Black Friday Sale - iPhone Photo Academy

I usually don’t recommend the offers that come in the mail but this one is worth considering - iPhone Photo Academy lifetime access for $25. Because this is a referral the sale timeline is extended and ends on December 1st. So, if you can take a look, take advantage of the offer - great. Or wait until this time next year and maybe the 90% off discount will return for the day. 

IOS 26 - Photos and Camera app notes

Great conversation today about what you noticed about the revamped apps central to this class. 

Ellen's Tips for iOS is a great resource and she is out with a new video - What’s New in the iOS 26 Photos App — Simplified for Seniors - be sure to log into your Google account and try the AI Ask tool to interact with the video - probably based on the automated transcript.  Not all YouTube videos include the AI features but it is helpful when presenters speak rapidly and it is hard to take notes. The Ask > Summarize this video option returns text and hyperlinks as timecode to jump the playhead to that position. Looking at her channel for other videos shows how busy Ellen has been: 

• iOS26 Made Simple
• iPadOS 26: How to Use the New Windows Feature
• iOS 26 for Seniors: Everything You Need to Know 
• iPhone Side Button Secrets Every Senior Should Know 

Proper Honest Tech is another channel to checkout. Maybe begin with How to fix 13 Annoying iPhone Issues - and I love the first one, the long press when pasting text reveals a menu. Cynthia needs to see the Camera Control button details at 5 minute mark. The Safari Compact View tip was also helpful to me. 

OS 26 Reading Material

Will hot spots (buttons or touchable areas) become more obvious with Liquid Glass interface? 

Be deliberate as you use the Apple Camera and Photos apps in the days before you trigger the upgrade. What is your workflow? What are the options you use most often? 

• Open Camera app with swipe left on Lock Screen 
• Open Camera app with Lock Screen button 
• Camera interface buttons at the top left and right, lens options and modes at the bottom of the screen
• Turn on RAW or Live as needed
• Watch EV shifts away from 0.0 stops 
• Burst shooting with Volume Up button 
• Photo to Portrait mode 
• Accessibility features to increase text size 

Geeky Gadgets has several articles worth your perusal. Video links are included. 

The iPhone Camera is Reborn: A Deep Dive into IOS 26 - by Roland Hutchinson - with a preview of what is to come. Reminded me of swipe, tap and tap-and-hold gestures on buttons. I am excited to try converting older images to Parallax 3D images that can be added as a Lock Screen wallpaper. There are Photo Styles to be applied before image capture and cannot be edited out in post. Photo Styles are not applied when shooting RAW. 

Think about how you share photos. Do you make albums? Do you just hand over your device and let people roam through photos? Do you mark Favorites? How good are your Photos Search skills? Have you used the Siri method (describe what you want in words) for making a Memory? Are you adding Captions to images to make search more effective? Do you look at the metadata for photos? 

The iOS 26 Photos App Is More Powerful Than You Thought - by Roland Hutchinson - in the video you will see how the user interface is changing and how to customize it to your workflow. The collapsible lists will work well on the iPhone but how will this operate on the iPad? There are some features on MacOS Photos that have not made it to mobile devices. Will this remain true? 

Transferring Data to You New iPhone 17: The Ultimate Guide - by Roland Hutchinson with video from Brandon Butch. 

Experience AI - Google NotebookLM

On our field trip we discussed artificial intelligence and I promised to share a new AI tool - Google's NotebookLM. If you have a gmail account then you can access this online service. Start by using a web browser to add this service to your Google account and later you can download NotebookLM as an app on iPad or iPhone. NotebookLM is a tool for creating study guides, reports, flashcards, quizzes ... but what blew my mind was the Audio Interview where two AI voices discuss the content provided. A new feature now includes creating a video overview. What ...? 

The example Notebook I built is Mastering Smartphone Photography: Tips for Every Shot where several PDF documents and a few other websites were added as sources. As you listen to an Audio Overview, look for the Join button to interrupt the conversation and ask a related question to see how the "podcasters" respond. 

The link opens in a web browser like this picture. Sources are on the left, content and chat in the middle and Studio elements on the right. Audio examples have a small play button - triangle in a circle. 

I hope to learn more at the Naples Mac User Group meeting one Wednesday, September 24th. Membership is $40 per year and this group has a worldwide audience with an active message board for troubleshooting iPhone, iPad and Mac issues. Online classes begin in January and are an extra expense. 

Dive Deeper into Camera Features

Watch for updates to this post. 

Photographic Styles were introduced a while back. Maybe it is time to revisit them. On YouTube, the Apple Support channel offered this video: How to use Photographic Styles on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro because the new iOS 26 is arriving soon with a new style - Bright. Yes, this will be included with the new iPhone 17 Pro models. Watch the video to see how you can customize a Photographic Styles for favorite subjects. 

Another reliable source for information is DP Review (Digital Photography Review) and Dale Baskin has contributed iPhone 17 Pro cameras: What's new, what's unchanged for our attention. 

Another good source for targeted info is the Apple Support Channel on YouTube. Especially handy after you update the iOS. 

Three articles featuring last year’s model from TechRadar are worth reviewing: 

I took the iPhone 16 Pro to a soccer game and its nightography powers blew me away by Axel Metz from October 6, 2024

I’m a photographer – 5 ways to take great photos on your iPhone 16 in 2025 by Mark Wilson from December 29, 2024

How to customize Camera Control on your iPhone 16: change click speed, lock exposure, and more by Alex Blake from February 8, 2025 

Tyler Stalman offers iPhone 17: A Photographer's Review where he discusses  Apple's "Optical Quality" for digital zoom. Larger sensor reduces noise especially in low light conditions. Action Mode for videos will grab your attention. 

Stalman refers to 28 Years Later - a post-apocalyptic story and filmed with iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2024 is reported in Wikipedia.  

Austin Mann reviews the iPhone 17 Pro Camera Review: Dolomite Mountains  in his YouTube video - I am excited to hear Karen's reaction because Austin and team are cycling through mountains in Northern Italy. At 13:45 he talks about Photographic Styles (he is using RAW less ...) to use when shooting and not just in post.  See his website for photo examples with captions showing lens and Photographic Style used. At the bottom of the page past the comments is a link to his review of iPhone 16 Pro and scroll down to see link for iPhone 14 Pro ... 

PetaPixel's Chris Nichols YouTube Channel offers iPhone 17 Pro & Pro Max Review For Photographers! where I will need to watch several times, Chris is a fast talker! 

When is a Lens a Camera?

Time to read and re-read about small digital capture technology. Antonio G. Di Benedetto's article, Why does Apple think three lenses are eight lenses?, in The Verge offers some insight. There are still fixed apertures and sensor megapixel counts and focal length measurements. There is marketing math that makes three into eight lenses: macro, 0.5x - 13mm, 1x - 24mm, 1.2x - 28mm, 1.5x 35mm, 2x - 48mm, 4x - 100mm, 8x - 200mm. Then there is this "Fusion camera system" in the mix. 

Fall Schedule

Plans so far .. 

Thanks for the great ideas… Here is what my scribbled notes tell me. 

9/18 - Thursday, Art & Ag - Yolo Arts Event 

Heringer Estates Winery 

37375 Netherlands Road, Clarksburg, CA 95612 

Carpools suggested, bring your own lunch & beverage 

9/25 - on Zoom to share about new iPhone 17 models 

10/2 - POTENTIALLY switch to field trip to Sacramento Auto Museum to combine with Tuesday Digital Camera class - ORIGINALLY planned to be on Zoom to share and discuss iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1 

10/9 - Apple Hill - High Hill Ranch 

10/18 - Saturday Witches on the Lake - Black Miner’s Bar, Lake Natoma - 4 pm to Sunset 

10/23 - on Zoom to discuss and share iOS / iPadOS 26 hints, tips and discoveries

The End is Nigh

Stepping back for now.

Interesting that people still find the iPhone Photo Studio class since it is hidden in the catalog and online registration system. The class started spring 2017 and  my tenure as leader will end this semester. But I am hoping a new team of folks will take up the gauntlet and have as much fun as we did exploring the wonders of iPhone photography for eight years. This was not a beginner class from the get-go and enrollees were expected to buy $25 in apps and prints. So some folks shied away from the challenge or expense. However others thrived and kept re-enrolling so it was difficult to have newbies starting out and the 20 veterans so comfortable with each other. We really solidified our bonds during the pandemic and because we already knew each other, Zoom was easy. This class used a new Apple Shared Photo Album each semester so invited members could post photos and comment on the work of others. This also strengthened our connections. An example Shared Album is still available, iPhone Photography Studio Sampler with comments hinting at workflow. 

If asked by a new team for suggestions on how to launch a class about iPhone (or smartphone) photography, I’d say do 4 to 6 meetings, photo walks mostly and a Zoom session or two. Use the default camera app on the phones and edit with the default photo app (Photos on iPhone/iPad) and add Snapseed as an editor/stylizer (iOS and Android) and free! This class would be in demand! There are always people finding their way to my class’ waiting list and I contact them with the bad news but I’d like to give them hope. This class could be offered each semester and new folks would fit it and vets would be there to assist. Back during COVID we had a team using the 4 meeting template for Introduction to iPhone Photography with three Zoom sessions and one small group photo walk with guides in four locations. Any new class does not need to use a blog — design your class around your strengths. 

There are digital photography and smartphone photography classes available on the LinkedIn platform to folks with a Sacramento Public Library card. Why not have watch parties followed by photo walks? 

Renaissance is a place for the “peer learning” where any idea for a learning experience can be posted as a class and, like in Field of Dreams, “build it and they will come” or not. Curiosity more than expertise is of value. Find online experts if local ones are not available. I’ve been part of several teams that presented iPhone and iPad or Digital Photography classes and have always learned more from being involved in the effort and presentations.

I’ve been using RenSoc as a way to stay current with the tech I love. In the spring my plan is to join with others and launch a new team coaching approach to the iPad app Procreate for dabbling in image creation (photo manipulation, painting, etc) with the idea that new folks will be welcomed each semester and the coaches will share responsibilities for crafting a two-semester learning experience and from the beginning, embracing new ideas, mixing new people with familiar folks. Registration will be limited until we iron out the coaching details and do a dry run. We are hopeful this could become a new model for additional SIG topics in the future. 

Get ready. Go. Make connections. Explore new ideas. Create beauty.