By Nishi Sharma
They say that the best camera is the one that you have with you. I have been taking images with my Sony Erickson Arc S for some years, only for fun. The small sensor’s poor dynamic range had prevented me from taking mobile photography seriously.
Last month I acquired an iPhone 6, which has a much better built-in camera. I then started exploring Smartphone a bit more seriously. I hadn’t realised that there are photographers out there who are seriously committed to Smartphone photography.
Browsing an online bookstore I bumped in to a magazine called Mobiography. It was full of interesting articles by some serious photographers producing excellent images shot on their Smarphone.
There are a number of incredible and affordable apps that make the Smartphone camera totally controllable. They will let you set the ISO, shutter speed and aperture just like you would on your expensive SLR. Apps like Snapseed let you process the image in seconds without the need for going to your computer. Below is an example of that:
The above image is straight out of iPhone 6 Plus. It was shot on iPhone 6 by 645 Pro and then was processed in Snapseed to stylise it.
Though a Smartphone has many weaknesses it also has lots of advantages and a skilled user can produce high quality images based on its strengths.
While the Smartphone photography has been gaining momentum some serious filmmakers have also been shooting feature films using iPhones. They say that keeping the film crew to a minimum and a small camera has an added advantage as it helps the actors to feel more at ease.
What about the television? The RTE of Ireland has already broadcast over 50 news reports in recent years filmed in iPhone. In March 2015 they ran a training conference for broadcasters from all over Europe on Mobile Journalism.
I am looking forward to making my first movie using the iPhone 6… Filming may be a doddle but the challenge is in story telling that is a skill. When it comes to story telling, I am very influenced by the work of broadcasters like Philip Bromwell of RTE, Matthew Allard of Al Jazeera and Johnnie Behiri, a freelance cameraman who works for the BBC, NG channel and other broadcasters. I find their work very inspiring.
We all tend to resist change as it moves us out of our comfort zone. Think of how some of us had resisted when we were challenged to move from film camera to digital. So, what about embracing Smartphone photography? I leave that with you!
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