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I’m the type of person who keeps their phone on my nightstand and checks my email and social media accounts the second I wake up. It was on such a chilly morning that I burrowed deeper into my covers and opened my email to clear out the inbox for a fresh start to the day. Spam, spam, spam, Twitter, spam, legitimate email, spam, spam…oh, Living Social!
I love finding new and exciting activities to force my friends into and Living Social is one of my main sources for this torture. I’ve gotten some pretty sweet deals on merchandise and services just by checking their daily apps section (looking at you, remote car starter).
I opened the email to peruse the deals of the day to see if there were any cool discounts that struck my fancy. There was the usual assortment of athletic wear, art classes, car maintenance services, etc., but my finger stopped dead when I saw the newest class on offer.
The headline read: “2-Hour Iphoneography Online Class!” with a picture of a middle-aged woman attempting to take a landscape photo in a park.
“Surely, this isn’t a real thing,” I thought as I clicked on the link in horror/delight.
Well, great news, everyone. It was better than I expected.
For the price of just $30 ($60 value), you can take an iPhoneography class that will teach you how to “Shoot, Enhance and Share with iOS Apps!” However, the real deal here is the $99 ($200 value) “Four-Week Online Photo Class with On-Demand Help by Email: Includes Education on Composition, Light, and Digital Techniques.”
There is no other description or advertising language. That’s it.
After discovering this gem of an educational opportunity, I have some questions.
1. Who the fuck is buying this?!
According to the LivingSocial site, 17 of these deals have been purchased. My first guess would be 60+-year-old grandparents, but in that case, why don’t they just call one of their grandchildren to explain it to them like they do with every other technology? I can’t imagine Millenials are buying this, because if there’s one thing we’re all good at (besides blowing our enormous rent checks on decadent brunches) it’s knowing how to make ourselves look deceptively good in a selfie and throwing filters on shit.
2. I’m going to ask the same question that Mark Cuban asks all of the delusional asshats on Shark Tank who think their startup idea is worth $1 Billion: How did you arrive at this valuation?!
Like, okay, maybe I’ll let you slide with $30 because you’re trying to get a hustle going here, but a $60 value? Even worse, a $200 value? What kinds of iPhone photos are you taking that require this much finesse and skill? I like to think that all the retirees in their communities are learning how to take sexy, thirst trap photos for the Insta and Snapchat, but somehow I doubt that’s what’s happening.
3. The $200 course is four weeks… four weeks on WHAT?!
You could probably teach someone to develop an app in four weeks, which would be a much better value for $200. Like… how much time does it take to teach someone to take a picture that isn’t shit with a super powerful point and click camera? This reeks of scam to me.
4. If you’re that into photography, why aren’t you buying a professional camera and taking an actual photography course?!
This course claims it will teach you about, “Composition, Light, and Digital Techniques.” If those are things you’re willing to pay for and taking a great, quality photo is that important to you, why aren’t you looking into ACTUAL photography courses and supplies? Sure, they can be expensive, but if you’re really interested in it there are plenty of cheap and affordable resources.
5. “iPhoneography?”
No. Just no. I will not allow this term to come into parlance. If taking a fire selfie or vacation shot makes you a photographer or an iPhoneographer, then I guess I’m Annie fucking Leibovitz. Making up a new name for something that is one of the most popular activities in the world does not make you an entrepreneur, it makes you insufferable. .
Respond
Quinn Truflais
Formerly known as Queen of The Garbage People. Functional title still stands. Dog owner, whiskey drinker, Star Wars fangirl. #DoingItForTheContent QuinnTruflais@gmail.com
@QuinnTruflais
Your irrational anger for things that other people may enjoy has gotten old. Just let people who want to take better iPhone pics take a $30 class. What’s it to you? It doesn’t affect you. Let people enjoy what they want.
P.S. A quick Google search reveals that Truflais means Garbage in Irish.
Quinn Truflais = Queen Garbage
Our dear “friend” (read: tryhard) QueenOfTheGarbagePeople thinks she can pull a fast one on us by changing her name. Oh no, pal, you’re not getting away with it that easy. The “garbage” thing is played out. Give it up. It’s not funny. You’re not funny. You’re just bitchy.
Champ is bringing the heat today…can we trade QotGP for J-Train? Seems like a fair trade from our standpoint.
My soul was warmed by this.
http://giphy.com/gifs/yr7n0u3qzO9nG/html5
You discovered my super secret identity! That’s an awful lot of effort for someone you hate, but… proud of you!
via GIPHY
https://giphy.com/gifs/u-mad-you-real-j4kHTTusnXk6A
1. iPhone cameras are getting much better with each year, so now people actually use them in place of other digital cameras, many older people and even people in our millennial generation take crap photos and would like to learn how to take better photos with the expensive camera in their pocket that they carry everywhere.
2. If I told you something was worth $60, but right now I’m having a special deal where’s it half off, you’d think you were getting a good deal and not question it as much
3. Why don’t you just ask what the $200 package offers…
4. Cameras are extremely expensive, especially DSLR’s. if you already have a completely reasonable camera in your pocket and would like to spend some time learning how to properly take and edit photos without them looking terrible.
5. Sorry that a play on words angers you this much.
I hope you’re less confused and angered by trivial things now.
Agreed, I worked at a food distribution company and we had a iphone photo class on how to properly capture food photos for social media. Was actually pretty useful stuff and I’m sure saved the company tons of money to have people use their personal phones instead of the company having to buy nice cameras.
This is not a problem we seem to have underwater, although it seems like that could change in a few years. Having said that, I found it highly entertaining when people threw their Galaxy Note 7s in the water during the Chesapeake Bay 4th of July celebration.
Please always comment on everything. <3
As a videographer, I’ve actually had to give a lecture at my company about how to shoot professional photos and videos on an iPhone. if you know how to use it and the little tricks you can use it for, it’s not a bad camera. As for this, someone would be better off just taking a real photography course and then applying that to their iPhone.
If I’m honest, I bought an iPhone 7 Plus over the regular 7 in part because “the camera is better” but I have no idea what I’m doing with the camera other than opening the app and snapping a pic to throw on Insta or FB. I also own a DSLR I don’t know how to use either.
Hate the name but get the concept. The new phone cameras this year all all incredible and so many people either do or are trying to enhance their social media pages for a side income. Valuation is based on development of the course and time to teach it.
There’s a sucker born every minute
Anything by this chick makes me feel like I wasted bandwidth loading the article.