Smartphone Photography: Seeing Creatively
Starts: October 1st and runs for 12 weeks.
Weekly 20-minute video lecture (theory, examples, and inspiration) Written assignment instructions (hands-on, practical exercises) Upload for critique & feedback Self-study
This 12-week self-study course invites you to transform the way you see the world through the lens of your smartphone. Designed for anyone interested in creating more intentional and visually compelling photographs, the course focuses on the artistry of image-making rather than the technical functions of the camera. Through weekly 20-minute video lectures and structured assignments, you will explore the foundations of visual storytelling: composition, light, color, perspective, movement, and subject matter. Each assignment encourages experimentation and practice, guiding you to develop your own unique style while building confidence in your ability to craft images that express mood, narrative, and meaning. Participants will upload their weekly work for critique and feedback, gaining insight into their creative process as well as new perspectives from peers and instructors. By the end of the course, you will have created a cohesive body of work that demonstrates both technical sensitivity and artistic vision, culminating in a final portfolio that reflects your personal voice as a photographer. No prior experience is required—just a smartphone, curiosity, and the desire to see the extraordinary in the everyday.
Tuition is $250
Payable by Venmo: @Adhi-TwoOwls
Once you have paid for the course you will receive the links and handouts for the course. You can begin at any time and work through the course at your own pace. weekly materials will be posted every Wednesday starting 1st. Adhi will give you direct feedback through out the course.
General Week-by-Week Breakdown
Week 1: The Art of Seeing Topic: Shifting from snapshots to photographs. Understanding observation, attention, and intention. Key Ideas: Photography as visual language; slowing down to notice light, shape, and story. Assignment: Spend 20 minutes daily photographing ordinary objects in your home. Choose 5 images that transform the mundane into something visually interesting.
Week 2: Composition Basics Topic: Rule of thirds, leading lines, balance, symmetry, and visual weight. Assignment: Create 8–10 images demonstrating at least 3 compositional techniques. Upload 3 favorites. Support: Diagram handout of classic composition grids.
Week 3: Light and Shadow Topic: Natural vs artificial light; golden/blue hour; contrast; shadows as subjects. Assignment: Photograph the same subject at different times of day (morning, midday, evening). Compare how light transforms mood. Support: Reference sheet with light qualities and examples (soft, harsh, side-light, back-light).
Week 4: Color as Emotion Topic: Color theory basics, harmony vs. contrast, symbolic and psychological uses of color. Assignment: Create a color story: choose one color and capture 6–8 images where that color dominates. Support: Josef Albers excerpts; short color wheel chart.
Week 5: Black & White Vision Topic: Stripping away color to reveal form, texture, tone, and emotion. Assignment: Capture 6–8 images in monochrome. Focus on light, shadow, and texture. Support: Suggested B&W works by Ansel Adams
Week 6: Framing & Perspective Topic: Creative viewpoints—low, high, close-up, reflections, framing within a frame. Assignment: Photograph one subject from 5 dramatically different angles or perspectives. Upload the most surprising 3.
Week 7: Movement & Gesture Topic: Capturing motion (blur, panning, freeze). Dynamic energy vs stillness. Assignment: Photograph moving subjects—people, water, traffic, pets. Experiment with motion blur and frozen action. Support: Examples from sports/street photographers.
Week 8: Portraits & People Topic: Telling stories through faces and bodies. Natural vs posed. Context and environment. Assignment: Create 3 portraits of different people (family, friends, strangers if possible). Try candid and staged.
Week 9: Landscapes & Nature Topic: Space, scale, horizon lines, atmospheric mood. Assignment: Capture 3 landscapes that each use a different compositional device (foreground interest, leading lines, panoramic sweep).
Week 10: Storytelling & Sequences Topic: Beyond single images—building narratives through series. Assignment: Create a 5–7 image photo essay about a “day in your life” or a specific place. Support: Handout on sequencing images and transitions.
Week 11: Abstract & Conceptual Photography Topic: Seeing patterns, textures, geometry, and symbolic meanings. Assignment: Photograph 5–7 images that abstract reality—close-ups, reflections, distortions. Support: Examples from modernist/abstract photographers
Week 12: Final Project & Critique Topic: Bringing it all together. Refinement and personal style. Assignment: Submit a final 10–12 image portfolio. Theme: “Beauty in the Everyday.” (composition, light, storytelling, creativity).