Beyond the Basics, 4 x Smartphone Photography Workshops

In this series of online workshops (February 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th), tutor Brendan O’Sé will help you to continue to train and sharpen your eye for composition. As you learn advanced techniques and advance in the development of your defining a personal photographic style you will gain the essential skills to print & frame & hang your photographs in your home or give as a gift to loved ones.

Prior to the start of the workshops, Brendan will send participants a needs analysis to establish particular needs and expectations of the individual.

Brendan will assign mid-week tasks and provide feedback on the work you submit. A private Facebook group will be set up and participants can share photographs and comment on each other’s work throughout and beyond the course.

Week 1 – taking control of the camera

As we set out on the series of workshops, we will use the first week to establish our strengths in using our smartphone cameras and from that then look at the available options in taking manual control of the camera functions using some of the incredible camera apps out there, such as First Light and Pro Camera.

While the technology in your smartphone camera is excellent and most of the time the auto settings will get you the shot you want, sometimes knowing how to override the decisions the camera makes can be the difference between getting the shot you want and not.

This session will make you more confident in gaining manual control of your smartphone camera, understanding its settings and getting the exposure you want.

Week 2 – Making the ordinary, extraordinary

We will continue on our adventure of learning how to see and compose. Abstract photography, when you try to see and present the ordinary in an extraordinary way is a great way to accelerate that process. In this week’s session, we look at the art of seeing and from it composing engaging and visually dynamic photographs in a variety of settings from both nature and the man-made world.

Week 3 – The human element

We all love to take photographs of people, be it in the form of portraits of loved ones, or photos of those we encounter on our travels. In this session Brendan will guide you on how to engage with people, both those we know and random strangers. He will demonstrate techniques on how to put people at ease as you make their portraits. The session will also focus on how to approach street and travel photography. You will learn how to anticipate a decisive moment and how to get over your fears of photographing strangers and work towards producing a series of storytelling images.

Week 4 – Showcasing our work

In our final session, you will present a series of images that you have worked on creating on the course. Throughout the course you will have received personalised feedback from Brendan, but in the final workshop it will be your opportunity to self-evaluate your own work and also give feedback to the work of your peers.

“The workshop opened my eyes to the true potential of using my phone as opposed to a camera to achieve professional level photographs. Brendan has immense professional skill and teaching ability, keeping everything fun and exciting, while giving us a huge amount of detail in one day.” — Blathnaid

“Only complaint would be that I didn’t want day to end!” — Nadia P.

Listen to tutor Brendan O’Se talk to Irish Tech News about 2021 Mobile and street photography trends and insights on sound cloud.