But I Don’t Have A Camera. So How? Part 1

Luconia Sunset. Sunsets tend to be more beautiful when you go offshore. (iPhone only)

Sounds familiar, right? This is a common question that I believe many of photographers out there hear every now and then.

Sabahan Mother missing her family and her son. (iPhone)

Not to mention that there is a lot also did not pursue their passion for photography because they believe that they do not have the gear. To answer this once and for all, the best camera is the camera that is with you, a quote by Chase Jarvis. He actually wrote a book about this, and you may refer to the link.

In this post, it would be about me, doing photography using my iPhone alone. I am only using iPhone because that is the phone that I have been using for the past 4 years. I don’t plan to upgrade because it is still good and it is stil can be used until this day. For some serious photography, I only need to use my Leica cameras.

Why Mobile Phone Photography?

It is convenient. You cannot deny that fact. Just find the camera apps and off you go.

Perdana Protector (iPhone 6 Plus)

You have it with you all the time. Even though the quality differs from one model to another, but most of the model is getting better and better. Samsung recently released a new phone, A9 with 4 cameras. The competition is getting stiffer, and I am interested to see where the race is heading.

Regardless, despite the fancy accessories that these modern smartphone cameras have, the good news, it would be sooner than you expected that we are going to get an affordable technology for a smartphone. So that is a good place for you to start.

For me, since I am still using the old smartphone, the quality is good in good light. However, problem comes when there not enough light. I will be haunted by noises. Noise, noise and more noise. Sensor noise is the thing that you don’t want to have at your camera. It is the grainy items at you get to see at your camera.

Mister USA (iPhone 6 Plus)

Also, the quality that you will get when you zoom into your camera is not the best. It is not the one that you will have when you use a dedicated zoom lenses. It is kind of frustrating, but when that is the only one that you have, you have to live with it.

Anyway, my advise on smart phone photography is to find a good light and find a good composition.

For basic phones, you have no choice but to rely on COMPOSITION. In simple word, composition is the arrangement of the stuff that is inside your final image. In drawing, you can draw it. But in photography, you can move it around before you snap it. In street photography, it is much more complicated, you have to find the right moment, and be at the right place at the right time.

In a nutshell, a composition is the story that you want to tell using your image. If you want to make a portrait of someone using an older generation smartphone, try to distance up a bit. Otherwise, close-up using a smartphone’s wide angle will make someone’s face look distorted and it is not flattering.

FCB JJ – Once Upon a Time in the 60s. I can time travel. Trust me, I am an engineer. lol (iPhone)

Otherwise, you can always try to experiment around your smartphone. Once you have taken the photos, try to do a bit of touch-up using it. For my phone, I use Lightroom Mobile, although when I want a quick result, I just use iPhone’s image editing apps. I cannot comment for other smartphone because I have no experience handling it. However, you are most welcomed to try.

As a summary, for general consumption, smartphone photography is good enough, especially if you are a mobile person, or love Instagram to run your business. Even Baldkizz Sulaiman uses smartphone to run her 5-figure business. Just get a photo with good composition, and you are good to go.