Photo Taken on iPhoneography Tour

We wrote about Foto Ruta in BBC Travel back in November of 2011. Foto Ruta is a unique city tour that combines photography with discovering Buenos Aires. Their original tour consists of a photography class followed by being sent out onto the street armed with certain photography “clues”. These “clues” serve as a basis for capturing certain scenes or moods. For example, when I originally went on Foto Ruta, it was around Halloween time. Each “clue” had a Halloween type vibe to it, for example “twilight hour”, “traveling Ghost” or “haunted stairway”. The idea is not shoot each clue literally, but to use the clues as inspiration for framing certain shots or scenes.

A year and a half later Foto Ruta has become quite popular, offering new types of tours and expanding to new cities like Santiago, Chile. One of their newest tours is called “iPhonography” and puts the focus on the art of smart phone photography. Being a wanna be photographer who passes my time on the street snapping photos with my iPhone (follow me on instagram), I had the pleasure of tagging along for an iPhonenography tour.

The tour starts out with an orientation session in a cafe. The rise of smartphone photography is discussed and how you don’t need a professional camera to snap great photos. Joss, one of the co-owners of Foto Ruta discusses different types of apps that enhance the photo experience on an iPhone or Android device. For example, the default iPhone camera app does not utilize all the photography technical abilities that the iPhone hardware possesses, but there are certain apps that you can download that make greater use of the hardware. While shooting and framing a shot, certain apps allow you to adjust the exposure and the focus, change the ISO and simulate different apertures and shutter speeds. On the post production side of things, many apps allow you to make amazing adjustments to your photos, from adding crazy filters to subtly adjusting the exposure and white balances.

Afterwards the group heads out onto the street to snap photos. We were taken to an amazing flea market that was a goldmine for great shots. The tour continues on the street and also enters certain funky culture centers and art collectives that offer great opportunities. The tour wraps up in a cafe for a debriefing. Over a glass of wine, tour participants take their photos into post production, using the apps recommended to enhance their photos. Each person then choose 5 of their favorite photos and shares them with the rest of the group on Joss’s computer. Joss then discusses each photo in terms of composition and style. Tour participants discusses the story behind each photo and why they choose whatever post-production tools to enhance their photos.

[box type=”info” size=”large”]We have arrange a special deal with Foto Ruta. Mention Gringo in Buenos Aires when booking and receive a discount of 5%![/box]

iPhoneography Foto Ruta

Price: $60 USD
When: Every Tuesday
Where: Palermo (BA)
Meeting point: Disclosed by email
How to book: Send mail to hola@foto-ruta.com – Mention Gringo in Buenos Aires and Receive 5% off!
Who will enjoy it: Anyone who has an iPhone or smartphone and a sense of adventure

Whats Included

– Tuition pack
– Creative composition and app tutorial
– Guided photo excursion in one of BA’s hippest neighbourhoods
– Professional review of images
– A glass of wine

The following are some photos we took on the iPhoneography tour and elsewhere using our iPhone in Buenos Aires: