Travel Photography with Your iPhone
with Jennifer Spelman
October 12 – 16, 2026
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Package Price $4295.00
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International Deposit $1500.00
Registration for GCA will go live on February 11 at 2pm ET.
Course Description
Discover San Miguel de Allende, a magical place of rich culture and vibrant colors, with renowned travel photographer Jennifer Spelman as your guide. Jennifer believes good travel photography incorporates cityscapes, landscapes, the culinary scene, architectural and garden details, as well as environmental portraiture to visually evoke a sense of place. Learning to be comfortable recording such diverse subject matter is the fun and rewarding challenge of this workshop.
Travel photography is currently experiencing a renaissance as the lines between creativity, art, and technology are blurring—and Apple’s iPhone is at the forefront of this resurgence. The remarkable photographic features of an iPhone now rival a professional camera in their ability to create images and share stories. It’s a tool that is always accessible, lightweight, and easy to use once you learn its wide-ranging features. Billions of iPhone images are snapped each day as we grab the phone to document our most special moments. The key to turning these snapshots into memorable photographs is a mixture of understanding the technology and combining it with a visual sensitivity for light, moment, and composition.
This week in San Miguel is an exciting blend of exploring both the technical possibilities of the iPhone and the creative elements inherent to all compelling images. In the classroom, Jennifer shares easy-to-understand, step-by-step techniques for using the camera’s many features, including focus and exposure controls, lens and format decisions, night photography, burst mode, HDR, macro techniques, long exposures with Live Photos, and how to maximize the potential of Photographic Styles. The workshop also explores select apps for capturing and editing, as well as strategies for safely archiving iPhone images. Daily field sessions exploring the historic town of San Miguel and its surrounding countryside allow ample opportunities to practice technique as well as creative approaches to travel photography. Then, additional classroom time focuses on Jennifer’s review of your new images that reinforce her lessons and encourage new habits leading to more striking and compelling photos.
We all get to be photographers every day now, mainly because of the remarkable cameras in our mobile devices, and Apple’s iPhone leads the world in innovative ways to do this. Jennifer helps you develop the technical skills, the creative mindset, and therefore an implicit permission to exclusively use your iPhone to create memorable photographs as you travel around the country or venture to the four corners of the globe. Join her for an exciting workshop experience in one of the world’s top travel destinations.
Jennifer has taught workshops in San Miguel de Allende for over 12 years and invites you to join her for the first time she is leading a group of iPhone users to visually explore this enchanted city.
Additional Information
What You Should Know:
An iPhone 13 or higher is required, along with a basic understanding of the camera functions of the iPhone. Android phone users are welcome to join this workshop; however, certain technical controls specific to Android phones will not be covered.
Special Notes:
Participants should plan to travel to San Miguel no later than Sunday, October 11. Workshop check-in will be on Monday morning, followed by breakfast and a brief orientation. The workshop ends on Friday evening with a final dinner and image presentations. Departure should be scheduled for Saturday, October 17 or later.
Activity Level:
To participate in this workshop experience, you should be in good physical (mobility, stamina) and mental health. Come prepared for the high elevation of San Miguel de Allende, long days, and seasonal weather, including high temperatures. You must be able to carry your photographic and personal gear at all times, both on campus and on location. Participants should be able to engage in moderate outdoor exercise for up to an hour or more at a time including walking on uneven terrain such as cobblestone walkways and roads, dirt, and loose rock. Location work is likely to include early morning and/or evening sessions.
You are responsible for being open and honest about your physical fitness, and we reserve the right to remove you from the workshop if we find your fitness to be less than that which you have described.
Policies:
A partially refundable deposit payment of $1,500 is due at the time of registration to reserve a spot in the workshop. Balances are due no less than 45 days (Thursday, August 27, 2026) prior to the start date.
Registration is subject to the following withdrawal policies:
- Withdrawal more than 60 days (Wednesday, August 12, 2026) prior to the start date of the program, SFW will refund all payments made, less a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the deposit.
- Withdrawal between 60 and 45 days (August 12 - 27, 2026) prior to the start date of the program, SFW will retain 50% of the package price.
- Withdrawal less than 45 days prior to the start date of the program will result in no refund.
Package Price INFO:
$4,295 (USD): Your package includes a full schedule of workshop activities in the classroom and on location, a guest instructor and support staff, single accommodations for six nights, six breakfasts, five lunches, and three dinners, airport shuttles, and ground transportation for field trips. The only exclusions are airfare and a few ancillary meals, giving you a nearly worry-free travel experience.
about
Jennifer Spelman is a sensitive documentary and fine-art photographer, as well as a playful observer of the subtleties of human activity. Her images pop with insight and imagination, exciting curiosity and suggesting secrets. As an educator and trip leader, Jennifer is in high demand for her creative instructional insights, easy-going nature, and sharply honed international photography travel acumen.
Since 2011, Jennifer has co-instructed domestic and international photography workshops for National Geographic Expeditions, OneWorldSeen, and Santa Fe Workshops through Iraq, Morocco, India, Cuba, Turkey, Romania, Mexico, Vietnam, and Japan. She is especially proud of the many imaginative and immersive photo trips she has co-led in elusive Cuba. Jennifer also co-founded the niche publication, CubaSeen, and is engaged in Santa Fe Workshops’ popular Mentorship Program ».
Website: jenniferspelman.com
Instagram: @jennifer_spelman
