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Hooray! We are so glad to have you as part of the Sweet Setup family.
I just sent you an email with a link to access your guide. You’ll find the link to the guide in your inbox.
The email came from: Shawn @ The Sweet Setup <desk@blancmedia.org>
But first… There is one more thing
Learn to manage your iOS Photos library and improve your photography skills with our Mobile Photography course.
As a new subscriber, I wanted to offer you my best-selling writing course at a 25% discount right now.
Why?
Because this is the same special pricing we offered the rest of our community when the Mobile Photography course first launched. I wanted to give you the opportunity to get it at the best price as well if you’re interested.
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No thanks, I just want to know the 3 habits of great photographers right now.
Make better photos. Starting now.
It was the iPhone that convinced me to buy a better camera.
My son was born in February of 2012. And later in the year as I was looking through the photos we had of him, I realized I wasn’t giddy about hardly any of them.
There were many great snapshots of some very fond memories. But none of the images were of a quality where I wanted to print them out and frame them. They pretty much only looked good on the small screen of my iPhone 4S.
That’s when I realized I wanted to get better at making photos.
I bought a small Olympus camera and ended up falling in love with photography. This was six years ago, and I have worked hard ever since to improve my ability to make great photos.
Over the past six years, a LOT has changed in photography…
- The iPhone has become the most popular camera in the world!
- A whole bunch of truly great photo apps have been created for iOS.
- The iPad is now a very capable device for photo editing, with the ability to replace our laptops.
- The mirrorless camera scene has exploded, bringing high-quality cameras and lenses to the rest of us.
In short, there has never been a better time to enjoy and be good at photography.
The problem is, most of us are taking average photos…
Even with these incredible and powerful cameras that are attached to the backs of our phones, we’re still not making images that we’re excited about — photos that we want to print out and frame.
The iPhone is an Amazing Camera
Below are two cute and moody selfies of my wife and I.
I took one of these photos with the front-facing Selfie Camera on my iPhone. And I took the other with my fancy, Leica Q. Both of these images were edited using a B&W filter preset in the same app (VSCO).
Can you tell which camera took which photo?
Which of these two photos do you like more?
And here’s another photo taken with an iPhone. This one was made by my good friend, Erin Brooks, who captured and edited it using just her iPhone. This photo was even picked up by Apple and featured on huge billboards and in magazines!
It’s pretty clear that you don’t need an expensive camera to take awesome photos. And that’s not the only reason it’s great to be an iOS user who likes photography…
iCloud Photo Library Makes Everything Better
Another reason it’s awesome to be a “mobile photographer” is that you get to use Apple’s Photos app and their iCloud Photo Library.
iCloud Photo Library is, hands down, the best way to sync your photos to all your devices.
It gives you easy and worry-free access to all your photos regardless of if you’re on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even your Apple TV.
And the syncing is only the beginning. The Photos app’s Memories section creates automatic groupings of your vacations and can build highlight reels for you. And it also recognizes faces so you can view smart albums that feature all the photos of your kids, your significant other, your friends, and even yourself.
With all of us taking so many pictures all the time, who doesn’t want their phones and computers to automatically sync those photos and categorize them intelligently for us so we can quickly revisit the memories that matter, rather than having to sift through thousands upon thousands of snapshots?
It’s an incredible benefit.
Who Doesn’t Love to Take Photos?
Even when my photos were bad, I still loved taking them. Who doesn’t?
It’s part of who we are to capture and share our moments throughout the day. It could be an amazing cup of coffee, or an epic family vacation. Or perhaps just candids of your friends and family hanging out during the day.
I bet you are taking photos all the time. I know I am. And, like me, I bet your have different “circles” of people that you share your photos with. My wife, for example, has a private book club she runs on Instagram. And each month she shares photos of the 3 or 4 books she read, and what she took away from each one.
Then there’s the iMessage group thread with my side of the family. This is where I share candids of my kids.
When my wife and I take our kids on a trip, those photos often get made into photo books and/or prints that we hang on our walls.
Your Future Self Thanks You
The rate at which we are taking and making photos is not slowing down.
Every year the iPhone camera gets better and better. I would say the camera is the single most-important feature that Apple is continually pushing forward year over year.
Not to mention that the App Store is jam packed with easy-to-use apps that make it easier than ever to edit your photos into something that looks spectacular.
What better artwork could you have up and around your house than your own? And what better photos to have on your iPhone’s Lock screen than your own?
It’s no longer a question of the tools you have at your disposal. It’s a matter of discovering just a few basic tricks that can significantly transform your photo-making skills overnight.
Or, continue taking photos that are “good enough”.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Check out the two photos above. (These two adorable little guys are my sons, by the way.)
The photo on the right is a better photo. But why?
What is it that makes the photo on the left look like every other average kid photo you see, while the photo on the right makes you pause and say that’s a cute kid.
The meh photo on the left has two bad things going for it. Yes, it’s a bit blurry and poor lighting, but we’ll give those a pass. The main trouble with the photo on the left is that: (a) the background is distracting; and (b) there is food on his face. (As a parent, we all think our little kids are adorable with crumbs; but let’s get honest: nobody else thinks that is very adorable.)
The Awesome photo on the right has three things going for it: (a) The background is not-distracting; (b) the eyes are crystal sharp and in focus (this pulls you right into the portrait); and (c) the towel draped around Benson’s head and body frame his face.
Once I began caring about the photos I took, I became aware of how bad a photographer I was.
As you just witnessed for yourself, the photos I took in my early days were boring and average.
(Seriously. I just pulled up Instagram and scrolled all the way down to my first Instagram photo from December 14, 2010. And wow, it is horrible.)
For years, I was loving the art of photography, yet all of my photos were sub-par. And nearly all of the photos of my son’s early months as a newborn are just not that great.
Once I realized there was nothing interesting or compelling about the photos I was taking, I decided to do something about it.
I reached out to some of my friends who were professional photographers and I asked their advice on the basics.
I learned a few simple things that completely transformed how I take photos. And I still pay attention to those things in my photography today.
In fact, these basic tidbits of advice have become second nature to me. So that when I’m going to take a photo, I naturally am able to compose the shot in an interesting way without having to even think.
For example:
- With a portrait photo, you want to always ensure that your subject’s eyes are in focus.
- Or the rule of thirds. When you divide your frame up into thirds, you’re able to take advantage of where people’s eyes naturally go, and this helps draw focus to your subject in an organic way.
While these may seem obvious and elementary to many people, to me they were revolutionary piece of advice that have helped me take better photos and portraits for years
There are a handful of other tidbits of wisdom like this that can literally transform your photography overnight.
And that’s when the real fun begins: finding your own style and voice as a photographer.
Introducing the Mobile Photography Course
This course is for you if you want to make better photos.
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The reason we’re labeling it a “mobile photography” course is for a few reasons:
For starters, you are walking around with an incredible camera in your pocket, so why do most of your photos still look, well, dull and “meh”? There’s no reason your iPhone photos can’t be awesome. We’ll show you how to instantly get better at capturing and composing shots.
Additionally, the iPhone and iPad have some world-class editing apps on them. You don’t need an expensive computer with a giant monitor in order to professionally edit your photos. You can make your photos even better using just your iPhone or iPad — even the photos from your fancy DSLR / Mirrorless camera.
As you’ll see, this course has three parts:
- There are several lessons that teach you how to take better photos and edit them so they look amazing.
- In the second module you’ll discover how to use the best editing apps there are for iPhone and iPad.
- And we’ve also compiled a handful of interviews with some talented photographers who use their iPhones and iPads for capturing and/or editing their photos.
In this course, you will…
- Learn how to frame and compose better shots.
- Learn how to edit your photo to make a good picture into a great one.
- Discover how to use the best editing apps out there, so you’ll stop guessing and fumbling around with your edits.
- Know exactly what to look for when editing your photos to make them really pop and look better.
After going through this course:
- You will have photos that you enjoy more, and that tell a more compelling story.
- You will have photos you want to print out and frame on your wall.
- You will enjoy taking photos, and feel confident that you know how to compose a great shot.
- You will be able to edit your photos so they look even better and more professional.
Here’s everything you get
This course is for you if…
- You have a bunch of photos on your iPhone and want to better understand how to manage them in the photos app.
- You have an iPhone and would like to take better photos with it.
- You have an iPad and would love to use it more for editing your photos — either as your primary editing device, or a secondary mobile option.
- You have kids and want to move past the random, one-off snapshot and truly capture great photo moments of them.
- You’re just getting interested in photography but you don’t really know where to start. You know that if you had just a few helpful tips to point you in the right direction, you could really get a head start on making great photos.
- Your fast-food lunch photos aren’t getting the likes they deserve. (Good luck with that.)
- You’ve been into photography at some level for a while and you’re pretty comfortable using a camera, but you know that you could improve your photos significantly if you had a bit more training on proper composition and editing.
- You’ve downloaded some photography apps but don’t really know how to use them to get that look you’re wanting.
- You don’t have time to edit photos all day, but you do want a few tricks up your sleeve for making better images.
- You’d love to have prints of your own photos hanging up in your home, showcasing the people and memories you care about most.
- Your lifelong dream is to become an Instagram influencer for brands, driving free Land Rovers through the mountains while sleeping in tents and doing Yoga on the tops of rocks that are out in the middle of ice cold lakes. (But seriously. We will show you how to take great photos, and even how to post them to hashtag Instagram, but the rest, dear reader, is up to you.)
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30-Day, Money-Back Guarantee
Please take a month to check out the class. If, for any reason, you’re not completely satisfied just let us know and we’ll be glad to give you a full refund. No questions asked. It’s zero risk on your part.
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