smart phone

All posts tagged smart phone

My HDR Smartphone Workflow

Posted by Richard Harrington on February 16, 2013
Posted in: HDR, Technique & Tutorials, Tips. Tagged: , , , , .

By Rich Harrington — Follow Rich on Twitter

A lot of photographers scoff at smartphone cameras.  I on the other hand love having software and camera built into one with easy sharing.  It lets me work when the inspiration hits.  One of those areas is HDR.

Here’s how bad a normal smartphone image can look.  This is from late on a Fall night.

The image is exposed to try and capture the entire range.

The image is exposed to try and capture the entire range.

While working on an smartphone may seem less than ideal, it is still a common practice. You can choose to have the phone simply capture the multiple images, or use the software on phone to quickly process the image. Several smartphones now include built-in HDR modes.  Be sure to save the original frames to the camera roll.  I choose to capture with Pro HDR (iPhone/Android) — www.eyeappsllc.com.

Two exposures merged together with Pro HDR

Two exposures merged together with Pro HDR

Once that’s done, I like to stylize with Nik Snapseed or Tiffen DFX.  Here’s one sample of pushing the limits.

Stylized

And another just for fun using some of Snapseed’s custom frame options:

Snapseed

Complain less about not having gear and start to have fun with what’s in your reach.

Be sure to check out our new book on shooting HDR.

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The Impact of Smartphone Cameras

Posted by Richard Harrington on January 6, 2013
Posted in: Opinion, Tips. Tagged: , , , , .
Smartphones have had a huge impact on citizen journalism – Image courtesy iStockphoto

Smartphones have had a huge impact on citizen journalism – Image courtesy iStockphoto

While much justifiable criticism has been levied against the evolution of cellphone cameras, there is a tremendous beneficiary… journalism.  We know have a literal global network of camera operators with the ability to capture newsworthy events and transmit usable photos.

Many photographers dismiss this technological shift. After all, how can a point-and-shoot (especially a low quality one at that) take the place of a modern DSLR with a selection of lenses? The answer is easy… speed and mobility.

Let’s accept that a modern smartphone has a camera that is technically capable of producing an image that is usable by most news and editorial outlets. Here’s what smartphones have that most DSLRs do not.  Hopefully camera manufacturers and others can push the evolution forward (and yes, evolution these days happens in the consumer space far quicker and more often than the pro equipment segment).

  • Data network. First and foremost is the ability to publish on demand.  First often matters when it comes to news… the ability to shoot and tweet/Facebook/share is the key factor here.  Why are WiFi connections in pro cameras so far between and so “stapled-on?”
  • Geotagging. Photos from mobile devices are tagged with essential metadata right in camera.  No need for another adapter plugged into your camera.  GPS data as well as relevant date info is automatically captured. This makes it easier to search and discover new images by those interested in finding them.  Location-based search is already throughly integrated into both the Google and Bing search engines.
  • Compelling and optimized software. Nearly every top software company has some amazing offerings in the app space.  Whether it’s Adobe Photoshop Express (or the newer Touch), nik’s Snapseed, or Photogene… full-featured editing apps allow for cropping, adjusting, toning, and repairing of digital photos immediately.
  • Location-aware updates. The fact that those in a breaking news situation can actually read updates is critical.  The real-time feedback of services like Twitter help those concerned with documenting events find the story and often interact with others.
  • Helper applications. From maps, to sun tables, to weather guides… it’s all there.  How a modern photographer could shoot without a smartphone is a valid question.

So…  will professional digital photography evolve?  Why not allow the tethering of your smart phone to your camera.  Couldn’t Nikon, Canon and others offer intelligent apps that tie your phone to your camera?  Couldn’t journalists and others push to a tablet for basic touchup then publish without having to lug a laptop?

As we move closer and closer to digital only delivery for our news and periodicals… the DSLR may go the way of the designer.  The quick and the agile will evolve and survive while the rest become extinct.

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Will The Compact Point & Shoot Survive In An Era Of Smart Phone Cameras?

Posted by scottbourne on January 10, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , .

If you’ve used an iPhone 4s camera phone, chances are upon looking at the image quality you got you said “Wow!”

Smart phone cameras in general are improving quickly. The ability to snap and share in seconds is drawing millions of people to these devices. It’s fun, fast and highly addictive.

Hooking up something like Instagram to an iPhone allows connectivity, coolness and fun in spades.

Since these phones are getting better cameras, falling in price and becoming more available, it’s getting harder and harder for casual shutterbugs and even serious photographers to justify buying a separate point and shoot camera.

If you’re a very casual photographer with a $200 point and shoot, it’s unlikely that the images you’re making are much better than those you could make with an iPhone 4s or similar smart phone. So if you already have a very capable smart phone camera, why buy and carry around a second device? It’s just one more thing to manage.

Well this story does have a plot twist and here it is – features matter.

You can successfully argue that we don’t need the inexpensive point and shoot because the smart phone cameras are just about as good and add connectivity.

But there is ONE way the point and shoot makers could survive and even thrive. That’s to add must-have features that separate their cameras from the smart phone cameras.

For instance, if a compact point and shoot could affordably and easily shoot very high speed stills or video and then bundle the camera with easy software to make slow-motion clips, that would be a great reason to buy that camera IN ADDITION TO a smart phone camera. That’s just one example. These cameras would require a niche. It could be high speed, it could be underwater, etc.

For now, I think that compact point and shoots will survive, but looking at the sales data from the past decade, there can be no doubt that compared with historical averages, their sales have been impacted and industry experts lay the blame squarely at the feet of the smart phone.

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