills with hands-on fieldwork at a picturesque location. Master exposure settings, composition, and capturing the perfect shot amidst Cherry Blossom trees and iconic monuments. Join us for an immersive photography experience to refine your techniques and elevate your images.

    Next start date: Saturday, Mar 23rd, 8:45–11:15am Eastern Time
    Price: $84
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  • iPhone Photography - Getting Started at the National Gallery of Art

    Discover the art of iPhone photography at the National Gallery of Art, where you'll learn how to capture stunning images and transform them into artistic expressions through the use of editing apps. Unleash your creativity and master the techniques of exposure, composition, and focus for optimal results. Don't miss this opportunity to explore endless photographic possibilities with your iPhone camera.

    Next start date: Saturday, Apr 20th, 10:30am–2:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Exploring Headshot Photography

    Discover the techniques for lighting, posing, and interacting with headshot clients in this photography class at the Capital Photography Center. Join Laura Hatcher in her studio and master the skills to capture stunning and professional headshots that leave a lasting impression on your clients. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your headshot photography skills!

    Next start date: Sunday, Apr 7th, 1–4:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $185
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  • Waterfalls of the Potomac

    Capture the breathtaking beauty of the Great Falls of the Potomac River at dawn. Join Corey Hilz on a photography adventure where you'll learn how to shoot in low light, capture flowing water, and compose stunning waterscapes. Don't miss this opportunity to create stunning images of this natural wonder in the DC area.

    Next start date: Saturday, Apr 20th, 5:30–8:30am Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Creating A Photography Website

    Learn how to showcase your photography skills and create a professional website with Adobe Portfolio at Capital Photography Center. Join Rick Frankle as he guides you through the process from start to finish, including planning, building, and maintaining your site. Enhance your online presence and take your photography career to the next level.

    Next start date: Saturday, Apr 6th, 9:30am–12pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Spring at Brookside Gardens

    Unleash your creativity and capture the vibrant beauty of spring with Corey Hilz at an enchanting garden. Master the art of emphasizing details, utilizing depth of field, modifying light, and composing impactful shots. Recommended equipment includes a DSLR or mirrorless camera, lenses in the range of 18-200mm, a Polarizer filter, and a tripod.

    Next start date: Sunday, Apr 7th, 8–11am Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Lightroom In A Day

    Master the power of Lightroom and take control of your digital workflow. Learn how to organize, adjust, and export your images with ease in this comprehensive course at Capital Photography Center. Don't miss out on the extensive PDF handout filled with practical tips and tricks to enhance your Lightroom skills.

    Next start date: Sunday, Apr 21st, 9am–5pm Eastern Time
    Price: $159
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  • Painting with Light

    Unleash your creativity and learn the art of illuminating your subjects like a painter at Capital Photography Center's unique course. Master the technique of "Painting with Light" under the guidance of instructor Marie Joabar and discover limitless possibilities in creating lighting masterpieces. Join us for an unforgettable experience at the historic Ivy Hill Cemetery at nighttime.

    Next start date: Saturday, Apr 13th, 6–9pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Portrait Editing - Tools and Techniques

    Learn the secrets to professional portrait editing in this hands-on course led by professional headshot photographer Laura Hatcher. Discover the powerful editing tools in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop that will take your portrait editing to the next level. Enhance your skills and create stunning portraits with confidence.

    Next start date: Sunday, May 19th, 1–4:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $185
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  • Getting started in Real Estate Photography

    Are you ready to excel in the dynamic field of Real Estate Photography? Join our comprehensive class at Capital Photography Center and learn essential lighting techniques, composition theory, and more. Enroll now and take your skills to the next level!

    Next start date: Sunday, May 19th, 1–4:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $109
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  • Fieldwork - Photo Basics - Late Afternoon On The Mall

    Enhance your photography skills with hands-on fieldwork around the Capitol, capturing diverse subjects and perfecting exposure settings to create stunning images. Join us for a practical session reinforcing camera controls, motion control, composition techniques, and more in a picturesque setting.

    Next start date: Saturday, May 11th, 6–8:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $79
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  • Night Photography on the National Mall

    Capture stunning nighttime images of DC's iconic monuments and memorials in this unique photography class. Learn the art of long exposures, framing compositions, and street photography at night. Don't miss your chance to capture postcard-worthy photos of Washington's beautiful landmarks!

    Next start date: Saturday, May 18th, 8–10:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Long Exposure Photography

    Learn how to capture stunning long exposure photos with Marie Joabar at various iconic locations in Washington, D.C. Discover techniques for blurring water, clouds, and moving subjects, as well as creative camera movements for abstract shots. Enhance your photography skills and create unique images in this hands-on workshop.

    Next start date: Sunday, Jun 2nd, 6–9am Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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  • Getting Started in Portraiture

    Learn the essential skills and techniques to create professional portraits in this comprehensive course offered by Capital Photography Center. Develop your ability to control lighting, composition, and posing to capture stunning and meaningful images of your loved ones. Take your portraiture skills to the next level and express your unique style through this immersive learning experience.

    Next start date: Saturday, Jun 8th, 9:30am–12:30pm Eastern Time
    Price: $109
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  • In the Abstract – Creating Abstract Images

    Unlock the hidden beauty within everyday scenes with our Abstract Photography course. Discover innovative techniques to transform familiar subjects into captivating, unrecognizable images, fostering a fresh perspective and boundless creative possibilities.

    Next start date: Saturday, Jun 8th, 1:30–5pm Eastern Time
    Price: $119
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  • Exploring The Capitol Fountains and Fall Gardens

    Discover the hidden beauty of the Capitol's fountains and gardens in this immersive photography course, where you'll master techniques to capture stunning images amidst colorful flowers, flowing fountains, and iconic statues. Unleash your creativity and learn to frame the Capitol building in unique and captivating ways.

    Next start date: Sunday, Jun 9th, 9am–12pm Eastern Time
    Price: $99
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1616 H St NW, Washington, DC 20006
Capital Photography Center
Downtown, Washington, D.C.
1616 H St NW
Btwn 17th St NW & Jackson Pl NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20006

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Description

How We Began

Capital Photography Center was created by Marie Joabar who for more than a decade was the Education Programs Manager and Corporate Trainer at Penn Camera, one of Washington D.C.’s long standing photography retailers. Marie developed that company’s educational program growing it from three topics in 2003 to almost 50 in 2011, and earned it the reputation of having the area’s largest selection of classes with the widest variety of topics.

When Penn Camera closed in January 2012, it was a logical choice to open Capital Photography Center to continue offering amateurs, hobbyists and professionals the opportunity to continue learning and grow their photography.

Who We Are

Our instructor list boasts some of the area’s best instructors; founder of the popular Washington Photo Safari, E. David Luria, renowned photographer and educator, Corey Hilz, the talented travel, landscape and portrait photographer, Roy Sewall, award winning wildlife and bird photographer, Emily Carter Mitchell, pro sports shooter, Mitchell Layton, and the popular food photographer, Renee Comet, just to name a few. All of our instructors are Professional Photographers but more important than that is their skill at communicating and teaching.

Our Classes

With busy schedules and family demands, our classes are the perfect fit! No need to clear the calendar for a 6 week session or commit to a class that runs on 3 different dates. Our classes are single sessions so it’s easy to schedule a single day or an early morning or afternoon class.

Most of our classes are taught on the weekends although from time to time we offer a weekday evening or early morning class.

Our classes are small enough so no matter where you are with your photography or your camera, we can work with each person at their individual level. Most are limited to just 10 to 12 students which allows plenty of individual attention and makes learning an enjoyable experience.

Our instructors are truly passionate about sharing their knowledge but also strive to make learning fun. No matter what your skill level is, you’ll enjoy our classes and find we attract a great group of like-minded people.

Our classroom classes are offered in Falls Church and in DC. Our In-The-Field classes are offered throughout the area from as far away as Waterford, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland and as near as the U.S. Capitol.

Where To Start

If you are new to photography, we suggest learning exposure basics and getting off of the Auto mode. Our DSLR class is perfect for this and lays a solid foundation in the basics.

If you’re good with the basics there’s no better place to continue learning than an In-The-Field- Shooting class. Just choose the ones that excite you the most or cover the topics you want to learn more about.

For editing skills consider one of the Lightroom or Photoshop classes. From there, the learning continues with our Printing, Digital Art, Seeing in Black and White and other post processing classes.

Lighting can take your photography to new levels and set you apart from the pack. We’ve got that covered in our Flash Photography and Small Studio classes.


Notes: Mailing address:PO Box 855 Alexandria, VA 22313

Reviews of Capital Photography Center

(5.0-star rating across 10 reviews)
  • iPhone Photography - Getting Started at the National Gallery of Art

    Reviewed by Joan R. on 10/22/2023
    Michael presented a great class. Lots of information explained fully and with humor. I've already recommended it to friends.
  • Creative Smartphone Photography Field Shoot

    Reviewed by Kathy S. on 5/1/2022
    Excellent instructor and class, I really enjoyed it, learned a lot and plan to check out more classes
  • Photo Basics – Getting Off Auto

    Reviewed by David M. on 2/28/2022
    Outstanding! Exactly what I was looking for. Valuable guidance presented in an effective manner.
  • Waterfalls of the Potomac

    Reviewed by Jim Z. on 11/16/2021
    Thus is an excellent class for beginners and medium experienced photographers. Corey did a very thorough job of explaining settings and what to look for. He moved around to give each person in the class some individual attention. He answered questions and gave suggestions. It was a very positive experience.
  • Photo Basics – Getting Off Auto

    Anonymous review on 1/27/2020
    Great beginner class for anyone looking to get into photography. Helps that it is an in-person class where you get to see hands on what each concept means and as a bonus you get to see various types of cameras - if you haven’t yet decided on buying/upgrading to one.
  • iPhone Photography - Getting Started at the National Gallery of Art

    Reviewed by Rocio S. on 2/4/2024
  • iPhone Photography - Getting Started at the National Gallery of Art

    Anonymous review on 1/10/2023
  • Photo Basics – Getting Off Auto

    Reviewed by Jim Z. on 11/15/2021
  • Photo Basics – Getting Off Auto

    Reviewed by Chavilah B. on 11/15/2021
  • Photography Basics and Exposure Control

    Reviewed by Graham H. on 2/1/2021

Review Summary by CourseHorse

The classes at Capital Photography Center have received positive feedback from students, who found them informative, enjoyable, and helpful in improving their photography skills. Students appreciated the instructors' thorough explanations and guidance, as well as their ability to provide individual attention to each participant. The classes were deemed suitable for both beginners and medium-experienced photographers. By attending in-person classes, students had the opportunity to understand concepts hands-on and observe different types of cameras, which was beneficial for those who were considering purchasing or upgrading their equipment. Direct quotes: - "Lots of information explained fully and with humor. I've already recommended it to friends." - "Excellent instructor and class, I really enjoyed it, learned a lot and plan to check out more classes." - "Great beginner class for anyone looking to get into photography. Helps that it is an in-person class where you get to see hands-on what each concept means."

Teachers at Capital Photography Center

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