{"id":33554,"date":"2017-05-12T12:19:18","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T19:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=33554"},"modified":"2017-02-03T03:15:58","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T11:15:58","slug":"the-best-camera-is-your-smartphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/12\/the-best-camera-is-your-smartphone\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Camera is Your Smartphone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Garden
Garden Grove, 2015. Shot on a LG G4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend, I just had a thought \u00e2\u20ac\u201d why not just shoot all of our photos on a smartphone?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why do we need these fancy high-end digital cameras? Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t our smartphone more than enough?<\/p>\n

Reasons not to shoot only on a smartphone<\/h2>\n

Okay, I have to admit first of all\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only shoot on my smartphone. But I love the idea.<\/p>\n

To start off, the reason I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only shoot on my smartphone is because I often don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find it as ergonomic as holding a camera with a grip. Sometimes the smartphone is too small, slippery, and thin.<\/p>\n

But then again, often the smartphone is the best camera to shoot with \u00e2\u20ac\u201d because (for most people) it is always on you. Most people (if their pockets are big enough) have their phones in their front or back pocket. Not only that, but the smartphone is our most intimate device\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we are constantly looking at it, interacting with it, and communicating with it.<\/p>\n

If you think about it\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the smartphone is the best camera for (almost all) forms of photography. I think the best camera is the one that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to think to operate. Most smartphone cameras only require us to click one button. The smartphone does all the thinking for us\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the autofocus, the aperture, shutter speed, iso, and exposure.<\/p>\n

Why do you shoot?<\/h2>\n

We also have to think why<\/em> we make photos.<\/p>\n

Do we make photos to print them out really big? Then a smartphone probably isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ideal for you.<\/p>\n

Do you make photos to document your personal memories, and share them with others? Then a smartphone is probably ideal for you.<\/p>\n

Do you upload 99% of your photos to Instagram, Facebook, or other mobile-optimized social media platforms? If so, you probably don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need more than a smartphone camera to make photos.<\/p>\n

What if?<\/h2>\n

I think what prevents a lot of people from shooting on a smartphone (most of the time) is they fear: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What if?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

What if I capture an amazing photo and want to print it out really big? What if I want the best image quality, and a smartphone isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t good enough? What if my smartphone isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fast enough to capture \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the decisive moment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n

Be honest with yourself \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how many of your photos did you print out really big in the last year, or 5 years?<\/p>\n

Also, to counter the other point \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I think we often miss more<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153decisive moments\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by not<\/em> having our \u00e2\u20ac\u0153normal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d cameras with us. Once again, we always have our smartphones with us \u00e2\u20ac\u201d so we are more<\/em> likely to catch good \u00e2\u20ac\u0153decisive moments\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with our smartphones.<\/p>\n

But my cameraphone sucks<\/h2>\n

The truth is there is a big difference between modern smartphones and older low-end smartphones. Lower-end smartphone cameras do have really horrible image quality, are often very slow, and unresponsive.<\/p>\n

In that case, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re better off using a small compact digital camera, or upgrading your smartphone.<\/p>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at a breaking point where smartphones (with great cameras) are becoming really affordable. I think the biggest breakthrough in photography is the iPhone SE (retails for $400 for the cheapest model, which has the same camera as the iPhone 6S).<\/p>\n

Or you can use your crappy smartphone camera to an advantage \u00e2\u20ac\u201d just shoot in high-contrast black and white, and make the low-image quality and grit a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feature\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (not a bug). Meaning, use your disadvantages to your advantages. I feel that grittiness and graininess in black and white looks a lot nicer than a gritty and grainy color image (especially when shot digitally).<\/p>\n

Processing your photos<\/h2>\n

Using filters is not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cheating\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Photographers used filters in the days of film (in the darkroom) and we use filters today in terms of modern digital technology.<\/p>\n

The app I recommend the most is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153VSCO\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for the phone \u00e2\u20ac\u201d as I find the presets to look the most aesthetically pleasing. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a huge fan of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d preset (color film simulation) for my images\u00e2\u20ac\u201d which mimics the look of Kodak Portra 400 (and does a damn good job).<\/p>\n

Another option is the free Google \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Snapseed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d app \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which has more controls and flexibility. Also it processes RAW photos (some smartphones can now shoot RAW, although I honestly find it unnecessary).<\/p>\n

The benefits of shooting on a smartphone<\/h2>\n

Honestly, I think almost all photographers would benefit by learning how to shoot on a smartphone.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

1. You learn how to shoot in better light<\/h2>\n

First of all, you need to learn how to photograph in better light with a smartphone. Smartphones have less \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dynamic range\u00e2\u20ac\u009d than high-end digital cameras, which means that if we shoot in harsh light (like in the afternoon), our photos will be washed-out, white, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153blown out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

So when shooting with a smartphone, experiment shooting with your subjects standing in a doorway, through a window (natural light), or during \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgolden hour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (sunrise\/sunset). Learn that the quality of light in your photos is less dependent on your camera, and more dependent on the lighting situation.<\/p>\n

2. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shoot wide-open<\/h2>\n

Secondly, a lot of photographers with cameras that allow them to shoot wide-open (f\/1.4, f\/1.8, f\/2) take the easy way out. They just shoot wide-open to get a lot of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bokeh\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (to blur out everything in the background that can be a distraction). But a great photo isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about having a lot of bokeh and a blurry background. A great photo should have an interesting subject and<\/em> background\/context.<\/p>\n

So by shooting with a smartphone camera, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t rely on shooting wide-open as a crutch. Because with a smartphone camera your depth-of-field is very deep, you are forced to consider the background more when shooting.<\/p>\n

By not<\/em> being able to shoot wide-open; this is a creative benefit.<\/p>\n

3. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make excuses<\/h2>\n

You always have your smartphone camera with you. So you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make an excuse for not taking photos.<\/p>\n

How many moments have you passed by and thought to yourself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wow, that might have been a great photograph. Too bad I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have my camera with me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Banish that thought. Whenever you see something interesting, just snap it on your phone.<\/p>\n

Smartphone photography into the future<\/h2>\n

Moving forward, I want to start shooting more on my smartphone. If anything, it is the ultimate camera. You can shoot with it, post-process your photos, and upload\/share them (all in one device). What is more incredible than that?<\/p>\n

As time goes on, smartphones will get cheaper and cheaper, and the camera will just get better and better.<\/p>\n

There will always be DSLR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s into the future and other high-end cameras, which will also get smaller, faster, and more affordable.<\/p>\n

Yet I think as photographers, we should optimize for size, convenience, and ease of use (in terms of cameras). Why use a more complicated camera than you need?<\/p>\n

The best camera is your smartphone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Always,
\nEric<\/p>\n

Learn more: iPhone\/Smartphone Photography articles ><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear friend, I just had a thought \u00e2\u20ac\u201d why not just shoot all of our photos on a smartphone?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/eric-kim-street-photography-lg-g4-smartphone.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}