Pen Plus Passport: iPhoneography with Foto Ruta: Photo Touring Around East London

One unusually sunny Friday afternoon I was lucky enough to join the team at Foto Ruta for a run-through of one of their photography workshops as they got ready to launch their first London-based tours.

Foto Ruta got their start on the streets of Buenos Aires, and from there they have spread to several major cities including Vancouver, Barcelona and, of course, London.

The company's tours are part photography workshop, part walking tour taking in sights, history, art and photo tips.

I was invited to take part in their iPhoneography course which teaches you how to get the most out of your smartphone's camera while exploring some of East London's best street art.

Over a coffee we were given a run down of our phone's software and practiced using their recommend apps. The guides adjust the content to the level of the group so don't worry if you're a complete smartphone photography novice.

We hit the streets - phones in aeroplane mode - and for the next 3 hours we snapped our way through the streets focusing on architecture, street art, colour, shadow, reflection, angles and people.

After filling our phones with pictures we settled down to a glass of wine and spent some time putting the finishing touches on our shots with a spot of editing. After we were suitable happy with our images the group went through the pictures giving advice, tips and praise to our finished products.

Even though I've lived in London for nearly 4 years, this tour made me realise just how much of the city I've yet to discover and reminded me of the little pieces of beauty hidden all across London.

But my favourite part of the experience was discovering that I could take a pretty decent picture with my little Moto G smartphone and a bit of help from Aviary and Snapseed.