02 Jul iPhone Shuffler: Creative Photography Using Your iPhone | September

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iPhone Shuffler: Creative Photography Using Your iPhone

Date  | Wednesdays, September 10 – 24, 2025

Time  |   7 – 9 PM (MST)

Location |  Online via Zoom

Cost  | $189 Member and $210 Non-Member

Instructor  |  Carol Schiraldi

Skill Level  |  All skill levels welcome

CPAC adheres to a strict payment, cancellation, and refund policy. Please review our Payment & Refund Policies prior to registration.

Objective:

This workshop invites participants to explore a range of iPhone photography apps through guided experimentation, helping them create unique, app-driven imagery and expand their mobile art-making toolkit.

Course Description:

Explore the creative potential of your phone in this hands-on workshop that shuffles through a variety of iPhone apps for photo-based image making.

We’ll begin with a foundational session on iPhone photography and camera settings, then dive into weekly explorations of creative apps for editing, layering, and transforming your images. Each week, students will experiment with a new app or technique, share their results, and learn how to integrate mobile tools into a personal artistic process. Whether you’re new to mobile photography or looking to expand your digital toolkit, this course will introduce playful, powerful ways to create art with the device in your pocket.

TOPICS COVERED
Week 1: Getting Grounded – iPhone Camera Essentials + App Intro
Learn your iPhone’s camera capabilities and get introduced to core creative apps
Topics:
  • iPhone camera settings: focus, exposure, Live Photos, HDR, file formats
  • Overview of a mobile photo workflow: : capture → edit → export/share
  • Intro to basic editing apps (e.g. Snapseed, Adobe Photoshop Express)
  • First creative app: experiment with a “gateway” app like VSCO or Distressed FX
  • App overview: introduction to a small set of creative apps (Snapseed, Distressed FX, Adobe Photoshop Express)
  • Group discussion: image intention vs. app-based transformation
In-Class Activities:
  • Live shooting/editing demo
  • Group discussion: image intention vs. app-based transformation
Homework:
  • Create and edit 3-5 images using the assigned app(s)
  • Explore app features beyond the basics and be ready to discuss results (layering, textures, exposure, etc.)
Week 2: App Shuffle – App Shuffle I – Layering, Manipulating & Creating
Dive into more complex and expressive photo apps, exploring techniques like texture, layering, manipulation
Topics:
  • Intro to more experimental or expressive apps (e.g. Leonardo, Mextures, Waterlogue)
  • Leonardo (layering)
  • Superimpose X (layering & masking)
  • TouchRetouch (removing distractions)
  • Waterlogue (turning photos into watercolor paintings)
  • Glitché or Prisma (stylized transformations)
In-Class Activities:
  • Live demo: combining apps for “app-stacking” workflows
  • Share & discuss in-progress images from week 1
Homework:
  • Create 3–5 images exploring abstraction, layering, or surreal aesthetics
  • Use 1-2 new apps to remix or reinterpret a past image
Week 3: App Shuffle II – Specialty Styles + Final Share
Explore specialty and nostalgic-style apps with distinct visual voices, then reflect and share
Topics:
  • Intro to “aesthetic” apps with unique visual filters:
  • Diana (randomized dreamlike double exposures)
  • Hipstamatic (vintage/film-style presets)
  • Waterlogue (if not yet used)
  • Apps like Kamon, 8mm, or others emulating analog aesthetics
  • Optional: Apps that mimic Japanese paper, ink painting, or vintage printing styles (e.g. Artomaton, ToonCamera, PaperCamera)
In-Class Activities:
  • Play-along app demo: randomized creative challenge
  • Participants share 3–6 final images created over the course
  • Group feedback + reflection: which apps resonated? What surprised you?
Wrap-Up
  • Discussion of possible personal next steps: app projects, zines, prints
  • Final Q&A
  • Resource guide: recommended apps, printing services, and mobile artist platforms

Materials Needed:

If you have questions about camera equipment or resources, contact us at edu@cpacphoto.org in advance of the class. For online classes and workshops please register as you normally would, and CPAC will update you with the proper links. To participate in an online course, students will need access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet with adequate internet connection and storage space.

  • iPhone (iOS 14 or newer recommended) – fully charged, with available storage for new photos and apps
  • Basic familiarity with using the iPhone camera and App Store
  • Internet access for attending online sessions and downloading apps
  • Notebook or digital note-taking app (for jotting down app settings, ideas, or workflows)
  • Zoom account (free) for access to class

A selection of apps will be introduced during class; participants will be asked to download and experiment with some each week. Most are free or low-cost with in-app purchases. 

Core Editing Apps (Week 1)
  • Snapseed (free)
  • VSCO (free version)
  • Adobe Photoshop Express (free with optional Adobe login)
Creative/Artistic Apps (Weeks 2–3)
  • TouchRetouch (paid or trial version)
  • Superimpose X (paid)
  • Waterlogue (paid)
  • Diana Photo (freemium)
  • Hipstamatic X (free with paid features)
  • Prisma, Glitché, or similar stylization apps (freemium)
Optional
  • Artomaton, ToonCamera, PaperCamera, or similar Japanese paper/ink filter apps
  • 8mm, Kamon, or vintage emulation apps for B&W or analog feel