Many people’s only cameras are smartphones, so what is it like shooting street photography using just a smartphone? Is mobile street photography the future? Or are the negatives insurmountable? Well this week Yuri and I discussed Mobile street photography in another video Streetchat. [You might want to check out this old post I wrote on smartphone photography]
The impact of Smartphones on Photography
Smartphones have brought cameras to everyone. This means that smartphone photography means anyone could start.
What is good about mobile street photography
Smartphones are almost invisible as everyone has one and they are discreet. This can mean that people ignore you (as you’re just another person with a smartphone) OR they think you’re a pervert.
Editing on a smartphone can be great
You can instantly share photos that you have taken on social media OR on to your desktop.
Smartphones are simple to use
Smartphones can help you to focus on the composition of your photos (especially if your app has a grid or layout built in).
Smartphones have creative constraints which can help you be more creative. In fact, the wide focal length and small sensor help create a large depth of field which is good for street photography.
What is not so good about mobile street photography
Both Yuri and I prefer using the a viewfinder rather than a LCD screen
Desktop editing programs are often easier to use.
Both Yuri and I find that it can be slower to take a photo than using a stand alone camera. This means you may miss a few photos.
The experience of using a stand alone camera can be a more pleasant experience.
Using a smartphone encourages sharing straight away and perhaps not engaging or editing your images. It provides instant gratification of seeing your results. This can stop you working the scene as much as a dedicated camera.
Mobile phones can have a lot of noise in low light situations which can reduce the quality of images. Also the inbuilt exposure settings can over expose images.
The grip for a smartphone can be uncomfortable in the long run. Even if there are some adapters and grips.
Streettogs to check out
Photo challenge
Shoot a roll of film (24 or 36 JPEG) images before Sunday the 22nd May.
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