iPhone-ography

As a photography enthusiast, I do wish I could bring my DSLR out with me all the time, but it's way too bulky to carry along! The next best device I could carry is my Canon S100, my handy compact camera. However, it lacks the instant photo sharing capabilities. How awesome would it be if there were instant photo editing apps and all on the camera? I've come to realise many a time, there is value in the instant real-time uploading of photos, especially in social events.

Nothing can replace my trusty Canon 70D but this post will show you that gear isn't everything. What matters is being able to see 'the moment' use the right technique to capture it! I'm not claiming to be a pro at it, but let's see what can be captured with a phone camera! Technology has improved so much within the past few years that I'm truly amazed too. The aperture of phone cameras have been getting wider and wider, allowing for the 'depth of field' effect, as well as allow people to shoot under low light conditions. The limits are, of course, having a lot of noise in low light pictures.

I would honestly like to get a Nokia 1020 to have a handy phone camera in the pocket all the time - This is the best phone camera I've seen and tried, and the Nokia Pro Camera app really gives the user all the controls - Shutter speed, ISO, exposure, white balance etc, but of course, no control over aperture. However, I got an iPhone 5S for a hoist of other reasons, the first being that I wanted the choice of apps, and the second being that the Nokia 1020 was sold out in the Singtel store, and I needed to re-contract so I could upgrade to a 4G one. But let's not complain and let's look at the iPhone 5S camera!

Photos From the Last 2 Months

I spent a long time searching for the best camera app to buy, and I decided to spend $2.56 on KitCamera, which gives me control over exposure, white balance and shutter speed. The camera apps on iOS are very limited because the camera API (the developer's access to the iPhone camera) is very limited. Tsk, Apple... But anyway, the app offers frames, filters and different fun 'lenses' that change what you see and can give things like a tilt shift and fisheye effect. Plus, you can preview these 'live' when taking the photo and still change it later on as it uses 'non-destructive editing' - Edits are not permanently burned into the photo!

Admittedly, I don't use it all the time, especially in bright daylight, but it's useful for doing long exposures! There's even a BULB mode for the shutter! I haven't used that to do a long exposure yet though, so wait up and I'll try that soon! Let's look at some photos I've snapped within the past 2 months. I didn't go chasing for these pictures. These are things I came across while going about doing my own things!

Sunset Afterglow at Dhoby Ghaut (ISO 125)

I snapped this afterglow outside Dhoby Ghaut MRT on my way to meet Ian. I snapped it in a total rush as I was due to cross the road with the green man glaring at me! I used KitCam to snap this and the automatic settings proved to be sufficient. Honestly, if a sky is truly pretty, a decent software should be able to capture it! (:

I did some perspective correction in Lightroom though, because I shot it with a bottom-up angle. Didn't change the colours though!

The rest of the photos were snapped using the native camera app.

Meow in the Meadow (ISO 200)

This cat resides in the park next to my block and it often likes to lie in the grass patch. I thought that the tall grace would give a cute little curtain and depth effect, so I whipped out my phone to snap it. I'm pretty sure my 70D with my Siggy or a telephoto lens would do a better job blurring the foreground, but the phone did it rather sufficiently.

Dover Road from the SUTD hostel (ISO 40)

This was snapped the week after I first bought this phone. It really works best under bright sunlight, as do all cameras. Lightroom informs me that the ISO was 40! The detail of the leaves and windows of the buildings in the background is pretty impressive to me, considering how small the sensor is!

Causeway towards Malaysia, From Marsling (ISO 320)

I snapped this picture from the 26th story of a HDB at Marsling. I went there for an extended family gathering, which took place at the BBQ pit just next to the block. I was constrained by the walls on the left and right of this scene and had to crop out what I wanted. I wanted to try doing a long exposure using KitCamera, but I had nothing to use as a tripod and I can't hold my phone steady on a handrail. The picture is okay as long as you don't zoom in! Once you do, you'll see all the noise and the inability of the sensor to capture all the details. Good for Instagram and Facebook only.

I am coming back here with my 70D one of these days!

Overlooking the Causeway and Malaysia (ISO 500)

Okay, this is the noisiest photo I have in this set. Of course, iPhones aren't exactly built for night landscape photography! But this is a good test shot for composition, since I intend to come back here soon with my DSLR! I wasn't there to shoot; I was there for an extended family gathering!

Kiseki Restaurant, Benjamin Cheong's 21st Birthday (ISO 64)

I find that the phone camera shines in social gatherings in the sense that it's sufficient to capture group  photos and it helps me to instantly satisfy the photo cravings of my friends!

This are my 10S55 VJC classmates, all gathered for a birthday party!

But what's a phone camera always used for? FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY HAHAHA.

Dessert Buffet at Kiseki (ISO 64)

I picked all these cakes at the Kiseki buffet and thought they looked pretty, so there we go!

Eggs Benedict from HATCHED (ISO 40)

Mixed Fruit Tart from Fruit Paradise (ISO 100)

Well, it's sufficient if you're not aiming to do all the artistic blurry effects! What I've found is that the capabilities of a phone as an instantaneous sharing device, as well as being lightweight and what we carry everywhere is sufficient and the rest depends on how you take the picture! Most of the time, I am not worried about going out without my compact camera or DSLR (especially for social events), because simply carrying my lightweight phone simplifies life, and makes it easier when I want to ask someone to take a group photo for me.

So cheers to that and have an awesome lightweight day out with your phone!