Creating a masterwork of photographic art can be like wandering through a maze: after a lengthy period of contemplation, you’ll still probably starve. Appreciate the figurative risks and transcendent joys of creativity with today’s Groupon: for $89, you get a five-hour digital-photography workshop from Capturing True Emotion at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Balloon Fiesta Park (a $450 value). Workshops run from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 1 and Monday, October 3, and from 5 p.m. until the conclusion of fireworks on Sunday, October 2. Admission to the festival is waived for Groupon purchasers, and participants should check in 15 minutes prior to their workshop at Gate 1 near the park's entrance. A personal camera is required, and the evening session also requires a tripod.

Capturing True Emotion's Balloon Fiesta workshop is driven by the dynamic duo of Val Westover, a dedicated author and portrait photographer, and Stephanie Adriana, an experienced fine-art photographer. By fusing their narrative, tech-savvy minds together into one oversize head, the educators provide comprehensive guidance on both camera operation and creative visualization, giving participants complete control over their images and the ability to pause cute moments and sunsets.

During the five hours spent among the fiesta’s inspirational inflatables, students in the workshop learn how to control depth of field by adjusting the aperture, how to artfully light a yeti sighting, how to compose a family portrait so that there’s not always a rampaging robot in the background, how to use alternative angles to avoid red eye, and other techniques. Students put their new shutter-speed skills to good use under the tutelage of their instructor during the hands-on photo expedition, snapping shots of some of the 500 balloons present at the world-famous Balloon Fiesta.

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