I have an iPhone so I don’t need to hire photographer
Update: Due to the overwhelming response to the blog post, I have created an updated one that compare the same subject, same location, same lighting, etc. Check it out here.
“I have an iPhone so I don’t need to hire a photographer.” This is something that I hear said pretty often. Well I’m here toΒ put this to the test. Cell phone cameras are pretty nice these days,Β and I actually use mine daily to snap photos. (my phone is always running out of space because I take too many! Anyone else?)
However, for a major life event such as a wedding or senior portraits, do I really just want cell phone photos? Will they be good enough? Can my sister just snap a few since she has the newest iPhone? Let’s find out!
As a photographer, I turn harsh sunlight into a dreamy kiss on your skin, I make an old building with chipped paint look chic and a strip mall look like it should be in a glamour magazine.Β I am not just a person with a nice camera.Β I am an artist. I create beauty where others might only see something ordinary.
I went out to some of my favorite places to photographΒ my clients and I brought my iPhone 6 plus along. I took photos in the exact same places asΒ my favorites photosΒ to show youΒ how most people see a location and how I see something more and transform it into something beautiful.
Check out the photos below and let me know what you think! My cell phone photos are on the left and my professional photos are on your right.
I write this not to discourage you from taking cell phone photos, goodness knows I take my fair share! But I hope you consider hiring a professional photographer to document your love story, or senior year or other major life events.
As a photographer this is my job, not a hobby. I practice, I educate myself and I’m consistently learning and improving. Photography is an art, and not just about a nice camera. I strive to make my clients look and feel beautiful and to transform ordinary locations into something extraordinary.
Awesome portraits and story.
Thank you!
Nicely said. As a fellow photographer, I understand the artistry that goes into every picture. Not something you can really capture with an iPhone. Btw, your work is beautiful!
– Olivia
Yes! We can’t really make the same magic happen with a cell phone. If we could it would be a lot more affordable option for us photographers though!
Thank you for your kind words!
This is soooo great!
Thank you!
Excellent ideas explaining when cell phone may do the job and when a professional photographer us needed! Ron
I understand the premise behind your thought. However you have not captured equal comparison here. Your photos on the right are wonderful, however, you have post edited them. So if you compare a post edited photo from a smartphone with a comparable lens then do the same level of post edit. Also use same people and props in each photo then I would say your data sample would be valid. At this stage I think again your over arching premise is good just not executed correctly and therefore not validated yet.
Blessings to you
Nate
There will always be ways to do a better comparison. My main point was to say “a cell phone is worse than a DSLR” but to show what an average person walking down the road would see and capture with a cell phone, and what I see and create with my equipment and knowledge and artistry. It’s more than just a camera π Thanks for your feedback!
The point of the article is to prove you need a photographer. Post editing them just further proves you need a professional photographer that not only knows how lighting works, has the proper equipment, but also knows how to edit them so they are even better. Not to mention whoever is taking photos with your iphone probably also doesn’t know how to properly pose you!
All very valid points!!
A cell phone photo isn’t high enough resolution to do editing to this extent. The photo needs to be shot in a RAW Format to have enough information to alter it. Even if she went through the EXACT same editing process with the iPhone pics, they’d look even worse than they did before editing.
Some cell phones do have RAW format now π However all I”m trying to show is the difference between the “average Joe” taking a photo and a seasoned professional. I’m not actually comparing quality or IF you can take good photos with an iPhone.
Agreed
π
Nate,
I completed agree with you. I think that she trying to compare apples and oranges. If she was to actually take the same photo and edit them both the same, it would be different, but the way it is now, it just makes you look like a elitist. I know this seems a bit harse, but I showed your blog to about 5 friends, none of which are photographers and everyone had the same thoughts. I do find your edited photos to be stunning.
Hi CJ, thanks for your feedback. The comparison is of an “average Joe” and a professional. An average Joe doesn’t use the tools a professional does nor do they have the technological skill. There is nothing wrong with that, that is why there are professionals around π
This is not a compression to see if I could get the same results, that would be an entirely different story.
Same exact thoughts. Plus there’s an added value in the professional photos, a person.
Such a difference!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
You bet! Glad you enjoyed my post!
Just curious: Are your photos to the right raw or edited?
They are edited RAW files. That is part of the artistry and my vision π
Valarie, I totally agree! I love this post, and the images you used for comparison are great!
Hiring professional photography for an important event is SO different than snapping some pictures on your cell phone. I would also like to add that the availability of affordable DSLR cameras has also had an impact on the photography business.
I have a DSLR and we use it to shoot photos for my blog, but I am F A R from an expert with the camera. Sure, I can capture cute photos of my nephews at family events, but it’s nothing compared to knowing how to pose a client, where the light should be coming from, etc. I think that also plays a part. Someone has a friend with a “fancy camera” and hires them for family portraits. When it comes to photography: you get what you pay for.
Four years later, and I still love my wedding photos. I’ve also used our photographer for family photos, etc. since then. Like I said, it’s an art form and that’s what you pay for- not just a pretty picture. Great post!
Yes Britney!! You are so right! I mean, I could buy a suture kit, but you don’t want me to sew you up when I don’t know what I’m doing and have no training or education, right? An extreme example, but I know you see the point π I’m glad you had a photographer that you loved and have continued to use, that is fantastic!
Amazingly, in almost every instance (but not all I must add) I actually prefer the iphone pics. (the first 6 or 7 ‘pro’ pics are too washed out for my liking)
Interesting how every person has a different preference … and the is why photo competitions are the pits.
I think you are saying you do not prefer my editing style. That is a very individual thing π Thanks for your feedback!
Such a poignant post! The iPhone photos are great- for Instagram, but I would pay bookoobucks for something like those on the right. They just give feeling and meaning to your creative prowess! LOVE!
So glad you loved it! Thank you!
If you’re going to make a statement in the realm of comparing “apples & apples,” why are you using pictures that represent “apples and oranges?” I fair statement or reflection upon your so-called argument present in your article would be a photo at any particular location, at the same time, with whatever two cameras you’re trying to make a statement about. I’m NOT questioning your level of professionalism but I am questioning your argument as you present it here. In the REAL end, it is indeed about the quality of the photograph but, my Galaxy Note 7 shoots some pretty intense photos and videos.(As does my newest GoPro attached to my helmet in off-road motorcycle events) But, a professional photographer should be more than a good picture taker. If you or other “professional” lack creativity, I’m sorry but, using these photos as an argument and your dumb-ed down explanation herein, I’d not hesitate for one second to use my Note 7 for our next family event.
In the end, there’s a young woman in the Tampa area whose professionalism shines like a rare beacon. (For the life of me, I can’t recall her name) But, I’ve viewed her work and was literally awe-struck (sp) by her level of creativity for work she’d done for friends of ours…and others. If I recall her name and business, I’ll revisit this blog and let you know. But, if you yourself are trying to be competitive in this day and age, you’d best be making a point with creativity and not simply by comparing apples and oranges to the masses.
Hi Richard, thanks for you comments! Yesterday I posted another blog post that you might enjoy more. The photos were taken within 60 seconds of each other. These post are NOT bashing cell phone, they are just showing the difference a professional can make π http://valerieshannon.wpengine.com/blog/iphone-vs-canon-mark-5d-iii-will-win/
Great post. I’m a photographer and I’ve challenged myself to a year of taking cell phone images of my children…and it’s tough! π I’m amazed at what some folks can get out of cell phones…so I’m enjoying the challenge. I find carrying around my “big” camera to be too much. Thank you for sharing this.
I use my cell phone on the daily π It’s just so handy!
Great post, Valerie. I personally have found the freedom of mobile photography both challenging and exhilarating. I find the adage going back to Ansel Adams’ day truer today. It’s not the equipment but the eyes of the person pressing the shutter. True, cell phone cameras need more light due to a small sensor as well as the challenge of a fixed f2.2. But 21MP is 21MP on either a phone or a digital setup. I have captured beautiful wedding shots of couples at Golden Hour where the light is very diffused. The prints, including canvas and metal, come out both clean and detailed. I haven’t used a DSLR in 5 years. Do I miss it… not really.
I am glad you are enjoying mobile photography!
OMG! This is so true. LOVE THIS !!! May I share this with my page?
Yes of course!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Thank you!!