I’m excited to be offering a new in-person workshop here in Ottawa next month: Smartphone photography for artists and makers. This is a variation of a sold-out workshop I delivered earlier this month through the Ottawa Valley Guild of Weavers and Spinners specifically for fibre artists. This version is designed for any person who wants to take better photos of their art or handmade goods to share on socials, post on Etsy or just for their own archival records.
You know how frustrating it can be when you take a picture of something you’ve just poured your heart into creating and the photos don’t do it justice. And you know how important it is to take compelling, attention-getting photos. But you don’t have the budget to hire a photographer, and you don’t want to to waste time taking mediocre pictures when you could be making your preferred art. Let me walk you through some easy fixes for common mistakes, teach you a few tricks, and help you take photographs that you’ll be proud to share.
Details
This workshop will give you practical tips and advice on everything from compositional tips to how to tell a compelling story to why you need to edit photos and how to do it painlessly.
Participants will learn:
- the characteristics of light and how they affect your photos,
- how to tell a compelling photo story,
- why I never use the flash on my smartphone,
- what your smartphone gets wrong by averaging everything, and
- why you need to edit photos to bring them from average to excellent.
In this session, we’ll be using Snapseed, a free mobile app available for both iPhone and Android. I’ll share my three favourite quick edits that improve almost every photo. And you’ll leave with a 19-page PDF reference guide of everything we discuss in the workshop and more.
Logistics
Date: Sunday May 31, 2026
Time: 1 – 5 pm
Location: 1471 Blair Rd, Ottawa Ontario (Pineview Golf Course, in the boardroom)
Fee: $80 (no HST or supply fee)
Early bird discount: Register before May 10 and the registration fee is only $65
How to register: email me at dani@curiouscrone.ca. Full payment required with registration; pay by e-transfer or I can send you an invoice.
Registration is limited to 12 participants, and the session with the OVWSG sold out, so register early if you’re interested! Registration closes May 29.
About me
I’ve been a professional photographer for nearly 20 years. While I love family photography sessions, I’ve had a successful side hustle licensing my photos taken with a dSLR and a smartphone (going way back to my iPhone 4) to Getty Images for almost that long. My photos have been used for book covers, annual reports, in magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Macleans, by brands like Rolling Stone, FedEx, WalMart, McDonalds, Lonely Planet and Microsoft. In addition to that, I have a background in social media marketing and spent many of my day job hours developing and delivering training for adults. And I’m currently a maker and content creator who loves telling stories online in words, videos and pictures. I joke that two of my passions are making things and telling stories by creating content about making things.
This topic, using your smartphone to take better photographs of your artwork and handmade goods, lands at the intersection of many areas of expertise I’ve been accumulating for the last two decades: photography, training and learning, creative expression through handmade goods, and social media marketing.
Curious? If you’d like to know more, drop a comment or send me an email at dani@curiouscrone.ca.