A wealth of resources

Ok, I'll admit that I'm barely staying a step ahead of all you studio-ites. If you want to catch up or pass me, check these resources off your list:

• Books - ebooks and paperbound
• Podcasts
• Youtube Channels 
• Instagram, Flickr, etc 

When reviewing resources, be sure to look at the publish date or the iOS version under review. As I write this update in February 2020, iOS 13 is our current version. There are significant operating system changes since iOS 11 released September 2017. I am especially interested in how the Files app has ground more powerful and other apps interact with it.

A few details will emerge as my journey continues and terminology begins to take hold. Visit the website for PhotoActive Podcast with Jeff Carlson and Kirk McElhearn - many episodes but #52 iPhone 11 and Semantic Rendering also covering "computational photography"is a good place to start. This is not to say you need the latest iPhone for our seminar, but these guys cover the direction Apple is heading with camera technology. For instance:

• iPhone has multiple cameras with dedicated sensors - Ultra-Wide no optical stabilization and can't shoot RAW or do Night Mode, less pixel density
• iPhone X and beyond - cameras take multiple frames to blend together - smart HDR and now rapid blending of multiple frames
• Telephoto and zoom lenses are still DSLR/Mirrorless domain 
• Night mode using a tripod will length exposures over hand-held still needs some light 
• Pet Portrait mode now available 
• Todd Hido has interesting landscapes and suburbia 

Many roads lead to Rome and many photographers read DP Review - Digital Photography Review for details on hardware but also read the member forums where sharing of challenges and possible solutions are offered by real world users. Read the iOS Forum.

Are you still using a Mirrorless or DSLR camera? Are you interesting in upgrading to a new camera body or system? Will an iPad be your out-and-about editing platform? Then take note of the file sizes produced by the new camera. Go to a local camera store for research - take a few pictures in RAW and in just JPG. Then at home, load them into the iPad and your favorite editor. Personally, my question is do I need a full-frame camera with a huge file size to capture and render the subjects? My Nikon 7000 is a APS-C 16MP sensor.

Watch for more soon

Registration is open and the waitlist is growing.

Enrollment has CLOSED

Expect to be added to the waitlist for this seminar. New participants will get an email from the instructor and a follow-up phone interview. Ohh! Not threatening much! This is not a beginning photography seminar, it is guided activity with participant driven content. This semester will be different than the last six semesters in that we have too much digital content on our devices and will be looking at how to migrate to computer or online archives.

We will still be using our iPhones to take, edit, style and share images. The list of applications will change slightly.

---

Official description:

iPhone Photography Studio (A/S)
This seminar includes participant-led demonstrations where experienced photographers use iPhone apps to create print-ready artwork. In-class demonstrations and online shared albums are our critique and learning platforms. This semester we research apps for computer migration and reporting exposure metadata. Visit our website for demonstration videos and artwork examples at our website. New photo studio artists should expect to purchase $25 in apps. Requirements: iPhone 7, 8, X, XR, XS, 11, 11Pro; iOS 12 or 13, AppleID. An iPad is helpful for editing. This is NOT a beginner photography seminar. We continue socializing at lunch after session. Rancho Cordova Library is located at 9845 Folsom Blvd. (between Bradshaw and Mather Field Road). Sessions: 4 classroom with 2 local photowalks. All enrollees go to WAITLIST and will be contacted by instructor to check prerequisites mentioned above.

---

Do take time to view our past online galleries.

How far we've come

This seminar was first offered during the Spring 2017 semester and our photographers had iPhone 5, 6 and 7 running iOS 9 and 10. As we start our seventh semester our photographers will be using iPhone 8 and later and iOS 12 and 13. One of the key features in our seminar is using a Shared Album to upload our creations, get feedback and be inspired to go further with our apps.

Dates for Spring 2020

The Rancho Cordova Library has approved our seminar for the following dates:
Feb 6, 20, Mar 5, 19th

Photo Walk Field Trip dates:
Feb 13, 27th (rain date Mar 12)

The Rancho Cordova Library is off Hwy 50 at 9845 Folsom Blvd., between Bradshaw and Mather Field Road.

Plant Foundry photos

Oak Park Photo Walk participants: please post your favorite photos from the Plant Foundry part of our experience to our Shared Album. Include a stylized image and the original if you have been inspired. I'd like to combine the photos into some acknowledgment of our visit.

If you return to do any shopping there, you might remember their hospitality and thank them again.

Thinking ahead to spring semester

There is a false equivalency to beginning "spring semester" in February - when it is still winter.

Look at the photos on your device to see what to expect. Practice the skills that Niel taught us about the Search tab and drilling down into our camera rolls. (See the sidebar of links, Discoveries: Search Techniques in Photos.) What subjects show seasonal changes? Go to your favorite locations and explore how weather changes the mood.

What skills and apps do you want to perfect?

Want .. “that new car smell?”

Sometime having the new device is a thing. Sometimes it is an extravagance. But there are times when I want the look of something new. Here’s how to get yours ...

Find a fun image you have created recently and make it your iPhone or iPad Wallpaper for either the Lock or Home Screens. Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper ...

On the Lock Screen, the time and date are in the top 1/5th of the screen, so you want a dark color or graduated color there.

I’ve also seen some Wallpapers include a phone number and name on the picture. This might be a great idea when traveling.

The Reality of Age

iOS Basics is the other seminar I co-lead with Carol Dabrowiak. It is hard to not over share with people just learning about their iPhone or iPad and it helps to have the iOS Basics website to share notes that folks might come back to after more practice. It is also a place where I can add after-thoughts without sending tons of emails.

At our last meeting this semester we will talk about iCloud - photos, files and history. I'm recommending that the participants take a proactive stance in tracking their digital lives and think about how they designate powers of attorney for health care, finances and digital assets. In updating my personal trust last year the attorney asked this question: "Who will review your online accounts, archive the important content and close the accounts?"  

One of the new photographers sent my way, Numeric Citizen Blog, shared Managing The Elderly's Numeric Life. Maybe your parents have already thought this through and are a model for the next generations ... 

You are a photographer, an artist. How are you organizing and prioritizing your work? What do you want shared, saved, discarded? Have you had this conversation with family and friends? How might you approach tracking your digital life so you can hand it off to the right person? Providing a roadmap is easier on them than forcing them to be a digital archeologist. 

Photographers for Inspiration

Travel Photography - Austin Mann
http://austinmann.com/ checkout his new iPhone 11 Pro photographs as he traveled with YoYou Ma to exotic places. This blog post offers a deep dive into technology - worth a re-read from time to time.

Note: I realize some of this may feel too technical, but it matters. We MUST understand our tools in order to successfully move through the creative process. If we don’t know about our cameras’ strengths and weaknesses and why they’re there, it’s really hard to solve problems and achieve our vision.

New Discoveries page added to our website, Discoveries: Galleries to Explore. Check it out. Let me know if you have something to add. Find this page and others in the sidebar of this site. Best viewed from an iPad or computer.