All I've gotta say is I've seen some really amazing pictures coming from the iPhones. Whether the iPhone is overused for snapshots or not, it creates great images that I would be proud to take.
Yeah taking most of mine on iPhone these days, it's always there in my pocket which is great for me as I am more into taking shots of what's out there rather than planning stuff...
@rich57 --- Really it's not much different then using the point-and-shoot cameras. They are getting pretty sophisticated these days and can be carried in my pocket.
Both pictures are great, but my preference is the group picture. That one tells the story of "a road biking event ", the single rider could have been taken any time, any place. Granted, the only restriction was "the client has specified that they wanted to see faces", other than that, we don't know what else the client was looking for.
This reinforces my thoughts of the harder you work to get that home-run picture, the more you miss out on dozens of great shots you could have gotten by turning around and take a picture in the other direction.
Great article! I have to say that I'm with JA Byrdlip with being more drawn to the group shot, but the iphone shot is great to. I LOVE taking pictures, but sometimes I miss the subtle things going on around me as I'm trying to mess with camera settings and looking through the viewfinder, so I can definately relate to the not being so tied to equipment idea. Thanks Dorrena for sharing this article!
I have to say that I LOVE my iPhone and the images I manage to get with it. I think some of my best photos are from my iPhone but I think it is because they are so spur of the moment. Pure luck if nothing else! I love my Nikon, too, and would love to upgrade to a DSLR sometime soon just out of wanting more control but my iPhone is definitely a regular "go to" since I always have it with me.
Sunny day... interesting enough subject that you are close too... should be able to get that with a shoe box, sheet of B&W, instant coffee and soap (those who have never developed pin-hole with household cems will not get the reference)
Better equipement is about extending when you can get that great shot. If it had been a setting sun with 4 stops difference between his face and the road, or that same shot under a full moon. That is what you need equipment for... or if you are 50' away... ect...
yes the iphone can take great photos in easy conditions, and the fact that it is around more often when things happens means you can take many accidental shots... BUT as soon as the 90 mph winds and driving rains start... you will want that weather sealed body and lens!
I love the story, and I totally agree with your title. Good equipment can at times be a real help, but without your creativity behind the camera, whatever camera, no photo will be stunning. It's the person taking the photo, and not the camera, that is just a tool.
You can take good photos with phones and the like, but truly great photos are almost always taken with bigger sensors and better lenses, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong; you can have the best equipment in the World, but if you don't know how to use it all effectively or have an eye for composition, etc. then you'd be useless anyway.
I also think the first photo in the link taken with the D-SLR is better than the iPhone photo, but that's pure conjecture I suppose...
What I love about photography is that it's the perfect marriage between artistry and technical ability; you can't have one without the other!
I think it's very easy to focus on just one part of what the author is saying - that it's not the gear that makes the picture - and to take that as meaning gear doesn't matter.
A truly great photographer can make wonderful art with a cheap camera, even a toy camera! While a newbie can be given a Leaf with an 80 megapixel back and produce rubbish. True. But a great photographer will produce even more amazing pictures with the right gear, and a newbie will still produce rubbish with no-matter-what.
I've always taken the view that when my equipment starts to limit me, it is time to upgrade. Gear is limiting. Even the very best gear is limiting. But if your skill isn't up to that standard, the point is moot. How much better would that iPhone image have been, had he instead been holding the right combination of his pro kit? It might be his favourite image of the day, but is it the best? I don't think anyone needs to have a trained eye to say it is not. It's a good picture, greatly limited by the equipment.
Cameras are tools for a job. Some are suited to a particular job better than others. Some aren't really suited at all, but they still serve a purpose. A great tool just gives you more options and opportunities, if your skill is up to the task.
I totally agree with you Jinx; I think it's a little trite to suggest that "the gear doesn't matter". It clearly does, but as you intimate great photographers are great photographers, irrespective of the equipment they use.
I use my iPhone as a crutch a lot when I'm trying to be discreet and even though the detail isn't always great, it produces okay enough shots. At the end of the day, I didn't buy it for the camera feature - that's just a convenient perk. I do think, however, that it's a mixture of both, rather than just the story or just the equipment; sometimes the one is useless without the other.
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This reinforces my thoughts of the harder you work to get that home-run picture, the more you miss out on dozens of great shots you could have gotten by turning around and take a picture in the other direction.
Just my thought, and it is a good article.
Better equipement is about extending when you can get that great shot. If it had been a setting sun with 4 stops difference between his face and the road, or that same shot under a full moon. That is what you need equipment for... or if you are 50' away... ect...
yes the iphone can take great photos in easy conditions, and the fact that it is around more often when things happens means you can take many accidental shots... BUT as soon as the 90 mph winds and driving rains start... you will want that weather sealed body and lens!
I also think the first photo in the link taken with the D-SLR is better than the iPhone photo, but that's pure conjecture I suppose...
What I love about photography is that it's the perfect marriage between artistry and technical ability; you can't have one without the other!
A truly great photographer can make wonderful art with a cheap camera, even a toy camera! While a newbie can be given a Leaf with an 80 megapixel back and produce rubbish. True. But a great photographer will produce even more amazing pictures with the right gear, and a newbie will still produce rubbish with no-matter-what.
I've always taken the view that when my equipment starts to limit me, it is time to upgrade. Gear is limiting. Even the very best gear is limiting. But if your skill isn't up to that standard, the point is moot. How much better would that iPhone image have been, had he instead been holding the right combination of his pro kit? It might be his favourite image of the day, but is it the best? I don't think anyone needs to have a trained eye to say it is not. It's a good picture, greatly limited by the equipment.
Cameras are tools for a job. Some are suited to a particular job better than others. Some aren't really suited at all, but they still serve a purpose. A great tool just gives you more options and opportunities, if your skill is up to the task.