Somewhere among the list of things a budding photographer first should be told is this: The best camera is the one that’s with you. This is reenforced by Flickr, which reported that, collectively, iPhone models continue to represent the popular cameras used for its site content. [1,2,3,4]
When asked recently by Saline Journal the most important thing for capturing great images, local professional Heidi McClelland didn’t hesitate before answering. “Light. It’s all about light.” [5]
Where do you start to make the most of all this?
Salt Valley Arts offers a two-hour class right here in the City of Saline titled “Creative ‘I’ Photography.” Developed and taught by Cindy Baxter, it’s a nice blend of fundamentals, efficiency tips, and practical direction. The iPhone is likely with you on vacation. It can be a tool for making visual project references. [6,7]
Ms Baxter has been a photographer since high school in the 1970s. In those days the medium was film, her brand choices Minolta and Canon. For added control over the creative process back then, she setup a darkroom in a closet upstairs in her parents’ home. Although she eschews the label “early adopter,” she can easily list a history of equipment through which she moved into the digital range — including a “heavy, awkward” Rebel and the far more convenient PowerShot SX260. [8]
Then came her iPhone 4, then iPhone 5c. [9,10]
Today the iPhone 8 houses her camera of choice. [11]
“You want to know your iPhone so you can take the best picture you can so you don’t have to edit,” she told Saline Journal. “This isn’t about fixing images.
I have artist friends who ask me how to get images they can put on Etsy, or they need to photograph their work so they can submit it to a show. Most people come in asking ‘How do I get a picture I can post on Facebook?’ or eMail or text? They’d like to get more involved with Instagram.
With a Masters Degree in child development, Cindy Baxter is mindful of the different ways in which different people learn. This is immediately applicable to how she teaches her classes through Salt Valley Arts. For example, at various points in the “Creative ‘I’ Photography” class she holds her own iPhone in-hand; at other times she’ll run though each menu, step-by-step with individual participant devices. She has written handouts. And she builds table-top sets before each class for attendees to try what they learn while there.
“When you’re comfortable with the tool in your hand,” she concluded, “it frees you to see the world differently. ‘I know what it can do, here’s how I can make it do what I need it to do.’
Now we can talk about how to take different kinds of photos — of families, weddings, trips — because it’s not overwhelming. We can be creative, finding vantage points and feeling comfortable working with groups, or focusing on smaller subjects on the table. We can think in terms of framing and color contrast, and even movement.
Heidi McClelland has said that “the iPhone X is amazing.” But, like all cameras, “It’s just a tool. You need to know how to use it to do your best work.” [12]
Upcoming opportunities for iPhone instruction by Cindy Baxter can be found on the Salt Valley Arts and Saline Community Education websites. [13]
References
- “Best Camera by Chase Jarvis | Chase Jarvis” Chase Jarvis (September 22, 2009) YouTube.
- “iPhone models dominate Flickr’s list of most popular cameras in 2017 with 54% of top 100 devices” Sarah Perez (December 7, 2017) Tech Crunch.
- “iPhone 4 most popular camera on Flickr [Updated]” Kelly Hodgkins (June 21, 2011) engadget.
- “Dell Deaton” Flickr.
- Heidi McClelland Photography (home page).
- Salt Valley Arts (home page).
- “instructor bios” Salt Valley Arts.
- “Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Review” Mark Goldstein (April 16, 2012) Photography Blog.
- “iPhone 4 review” Joshua Topolsky (June 22, 2010) engadget.
- “iPhone 5C” John McCann (November 20, 2017) Tech Radar.
- “iPhone 8 Review: I Was Wrong” TechnoBuffalo (October 2, 2017) YouTube.
- “iPhone X review” Gareth Beavis, Tech Radar.
- “Saline Community Education” Saline Area Schools.
