- It's immediate. The iPhone is always there for those
moments when you would never have thought to bring a camera. It's great
for exploring the everyday stuff of life. I tend not to use mine so much
for holidays, big events, impressive sunsets or macro (that's when the
dSLR comes out). I prefer to point my iPhone at the things that I notice
on my way in to work - people on the bus, run-down shop windows, an
interesting flight of stairs, an abstract pattern on the pavement...
- It's simple.
The moment doesn't get lost while I fiddle with lots of settings like I
would on my dSLR. I just point and shoot, concentrating on composition
and timing - trying to capture shapes, colours, textures and expressions
in a (hopefully) interesting way.
- It's unobtrusive.
There are moments when it's not really appropriate to get out a huge
dSLR with chunky lens. When trying to surrepticiously photograph
strangers is a case in point. It's much easier to pretend to be making a
call or checking email and point the iPhone casually their way for a
candid shot. It can also make people feel more at ease even when they
know you're taking their photo.
- It's creative. The iPhone
is a fantastic photo editing tool and there's always more to discover
as there are 1000s of photo editing apps to explore. (Check out my apps page
for my favourites so far). I also like the fact that you can edit as
you go and don't have to wait until you're sitting at your home computer
to work on your images.
- It's cheap! Ignoring the
initial cost of getting an iPhone (which isn't cheap), I like the fact
that even the paid-for apps are cheap as chips (literally). I wish I
could get exciting new gear for my dSLR for 59p!
So those are
my top five reasons for exploring iPhoneography. There are lots of other
reasons to give it a go and I'm sure everyone has their own personal
motivation. One of the main things is that it's fun - a lot of fun!
