Photography Class Without a Camera In Sight!

Just a few years back it would have been unthinkable to attend a photography class without that bulky camera strapped over your shoulder, secured in the sturdy leather case. If you were really a serious photographer you probably had a few other cases holding chargers, cords, extra lenses and flash attachments. I can speak from experience because that’s what my husband and I did as we traipsed out onto slippery rocks taking pictures of lighthouses along the Eastern Seaboard. We were loaded down.

On Thursday night, January 10, 2019, Marianne Salas, a member of The Bartram Garden Club, held a photography class for garden club members and interested members of the community. The National Garden Club standard flower shows now allow for photography exhibits. Honing the photography skills of our members seemed an appropriate step to take. So, as she prepared to begin the program she simply asked, “Everyone have your phones?” That’s right, this photography class was a demonstration performed on an iPhone camera. Inside that little hand-held rectangular prism – approximately three inches by 6 inches – lies dual lenses, 12-megapixel, flash capability, and an editing system far superior to the large machines found at the local merchants. Marianne guided us through a myriad of step-by-step instructions as she navigated through the settings and menus embedded within our camera/phones.

Prior to the workshop, participants were asked to download photography software. Snapseed and VSCO were recommended as best overall applications. Specific recommendation for a site transforming photos to watercolor images was Waterlogue. Another interesting site recommended was Image Blender, used to combine two images. Possibly the most popular site was Retouch, used to remove winkles from faces! Marianne suggested participants continually search the Internet for “best phone editing apps”.

So, if I had waited just a few more years to travel all of those back roads between Key West and Nova Scotia, I could have traveled a lot lighter and skipped over those slippery rocks with ease. Who knew?