Photographic Tip Number 14
Smart Phone Photography - are you one of those that feels its not quite photography if you resort to using your phone to take a picture of something? I am here to reassure you that its nothing to do with your equipment and all to do with the person behind the lens, whether it be an Apple, an Olympus or a Canon?
The Firth of Forth
Both of these recent images of mine were taken with my iPhone and I was very pleased with them. Smart Phones aren’t great on the extremities, so maintaining highlights and shadows but they are getting better with every new model release. Just like your current desktop workflow, every phone now has an app for helping ‘finish’ off your image, whether that be a small crop, a deletion or a change in contrast or colour, so anything can be achieved at your fingertips, right out in the field.
The West End of London in the rain
More often these days, its your phone that you have with all the time and not your DSLR. So, when conditions like those above occur, you will be ready to capture that image.
Comma Butterfly on Blackthorn
I still prefer my Canon for some of those wildlife moments, when getting too close can be difficult without scaring off your subject, so butterflies for instance. However, if you are patient and willing to crawl on your hands and knees, you can still capture even these elusive insects on your phone, as the Comma Butterfly above. If you are looking for that bit of extra blurring in the background, there are apps for this, some of which are free, with Snapseed probably being the most popular.
The phone comes into its own, when you need to get into those spaces that no other camera can reach; take these Fungi shots for instance, they were taken from ground level and a very pleasing aspect.
Also, if you like street photography, the smart phone is ideal, as they are so ubiquitous, hardly anyone takes an interest in what you are doing.
Westfield, West London
Rowing in Putney, spring 2024.
So, the next time you feel a little embarrassed about having used your phone for a picture, don’t be, for as long as you know how to take a good picture, the equipment you have used is irrelevant.