By John Giles

Apple Certified Product Professional, Simply Computing

All of us have a creative urge to take photographs. With different reasons for doing so — a moment that is personally meaningful to us, capturing a beautiful image, or creating art. Documenting our adventures and experiences.

Access to a quality camera is within reach for almost everyone these days, thanks to smartphones like the Apple iPhone. It is easy to take a photograph, quickly process it with an application on your smartphone and/or computer, and then share it with your friends, family, or “fans”. Your smart phone is actually very well equipped for that. To really take an amazing picture, you will need to know how your device works, and you will need to practice using it all the time. Often the best images are the ones that are captured in the moment, which smartphones make possible by allowing anybody to quickly snap a photo. Take lots of photos! Explore the options. TIP: Use Camera+ on iPhone for better picture quality.

So let’s start your education with a few quick points!

Framing: What do you decide to include or exclude from the frame? When you’re making a photograph, focus on the edges of the frame. A great photograph is more about removing superfluous elements from the frame—not adding. Get near your subject.

Emotion: Does the photograph evoke a feeling? Is it a calm moment, a joyful expression, or an exciting snapshot?

Remember the good old days of film when we had to wait before our photos got processed? The wait for our photos gave us more excitement and helped us distance ourselves from our photos. We could then view our photos more objectively. Of course we can always reminisce with apps like 1 Hour Photo app, which makes you wait one hour before letting you view the pictures you take. Silly J

Some of the best photographers shoot with both high-end digital cameras and their iPhones. Some of them even prefer their iPhone! Buying an expensive camera won’t make you a better photographer. Put your money into education, photo books, and travel. Experience is what makes a better photographer. Buy experiences, not gear.

Simply Computing Victoria offers Free Seminars every Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Topics include Photos on Mac and Photos on iPad/iPhone.