iPhone Photography is All the Rage

With the advent of iPhone photography, we can wave goodbye to the days when mobile phone cameras were mostly nearly useless, because the quality was so poor that the images were barely recognizable. It was not too long ago when we had to make do with low resolution images that were grainy, blurry or inadequately exposed. Nowadays, mobile phone companies are competing by including mobile cameras with better features for us to enjoy.

iPhone 4 Leads the Pack

The iPhone, especially the latest version, has revolutionized the way we look at mobile phone cameras. The iPhone 4, which offers 5 megapixel images, can rival any good quality point and shoot camera. Previous versions have 2MP and 3MP cameras built in the iPhones. Although these do not provide the same image quality as that of the iPhone 4, they are still much better than the basic VGA resolution phone cameras. Another great advantage of iPhone photography is that even with 2MP images, we can still create stunning shots with the use of iPhone photo apps.

Photo by krusensternfoto

iPhone Photography Applications

Images taken by the default iPhone app can be lackluster, because there are no exposure settings that you can adjust to get the shot just the way you want it to look. You can’t adjust the shutter speed, manually focus, or correct exposure. Your options are limited to pointing the camera in the direction of the subject, and shooting right after that. However, with the deluge of iPhone photo apps that are available in the App Store, you can now experiment with your images in ways that stretch your creativity and imagination.

iPhone photography apps differ widely. Some provide photo filters that can make your image have a retro or aged look; others focus more on basic editing tools such as cropping and sharpening. There are apps that make images look like sketches, paintings, or engravings. Others can merge several photos into panoramas or multiple exposures. The sky seems to be the limit with iPhone photo apps, and more are showing up in the iPhone App Store every day.

Photo by qualiflyer

Out of the hundreds of iPhone apps are a handful that the majority of iPhone users seem to like the most. One of these is the Hipstamatic app, which provides options for lenses, films and flashes. This app provides a distinct analog effect, and is probably one of the pioneers of the photo filter presets. The outcome of your shots taken with this app almost always comes out interesting. Another photo filter app, one that has just come out recently, but is taking the iPhone photography world by storm, is the Instagram app. Probably one of the reasons why it is so popular is that it is free, and it offers an avenue for you to share your photos, as well as browse over the photos of other Instagram users.

Photo by Bernt Sønvisen

The interest in iPhone photography is spreading like wildfire, because it is a fun and convenient way to take and create awesome photos. ‘iPhoneography’ is a term that has been coined to refer to iPhone photography and, judging from the rate of its popularity, will soon be a familiar word in every photo hobbyist’s vocabulary.