Macramé: Basic and Complex Knots vs iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone

Twelve lessons across four units deliver a focused beginner curriculum: Unit 1 (Introduction) covers Mariella's influences and design philosophy; Unit 2 (First Steps) addresses materials, basic knots, and complex knots; Unit 3 (Let's Do It) walks through designing, rigging, and constructing a full wall hanging — including the upper strips and braid, lower triangle of flowers, and San Agustín finishing knot; Unit 4 rounds out with basic care and alternative applications. At one hour and fifteen minutes across twelve lessons, the course is compact and project-driven, which beginners consistently praise as achievable. The ceiling is scope: experienced makers who arrive expecting advanced or rare techniques note that the knots labelled "complex" are widely familiar in the macramé community, and the single-project output (a 90 × 120 cm wall hanging) leaves learners wanting more varied applications. Thirteen downloadable resources and ten exercises extend the effective learning time beyond the runtime.

Mariella Motilla is a textile designer from León, Guanajuato, Mexico, who studied at Instituto Europeo di Design in Barcelona and Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. With 24 courses and 85,000-plus followers on Domestika, her teaching reputation is built on a calm, step-by-step style that multiple reviewers describe as easy to follow and confidence-building for first-time makers. The minority critique in the sample is about pacing: a handful of learners note that she talks through some sections quickly and that hand positioning occasionally obscures the stitch being demonstrated — a concrete usability issue in a craft where hand placement matters. One reviewer noted that "complex" knots were not genuinely advanced, suggesting the course title sets expectations that experienced crafters may find slightly overstated.

Domestika lists this course at $33.99 with frequent promotional pricing as low as $0.89 during Plus trial offers. At typical sale prices of $10–$20, the combination of lifetime access, 13 downloadable resources, 10 exercises, community forum access, and a signed completion certificate represents strong value for a beginner entry point into macramé. The platform's subscription upsell practices (auto-enrolment in a 30-day Plus trial that renews at $129.99/year unless cancelled) are a recurring complaint across Trustpilot and should be noted — the course content itself is priced fairly, but learners should cancel the trial promptly if they do not want the subscription.

Domestika provides a community forum for each course where students can post project photos and questions, and Mariella is noted as engaged enough to comment on student work. However, Domestika's broader customer service reputation is poor (a 1.7-star Trustpilot rating largely driven by billing complaints), and instructor response times in course forums vary. There is no live component, office hours, or real-time feedback mechanism, which is standard for Domestika's self-paced model but leaves learners who get stuck on a specific knot without immediate guidance.

Macramé is a genuinely portable and marketable craft skill. Students completing this course can produce decorative wall hangings, tapestries, and with the knot vocabulary acquired, extend into plant hangers, accessories, and small home goods. Multiple reviewers confirmed they created finished pieces immediately after the course and went on to explore further projects independently. One reviewer from a textile industry background noted the material calculation lessons as practically valuable. The single-project format means some learners need to seek out additional courses or YouTube tutorials to diversify beyond wall hangings.

Twenty-two lessons in 55 minutes cover composition, camera settings, depth of field, natural lighting and free Lightroom Mobile editing. Reviewers consistently praise the density of actionable tips and the clarity of on-screen graphics used throughout. The ceiling is the runtime — iOS camera features evolve with each iPhone generation and some interface demonstrations look dated on newer devices.

McManus is a professional photographer and award-winning YouTuber with a Film degree and nearly a decade of client experience. Reviewers across multiple blog sources converge on the same descriptors: polished presenter, straight-to-the-point delivery and a fun, approachable style that makes even technical concepts digestible. His over-the-shoulder teaching style is repeatedly cited as a major strength.

Included in the Skillshare subscription at roughly $13.99/month or $167.88/year, the class alone justifies a short free trial — and the subscription unlocks McManus's companion classes (Lightroom Mobile, selfie portrait photography) plus thousands of other creative courses. Multiple review aggregators note that over 60% of surveyed learners report the class exceeded their expectations relative to cost.

The class project asks students to capture and share 3–5 iPhone photos applying the techniques, producing tangible portfolio work. Hundreds of submissions are visible in the Skillshare project gallery. However, peer feedback is minimal — most projects receive no detailed critique — and the brief is open-ended rather than structured, which limits the learning value for students seeking mentored feedback on their output.

Composition rules, exposure control, depth-of-field through lens positioning, natural light direction and Lightroom Mobile post-processing all transfer directly to everyday social media, travel and personal photography. Multiple reviewers note immediate improvement in photo quality. The limit is scope: the class does not address advanced manual controls, RAW shooting or professional client work.