1 – THOU SHALT
ADJUST CAMERA SETTINGS
Smartphones are powerful, but power without understanding creates hesitation. When uncertain, settings default to auto-everything and students hope for the best. This commandment is not about memorizing features – it’s about students learning a photographic language that enables them to shoot with confidence.
2 – THOU SHALT
STABILIZE YOUR SMARTPHONE
Sharpness isn’t technical — it’s emotional. If an image feels unstable, viewers feel uneasy. Whether handheld, mounted on a selfie stick, or secured on a tripod, stabilization ensures consistent focus regardless of changing weather, time of day or camera position.
3 – THOU SHALT
DEVELOP OBSERVATIONAL POWERS
“When the Tourist Meets the Creator”
Creativity is not a personality trait – it’s practiced observation that brings experimentation to the process. From lighting, to composition, to point of view, the mindset is to evaluate and improve the most recent image. Whatever that takes. Changing lenses, shooting mode or coaching the subject. During our workshops, creative assignments are never ‘one and done.’ This is how creativity is cultivated.
In our small group format, questions, clarifications, feedback and constructive critiques all play a role the the learning process. Students learn from each other, and I learn how to get the best out of them… which creates an energy that pulls everyone together.
4 – THOU SHALT
CONTROL YOUR TECHNOLOGY
“The Process of Working the Scene”
Working the Scene begins after the first frame. It requires stepping back and evaluating light, composition, camera position, background distractions, and focal emphasis. Small adjustments – a shift in height, angle, or timing – often create dramatic improvement. The difference between average and exceptional is rarely dramatic. It’s deliberate…
A smartphone does exactly what you tell it to do. Once students understand modes, lenses, and exposure control, they gain the freedom to refine an image edge to edge. Working a scene transforms a quick capture into an intentional photograph.
5 – THOU SHALT
BECOME A STUDENT OF LIGHT
“The Universal Language”
From seasonal shifts to second sunsets and the power of contrast, light is the element photographers pursue relentlessly. It cannot be controlled — only understood. When patience meets commitment, photographers stop chasing light and start anticipating it.
Light transcends borders, cultures, and words. It shapes mood, defines texture, and communicates emotion without translation. This is where patience becomes practice. When people recognize good light, they arrive earlier, stay longer, and move with intention. Light doesn’t just shape images – it shapes behavior…
6 – THOU SHALT
BELIEVE IN COMPOSITION
“The Photographic Welcome Mat”
Composition is how viewers are invited into an image – or kept out. Without compositional awareness, images feel busy, confusing, or forgettable. With it, even simple scenes gain strength and emotional weight. This isn’t about rigid rules – it’s about guiding attention of the viewer.
Smartphone photography thrives on movement. Step left. Step back. Drop lower. Raise higher. Framing rewards participation. The more you move, the more intentional your images become. Composition transforms observation into action. Play Ball…
7 – THOU SHALT
APPRECIATE DETAIL
“Respecting the Unnoticed”
Our workshops celebrate details often missed in every day life. Whether its the veins of a leaf, the ground shadows we walk on, or the texture of an aged saguaro, details define our world.
Though not always immediately visible, photographing details is like an easter egg hunt. They are the unnoticed elements that hold stories together.
8 – THOU SHALT
PRIORITIZE MOMENTS
“Anticipate the Action”
Different memories create different photographs. The impact of a scene depends on recognizing opportunity as it unfolds. That graduation image wasn’t luck — it required readiness and patience. I stepped aside, camera in hand, waiting for the single moment when every head turned in the same direction.
The right place. The right time. The right instant. Moments reveal themselves to those who are attentive and prepared. A perfect sky can dissolve in seconds. A gesture can vanish in half a breath. Sometimes anticipation is active. Other times, it requires patience.
9 – THOU SHALT
EDIT EMOTIONALLY
“Editing is not repair, it’s refinement”
We introduce in-camera editing based on skill level and smartphone version, focusing on restraint and intention. When students see a before-and-after transformation — light balanced, distractions removed, emotion clarified — something clicks. Editing doesn’t create the image. It reveals it.
10 – THOU SHALT
REMEMBER THIS COMMANDMENT
There will come a day when you look at a photograph you’ve made and quietly smile. The light is right. The composition feels balanced. The moment holds. You’ll remember the mentoring, the group energy, and the process that led you there. That’s when you realize you’ve crossed a threshold.
Gratitude…
All photos were taken with an iPhone.
©2026 Dan Watts
All rights reserved.
