The iPhone 4S has an amazing camera for a smartphone. Heck, it’s already the second most popular smartphone camera on Flickr. But how does it hold up for the professional photographer?
As this beautiful testimony by pro photographer and gallery owner Ryan Bolger makes clear, it doesn’t just hold up well… it reinvents photography.
Bolger writes after his first month with the iPhone 4S:
So I’ve been holding out for years. I’ve had an upgrade ever since the original iphone came out & I decided that I was going to wait until the camera was where I wanted it & knew it could be. The iPhone 4S has changed my creative life in a very big way. The App Store has also opened up my eyes to a whole new creative & visual world. The ability to capture, ratify, & share my creative life with a few simple taps has helped me in my quest of trying to make the world a better place through my art.
Within the first week of my new marriage to this phone I took over 2,000 photographs. I’m amazed at the detail & the versatility of the iPhone 4S’s camera. I’ve even used it on some paid client assignments. That’s how much I trust it as a professional photographer.
I just read an article last night that photography was one of the things Steve Jobs aimed to re-invent. As a guy whose life revolves around photography and has since childhood, you’ve already done this Sir. So thank you Steve Jobs and thank you Apple.
That’s lovely, but don’t just take Bolger’s word for it. Check out his Tumblr blog, where the first 250 photos were taken and edited on an iPhone 4S.
You know, it’s true what they say. The best camera is the one you have with you… at least if you have an iPhone 4S.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
43 responses to “Professional Photographer Says With The iPhone 4S, Steve Jobs Has Reinvented Photography”
this should make for some interesting comments.. lol
so.. if iphone popularity of flickr means the iphone is the better camera, it must also mean that the uptake of windows means its a better OS, and the uptake of android means its a better phone OS.
any professional photographer using a phone to take photos for work – is not a professional
If this photographer, thinks the iphone 4s is gone to come even close to replacing professional photography with the pictures he taken or as he says reinvent it. I will say he is going blind in his eyes and don’t even know it. He has already lost his nature sight and is in need of a eye operation as soon as he can get one. Dude get a grip, leave the crack alone. The 99 %
Annie Lebowitz count as a pro, Randy? Check out her interview last week with Brian Williams. Williams asks her to recommend a camera. She answers, without hesitation, the iPhone 4s. Mind you, he asked her about CAMERAS.
There are many professional photographers out there. Just ‘any’ pro’s opinion doesn’t mean any more than asking any ‘auto mechanic’ which car is the best. I am also a pro, like the iphone, but won’t be using it in place of my DSLR’s, or even my compact take everywhere camera. Take that with a grain of salt as well. What is a fact, is that the quality, lens selection (!!), speed, etc are not comparable to the cameras typically used by pros.
There’s no doubt the iPhone 4s has a good camera – for a phone, but it has no place in professional photography.
I’ll bet my bottom dollar there are more pro photographers to disagree with this than there are ones that agree, most think it’s not even worth commenting on.Saying that a slightly improved camera has re-invented photography is a ridiculous statement. What has it re-invented, nothing… It’s merely a slight improvement on other cameras and will be outdone in a month or 2 by someone else, guaranteed.
actual quote – “snapshot camera of today,”
Take a look at this photo, taken on an iPhone 4S. Probably better than any picture you’ve ever taken with ANY camera:
http://cdn.iphonehacks.com/wp-…
Did she used a Nokia N8? I don’t think so.
P.D: I have an iPhone 4S and the Nokia N8, and the N8 is far better for photos(not video)
If a client saw me show up with an iPhone for a paid job I would be fired on the spot. How does a camera on the iPhone 4S ‘change photography’? A lot of people think a weirdly cropped photo with an Instagram filter makes for great ‘photography’. It doesn’t.
And the hits just keep on coming with Brownlee. What a knee slapper this one is. So now Steve Jobs and Apple have reinvented the laws of physics with the new camera in the 4s.
Hilarious.
While I love my iPhone and Hipstamatic and other fun photography apps for it, it doesn’t come even close to what I can produce with my Canon 7D and lenses. And the 7D is not really even considered a true professional camera. This is a case of a photo guy just getting a phone with a camera and going kind of gaga.
You can get interesting and even professional level shots out of the iPhone 4S camera for certain types of shots – the iPhone 4S sensor is really noisy and getting sharp detailed shots is not easy…
Nice to have the iPhone with me at all times, but when I shoot portrait shots for a dentist office’s Christmas card next week, it won’t be with my iPhone.
BTW, my gallery with shots from my 7D: http://www.flickr.com/photos/r…
Seems to me that “real” photographers are getting angry/jealous over iPhone users in their ability in take photos and edit them and produce quality work, without using a $1k+ camera. If you think you have to use high end expensive equipment to be a photographer, you’re sadly mistaken.
Canon 7D is not really even considered what!!? c’mon! don’t compare the iphone with a serious DSLR camera…
you need to compare image quality between the iphone and a DSLR before you make silly statements.
Oh my god, I didn’t even need to rant after reading this article. 100% of comments disagree with the author. He insists and insists that the iphone4s has the best phone camera in the planet, period.
Note to self, beware of ‘professional photographers’ who happen to be also Apple fanboys. If I ever see one of them pulling out that tiny thing I’ll smack him with the camera grip of my D700. =)
EDIT: I looked at the professional photographer’s tumblr blog. If you know how to compose, you definitely can do the same with a $20 Holga disposable camera, and it will probably look better!
Come on, the camera is nice, but it is no more than an improved smartphone camera. You can claim is one of the best smartphone cameras. That we totally agree here.
Hey Brandon, why don’t you prove your point? Take something breathtaking with your iphone4s. You will get bonus points for composition. Then, we’ll respond with our big guns, and we’ll compare. Deal?
Why is that picture so small? Doesn’t show the power of the 4S’ camera there!
This sounds more like the photographer’s first foray into the world of Smartphone photography in general and not just the iPhone 4S. He’s experiencing the ease of use and instant ability to share – and this isn’t limited to the 4S or even just the iPhone.
Welcome To Our World.
what every single writer on here has failed to notice is that this guy said that the iphone REINVENTED photography and this statement is definitely true!!
whenever someone mentions anything about the quality of the iphone camera there is never a shortage of posters carrying on about how this or that phone has a better camera, it will never replace a DSLR etc… sure these might be true BUT the iphone did reinvent and revolutionise photography… that is a FACT!!!
before the iphone there weren’t apps available on your phone that were convenient and easy to use and this has changed how many people photograph.
Myself I love using apps like Hipstamatic, TOYcamera and panoramic apps… they are easy to use and I can forget about doing any post photo work on my pictures and share them instantly. these apps have become a replacement for me to what I used to do with my Lomo, Holga, Russian and vintage cameras that had sadly been collecting dust since I went digital.
I am a serious photographer and I will say that the iphone will never replace my D700/24-70 f2.8 and D300/10.5 f2.8 combination I mainly use for my main work but when I want to have fun and also not carry around a 20kg backpack full of gear, I love to use my iphone!! and I don’t have to spend my precious time photoshopping them later!!
now can everyone STFU about this!! it’s getting really monotonous and old!!
how can I STFU, when what you say is not true.
If you want to be accurate, the article says that he believes that the iPhone 4S (not iPhone in general, which he originally had) has re-invented photography.
I’m sorry, but a slight improvement on the camera does not re-invent anything. Apps and workflow for photos on mobile phones have been available since the first iPhone.
So i ask again, considering that the apps aren’t the phone, and weren’t created by Jobs, or even Apple… How does the iPhone 4S re-invent photography?