Photography enthusiasts were given the chance yesterday to learn the fundamentals of the art and apply their newfound skills to their mobile phone cameras.

More than 100 participants turned up at the Supply & Demand Bar @ Esplanade to take part in a photography masterclass where they were taught the basic rules and techniques of photography.

The Straits Times deputy tech editor Trevor Tan and photojournalist Mark Cheong shared their expertise, teaching participants how to operate in different conditions, such as low light, and skills needed to take photos of a moving subject using a mobile phone.

"For a good photo, there should be context... a good photo on a phone camera should also make the best use of the available light," said Mr Cheong.

Samsung product trainer M Devar Ganesan, meanwhile, went through some of the camera functions of the S9 phones, like the dual aperture feature.

"The dual aperture lens works like the human eye - it automatically expands or shrinks between various lighting conditions to give you a clear photo whether in the day or at night," said Mr Ganesan.

He also pointed out that it is the only phone camera in the market that offers this feature.

The event was organised by ST in partnership with Samsung. It concluded the Samsung Galaxy S9 campaign which ran in ST.

The campaign included the weekly series themed "The Good That People Do", in which ST photojournalists captured moments of people doing good deeds using an S9 phone, as well as the nine-week-long "After Dark Photo Challenge" in which participants challenged each other to take the best night shots at a particular location.

Registration for the masterclass was free.

Mr James Kua, 50, who is self-employed, said that prior to the masterclass, he knew little about photography. But the session taught him how different elements affect the outcome of his photographs, especially lighting.

Mr Kua said: "In the past, I would just sit back and randomly take a picture, but now I will pay more attention to the pictures I take."