Apple iPhone Camera: In-Depth Features
with Tom Gaukel
April 2 – 13, 2026
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Tuition $495.00
Sorry, this workshop is full. Now accepting sign-ups for waitlist.
Course Description
The iPhone camera is the most widely used camera in the history of photography, but most people are only using a fraction of its true imaging potential. This new online workshop takes a thorough look at the iPhone camera’s powerful features and helps you take advantage of the advanced technology to get better results whether you are photographing portraits, landscapes, or documenting your travels.
In four online sessions over two weeks, photographer and longtime iPhone aficionado Tom Gaukel helps you become more comfortable with the iPhone camera’s physical controls by learning how to quickly activate the camera, use the numerous shutter release techniques, manually control the flash, and manually focus. We look at each of the camera modes (time-lapse, slo-mo, video, photo, portrait, pano, cinematic, and spatial) and the plethora of settings within each mode that control resolution, compression, frame rate, and other variables.
Once the basics have been covered, Tom explores some of the more advanced features that can help take your iPhone photography to a level comparable with a traditional camera. We delve into subjects such as 48 megapixel capture, ProRaw file format, file compression, and third-party camera apps like Lightroom and Halide.
After mastering image capture, we move on to the editing phase using the iPhone’s Photos app as well as Lightroom Mobile and Lightroom Classic on a desktop computer where Tom shares insights from his 25 years working as a retoucher. Lastly, we discuss how to make the most of your images by prepping them for use on social media, a website or, best of all, an inkjet photo printer.
Here is an overview of the workshop schedule and what’s covered during each class session:
Session 1:
- Evolution of the iPhone camera
- iPhone camera controls compared to a traditional camera
- Basic workflow with iPhone Camera app
Session 2:
- A detailed look at the many settings in each of the iPhone camera modes
- Dynamic examples of images made in each mode
- Basic editing with Photos
Session 3:
- Third party apps for enhanced camera control
- 48 megapixel and ProRaw
- External hard drives, battery packs, and tripod mounts
Session 4:
- Editing images in-camera with the iPhone’s Photos app and Lightroom Mobile
- Editing iPhone images in Lightroom Classic on a desktop computer
- Prepping photos for social media, web, and print
Join us online this spring to maximize your understanding of the astounding photography features on Apple’s iPhone.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
A basic working knowledge of your iPhone 13 or higher model.
Special Notes:
Class will meet 9:30 – 11:30 am (Mountain Time) on Thursdays and Mondays starting April 2 and ending April 13 (four online group sessions). Enrollment is limited to 14 participants.
Zoom Video Conferencing software (available for no charge from Zoom.com) will be used to facilitate the class sessions. Further details will be emailed to registrants.
Santa Fe Workshops always aims to produce a high-quality experience for our online attendees. That said, variables including regional and local internet provider speeds, traffic on Zoom's servers, and your own computing hardware can contribute to a less than ideal streaming event. While we do our best to minimize the impact of these variables, they are outside the control of Santa Fe Workshops.
Policies:
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
For the convenience of participants, recordings of each class session are posted privately for one month after the end of each session. Santa Fe Workshops takes the recordings down after one month to protect the intellectual property of our instructors.
about
Tom Gaukel started taking photos when he was given his grandfather’s Kodak Retina camera and a light meter at the age of 10. Since then, he has worked in a few camera stores, taken tourist portraits on the top of a mountain, and worked as a freelance photographer. Tom has witnessed firsthand the photographic world change from film to digital, DSLR to Mirrorless, and now from traditional cameras to iPhone cameras—which he’s been experimenting with since he got his first iPhone in 2008 with a whopping 3.2-megapixel camera.
Tom was introduced to Adobe Photoshop v. 3.0 while a Graphics Editor at John Muir Publications, and soon after began working as a teaching assistant in the Digital Lab at Santa Fe Workshops where he honed his Photoshop skills. He led several classes at the Workshops before striking out as a retoucher.
Today, Tom is a freelance retoucher working on beauty, fashion, product, automotive, and entertainment imagery for clients in the US and Europe. He’s retouched photos by many esteemed photographers, including Ryan McGinley, Paolo Roversi, Bruce Weber, and Martin Parr, and has worked on projects for companies and publications such as Purple Magazine, Adidas, Uniqlo, Showtime, American Crew, Kate Spade, and British Vogue.
Tom has a BA in political science from Western Colorado University and an MA in liberal arts from St. John’s College.
Photography Website: tomgaukelphotography.com
Retouching Website: digiphotodesign.com
Instagram: @tomgaukel
