Why Wiren Lessons?

Mission Statement:

Wiren Lessons endeavor to teach the artistry of iPhoneography. Lessons focus on composition, aesthetics, and creativity to help build a fuller understanding of image making and reception.

My desire to teach lessons like this began when I sold camera equipment for a living. I repeatedly saw the same problem: people wanting to know how to create beautiful images but just being oversold on camera equipment that was beyond their knowledge level to use. They would inevitably settle into just using the program/easy mode and accept that their photos would just be average.

The problem with the philosophy of so many of my co-workers was that great photos were about the equipment used. They all had some degree of success as a photographer because they had a natural eye for design, an instinct that some of us are born with and some aren’t. They did not understand the neurological processes that were occurring unconsciously for them and so attributed their images to the equipment they used, and that’s how they sold.

But equipment does not make the photo beautiful, the photographer makes the photograph beautiful, and a skilled photographer can make a beautiful photograph with any camera they use, because a camera is just a tool.

All those people who came into the camera store looking to make great photographs didn’t need to be sold a great camera, they needed to be sold a series of classes. They needed to learn the art of design and composition; that which occurs instinctively for some but has to be learned by others.

I was born with a great eye, but I also studied art history at some of the best universities and at advanced levels. Those courses allowed me to learn and understand what was happening at an instinctive level for myself in my artwork. Now, I want to share that understanding with you, so that you can build your skills at creating a great image.

A great image shouldn’t be a one in twenty shots that just happened to come out like you wanted. A great image should be one that you saw with your own eye, knew how to compose, and created in a single shot, no matter what camera you use. 

That is part of the beauty of using your iPhone/iPod Touch camera for these lessons. The limitations of a simple camera will allow you to focus on the design aspects rather than technology, and to truly become a good photographer, so that when you do pick up better equipment you will be able to utilize its capabilities as a tool of your art.