Alright, let’s talk phone camera. In 2011 I got my very first smartphone, not all that long ago. And despite the fact that we agreed back in Germany that I would get an iPhone, I got an android. The very first Samsung Galaxy. And guess what? I was happy with it for a long time. Very happy. I loved it’s capabilities, swyping keyboard (which the iPhone still does not have) and – the photos. I took quite a few, about a thousand, and love them. Then, early in 2013, I was due for an upgrade and, finally, along came the iPhone 5. And I was pretty much blown away. By the camera. The ease of taking acceptable, no, good photos. The fun of editing and sharing them. I was really hooked. I admit I was one of those people who always had to take a picture of a great meal first before digging in. Today I am happy to say that I evolved and now only do that for really outstanding meals or drinks. And I put my phone into the pocket when I talk or walk or drive. Yet according to my Lightroom, in only one and a half years, I managed to take 7610 photos with my iPhone. Meaning in a bit more than half the time that I had my iPhone I took almost six times the amount of photos I took with the Galaxy. Wow.
So, why did I take so many more photos with my iPhone? Well, one reason, no actually THE reason is that the iPhone 5 camera took much better photos technically, less noise, sharper, crisp etc., than my old Galaxy. Still, I am not a believer. This is only my second Apple product ever and I don’t think I will get a Mac any time soon. I also think that the Galaxy 4 or 5 or other similar androids will make equally good photos. They just do not have the lobby among photographers and enthusiasts as the iPhone does. So, Apple or Android or … whatever it takes to make a good picture, it has become part of my life and I would not want to miss it. And if you feel the same, keep in mind that any camera, phone or SLR, is only the tool that we use to capture and show our vision. And there is a good or a better tool for every occasion.
For example, after a day-work related meeting that took till Monday afternoon, I spent the rest of the days and evenings Monday and Tuesday exploring a few sights of Philadelphia. This was my first visit to the city and I thought I would take a gazillion photos with my DSLR. Well, I did take quite a few. Some even with my DSLR, but most with my iPhone. Why you ask? Easy. Most of our time was spent in museums, dinner meetings and such, times where a DSLR feels real bulky and out of place. Plus, let’s be honest, I am not a journalist and the photos I was going to take were not going to be photos I would make into fine art prints. So, instead I enjoyed the events, company, explored the sights listened to history and took photos with my iPhone.
For this post I thought I would share a few iPhone panorama that I took with the built in camera app. For about a year I have been using Camera+ and I love it, but I have to say that the new iPhone 6 camera app is a big competitor and the final verdict is still out, which one I will be using in the future. Stick around and maybe you’ll get an update on apps that I am using. For these four panoramas I actually got a little lazy, because I wanted to get this post up for our Sisterhood Blog Circle, so I thought I would quickly download (through iCloud) and edit the photos in Lightroom, so these are not strictly iPhoneOnlyPhotos in that sense. But believe me even SOOC they are pretty amazing.
Oh, and just in case you are curious – this is the Philadelphia Museum of Art from the outside. In a next post I will show you some of the inside. As part of our event we only had access to the first floor, but that was pretty much enough for me, because – it had early 20th century art. I love, love, love Cubism and Surrealism. And while I am not a big Impressionist fan I was amazed how many Monets and Cezannes they have there. But anyways, more in another post next time. Hm, or maybe in a couple of weeks after our vacation, I’ll have to see how everything goes.
Maybe by then it will even be time for another round of our Sisterhood Stories Blogcircle, just like today. So please check out Kay’s story and photos at Kay Maguire Photography.
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