A photographer friend and I attended the same fundraiser. He took a photo of a subject with his cell phone camera (don't know if IPhone or not). I took one with my Nikon D3400 with Speedlight. His photo was very, very dark and he knew it. Mine came out pretty well.

We talked about that being one of the differences between a cellphone camera and a DSLR that could be shown to those who think they take the same photos. I know that a lot can be done with some of the Iphones and others with addition of lenses now, but again how can they approach the same level of quality if nice photos are to be printed? Thank you all.

Welcome Again and you have earned Your Spot......sorry for the tough day you had to endure and I think we learned quite a lot today . The Cell Phone will certainly have a place in Photography and your classes will certainly advance it's use to where anyone can take a good picture and not go broke in the process.

Good luck with your students and please post some of their works as they progress if that is allowed here.....not sure about that one. Iam still pretty new here myself and have a lot to learn and need all the help I can get. Take care.

Hi, Gail! Welcome to the forum.

You did not mention the length or content of your course or anything about the level of knowledge of your students. For the purpose of your question and this post, I'll assume the students are not advanced photographers and will expect a basic course in maximizing the use and results with their cell phone cameras.

I'll preface my suggestions with a brief overview of this and many other photo forums. There are many talented, knowledgeable, helpful, and enthusiastic photographers that contribute to these forums and much of there participation is helpful and well-meaning.Some, however, are so busy and preoccupied with expensive, equipment, "big" lenses, and trying to define their "art" , . their philosophy as to whether the are purists or whatever, or their pining for the "good old film days", that seems that they have no energy left just go out and have fun TAKING PICTURES! Sometimes the snobbery and accompanying worry and arguments take the fun out of the hobby, and even for advanced workers and professionals. You might start off your course by explaining this attitude to your students so they don't begin their adventures into photography with an inferiority complex about their equipment and feel defeated before they start for lack of more sophisticated gear.

Don't dwell on the olden days of film- we are in the digital age of image-making and the iPhones, Smartphones or cell phones are wonderful devices to get folks interested in better picture-making. Folks who did film photography or more advanced work in the past can certainly apply what the already know and any artistic principles to modern digital photography. The thing I love about cellphone cameras is they are accessible and turns a lot of folks onto photography that perhaps have never experienced the fun, joy, and satisfaction of image-making.

Alright, so an iPhone is NOT a complex system camera with all kinds of interchangeable lenses and accessories but let's see what it can do. This should be part of your teaching approach.

The first segment of your course should be to simply familiarize everyone with the BASIC operation of their device as to using it in both automatic and manual modes. Each person should examine the features of their individual device and know how to access them. If the phone has any built-in special effects, filters, zoom, feature or can simulate the effects of a telephoto, fisheye lens, shoot in monochrome or sepia, selective focus, video options, etc. each student should be aware of these options if they are built-in to there devices. Some devices can do selective focus, high-speed action capture, and other effects.

A basic primer in manual mode can follow, if there is enough time, especially if the course is spread over several sessions. The principles and functions of aperture, shutter speed ISO settings, white balance, focus, and focal length change should be explained.

Emphases should be placed on the aesthetic and artistic possibilities as to composition, and the use of light. Even with the device in point-and-shoot mode, exceptionally and surprisingly nice images can be derived when the photographer employees good aesthetics. Many of these devices have a "grid" that assists in teaching and learning the rule of thirds and other basic elements of composition. Each stude shod SET UP their camera for convenient operation as to things like using some of the control buttons as a shutter release, enabling auto-rotate. etc.

Suggest projects such as making portraits of families, children loved ones, pets, etc. Talks about landscapes, vacation shots, photograhy their other hobbies, cars, visits to museums and points of interest when touring, etc. Most of this device can focus in surprisingly close and great images of flowers and other detailed small subjects are possible. Interesting still life images can be made with simple window light.

Folks keep their devices in there pockets so talk about keeping the lens and screen clean and adjusting the screen brightness to accommodate ambient light.

Next! Introduce them to POST-PROCESSING. There are a plethora of incredible apps whereby they can crop. sharpen, adjust, and add special effects to any of their images. I will recommend Snapseed, Tool-Wiz Photo, and Prisma. Theses are like carrying a "darkroom" in your pocket. You can dodge, burn, color correct, sharpen, diffuse, retouch, add textures and all kinds of fun special effects. Theses apps offer free downloads. There are also lite versions of PhotoShop and Lightroom!

Don't ddwell on the limitations or what a cellphone camera CAN"T do but emphasize what it CAN do!

This is a great introduction to digital imaging. Some folks will just become better snapshooters and others may venture into more advanced gear and techniques if the so-called bug bites them.

Start off with "nuts and bolts" instruction- simply how to operate the device. once the know wah they are doing, the artistic, creative and fun aspects can be introduced.

I am a full-time commercial photographer wit over 50 years in the business. I have all kinds of heavy gear- the operative word being "heavy" and I can't take it wherever I go a just want to have fun and so some casual spontaneous shooting. I even take my device assignments to record setups for teaching and training, scouting locations, and transmitting rough ideas and concepts to clients and art directors while I am out on location.

A few weeks ago, we took a day off to make a family visit to the countryside and stopped at a picturesque village and a museum site. The attached images were made with my Samsung Galaxy.