Category Archives: iPhoneography
Getting the Most from Your iPhone Camera
A few weeks ago, I gave a presentation to the South Bay Mac Users Group (SBMUG) on the iPhone’s camera. This presentation was basically an update of the one I gave about three years ago. The camera in the iPhone and the software that supports it has gone through a lot of technical advancements since then.
I decided to post the slide show here, because I suspect that many people (including myself) just use camera to take simple selfies and are unaware or forget just how capable the iPhone camera is.
To view the slide show, just click on the link above. It is a large file, so it will take several seconds to open. To go from slide to slide, just click. There are embedded videos, so you may have to click to start and/or stop them.
The presentation uses the iPhone 7+ camera, since that is the iPhone I own. Most of the material is directly related to the camera in the iPhone XR, as well as older recent versions of the iPhone.
For those of you who have a different smartphone, check out its camera’s capabilities. I bet you will find that it can do a lot more than you thought.
If you found this information helpful, please star-rate it at the top of the page. Also, I welcome any comments that you may have. They can be entered at the bottom of the page.
Time to Leave Your DSLR or Even Mirrorless Camera at Home?
The camera in your iPhone and the software Apple provides or apps from other vendors that are free or cost very little, make the above a reasonable question.
I am giving a presentation to the local South Bay Mac Users Group on the iPhone. In preparing for this, I did some research on both camera apps, as well as mobile editing apps that are currently available. There are indeed lots of options available for getting the most out of your iPhone camera.
This article does an excellent job of describing several of these apps describing how they compare.
PHLEARN Magazine
My presentation will focus on Apple’s Camera app, which has gotten more powerful over the years as the camera itself has improved. My presentation will be part of the group’s regular meeting on Wednesday, May 29th.
Until nest time…
Photos that Come Alive with Your iPhone
I am not sure about you, but I really do not take advantage of all of the capabilities that are built into my iPhone 7+ camera and its app. I generally just take a quick snapshot and that’s it. I have never even knowingly used its Live Photo feature.
The other day, I came across a tutorial that thoroughly explains how to take, edit, and share Live photos. These end up being short 3-second videos, centered about the instant you take the photo. One of the first things I learned was that I had unknowingly taken several Live Photos. They are automatically added to an Album on my iPhone Photos app, called Live Photos.
The tutorial was posted by Kate Wesson way back in October, but I just discovered it. It is available from this link.
So if you want to know how thoroughly understand everything you can do with Live Photos, check out this tutorial. The iPhone Photography School has many other tutorials on how to be a better photographer using your iPhone.
Until next time…
Upload a Photo to Dropbox Directly From Your iPads Photos App
In this short video, I demonstrate how to upload a single image to Dropbox from within your iPad/iPhone Photos app. True it is limited, but often that is all you need to do.
There is an alternate approach where you start from within the Dropbox app. It allows you to select multiple images and upload them at one time to Dropbox. I will cover that in another video.
New Drive-Lapse
I am still experimenting with time lapse videos. This one was taken with my iPhone 6 using its standard video mode. I then used Premiere Elements 14 to speed up the video by a factor of four.
I have experimented with the iPhone’s Time-Lapse mode for this type of time-lapse video, but the resulting video is too jerky, even when you slow it down. However, I really like it for scenes like moving clouds etc.
Here is the link to the video.
Winter iPad and Photoshop Classes
Both the South Bay Adult School (SBAS) and the Torrance Adult School (TAS) have mailed their catalogs for the Winter term which starts January 5th. Online registration for the classes will start shortly.
I have updated my descriptions and schedule for the classes I will be teaching this winter.
To see the classes I will be teaching at each school, click on the respective links below.
Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions regarding the classes.
iPad/iPhone iOS 7 Camera AppTipSheet
When Apple introduced iOS 7, they made several improvements to the standard Camera app. This AppTipSheet will get you started using the new app. There is a lot more to it than pressing the button and snapping a picture. It is well worth exploring some of the other features.
But don’t get too comfortable. iOS 8 is come before long and is said to provide even more new features.
Fall Class Reminder and Short Survey
The summer is going by far too quickly. The fall term will be starting before you know it. Both the Torrance Adult School and the South Bay Adult School will be mailing their catalogs and opening their online registration very soon. The fall term starts on September 8th for both schools.
I have the description and schedule for the classes I will be teaching this fall posted on my website. You can see them by clicking on the links below.
As always, the technology continues to change which creates new challenges but also new opportunities for learning. Below I have included a short survey that will help me determine just what subjects you would like to see classes offered either at one of the schools, as well as PVNET.
Also, let me know if you are interested in taking an online class similar to those I now teach in adult education. An online class actually allows more opportunities for me to interact with you and provide personal feedback than is often possible in a classroom situation.
As a reminder, my classes cover of digital photography in general, including, using your camera, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, Lightroom, and video editing with Movie Maker, and other programs. Additionally, I teach basic iPad/iPhone classes, as well as those focused on using these devices to enhance your photography and the images they capture.
For those of you who have thought about learning Photoshop and/or Lightroom, but have not taken that step due to the high cost, now may be the time. You can rent the latest versions of both Lightroom, and Photoshop for $9.99 per month. In fact, that is the only way you can get Photoshop anymore. Additionally, both programs are updated multiple times per year adding new features. This is something to think about as you complete the survey below.
One final thought. Adult school budgets continue to by very tight. They simply cannot keep up with the latest software updates. As I hope you know, one way I have been trying to deal with this is to teach classes, like Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5, using a laptop. These classes do require you to have the applicable software on your laptop, which for many of you is the case anyway.
So far, I have taught these laptop classes only at PVNET. However, I understand that Torrance is going to be setting up a classroom specifically for this type of class for the winter term. That will open up a lot of new opportunities there.
Ok, the survey is below. It is short. I would really appreciate it if you would take the minute or two it takes to complete it. Thanks a lot!
AppTipSheet for iPad/iPhone FILMiC App
This fall I will be teaching the iPad for Photography class at Torrance on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm beginning September 9th. To begin with, the class is not just for iPad users. Anyone who owns an iPhone will benefit equally from taking this class.
You do not have to be an expert in using your iPad/iPhone, but you do need know the basics. If you are brand new to your device, the Torrance iPad 101 class is for you.
This class will focus on how to make the best pictures and videos you can using the excellent camera that comes with the iPad/iPhone. As good as the Photos and Camera apps Apple provides are, there are third party apps that go beyond what these apps are capable of.
One such app that I will likely be covering is called FILMiC Pro. It is a very low cost, and yet feature-packed video camcorder. This is just one of the many apps we will cover during the course. I have put together an AppTipSheet that gives you some idea of what this app is capable of doing.
Click on the link below to view the PDF version of this tip sheet.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below in the reply section. Also, if you are a member of Facebook, and if you found the tip sheet or this post helpful and want to see more like it, please click on the Like button.
Thank you.
Don's Digital Photo Corner - Blog 