Start with What You Have: Seeing, Shooting & Storytelling on Your Smartphone with Dan Rubin | October 2026

Join photographer, designer, and creative director Dan Rubin for an immersive day of photography in the heart of Soho. Through practical guidance, real-world shooting, and hands-on editing, you'll learn how to create stronger photographs and videos using your smartphone, while developing the skills that sit at the heart of all great photography: seeing, composition, light, timing, and storytelling.

This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience and is open to users of all smartphone brands and models.

What You'll Learn

• How to see and compose stronger photographs
• Understanding light and how to use it effectively
• Street photography techniques and visual storytelling
• Making better use of your smartphone camera
• Editing photographs for a polished final result
• Creating simple, engaging video content for social media
• Mobile workflows for preparing and publishing content online

Workshop Schedule

10:00 – Welcome at Leica Akademie Soho

• Coffee and introductions
• Overview of the day
• Understanding visual storytelling and smartphone photography

10:30 – Photography Walk Through Soho

• Guided street photography session
• Practical exercises and creative challenges
• One-to-one mentoring and feedback throughout

12:30 – Lunch Break
 

13:30 – Image Review & Editing

• Selecting your strongest photographs
• Editing techniques using mobile apps
• Understanding colour, contrast, cropping, and storytelling

15:00 – Video for Social Media

• Shooting effective video on your smartphone
• Understanding movement, framing, and sequencing
• Editing short-form content for social platforms

16:00 – Group Review & Discussion

• Review of participant work
• Feedback and Q&A
• Publishing and sharing your work

17:00 – Close

About Dan Rubin

Dan Rubin is a designer, photographer, and creative director based in London and Miami, with a multidisciplinary career spanning more than 30 years.

One of Instagram's original beta testers and a speaker at the world's first mobile photography conference, Dan has long been recognised as a leading voice in smartphone photography and visual storytelling. His work was featured in the App Store at Instagram's launch, helping establish him as one of the platform's earliest influential photographers.

A regular workshop leader for Leica, Apple, Kodak, and other global brands, Dan's educational programmes have reached tens of thousands of students worldwide.

His clients include Alfa Romeo, American Express, Barbour, Ducati, Land Rover, The Macallan, and Travel + Leisure. Dan is also co-founder of The Photographic Journal and continues to work internationally across photography, design, consulting, and creative direction.

See more of Dan Rubin's work here: @danrubin 

Who Should Attend?

• Smartphone photographers looking to improve their images
• Travellers wanting to capture better memories
• Content creators and social media users
• Parents, grandparents, and families documenting everyday life
• Anyone interested in developing their photographic eye

Start with what you have. Learn to see more. Create better photographs.