Mindful Smartphone Photography

Description of Class

Mindful Smartphone Photography - The Art of Seeing with Presence What if your phone camera became a tool for awareness and not for just image-making? This photography workshop invites you to slow down, look again, and experience photography as a mindful practice. We begin with the essentials: how to use your smartphone camera more consciously and effectively. You’ll learn practical tips and tricks to improve focus, exposure, light awareness, and composition including how to work with natural light, framing, perspective, leading lines, and visual balance. Then we will shift to practise the mindful art of seeing! Through gentle guided exercises you’ll explore how photography can become a way of pausing, observing, and connecting with your surroundings and with yourself. Instead of chasing images, we will allow them to emerge. We will explore noticing textures, shadows, colour, rhythm, and small overlooked details. We will experiment with photographing from a place of presence rather than urgency. This is not about perfection. It’s about perception. Whether you’re new to photography or looking to reconnect with creativity in a calmer way, this workshop offers both technical confidence and reflective depth helping you see the familiar world with fresh eyes. Workshop Objectives By the end of this workshop, participants will: - Understand key smartphone camera functions and how to use them intentionally - Apply basic composition principles (light, framing, perspective, balance) - Develop greater awareness of light, detail, and visual rhythm - Practise walking meditation through the lens - Strengthen their ability to slow down and observe before photographing - Create images that reflect mood, presence, and personal perspective - Gain confidence using photography as a creative and mindful practice Suitable for photography beginners and for both iPhone and Android users. Your tutor: Eva Kalpadaki was born in Greece. After she was awarded a Greek State Foundation scholarship she moved to UK to complete a PhD in Arts and Communication at UCA. She is a qualified teacher holding a PGCE teaching certificate from the University of Brighton. She is currently working as a fine art photographer and photography tutor. (Please see Eva's tutor page for her full bio).