2026 Pre-Conference Workshop

Pocket-Sized Storytelling: Creating Powerful Campus Visuals with Your Smartphone

Adam McGrath, creative arts director, South Texas College
Amanda Sotelo, public relations and communication manager, South Texas College

Photography | Design

STC Creative Arts Director Adam McGrath and Public Relations and Communication Manager Amanda Sotelo are presenting a two-hour session focused on how PR and marketing professionals can capture high-quality, strategic visuals using the smartphones they already carry - whether an iPhone or Android device.

The presentation will emphasize creating authentic, brand-aligned images for social media and press release storytelling without always relying on professional photographers, which sometimes we don’t have on our teams, or we have a limited photography team.

The session will explore how today’s smartphone cameras, such as those on the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, offer powerful tools including portrait mode, advanced low-light capabilities and built-in editing features that can elevate everyday campus moments into compelling visual narratives.

This will be a hands-on, interactive learning experience. Attendees will get to practice their smartphone photography skills and get their photos critiqued on site.

Pocket-Sized Storytelling Presentation