Shutter Sisters

You read it here first: some telephones are telephone-cameras. Telephone-cameras! Telephones, but also cameras! At the same time!

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I bet if you look back on Shutter Sisters, ever single contributor has posted that one where she goes, “Lookmynewphone!” <Shutter Sister notes the icon that says CAMERA> “Oh, oh my! Oh gosh.” <Shutter Sister bites knuckle> “What about my art? My training? My 24-70? OOOH!” <Shutter Sister squeals> “HIPSTAGRAM APP! TOY CAMERA APP! MANUAL EXPOSURE APP!”

Okay so fine. The squeal is over the top. Shutter Sisters do not squeal. Not like that, unless in the company of Jen Lemen, an Epiphanie bag, or Kristin’s vintage leather strap.

I was doubtful. Cellphones made me cranky. They never seemed to be able to usefully penetrate whatever magnetic forcefield that surrounds a five-foot radius of my body.

Then, approximately three decades after everyone else and only because you can’t find a payphone anymore let alone a quarter, I got an iPhone.

Then I noted the CAMERA icon. I sniffed at it. I took a few shots. I signed up for Instagram. And a cropping app. And a light meter app. And three processing apps. And … um. This, uhhh. Well it’s really kind of neat. It’s a thing that, uhhh. It’s a t-t-toy camera app.

I’m still skimming the surface of it all, unsure of what to put through what. I’m poring through Stephanie’s book. So far, I’m just transfixed by how the iPhone changes how I see. It’s not the same as having a 7D in my hands. It’s more discreet, less burdened. It fits in my pocket. It can’t create what I want it to, but it’s adding to my eye. Take away the 24-70, the 1.8, the heft of what’s proper, and what you’re left with is strictly compositional. In shooting, there’s not much else to think about other than framing. And so I do, with greater attentiveness and vigor than I have in a while.

<DONE>

Share your favourite point-and-shoot or mobile device shot of late. Has iphoneography changed how or what you shoot when you return to your SLR? Have you gotten the hang of it yet — has it replaced photography you’d otherwise approach differently, or has it added a new niche of photos to your portfolio or social spaces that you didn’t used to capture?

Comments

  1. I just got an iPhone this week and I'm driving my husband crazy with all my Instagram pictures I keep sending him! I'm a huge klutz so I don't bring my camera gear with me many places-in fact-I never carry it with me doing day-to-day things and that's a sad thought-so I LOVE using my camera on my phone! I also love that I can take my own picture-EASILY by switching the camera view point.

    So here is one of my first self-portraits–
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/6045507852/in/photostream

    and this is after a few days
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/6044965071/in/photostream

  3. I think I already shared this but this is such a interesting question and so relate-able right now. I am totally in love with my new iPhone and yes, I find myself a getting annoyed when I can't "instantly" edit from my SLR. However, I do love and appreciate both and will be finding a balance as I travel this digital photography highway! Exciting things to learn all the time!

    I now twitter quite a bit more – frankly, I'm somewhat dangerous.

    http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2011/08/august-12-iphone-app-love/

  4. hi kate,
    my story is a lot like yours…:-))
    i got my iPhone in october last year, mainly because i hoped it would help me become a bit more organized
    never thought about the camera bit, until i walked into the most beautiful sunset i ever experienced
    the colors were so out of this world that i wanted to rush home and grab my Canon, but then i suddenly realized i already had a camera with me

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/61760618@N08/6044947559/in/photostream/lightbox/

    have been iPhone obsessed ever since
    i totally agree with what you say: the iPhone adds to my eye and allows me to focus on my composition without being distracted or burdened by technique

    just recently i have been returning to my Canon, and am really curious to find out how my iPhoneography has changed or influenced what i (can) do with my Canon….

  8. Ha! So charming to read how this 'new-fangled' medium repelled you so. I have that same feeling about film cameras of any kind! At this point I only vaguely remember who got me to load the Hipstamatic app and start playing.
    But isn't it great how it reaches different areas of the brain? I am just learning! It all feels new to me, every bit of it, even after a few years of dabbling in photography. It makes my heart race to see the limitless possibilities out there.

    Here's a recent fave of mine, for various reasons, that has had a cool reception at best. Still, there is love in it for me:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/58066769@N05/6041910585/

    And from the beginning to now:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/58066769@N05/sets/72157626076498369/

  12. What a GREAT story….especially the part about sniffing the camera….Hah…that put the biggest smile on my face. So, Kate…..I'm behind in the times cause I don't have an i-phone…and i'll b 3 decades behind everyone else….not sure why…stubborn? But these photos are a good argument in what i'm missing!

  20. I don't have a cell phone. ( I know, I'm the LAST person on Earth left who doesn't) So all this time everyone has one but me. Then I see what iPhone can do. Now all I want is iPhone. Just for the photog apps. That's it.

  21. I adore my Instagram app both for the fun and the community. (Really, the community makes it.) But I downloaded snapseed and, well, I'm in love. I just import what I do there into Instagram right now so I can share easily to everything and have that community though.

  22. There are many iPhone shots that I like, here is one
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mainmim/5933451695/in/set-72157627219364356

    I do like the convenience of having it with me, but I still enjoy my SLR and sometimes will take a picture with both because I can get a much better picture with the SLR.

    But, I like the iPhone camera for the reasons you mentioned, the not having to worry about settings, just framing. I often take pictures TOO close with the SLR. The iPhone camera gives me the wide angle shots. I know, there's a zoom on there but I don't like to use it.

    It is a helpful and handy tool. I am learning with it.

    And yes, it has helped me take pictures in places I wouldn't normally. Stealthy. Is that a bad thing?

  24. Hee hee. This made me laugh. My husband finds me amusing. I will be so against new technology or concepts for a long time and then sometimes I will take a little peak and than BAM! I want it. I once was like this about blogs. And then once I read one I went on to discover many more and start my own. I didn't want an Ipad or similar and then my husband came home with one for me. He knows me too well because now I adore it. It's just a matter of time before I get a smart phone because now I've taken to using my husband's to take photos when we're out walking or dining.

  26. I am just learning how to use my dslr…in the meantime I have been LOVING using my cell phone to shoot the blooms that grow in my garden. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmorf
    I have an HTC Thunderbolt and it comes loaded with some great effects. Of course the are many to download as well. Just bought the Photojojo macro lens for it. Super FUN!

    I love that a camera phone allows me to flex my creative muscles while I am in the learning phase with my dslr and the fact that it is always with me is pretty awesome…

  30. I loved this article! It makes me so happy when I hear of other people unlocking the creative magic that resides inside the iPhone! For me, I didn't know that I was a photographer until I started taking & processing pictures with my iPhone. I’d been taking family snapshots my whole life (I'm 35) with a point and shoot camera but it never ignited any creative passion in me. IPhone photography changed my life, even my mothering! I got my 1st DSLR early this year, and am working hard to learn it (and editing software, and lighting). I love the DSLR, especially for portriats. The DSLR reflects exactly what I see – the iPhone can more easily warp reality. I cherish them both. For those interested, here is a link to my iPhone work: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emily_bemily/sets/72157627216842151/