Introduction
You might have caught on to the fact that I’m a little bit the photography enthusiast. I even have a “few” different cameras, most of which are manual film cameras, with a few digital ones thrown into the mix. Over 40 years of learning have gone into getting the results you, Dear Reader, might just have seen on this blog.
Democratisation of photography
How many times have I heard people say, “Oh, I just use my phone,” or worse, “Oh, I could just do that with the camera on my phone?” These statements can really get on my wick! Don’t they just toss aside all the work I’ve put into photography with “real cameras?”
But after a lovely cup of tea and a slice of cake, my nerves have settled, and I’ve had time to reflect on the brashness of my emotions, and come back down to earth. Yes, some people do use the camera on their phone, and maybe, just maybe, unlike the microwave in the tea-making process, it might have a role in photography. Ooooooh, haven’t I just gotten controversial!
A little historical context
Just a quick interlude to remind myself of the democratisisation of photography that came with the Box Brownie in the 1920 and the purists were up in arms! Then the shock and horror of those same purists when colour photography came out with those dastardly Kodak Instamatics, and making photography even more egalitarian. Maybe the phone is just the extension of this and I should remove my own head from my arse and just chill!
The best camera?
“The best camera is the one that’s with you.” — Chase Jarvis.
While this statement might be true in absolute terms, it pains me to admit that for most of the hoi polloi, that camera might just be the one on our ever-intrusive phone. Does that mean I’d choose my phone over a film camera? Hell no! But it does remind me that photography is about capturing the decisive moment in time. I’ve often talked about balance in the photographic process, where you might have to sacrifice grain or digital noise (grains rather disgraced cousin from an inbred family, where somebody knew somebody in the family), to get more light to expose a shot. Or where I might have to sacrifice a certain amount of bokeh, in order to use a longer lens to “bring me nearer to my subject… The eternal give and take, if you will.
I think we might just have to have a little reality check here. Will a mobile phone, or even a very smart phone with a degree in smartness from the dashing and debonair university of Smartness upon Thames, ever be as good as a film camera, or a modern DSLR, even my beloved X100F? No. Sorry if I have just pissed on your bonfire. It will not. However, does that mean that it is completely useless? Far from it.
You still have to “think!”
As an avid reader of this wonderful and thoroughly informative blog, it will not have escaped your attention that I have written a couple of articles about the fundamentals of photography. Going from the very basics of the exposure triangle, through various rules of composition that come to us from the world of traditional art, and that have been transferred to photography. You will have found out and learnt about various lenses available for various cameras, and I have even touched upon the differences between medium format and 35mm film photography. I talked about the advice given for digital as well as film photography. I’ll let you into a secret, “It’s just as valid for smartphone photography!
Yes, I’ve said it. If you put in as much effort into getting the shot on a smartphone as you do with your “real” camera, then You will get good results. Can you have control over every aspect of the shot? No. But, and it’s a big but, “so you other brothers can’t deny,” there is a lot of technology in that little device that really helps you out.
Mindful always
What I’m trying to get at is that when you mindfully take photographs, even with your phone, it is always better than just snapping away like a small dog that knows it’s small. Just a tiny bit of effort towards composition will go a long way. Think about framing, and where the objects are in your image. Think about where the light is coming from. Try and get the best image that you can. So it’s not a Leica? You still have your kidneys and haven’t had to sell one yet. It might be a less formal way of taking a photograph, but I would really like you to respect yourself and put in the effort to take your phone photography beyond the bare minimum.
Conclusion
It would appear that smartphone despite my frist misgivings is here to stay. It is a logical progression of the democratisation of this art. I have been asked to contribute to the website Monochromia, and one of my future colleagues reminded me that one of their contributors uses only his Iphone, and has received all kinds of accolades and has been the subject of numerous Expositions. I have seen his work and it is clear that he is a most mindful photographer, and the only thing that separates us are the tools we use to capture the image. I must not be such a photgraphy snob and so dismissive.
What’s next
I might just have to go further into this subject and talk about editing images on your phone and giving you ways of sharing your images if you so wish. Maybe even some tips to help you get the results you want. I will talk about the features of the phone camera, how the AI within can help you not just in photography, but also in video production. Stick around to find out more!
IJM Photography 
You have written another thought provoking and informative blog post Ian, well done. Full disclosure personally I always envied people that could take images with their phones worthy of publishing but I have was never able to get the hang of it until I purchased an iPhone 12 Pro Max. I have since upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro Max and I find that I am getting more accustomed to using it as a second camera. One of my favorite every day carry cameras was the Fujifilm X30 which has been discontinued for years now. It was a vey small solidly built camera with a tack sharp and fast integrated zoom lens with macro capability. Its disadvantage was a small 2/3” sensor. For street photography it was phenomenal in bright to medium low light but as the available light diminished so did the high ISO performance of the little X30. I owned two of them but I ended up selling them when the used prices soared into the stratosphere. I’m sorry I did because I miss that little gem. Now that the Tik Tok crowd realized that the Fujifilm X100VI can also be worn as a fashion statement even if you never use it to take photos it’s nearly impossible for a photo enthusiast to purchase one. That is the reason I have thinned out the herd and only have a Fujifilm X-T5 and an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Our fellow contributor on Monochromia that you so kindly mentioned (OK i’ll let the cat out of the bag his name is Garreth O’brien) uses only a mobile phone. He has also had many successful exhibitions in his home country of Ireland with images he has taken with his mobile phone. One of our original main contributors named Patricia Fogarty from London who moved to Manhattan in 2012 also had taken many of her superb street photography images with her iPhone. Patti and I had became dear friends in 2014 when she agreed to be one of seven main contributors for this idea I had which was Monochromia. I cannot tell you how many times Patti and I met up in Manhattan to do a little street shooting filled by an ice cold IPA and one of Patti’s favorite NYC watering holes. Unfortunately Patti unexpectedly passed away in 2019 while she was back in London with her husband who was on a business trip. That left a big hole in my heart because Patti and I had become so close. Her website has since been taken down but all of the images she has posted throughout the years on Monochromia can be found on our Previous Contributor page. Her Instagram feed is also still available to view at pattifog -www.instagram.com/pattifog
Sorry for my long winded reply but I had to mention Patti as well as Garreth who are both great mobile phone photographers. Patti also shot film as well as digital cameras along with her iPhone.
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Never ever, do you hear me, never ever apologise for having friends and loving them. Friendship is so important and gives so much to all involved.
Some people love their phone cameras and have learnt how to use them so well. I’m still sure that à dedicated tool for capturing images will always be better. Better lens. Better sensor. The despite the ever evolving phone cameras.
Let’s just think about an analogic film camera. You get a new sensor for each shot. It’s full frame. You can choose the look of your photos just by changing your film stock. I talk about film, but you know about my affection for the X100F. The digital camera that thinks it’s a film camera.
I’ve seen your photography with the Xt5 and admire it.
Does my phone camera still have a use? Yes of course. But as I always talk about a camera being just a tool, I have a particular fondness for a particular tool.
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Make no mistake I am first and foremost a photographer that loves and shoots with a digital camera. I wish I could purchase a new or slightly used Fuji X100VI but I refuse to pay a scalper $2400 USD for a camera he bought for $1599 USD. I am learning to use my iPhone 15 Pro Max in limited situations where the lighting is good or when I just was out and about and didn’t have my proper camera with me. Over the years I have sho with a lot of film but I never had the urge to go back to shooting film. To each their own. Maybe I’m just too old and I feel it would take too much time out of my day to return to developing film and making prints in a darkroom but, I do admire the individuals who stuck with film for their dedication to the craft. I guess I would compare it to a friend of mine that was a draftsman who then leaned to master a computer aided drafting program named AutoCad. I asked him do you miss drawing things instead of using a computer ? His answer was I would rather eat lead than draw with it again LOL. Once again great blog post my friend 👍🏻
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I get it completely. And I’m probably guilty of being elitist but sometimes I just can’t help myself…
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I don’t know why my other long winded comment appears to be written by Anonymous but I’m sure as you already guessed it was me Ian 😁
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I did have an inkling
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“ever” is a long time
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True, but physical size etc is a real problem for phone cameras. Miniaturisation can only go so far. Sometime you need some raw material with which you can build a lens and a captor, even more so if you want to use film. There’s simply not the space. The main object wasn’t just to dis phone photography (Sorry @Joe for being a purist) but more to say that if you must use your phone, then use it as you would a proper camera. Be mindful about your composition, about your exposure. Don’t just snap away willy nilly. Think about what it is that you are doing. If you do that then go for it. Use your phone, and you’ll get some decent images, especially with the technology that these machines have. And it’s ready to share by mail or on social media. You can edit the photos on the go (spoiler alert for the next article) and get those images out there.
I prefer a slower pace in my photography. Quality over quantity. And it’s also about the process of getting that image. Even more so when using film. There’s not that instant gratification. It as if you really have to earn your picture. I also like the noise and smells involved, be it the shutter going off, the putting the film in the camera, the developing of the film and seeing the picture appear on the film, then scanning my images etc.
I am not built for speed. I am built more for reflection…
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For me, putting a camera next to my eyes and turning in and out the zoom or the shutter [that’ feeling] is enough for me to take the camera with me 😀, . The strange thing is other people using there phone to take photos are looking at you handling your camera and you can hear them ” what he is doing .. 🤣🤣😅” .. our culture is different.
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Exactly. It’s all about the process. Even more so with a TLR!
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Thanks so much! Aww, that’s too bad. Well black and white photos are actually great when you don’t have enough lighting for the colors to show up well! So I bet you could still make some pretty neat photos. Ah, I love how you described that, Heidi! I think B&W lends itself very well to telling the story of a photo.
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Hello Anonymous,
I disagree with your idea about black and white photography and think you may have missed the boat entirely. Black and white is not for when there’s not enough light for rich vibrant colours, as I have said in so many articles on this blog. As for neat photos, I hope always to present something decent each time I publish. Who is Heidi? I presume you’re not talking about the little girl from the mountains, that lives with her grandfather…
I do agree with what you said about storytelling in black and white, but both colour and blackand white can be used to tell a story.
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