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SHOW

Rated 5 out of 5 by sandy4628 from Great tips! Easy to understand. Jared's explanations made sense and helped me really consider things that will improve the photo.

Date published: 2023-05-07

Rated 5 out of 5 by Kimberley Seitz from Incredible Teacher I've never taken a photography class because I couldn't find one that focuses on using my smartphone. I was so excited to see that Jared's class uses smartphones, but even more pleased when I understood his teaching style. He makes incredible complex concepts, like composition, easier by breaking it down into smaller chunks of information, annotating directly on the photos he's using, and providing several examples of photos that illustrate what he's discussing or what makes a photo good vs great. He's also calm, methodical, and an exceptionally gifted photographer. I LOVE this class!

Date published: 2023-01-27

Rated 4 out of 5 by EsteroCanuck from Excellent lectures but... ...the guidebook provided needs a lot more detail; its only a one pager.

Date published: 2023-01-04

Rated 5 out of 5 by Buddy49DL from It was great and well explained I bought it and was happy that I did as there were many ideas I picked up and well explained. Instructions were easy to follow as I had no idea that the smartphone had these facilities being an older learner to modern tech.

Date published: 2022-12-20

Rated 5 out of 5 by klrjaa from Terrific Course thank you Incredibly efficient presentation of photography thinking and the associated tools. Just take the course full stop thanks

Date published: 2022-12-07

Rated 5 out of 5 by Smile from Great tips for smartphone photography I have been enjoying this course and I tend to go back to remind myself of some of the learned information.

Date published: 2022-11-20

Rated 5 out of 5 by lonestarmike from A Great Help For a non-photographer like me who wants to take quality pictures without having to buy expensive SLR cameras on top of expensive phones, this is a valuable and worthwhile alternative. It taught me several things about the capabilities of my iPhone camera I knew were present but didn’t know how to use or what they added to the shots.

Date published: 2022-10-28

Rated 4 out of 5 by Dageek from Learned many things about my phone's camera I'm an amateur photographer with a fair amount of equipment. I have always looked down on phone photographers, but my wife takes so many wonderful pictures with hers that I begin to explore them more. He covers many of the photographic basics, reviews are always good. Sometimes you remember things forgotten. He also covers many functions of the phone camera that I had no idea were available to me. And some of the pictures he took with is phones were utterly amazing... I imagine that given whatever camera, though, this man would take amazing photos. One issue that there is no good answer for is that there are many types of phones out there, but two main categories, Androids and iPhones. He had to cover both of them, obviously, but could not cover all types and models. Not as tedious as it sounds, nor as lacking as it could be. He did a good job with this potential gotcha. I did spend a fair amount of time playing with my phone as he went through things. I have more respect for what I have always seen as phone and web browser.

Date published: 2022-10-25

Overview

Thanks to smartphones, practically the only tool you need to take, edit, and distribute high-quality photos fits inside your back pocket. But how can we best utilize our smartphone camera and its features? And how can we combine classic photography skills with cutting-edge mobile technology and software to produce beautiful pictures of family, friends, surrounding landscapes, animals, ourselves, items, and everything in between? Look no further than the 24-lesson course The Complete Guide to Smartphone Photography, a comprehensive and interactive experience focused on exploring the ins and outs of using your smartphone for taking, editing, organizing, storing, and sharing photos.

About

Jared Platt

I love photography--no matter where I am, I'm always thinking photographically and I’m always taking photographs.

ALMA MATER

Arizona State University

Jared Platt is an international wedding, lifestyle, and portrait photographer and photographic lecturer and writer. He earned his BFA in Photography and his MFA in Photographic Studies at Arizona State University under the tutelage of the photo historian Bill Jay.

Jared teaches professional photographers and enthusiasts around the world. He is a master teacher and lectures on behalf of Adobe, Canon, Profoto, X-Rite, Blurb, and more. He is also a Profoto Legend of Light. Jared can be found at www.jaredplatt.com.

By This Expert

The Complete Guide to Smartphone Photography

Trailer

01: Smartphone Camera Basics

Kick off the course by exploring the overarching goals of the lessons. Get an overview of the camera features your smartphone has to offer, with a focus on the iPhone, in particular. Discover the lens options available to you depending on what kind of phone you have.

14 min

02: Smartphone Camera Settings

How does being familiar with your phone’s settings help you take higher-quality photographs? In this lesson, get to know the settings on your phone. Explore image file types like JPEG and HEIF. Learn about frame rates, creative controls, exposure levels, and lens corrections, on both iPhone and Android smartphones.

17 min

03: Taking Smartphone Photos

All smartphones have a built-in resident camera app with a host of important features. Spend the first half of this lesson delving into the particularities of resident camera applications on the iPhone and Android and devote the second half to exploring digital terminology you will use throughout the course.

34 min

04: Native Camera App: iPhone

Join expert guide Jared for a detailed demonstration of the iPhone’s photo-taking capabilities. Take note of how he maximizes his smartphone and the functions built into its native camera application—flash, exposure, zoom, and more—to photograph tulips.

19 min

05: Native Camera App: Android

Now turn your attention to the Android smartphone and its resident camera app, as Jared demonstrates how to take quality photos using the Samsung S20 Ultra model. Watch him manipulate the Android camera’s distinct zoom capabilities and adjust its shutter speeds. Then apply what you have learned so far with your first-ever assignment.

16 min

06: Photography Principles: Composition

How can you combine photography fundamentals with what you have learned so far about the use of your smartphone? In this lesson, delve into the basic principles of photography, starting with compositional strategy. Explore how even small changes in perspective, framing, contrast, and focus can affect the look and feel of any photograph.

54 min

07: Photography Principles: Exposure

Continue to learn about the fundamental principles of photography, this time with an in-depth look at exposure. Here, see how you can use histograms to check on and refine a photograph’s exposure levels, and discover the importance of accounting for black, gray, and white space in your pictures.

36 min

08: Photography Principles: Light

Experienced photographers hunt tirelessly for scenes that capture and use light creatively. In this lesson, shed some light on light. Understand how photos can be dramatically altered based on the quality, direction, or source of their light, and explore simple methods to redirect and manipulate light in time for your next photograph.

22 min

09: Photography Principles: Subject

Every good photo has a principal subject, which plays a key role in how the photo is received and interpreted by onlookers. Work closely with Jared to understand the narrative, artistic, and practical considerations you must make before snapping a photo of anyone or any moment.

23 min

10: Equipment and Accessories

While your smartphone is certainly all you need to take quality photographs, there are a range of accessories available to alter and enhance your images. But what are they and how do they work? Explore the use of photograph accessories like moment and wide lenses, hoods, tripods, flashlights, gears, and bags.

9 min

11: Portrait Shooting Experience

Here, join Jared and his son for a quick photo session using the iPhone. Learn how you can apply what you have just learned about exposure, lighting, composition, and principal subjects in order to take a beautiful photograph with your smartphone. Pay special attention to how Jared uses the natural elements around him to his advantage.

24 min

12: Landscape Shooting Experience

Travel to Discovery Park in Seattle for another photography demonstration, this time using the Samsung Android. Watch Jared assess the scene around him to find his optimal subject, good lighting, a composition that captures the essence of the park, and an acceptable level of exposure. Discover the unique benefits of the single-take feature on the Android.

25 min

13: Tabletop Shooting Experience

Whether it is a photo of brunch or avocado toast, tabletop photographs oversaturate our social media feeds. But that does not mean they are any less important or artistic than portraits or landscapes. In this lesson, take tabletop photography seriously as you join Jared for a third photography demonstration, using precious family heirlooms.

32 min

14: Smartphone Editing: Lightroom and Android

After becoming comfortable with taking photos on your smartphone, move to photography’s all-important second step: editing. Using a Samsung Android, explore the editing capabilities built into your smartphone on Gallery and Google Photos. Discover how third-party apps like Lightroom and Snapseed can provide additional editing features.

23 min

15: Smartphone Editing: Snapseed and iPhone

No Android? No problem. Using two applications—one built into your phone and the other downloadable through the Apple App Store—delve into editing specifics on the iPhone. Take an in-depth tour of filters, adjustments, and cropping options. And explore additional features like adding text, frames, and vignettes.

15 min

16: Advanced Smartphone Editing

If you are up for the challenge, get more advanced with your editing using the iPhone 12 Pro. Using the native editing and Lightroom application, deal with aperture size, depth, blur, and background. Become familiar with “Selective Editing Tools” to take your photo to the next level.

21 min

17: Organization & Sharing: iPhone

You have taken and edited vibrant photos on your smartphone; now, it is time to organize them. In this lesson, explore the iPhone’s “Photos'' application and its sorting capabilities. Learn how to find and view photos. Discover how you can organize pictures according to likeability, time taken, theme, and more.

26 min

18: Organization & Sharing: Android

Androids also contain powerful photo-organizing applications. Get acquainted with the photo organizing abilities on the Samsung S20 Ultra, specifically. Delve into two of its resident applications—Gallery and Google Photos—to see how they allow you to organize your photos and share them with family and friends.

20 min

19: Organization & Sharing: The Cloud

You can transcend your phone’s storage capacity using a system called “the Cloud,” which is designed to protect and preserve your photos from irreversible erasure should something happen to your phone. But where can you access the Cloud? And how exactly does it work? Get answers to these questions and more.

7 min

20: Storytelling Through Photography

Round out the course with some final pointers from Jared. Learn how to think critically about every photograph you take and see. Discover that verbalizing your thoughts and observations will help you become a better and more intelligent smartphone photographer. And explore the deeply personal and human elements of photography.

9 min