The Complete Guide to Smartphone Photography

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.