Leading a photowalk through Glasgow
I arrived an hour before the start of the photowalk that the creative team at the Buchanan Street Apple Store had planned. I’d be leading the walk as part of Today At Apple. Sharing my knowledge of the VSCO iPhone app as we walked and showing people how to shoot with the VSCO app as well as the native iPhone camera.
The weather was wet and grey, typically Glaswegian, I posted to my Instagram feed a reminder for the event and that the weather would at least provide even lighting! A nervous attempt to disguise my fear that attendees would be put off.
Andy met me in the Apple Store and soon put me at ease. Plenty had signed up and it wasn’t long before we were welcoming everyone for the start of the walk.
We made sure everyone had the VSCO app downloaded and on their iPhones with accounts set up before leaving. Equally as important was the distribution of umbrellas as the rain showers were now heavier.
Luckily everyone was dealing with the weather with good humour and the streets of Glasgow didn’t seem any less busy because of it.
Our group made its way down Buchanan Street and I pointed out some characters and potential subjects on the busiest pedestrian street in the city. We then turned in to Mitchell Lane with its bars and neon signs. Reflections in the puddles and glowing windows became the focus of our attention.
As well as discussing the technical side of using the VSCO app on the iPhone. I talked about the process of finding abstract images and engaging with potential subjects. How to talk to strangers and ask them to take part in your project.
Live Editing with VSCO In the Apple Store
The weather improved as we continued along the route and it wasn’t long before we were all back at the Apple Store. We got comfortable and gathered round some tables for my live demo on how to edit using the VSCO app.
I had a mild panic as I hadn’t taken many shots as I had been chatting with the group and wasn’t 100% sure what example I might use.
Scrolling through my camera roll, I settled on one of the portraits I had taken. Touching on the range of film types/filter packs at first, I then went in to more detail with the other editing tools, from skewing architectural images to adjusting skin tones on portraits.
Once happy with the final image, we explored the publishing and sharing aspect of VSCO and how to post to your feed and share on other social media platforms.
I finished up talking about the community and creative aspects, something I think makes VSCO stand out from the other platforms.
Today at Apple is your chance to get involved
With the help of the creative team at the Apple Store I thought the day went really well. I hope everyone who took part felt they got something from the day.
Apple will be continuing these programmes featuring photographers, musicians, performance arts and other creative themes.
Keep an eye on the Apple website to discover inspiring programmes near you.
I’d like to thank Andy and the rest of the team at Apple for their support. Melodie and Carter at VSCO for reaching out to me. Most of all the everyone who came along for the day.
If you want to see the results of Today at Apple from around the globe use the tag #todayatapple and if you don’t currently use VSCO, why not give it a go?
You can view my VSCO profile here.
