Photographers swiftly capture what sluggish painters cannot, such as the sparkle of a fleeting smile, the identity of a media-shy superhero, or the split second a peregrine falcon breaks the sound barrier. Attain photographic know-how with today's Groupon: for $49, you get a three-hour Composition in the Field workshop from Digital Photo Academy (a $99 value). Workshops are held on Saturday and Sunday at various times and locations.

A crew of five professional photographers teaches shutterbugs of all skill levels how to creatively ensnare memories in Digital Photo Academy's array of informative classes. The Composition in the Field class fans artistic flames and helps cameras to break a sweat during three-hour on-location workshops with an intimate group of 10 or fewer people. During each open-air outing, an instructor guides lenses toward flawless lighting, thoughtful framing, and stealthy snapshots of aldermen cheating at local mini-golf courses.

Students choose from various class times and locations, including a star-studded trip down Hollywood Boulevard, where instructors supplement basic compositional lessons with instructions on photographing humans in their natural habitat. A tour weaves in and out of The J. Paul Getty Museum, where camerapeople can snap shots of majestic stone architecture and verdant landscaping. Other rich reservoirs of urban imagery include Greystone Mansion and Venice Beach. Participants should plan to schlep their own digital camera and any other equipment, such as a tripod or an anti-redeye spell book, to the site of their picturesque adventure.