iPhone Photo Academy is best suited to beginners who want a step-by-step way to learn photography with their iPhone. Our original review praised Emil Pakarklis’s explanations, video presentation, and photo critiques. Experienced photographers may find much of the composition and exposure teaching familiar.
Review update, October 2026: The hands-on observations below come from our original review, last updated in October 2024. We have checked the current public course outline and access information, but have not retaken the updated course. The screenshots show the version originally reviewed.
Overview of iPhone Photo Academy
iPhone Photo Academy is one course from iPhone Photography School. The school is the provider; the Academy is the course reviewed here. Its official course catalogue also lists separate editing, video, and specialist photography courses. This review does not assess all of them.
Emil Pakarklis teaches Photo Academy. The school’s About page identifies him as its founder and a self-taught iPhone photographer. That establishes who is behind the course; it does not guarantee a particular result for each student.
Who Is It For?
This is an introduction to photography for people who want to move beyond pointing their phone at a subject and hoping for a good picture. It is a better fit if you need help with light, framing, focus, and exposure than if you already use those skills confidently.
The phone’s small size suits travel and everyday photography. The appeal of iPhone Photo Academy is learning how to use the camera you carry with you, rather than buying more equipment.
If you are comparing models in our iPhone camera guide, separate that hardware decision from the decision to take a beginner course.
Contents of iPhone Photo Academy
The public course outline, checked on October 5, 2026, lists five main modules:
- Camera controls, settings, lenses, and shutter options.
- Focus, exposure, Live Photos, burst shooting, and panoramas.
- Creativity, viewpoint, and composition.
- Lighting, sunrise, sunset, and night photography.
- Landscapes, travel, street scenes, architecture, portraits, children, macro, and long exposures.
It also lists lessons on Camera Control and Photographic Styles for iPhone 16 and 17. These are current advertised contents, not lessons we have newly tested.
The FAQ describes about ten hours of main video lessons. The original review’s roughly twenty-hour estimate included bonus material from the older version; it should not be read as the current main-course duration.
Access and Device Requirements
The school advertises self-paced, prerecorded lessons with lifetime access. Its FAQ says the course suits iPhone 5S and newer models and begins without requiring accessories. Available camera features depend on your model; the newer-feature lessons will not apply to every phone.
The public page offers viewing through an iPhone or iPad app. We have not tested current app compatibility, offline viewing, or playback on older devices. If one of those decides your purchase, check it with the school’s support team first.
For website purchases, the published refund terms state a 30-day money-back period, with requests sent by email. App purchases have separate terms, so do not assume the website policy applies to them.
About the Instructor
In the version I reviewed, Emil’s style was friendly and welcoming, but he spoke a bit too slowly for my taste. I chose the option to set playback speed to 1.25x.
That was a personal preference rather than a fault in the teaching. He explained the ideas in short sections without rushing through them.
What I Love About iPhone Photo Academy
These are the strengths I found in the version originally reviewed. They explain our recommendation, while the current course outline above shows what the school now advertises.
Attention to Detail
Even though iPhone Photo Academy was mainly aimed at beginners, I appreciated the way it handled technical subjects. Resolution and compression can be confusing at first, but Emil’s explanations made them understandable.
He did not simply replace the technical ideas with vague advice. The explanations connected those ideas to what a beginner would do with a photograph.
Coverage
The version of iPhone Photo Academy I reviewed covered camera operation, light, composition, techniques for common situations, and some editing. The sequence moved from learning the controls to making decisions about the picture.
For a beginner, that sequence is the reason to consider a course rather than collect unrelated tips. For an experienced photographer, it is also the reason some lessons may repeat things you already know.
Production
The video and sound in the reviewed version were among its strengths. I found the lessons pleasant to watch.
The course page I used showed the lesson on the left, comments beneath it, and expandable modules on the right. Chapter markers let me return to a particular part of a video without watching it from the start.
Those observations describe the platform I used at the time. They are not a fresh test of the current app or lesson player.
Photo Analysis Bonus Module
I did not watch the entire photo-analysis module. I watched the first chapter and took a brief look at others. That limit matters: this review is not a claim that I completed every bonus video.
In those videos, Emil reviewed and critiqued iPhone photographs. I found them better suited to watching over time than in one long sitting. They can help you consider your own personal style and taste, even when you disagree with a particular judgment.
For example, pause before a critique and decide where your eye goes first. Then compare your reading of the picture with the instructor’s. That gives you something to practise when reviewing your own work.
The current sales page still lists photo analysis among its bonuses. It also advertises AI photo feedback; we have not tested that tool, and its inclusion should not be taken as a promise of personal coaching from Emil.
Summaries
The reviewed lessons had short written summaries at the end of each chapter. They made it easier to revisit a point without searching through the full video.
I would use the summary as a reminder after trying the technique, rather than as a substitute for taking photographs. Reading about composition and deciding where to stand are different tasks.
Community and Support
In the original review, I found activity in the lesson comments and the student Facebook group. Students could share work from course challenges and ask for criticism. Staff also replied to questions in the spaces I saw.
That is a historical observation, not a measured support-response time or a check of today’s group activity. The current course page advertises a private community and says questions can be asked beneath lessons. The school also publishes a support email and help site on its contact page.
We have not submitted a new support request or checked current member-only discussions. Use the community as a possible source of feedback, without assuming that every upload receives a personal instructor critique.
Areas to Improve
Use of a Tripod
In the version I reviewed, Emil sometimes used a tripod. I wanted more information about the tripod head he used. His recommended way of holding the phone was adequate for many of the situations he demonstrated, but that did not answer my accessory question.
Treat the demonstrations as a way to decide what you need for your own photographs. Do not buy an accessory simply because it appears in a lesson.
It’s Less Attractive for Experienced Photographers
If you already understand composition and exposure, much of a beginner course will be revision. My original review noted that, despite more than four decades of photography experience and using an iPhone since 2007, I still learned things about the camera app.
That supports a narrower recommendation: experienced photographers may find some phone-specific instruction worthwhile, but should compare the outline with what they already know. It does not establish that this is an advanced course or that every experienced photographer needs it.
Current Features Need a Separate Check
This update verifies public course information rather than new hands-on performance. We have not rechecked the current videos, AI feedback, app, or member community. Lifetime access also does not, by itself, establish that every future update or separately sold course is included.
If you are joining for a particular new camera feature, confirm that lesson’s availability for your purchase and device with the school. Our older screenshots and playback observations cannot answer that question.
Our Verdict
iPhone Photo Academy remains a course to consider if you are new to photography and prefer a sequence of video lessons built around using your phone. The original review’s strongest reasons were the explanations, production, and chance to study critiques of real photographs.
Be more selective if you already know the fundamentals or mainly want advanced editing, current-model testing, or personal coaching. Read the outline against the skills you want to learn, then leave time to practise them. Completing videos alone is not proof that your photographs have improved.
The school’s Facebook and Instagram pages provide examples of its public material. Our recommendation here covers Photo Academy and the experience documented in the original review, not every course sold by the school.
Scores
The score below is the original review score, retained for comparison with our other reviews. It is not a new rating of the updated course.
| Measurement | Score |
|---|---|
| Coverage | 85 |
| Accuracy | 80 |
| Ease Of Learning | 87 |
| Production Value | 93 |
| Uniqueness | 100 |
| Community And Learning Support | 100 |
| Value For Money | 70 |
| Total Score | 84 |
