iPhone Photography Gets a Gallery to Call Its Own

2:32 pm, August 10th, 2009, Giles Turnbull

Hey, look what I found: iPhone Photography, a lovely little gallery of artistic, interesting photos made with iPhones.

I asked the site’s creator, Caleb Kimbrough, to explain what it was all about.

Here’s what he said.

GT: Why make an iPhone photography blog? What do you want to achieve with it, or want contributors to get from it?

CALEB KIMBROUGH: “I’m a firm believer that a great photographer’s skill should be autonomous, that the quality of their work shouldn’t depend on how much their camera cost or how many external lights they are using. My opinion is well illustrated by the iPhone photography portfolios of Sion Fullana and Greg Schmigel (as well as countless others), the photographs they create have great depth and capture the emotion of their subjects effortlessly, and yet they were taken with a camera phone… not a two thousand dollar camera setup. I feel that by experimenting with the iPhone we are forced to use a minimalist camera setup and thus have to focus on things like composition, timing, and other photography basics which helps develop true skill.

“My main reason for starting iphonephoto.us is to encourage people to slow down and think creatively throughout their day, take the time to notice little things and observe the behavior of the world around you…then try and capture these beautiful moments on your iPhone and share them with the world.”

GT: What’s your own view of iPhone photography, generally? Is it an under-appreciated, or overlooked, art form?

CALEB KIMBROUGH: “The thing that interests me about mobile phone photography is the fact that it’s an “always on” camera that just lies dormant in our pocket or purse until an impromptu photo-op arises. This makes it so easy to capture and preserve all of those little fleeting moments in life, and let’s face it: those are the ones that become the most important down the road. With big name photographers like Chase Jarvis posting their iPhone experiments and Flickr containing well over two million iPhone pictures, I think that more people are realizing what the iPhone is capable of and it’s slowly becoming an accepted, even respected, art form.

“With big name photographers like Chase Jarvis posting their iPhone experiments and Flickr containing well over two million iPhone pictures, I think that more people are realizing what the iPhone is capable of and it’s slowly becoming an accepted, even respected, art form.”

GT: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?

CALEB KIMBROUGH: “I’m a web designer, blogger, and freelance photographer that hails from Kansas City. I developed an interest in experimental photography early on in life and have been playing around with cameras ever since. I’m a big fan of minimalism, both in art and life. You can view my photography portfolio at CalebKimbrough.com or if you’d like to drop me a line feel free to follow me on Twitter.”

Thanks to Caleb for his time and enthusiasm; you can submit cool iPhone photos for his curatorial consideration at iPhonePhoto.us.

(Photos: Leaf sepia by Josh Mobley, and ATM by Miklos Kiss. Both used by kind permission of their owners; thanks chaps.)

Posted by Giles Turnbull in Top stories, Web, iPhone | Comment on this article

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About the author

Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He is a columnist for PA, and has written for the BBC, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, MacUser, Macworld, and The Morning News. He has a blog you can ignore and a Twitter account you needn't follow.

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9 comments

But hold on… the iPhone’s got a “crappy camera”, hasn’t it?

Wireman, on August 10th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

I am amazed at the quality of the iphone camera. I love taking the pictures at a moment’s notice when the picture would be lost if I took the time to grab my “camera”-and very glad to find this site.

Stephene Goode, on August 10th, 2009 at 8:27 pm

I think the “carppy camera” is what makes the pictures look so nice- kinda like toycameras

dm, on August 10th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

Wireman: yes, it *is* a crappy camera. And that’s precisely why I get so excited when I see apps, web sites or people that manage to get such great pictures out of it.

Giles Turnbull, on August 11th, 2009 at 2:20 am

Great photo gallery, thanks!

The iPhone camera is kind of a toy camera, but if you use its “special character” you can achieve interesting results… Look at Lomo and cameras such as the Holga – to take pictures you have to carry a cam and use it.

I also use the iPhone camera, mainly with Apps like Polarize and OldCamera. My iPhone gallery.

luke, on August 11th, 2009 at 2:54 am

I’m totally addicted to my iPhone, so many great apps, I got one today called ishakeitphoto a Polaroid type app

I think iphography.com was one of the first iPhone photography sites/communities, not really sure?? but it’s quite popular

JLK, on August 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am

Alternatively you can check out all *my* iPhone photographs at myglasseye.net/iPhone or myglasseyeiphone.tumblr.com.

You’re welcome!

Owen B, on August 14th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

While the pictures may not have the absolute technical quality of dedicated cameras, many of the pictures are reminiscent of photography from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s.

Furthermore, one of the best comments on photography that I’ve read is that it’s better to create a lesser quality photo of an interesting subject than a high quality photo of a boring subject. Curating helps find the interesting and eliminate the boring.

Jaye, on August 18th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

“The best camera is the one tha’s with you”
For me, the iPhone “crappy” camera is the one i’ve been dreaming about, always ready for the “decisive moment”
It also reminds me other “lo-fi” cameras/movements like Polaroid or Lomography.

Alfredo Lietor, on September 21st, 2009 at 8:52 am