As it’s National Gumdrop Day, I couldn’t resist this shot!
I know from experience how challenging it is to keep the kids entertained on a wet half term week, which is why some macro and perspective smartphone photography could be the perfect (and cheap!) pastime you can all enjoy together.
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Red roses, chocolates and a meal out is the go-to for couples on Valentine’s Day. The problem with these generic choices is they are often not very memorable on a day that’s about romance and great memories together. This is why we created our Couple’s Smartphone Safari Gift Experience, so you can celebrate a special day with something a bit different.
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Hi, I’m Jet and I’m the Founder and Creative Director of Jet Black Squares. I’m based in Hertfordshire, but run sessions in London, Brighton, Oxford and Cambridge too.
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Studies show that being in nature, talking to others and engaging in a creative activity can have a positive effect on both our mental and physical health. For this reason, we’ve decided to set up our free Snap & Chat sessions, which give you the chance to meet some new people, get outdoors, and learn a few photography skills.
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With just one week until Christmas, we thought it would be useful to compile a list of fun gift ideas to satisfy the budding smartphone photographer in your life.
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One great way you can break up the festive period and do something fun and different for the whole family is on one of our smartphone photography safaris.
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The recent bright days and snow fall over the UK have made for the perfect opportunity to get outdoors with your smartphone and capture a beautiful wintery scene. But winter photography can prove very tricky. With the daylight hours reducing quickly, light levels can be low and now the trees have shed their autumn colours the landscape can look rather barren. However, both of these obstacles can be used to your advantage when taking winter photos with your smartphone camera.
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With Christmas just around the corner, you’re likely to be on the hunt for that perfect gift for your loved ones. If they are the type of person who loves to get out their smartphone and snap an interesting shot, why not gift them a smartphone photography safari experience this year?
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We were contacted by Dawn, from Seaham Sea Glass Designs, to run a bespoke one-to-one smartphone photography workshop. Dawn spends a lot of time on Seaham beach collecting sea glass for her jewellery and art designs and so she was keen to learn how to compose photos of the beautiful sea glass she finds in situ with their natural surroundings.
Seaham beach is just a 30 minute drive from Durham and has become famous for its sea glass. These vibrant and colourful ‘stones’ were originally man-made glass, which, over many years, have been weathered and rounded into these unique objects. The reason that Seaham beach is home to so much sea glass is its location, which is near the old Victorian bottle works. The works discarded their unwanted glass into the sea which, over time, formed into the sea glass that washes up with the tides.
It was a moody, but bright, atmosphere on Seaham beach when we visited, giving us the opportunity to really use the sky as a backdrop for our shots. We spent time composing close-ups, focal shots of the sea glass and dramatic landscape shots of the arced beach, playing with the exposure levels on Dawn’s smartphone camera to heighten the sea glass colours.
After spending some time combing for some sea glass to take home, we ended our session learning about the editing tools and effective final touches that the free Snapseed app could achieve for her smartphone images.
If you have a particular smartphone photography skill you would like to learn for yourself or for your business, please do get in touch and we can create a safari tailored to you.
For bespoke smartphone workshops in County Durham and Newcastle, you can contact Becky at becky@jetblacksquares.com
For bespoke workshops in London, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, please contact Jet at jet@jetblacksquares.com
If you would like to give a one-to-one smartphone workshop as a gift this Christmas, why not purchase a gift voucher which can be redeemed at any time over the coming year.
With COP26 taking place this week, it has brought to light for many of us the need to go green and do our bit by reduce our carbon footprint. But, as a report by Sky News pointed out, the storage of our smartphone photos on the cloud can produce a hidden carbon footprint not many of us would suspect. So, in this blog we look at some good ways to manage your smartphone photos, and reduce your carbon foot print too, that won’t forego your favourite pics.
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The festivals that light up Autumn are important occasions to celebrate with family and friends as the nights draw in. But, whether it be Diwali, Halloween or Fireworks Night, getting clear, dramatic and atmospheric photos in low light conditions can be very tricky. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to capture that perfect shot of your celebration with your smartphone camera.
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Oxford Christmas Market - Image by NiRa Events Ltd
If you would like to learn how to create some beautiful and vibrant Christmassy images using your smartphone camera, while, at the same time, enjoying an evening out in a festive atmosphere, join us on one of our Christmas Market Smartphone photography Workshops in Oxford or London.
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These next few weeks are the perfect time to get outside with your smartphone and try out a few nature shots. In this blog, I’ll be focusing on how to focusing in on those incredible colours and textures with 5 top tips for using your smartphone when photographing autumn colours.
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We have some very exciting news here at Jet Black Squares. Jet is a semi finalist in the Enterprise Nation and TSB Bank Female Start Up of the Year Award and we would so appreciate your vote.
If you have followed Jet’s journey, been on a safari, listened to a talk or presentation or just been inspired to pick up your smartphone camera we would really appreciate your vote. After being chosen from 100s of exceptional businesswomen to get this far, if she now gets enough votes, the top 3 will go to Bristol on 24th October to pitch their business at the Festival of Female Entrepreneurs to a panel of judges. No pressure eh!! The direct link to vote is https://www.enterprisenation.com/female-start-up-of-the.../.
As always, thank you for your support. Voting closes 5pm on Friday 8th October.
Having the chance to explore the best local spots to eat and drink, and find out about the hidden gems of Durham or Newcastle, is a great way to start your university experience as you mean to go on. Coupling this with learning how to best capture these beautiful locations on a smartphone photography workshop makes for a great introduction to your new home, and leaves you with the skills to carry on sharing your experiences with friends and family.
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Jet Black Squares have helped a number of DofE participants complete their skills section in smartphone photography. Whether you are aiming to complete the Bronze, Silver or Gold award in either 3 or 6 months, we can organise bespoke one-to-one sessions and out of class activities that focus on your interests.
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Our virtual smartphone photography workshops can be tailored to you, your group, or your business. It all depends on what you would like to get from the experience.
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A corporate virtual smartphone photography workshop with a marketing team at London Bridge.
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Last Thursday, I set off for a one-to-one smartphone photography workshop around Soho in London. The client wanted to learn how to use their smartphone camera to capture some interesting urban shots while being guided in and around this iconic area in more detail than the usual tourist walk-by.
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Remember when we used to say ‘I’ve only got an iphone’ when talking about what THE camera you had? Remember when the quality wasn’t good enough to even send a photo to your granny, never mind use for any thing remotely important? Luckily times - and smartphone cameras - have changed and the quality is now so good that there is no trouble at all in shooting corporate photography on your smartphone.
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