The Portland Metro Photographic News

A commentary by Tom Hubbard

©Apple Computer

You know cell phone photography is going mainstream when you see higher resolution models being introduced and dedicated software applications beginning to appear on the Internet.  The growing interest by many advanced and professional photographers is creating a new awareness and giving birth to a new category of photography.

Cell phone image ©Robert Brummitt

Cell phone image ©Robert Brummitt

Like those who experiment and push the boundaries of photography using alternative processes, pinhole cameras, Holgas, Photoshop, HDR and all those means and devices that make us think about the creative possibilities of the scene in front of our camera, cell phone photography challenges us to see and capture life in a new and even more immediate and personal way.

iPhone images ©Tom Hubbard

Are cell phone images high in quality?  Nope.  But that's not the point.  Few of the pinhole or Holga camera images that we consider to be extraordinary would rate high on the technical quality scale.  But, even more than our trusty DSLR or film cameras, cell phone cameras are always with us.  They afford anyone the ability to capture anything, anytime.  Life in real time. Because of their very technical limitations, cell phone cameras force us to be creative and to see the world from a new perspective.  That's a good thing.

Many noted photographers have taken up the challenge of cell phone photography, and exploit its potential.  One of the most interesting recent developments has been the work of Chase Jarvis.  Chase is a commercial photographer whose latest book, The Best Camera Is The One That's With You, examines cell phone photography and presents a collection of his own images.  He has also created an application for the iPhone that combines image enhancement and the ability to immediately post pictures taken on the iPhone to an Internet image sharing gallery.

Is this a profit making venture for Chase?  Absolutely.  But it only serves to emphasize the reality

that this new class of photography is here to stay.  PMPN is not promoting Chase's products.  Quite frankly, we haven't had the opportunity to put them to the test.  But we do applaud his initiative.  His cell phone photography is creative, imaginative and a motivator for photographers to begin exploring this new branch on the photographic tree.

Another enterprising photography software developer, Omer Shoor, has released two applications specifically for iPhone photographers -- Photogene and NoiseBlaster.

Photogene (shown above) is an in-camera editing tool for iPhone photos.  Cost is $2.99. (Not quite the same price as Photoshop CS4.)  This application allows photographers to:

• Enhance photos with multiple color adjustment options and a sharpen filter
• Crop and straighten
• Add fun effects like text balloons, frames and special filters.

I won't be trashing my copy of Photoshop anytime soon, but Photogene does provide a few of the most basic on-the-spot editing functions.  It works.  If you only need to make some minor adjustments and immediately send the pictures to a friend or website, Photogene is a handy little application.  Having a histogram incorporated makes the working environment very familiar and helpful.

Also available from Omer Shoor is NoiseBlaster (shown above).  This small application uses an "advance algorithm" designed to remove the noise created by the iPhone camera.  No cost was available at this time.  I found this program less useful.  It tended to soften the image.  Personally, I prefer a sharp picture, even if that means a little more noise (grain).

Then there's Live Histogram (shown above) by Dmitry Stadnik at a cost of $0.99.  This useful app adds a live histogram to the iPhone as the picture is being composed.  This works just like the live view mode on a DSLR camera.  The histogram is always on and changes as the camera moves.  I found this app useful.  Unfortunately, there are no manual controls included to correct the exposure based on the histogram reading.  So the live histogram merely graphically confirms that your exposure is either good or bad.  If Omer had only added exposure compensation...

So it begins.  The rush to exploit the artistic potential of this "go everywhere, always at hand" camera will result in a deluge of new hardware and software for our cell phone photography.  And, as they always did, serious photographers will find the new art that technology advancements offer.

NOTE:  PMPN is not promoting Apple's iPhone.  But the reality is that the iPhone is a programmer-friendly platform that lends itself to the development of creative new applications and opens up new photographic vistas.  Whatever the future holds for cell phone photography, it will probably claim its roots in the iPhone.