This was a photography class I taught on how to use only your smartphone and editing apps to create beautiful images.

1. July 23rd 2013
11:30-1:00
Julie Kittredge
Business Services Advisor

2. Do I need an awesome Camera?
 The best camera to use is the one you have with you
 Smartphone cameras are amazing
 Learning the rules of composition will help your
pictures look better immediately
 The answer is no, you don’t need an awesome camera
to take beautiful everyday photos BUT you do need a
few great apps on your smartphone!
 Optional: Download the Camera + app. ($1.99)

3. Features of Camera +
 Set your exposure
separately from your focus
 Flash control
 Rule of thirds grid/guide
 Shooting modes
 Stabilizer
 Timer
 Burst – rapid fire multiple
photos

4. Choose Your Subject & Focus
 What is your
focus?
 Make sure your
camera’s focal
point is
focusing on
your subject

5. Adjust Your Exposure
 Proper exposure
will help
eliminate too
dark or too light
photos

6. Basic Composition Tips
 Be aware of your surroundings
 Watch your background
 Crop in tight to avoid distracting backgrounds
 Consider the Rule of Thirds

7. Composition
 Fill the Frame – zoom in tight!
 Rule-of-thirds: focus and recompose if needed
 Get down to the level of your subject/change your
perspective

8. Fill the Frame

9. Rule-of-Thirds

10. Change your perspective

11. Go take pictures
 Practice finding your subject & focusing
 Practice composition
 Rule of thirds
 Fill the frame
 Take several pictures using several different
perspectives. Close-up. Far away. High. Low.

12. Minor photo editing is important
 Light editing will make your good pictures great!
 Brighten
 Create depth by increasing contrast (slightly)
 Crop
 Straighten
 Artistic effects

13. Example – Start to Finish
original edited

14. Great apps for editing
 Snapseed – basic photo editing
 VSCOcam - film-like filters
 Afterlight – lots of beautiful filter
choices (99 cents)
 Squareready – puts a white border on
rectangle images so they can be used
in a square format without
compromising the rectangular
composition – important for
Instagram users
 Gorillacam – stop
motion, timelapse, self timer & burst
mode
Squaready app
Snapseed VSCOcam Squaready GorillacamAfterlight

15. original
color edit
black &
white edit

16. Places to share your photos
Instagram
Flickr
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Albums
Capture daily life with kids and friends

17. Great ways to get quality prints
Apps
 Postalpix
 Costco
 Walgreens
 Mpix
Not Apps – beautiful prints & photo books
 Artifact Uprising
 Blurb – (photo books only)

18. Additional Resources
 11 best iPhone photo editing apps
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2418416,00.
asp
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/
04/best-smartphone-photo-apps
 http://www.forbes.com/sites/amadoudiallo/2013/
06/14/best-camera-apps-ios-android/2/