iPhones and Camera Liberation

Advise usually given to those striving to be a "Photographer" with a capital "P" is to carry a camera with you at all times - you never know when THE image/scene/event will come into view.  Easier said than done, especially when your camera is an SLR (single lens reflex) that doesn't fit in your briefcase and weights more than you would like to carry to and from and within everywhere. 

Point-and-shoots have been the "back-up" option, usually much smaller and lighter, often fitting into a shirt pocket or purse (no, I'm not into purses personally).  Resolution and lens quality suffer, of course, but sometimes better than no camera at all.  I've never been too thrilled with the results of my shots using a point-and-shoot, even when I've post-processed the digital files in Photoshop or Lightroom.  Too much effort for too little results.

Then I discovered the iPhone.  OK, lens quality, when compared even with point-and-shoots, basically sucks, as does the 3mp resolution.  But, since some/many/most photos these days are shared via e-mail or blogs or via Facebook, the smaller images and file sizes are just fine.  And with the amazing ease of exposure adjustment (such touch an area of the screen to darken or lighted the exposure), the results can be suprisingly good.  And using a program such as PS Mobile (a free Adobe app!), other simple and creative adjustment can be made.  And then sent off to the 4 Fs (friends/family/fans/followers) with suprising speed and ease.

"Sunrise Through Downtown Seattle"

Will I rely on my iPhone for travels and fine art creativity?  No, of course not.  I still want the multitude of adjustments (shutter speed, aperture, white balance, ISO speed, etc.) and lens options that my SLR gives me.  But as the carry-at-all-times option, I don't leave the house without my iCamera.  Oh, I mean iPhone (I think I can make calls on it - need to check!).