Hello, there.
I have been an advocate of photography for a lot of years, and throughout my time in writing and practising photography, I have always emphasized that taking a great photo doesn't require the most expensive piece of equipment. Yes, in a lot of cases where you absolutely need certain equipment, only the best will suffice but how often does that sort of situation come up in your daily life? You know, the life you live every day. You're probably not a photographer by trade. You only like photography. You wish you could do it more often, but the hard truth is you can't. And so the dilemma arises whether you should invest thousands in "actual" camera gear or just stick with the one you already have. That's right, you already have an "actual" camera.
That is, assuming your phone does have a camera
Your phone camera, whatever phone it is, has the ability to capture splendid photos. Despite what you may have read or heard about the lack of detail, the graininess in bad lighting, ugly flash and all that nonsense (I mean, they're true but hear me out), that shouldn't stop from you using it to the fullest that you can.
All of the above were taken on an iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 (same camera)
If the camera in the phone wasn't so important, it wouldn't be one of the main selling points of every new phone that comes out. In the past three years since the iPhone 6, phone makers have put extra effort into improving the built-in cameras because not only do they want to compete with other manufacturers, but because they understand how convenient and worthwhile it is to have a powerful photo (and video) capturing device ever-present with their users.
Convenience is key in my opinion. Portability, mobility, no-need-to-lift-weights-ibility is by far the top reason why the phone camera should be regarded as the best camera you own. I've been a DSLR owner for over four years now and it has been the bane of my travels ever since. At first it was great to have a photography machine chugging out high quality images on trips but after a while I just really didn't like the hassle of carrying it around. I still bring it on my trips, but I have found less use for it as I have become more comfortable with simply taking out my phone, frame my photo and quickly take the shot and move on with my life. This was most evident in my last trip abroad, where I went to the beautiful city of Los Angeles.
All of the above were taken on an iPhone 5s
On that trip, I brought a long my D7100 with my ultrawide-angle lens and an F100 film camera. But more than 90% of the time, I was shooting photos on my phone. Of course I had some issues with motivation and such which is why I didn't feel like using my SLR cameras, but the fact is that I sought therapy in taking photos in a less complicated way. I still applied the same techniques, but I didn't have to think of my exposure settings nor did I have the pressure of producing a photo with both image and picture quality. With a DSLR, it just feels like work, like I have to absolutely take a great photo or else I would disappoint a client or something. But with a phone, the only person I would disappoint is myself.
Pleasing yourself is the of the highest priority, especially when it comes to creativity. I think that the challenge of not being able to take photos in dark situations or getting blurry images of fast objects is what makes phone photography more fun. You get to be creative with the way you take the photos and you find a way to solve the problems that arise. And if you just can't land the shot, then by all means, put the phone away and enjoy the moment - or just scroll Twitter.
Night time shots still look quite alright
iPhone 5s
Get creative with motion blur
iPhone 5s
At the end of the day, you have to take a step back and ask yourself why you take photos, why it is that you do what you do.
To remember the best meal you have ever had in your entire life?
Because you conquered a mountain with your best mates?
As a reminder of a loved one?
Because you were spending the happiest moments of your life with family?
Because you thought you looked particularly good that day?
Because you were excited to share your new stuff with your friends?
To remind you of your future goals?
Or to remind you of what dangers lie ahead?
To capture a photo is to preserve a moment - nothing else. You immortalize your exact vision of a particular point in time to remember for a later day. What you use to do that won't matter as much as the moment itself. So when other people are busy setting up their settings for the perfect shot, you could be there to actually live it and still have something to remember that moment by.
Until the next moment, take care.
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