Course · Photography

The Camera in Your Pocket: Smartphone Photography

Light, composition, vantage point, portraits, phone camera modes, and light editing — what you need to know before you press the shutter. A companion to the “Photographic Vision” trainer, where you practice composition by hand, moving a frame over rendered street pictures.

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PepelenCourse author

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Unit 1. Light is everything

Lesson 1. Why light matters more than the camera

5 exercises · Understand that the quality of a shot depends on the light, not on the phone model, and learn to notice where the light is coming from.

Lesson 2. The golden hour and the blue hour

6 exercises · Learn what the golden hour and the blue hour are, and why the light at these times is the most flattering.

Lesson 3. Window light and backlight

6 exercises · Learn to use soft window light and to shoot into the light (backlight) on purpose.

Lesson 4. Light to avoid

6 exercises · Recognize typical lighting mistakes: harsh midday shadows, mixed light, your own shadow, the built-in flash.

Unit 2. Composition

Lesson 1. The rule of thirds

6 exercises · Master the rule of thirds: divide the frame into thirds and place the main subject on the power points.

Lesson 2. Leading lines

6 exercises · Use lines in the scene (roads, railings, shadows) to lead the viewer's eye to what matters most.

Lesson 3. Frames and negative space

6 exercises · Apply the “frame within a frame” technique (framing) and deliberately leave negative space to give the subject breathing room and room in front of their gaze.

Unit 3. Vantage point

Lesson 1. Camera height

5 exercises · Understand how camera height (eye level, a low angle, a high angle) changes how the subject is perceived.

Lesson 2. Angle and distance

6 exercises · Use the shooting angle and your own movement (moving closer/walking around the subject) instead of zooming blindly.

Unit 4. Portraits and people

Lesson 1. Background and light on the face

5 exercises · Choose a clean background, direct the light onto the face properly, and use portrait mode deliberately.

Lesson 2. Natural poses and emotions

5 exercises · Help people act naturally: through action, conversation, and shooting in bursts, not a frozen smile.

Unit 5. Light inside the phone: camera modes

Lesson 1. Exposure and tap to focus

5 exercises · Control brightness and focus by hand: tap to focus, the exposure slider, and AE/AF Lock.

Lesson 2. HDR, night mode, and stabilization

6 exercises · Understand what HDR and night mode do, when they help, and how to hold the phone steady.

Unit 6. Editing: light retouching

Lesson 1. Basic edits: light, color, cropping

6 exercises · Do minimal editing that brings a shot to life: exposure, contrast, white balance, cropping, and straightening.

Lesson 2. Restraint, retouching, and a consistent style

6 exercises · Know what's appropriate in retouching and what ruins a shot, and why to keep a consistent editing style.

Unit 7. The final checklist

Lesson 1. Putting it all together

7 exercises · Bring the course together into one working routine and reinforce the key rules of every topic.