Cell Phone Photography

I am one of the deniers of using cell phone cameras as a legitimate tool for photography.  And I was wrong.  They are legitimate and they're really pretty good and they're a whole lot of fun.  And of course there's the old adage about the best camera is the one you have with you.

Recently, and I know I'm late to the game, I've decided to take my iPhone 5s a little more seriously and give it a real try and a workout to see if I could actually get away with using it on an outing.

iPhone 5s with edits in Lightroom 5.5

I loaded up a few camera apps and a few editing apps and set out to take some pictures.  What I found out and came back with was surprising in a good way and has changed the way I do a few things.

First of all I'm a complete amateur. I love photography as a hobby and I'm involved with it almost constantly.  I really love gear too. I've been through lots of cameras from Nikon and Canon to Leica and Fuji.  I used to love the big DSlrs and the myriad of lenses and bags and filters and flashes and tripods.  Then along came the micro four thirds and the mirror-less generation and improvements have been steadily coming down the road.  Camera manufactures continuously improve their cameras in tiny increments and make the weakest amongst us constantly upgrade to the newer, bigger, better and faster. Camera sales could not possibly have ever been better than they have been for these past 10 years or so.

Now cell phone manufactures have moved into the playing field in a big way and have all but killed the small compact digital camera market.

iPhone 5s edits in Lightroom 5.5

It's no wonder either, with some cameras boasting huge megapixels and glass lenses on a device that is already in your pocket where ever you go anyway, why bother to drag yet one more device along.

So now I've decided to give my iPhone a real try.  I've decided that for it to be serious I needed a good "camera app" and after trying several different ones found the built in one and Camera + to be the best.  For editing apps I've gotten

iPhone 5s edits in Snapseed
I thought the performance here was surprisingly
good since the lighting was a little
difficult and no flash was used.

the most use out of Snapseed and find it the most pleasing to use with the best results.  I've also tried iPhoto and although I'm just getting familiar with it I kind of like it.  I've tried several others, like FilterStorm but for my purposes and my thinking of cell phone photography it and a few others were just to complex for use on a small handheld device.

The secret to it all, for me, is that it has to be easy and fast.  So far I've found the results to be favorable but not great for the discerning photographer.  For the casual snap-shooter, which I am frequently, it's fine.  Lets face it, most of our work, our photos, end up somewhere in digital format on the web or on a slideshow on your T.V. For photos that only get to screens I've found the cell phone to be a suitable and handy camera.  I know there are now galleries around the globe that feature "mobile photography" artists and I've seen some of what they do and it is amazing.  For me any work I do and want to take seriously and possibly print in a large format, mat and frame, I'll need a bigger sensor.  However I did just make an 8x10 glossy print of an iPhone photo and it looked amazing.

But for cell phone cameras that are doing things really well these days, and most likely will only get better, cell phone photography can be taken seriously and a lot of fun can be had.  I don't much care for all the filters that are available in many of the apps that are out there however for many they can not only be a lot of fun they can dress up a cell phone photograph that isn't as perfect as you might like it to be and make it look good.  The true cell phone artists out there are making incredible images using nothing more than their phone and a few apps.

My workflow was important for me to develop as well.  Since my theory here revolves around this being mobile (read fast and on the move) I want it to be easy and straight forward.  Shoot, edit, share. So my workflow goes something like this:  Take the image and have it saved to my Camera Roll; Open Snapseed and make any necessary edits and save it back to my Camera Roll and Share.  Done.  Let me say too that I do not intend in any way to diminish anyone who has chosen to take this genre of photography seriously.  I get it.  It's really awesome and organizations like Mobile Photography Awards proves this point clearly. But as an amateur myself I'll only be interested, for now, in this genre as a fun, quick and easy way to shoot and share pretty decent photos.

iPhone 5s edits in Lightroom 5.5

So is it a serious tool?  I have to say yes.  Is it for everyone?  Probably not.  Will it be something I do more of in the future?  For sure.  From what I hear the next IOS update (IOS 8) from Apple will include upgrades to the camera that will give full manual control with things like aperture, ISO and shutter speed control.  That will make these little pocket cameras even more amazing.

Many of our camera phones today are capable of images that are much better than what some of the great photographers in our history were capable of with their cameras and certainly much better than many or most of the early digital point shoot cameras.  So use your phone in the same way you would use your camera.  Be thoughtful with your compositions, lighting and subject and shoot away.

Thanks for following along,

Tom

Tomato at the Magnolia Farmers Market
iPhone 5s edits in Snapseed

iPhone 5s  No edits
What really surprised me here was the dynamic range.  Bright sunlight to shadows
and back to blue skies and really good color.

Gig Harbor, Washington ~ Fishing trawler
iPhone 5s edits in Snapseed

The New Oregon Fishing Trawler in Gig Harbor, Washington
iPhone 5s edits in Lightroom 5.5

Gig Harbor, Washington ~ Waterfront and Net Sheds
iPhone 5s edits in Lightroom 5.5

Photographing Architecture

In my mind photographing architecture use to be shooting buildings.  Period.  I didn't think in terms of the full definition of the word and how architecture applies to landscapes, design of light and shadow, physical structures of all types, ambiance of space, materials, technology, social consideration and environment.

Condominiums in Downtown Seattle, Wa
The features of this condo seem appealing at first glance and
geometrically speaking it looks nice.  But with the proximity
of the office building hovering immediately over each balcony
it feels intimidating.  Then the terraces or balcony of each
of the units have a very clear view of the balcony just to one
side of them.

Structurally speaking I really like the look of the condo and
the office building right behind it.  But socially it seems
awkward.

Once I started thinking in terms of something other than just a geometric structure I began to look at how I wanted to photograph architectural structures and how they fit into the space they occupy.  In fact once I began thinking differently, I began to see differently.  I still look for geometric shapes as one of the first things that catch my eye, but now I look a little closer. Walking around the subject, going in it, looking closely at the texture of the materials and looking at how it sits in relationship to other buildings. In the urban landscape the social factor is important as well.  As a cultural symbol of city dwellers do these condos/apartments offer a feeling of being socially connected or separated?  Do the towering office buildings fit comfortably in the whole landscape and offer a welcoming presence or a foreboding one?

Some structures are true works of art, others appear to have been built with efficiency only in mind.

When traveling I used to get up in the morning grab my camera, batteries, extra cards and take a walk around the city looking for interesting building to photograph.  Now I prep my walk the same way but know that my time out will be much more interesting and a great deal more enlightening and maybe a bit more challenging. Photographing the way I do now I'm more likely to meet people because I'm getting in closer.  I'm learning a little more about the area I'm in and the history of the building(s) I'm shooting.

Office building downtown Seattle, Wa
This rather featureless structure only offers a static geometric design and
a textured veneer of some interest.  The fact that it's sitting alone (there are other building just outside
the frame of this shot) gives it this monolithic feel, which I kind of liked.

The artistic design work and thought that goes into the interior of urban buildings is also important to how the structure fits into an area.  That foreboding feeling you can get from a building that doesn't have any inviting features or a welcoming presence can feel intimidating.

The Convention Center in downtown Tacoma, Washington is a
perfect example of a welcoming building.  It's all glass, metal
and wood.  Standing outside you can see right through
it and standing inside you still feel like you're right in the
heart of downtown.

Fitting into the area and asking people to come in is important. It can give a kind of personality to the place.  I've walked past buildings that I thought I wanted to go into only to find an unwelcoming feeling at the lobby door.  I suppose that could be on purpose in some situations but I prefer a personality that's a bit more inviting.

Getting into some of these buildings may seem like a daunting task in itself but I've found that, like most things, a smile and a sincere approach can get you in to most places. The day I photographed the inside of the Tacoma, Washington Convention Center it was closed and locked.  I walked around the building and saw the convention center office, went in and told the front desk that I was an amateur photographer and was interested in architectural photography, loved this building and would love to have a little tour.  In just a couple of minutes they were kind enough to find someone to take me around.  You just have to ask.

As far as camera gear goes it's a matter of what's important to you with regard to image quality.  But the one thing that is important is having a little bit of a wide angle lens.  I find at least a 28mm wide lens is good and most cameras can achieve that easily.

For any interior photos a tripod would be helpful but you can always look for a ledge of some kind to rest the camera on and put your 2 second timer to work.  I like plenty of depth of field so a larger f stop, say f5.6 to f11, works best for what I like but remember that the bigger the f number the slower your shutter speed so you'll definitely need a solid purchase for your camera.  I like to keep my ISO number relatively low also, say around 200 to 400, so I can avoid the digital noise issue. Again, low ISO, high f stop equals slower shutter speeds, so you'll need support for your camera.

Seattle, Washington, office building

Seattle, Washington, condominium

The Westin Hotel, Seattle, Washington (one of the two towers)

So for me the whole idea of shooting buildings has become a more encompassing process.  Look up, look down, walk around and look in, when you can.  Meet some folks and ask some questions.  You'll find out something about the building, meet some new people and maybe get access to places you might not have otherwise.

I go light too.  One camera, one lens and the usual extras; batteries, cards, cell phone and business cards if you have them. You may meet someone who might like to see your photos.

A few more photos can be seen here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomcollinsphoto/sets/72157623792319688/


Thanks for following along.

Tom

Beacon Rock 25k and 50k Uphill Run, Beacon Rock State Park, Washington

This past weekend was spent with a group of amazingly nice folks with a very deep devotion to physical fitness and sharing in that love together by running either a 25k or 50k uphill race on trails through Beacon Rock State Park.

The Runners getting ready

I went along, not to run, but to be with friends who did run and we spent the weekend camped at the park.  The race, scheduled for Sunday morning at 8am  drew an estimated 300 runners and their families who all camped in the group campground.  Rainshadow Running sponsored the race and and put on an excellent event.

And they're off

Activities began as early as Friday night with a "Hash" run, loosely described as "beer drinkers with a running problem" and as you might expect it's a race that includes frequent stops for beer.  There were more races on Saturday and runners and campers descended upon the State Parks Group camp grounds beginning as early as Friday night. Well the only folks there on Friday night were us three and a new friend Conner Meakin. You can see Conner's Blog here .

Conner Meakin

But by Saturday afternoon the park was full, tents were up and everyone was having fun.  By that night people were gathering by the fire to meet each other and talk about the race in the morning.  George, Herb and I retired early in anticipation of the 8am start time for the race.

Rain Shadow had prepared the area well with flags on the course, breakfast foods at the starting point, races for the tots and a promise of prizes, food, beer and live music at the end.  And they came through with it all.  A wood fired pizza oven showed up and started turning out some of the best pizza I've ever had, a truly wonderful folk band played, beer was cold and children were happy and playing everywhere.  It really was an absolute success.  Props to the group from Rain Shadow Running for putting on a truly good time.

The band was playing by noon and the after race party was on.

Wood fired Pizza all the way from Olympia

George finishes in a very respectable time.

Herb finishes shortly behind George

And the beer was cold, good and in high demand

Without too many race activities to attend on Saturday the three of us decided to take off and look over the local area. Highway 14 along the north shore of the Columbia River in "the gorge" is another one of the most beautiful areas you'll see in our fine state. The views are magnificent and there's no shortage of things to do, to see and places to eat.

Beacon Rock State Park

Our first stop was a town in Oregon known as Cascade Locks. After you pay a $1.00 toll to cross The Bridge of the Gods from Washington to Oregon you enter this small and friendly town rich with a history that dates back to 1875 when locks were constructed to aid the settlers who were traveling from the east to navigate the intense rapids of this area.

The Bonneville Dam, fishing, wind surfing and sailing, hiking, climbing and boating are all available in this area.

The Bridge of the Gods (in the distance) and fishers (fishing for Shad) along the locks

Wind Surfers on the Columbia River

The Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River (and open for tours)

Turbines inside the Bonneville Dam

 All the photos for this trip were taken with the Fuji XT1 and the Fuji 18-55mm f2.8-4 kit lens.

Thanks for following along.

Tom