I was invited to write a short article on iPhoneography of The Journal, after they saw my full-length article in ‘DIGIT’ http://www.vivecakohphotography.co.uk/2014/02/27/article-in-rps-digit-magazine/.
This is the full article that I produced, below is the edited version that appeared in the magazine.
‘As a photographer I am constantly looking out for new ways to express myself photographically, and I feel that iPhoneography has aided me greatly in this on-going quest, partly due to the limitation of only having one lens (a bit like going out with nothing but a 50mm f1.4 lens on one’s DSLR), but also in that using some of the different camera apps can generate many varying effects.
Great things about using a phone camera:
- It is the camera I always have with me, and the quality of lenses in phone cameras is getting so good now that they really do produce excellent photographs.
- It’s less obvious than a DSLR, making candid street photography very discreet, and I particularly love the ability to quickly and easily capture a fleeting moment.
- I have also found the phone camera to be very successful when taking close-up portraits of people, as it’s such a small device I think it’s somewhat less intimidating to be faced with than a big camera.
- Following on from above I can focus closer to small objects that I’m unable to capture with my DSLR, not having a dedicated macro lens.
- Double exposures are also possible, and the unpredictable nature of these shots creates an interesting challenge.
- Experimenting with apps is fun. Hipstamatic is my favourite, coming with virtual interchangeable ‘films’ and ‘lenses’ so that all manner of combinations are possible. Apps can mimic varying styles of analogue photography, such as TtV (Through The Viewfinder), plastic cameras with light leaks, old-fashioned plate cameras, cross-processed, Polaroid, photo booth, various films in colour and monochrome with film borders.
- As well as camera apps there are many post processing ones as well, which allow for further creative development of photographs.
- But of course, it’s great for selfies too!
This is what I find so fascinating about camera phone photography, for it enables a multitude of moments to be captured in an instant, in different formats to produce imaginative and engaging photos. I find it genuinely exciting, different and endlessly creative – not a tool to replace my DSLR or to ‘dumb down’ my photography, but to enhance it, challenge my skills and vision in a way that allows me to develop as a photographer, and most importantly to never stop ‘seeing’.’
More of my iPhotos: http://instagram.com/vivecakohphotog
My book of Venice shot solely with an iPhone: http://bit.ly/VKVenice
My illustrated talk ‘iPhoneography to Photo Illustrations’: http://bit.ly/VKiPhoneTalk
