Why I hate taking photos on my iPhone

Smartphone photography is great, its just not for me

Photo by JC Falcon on Unsplash

Nowadays, it seems like the biggest things that smartphone companies are working on and striving to improve are the cameras and be the best smartphone camera system on the market. Its rare to find a phone that only have one camera because companies are adding as many cameras as possible to their phone, all providing different focal lengths and serve a different purpose. Every tech review I watch about a new smartphone, its the camera’s performance that ends up taking up majority of the review.

Now, you even have professional photographers who have given up their DSLR camera’s and specifically shoot on their phone and nothing else. And it works great! Smartphones are able to capture DSLR quality images, they are able to edit right from the phone and share it to family, friends, and people all over the world in just a few taps. Its a much more simplified and easy process, especially compared to DSLR’s. Instead, with a DSLR, you have to take the photos, go home, transfer files, edit files, export and organize them and then finally they are ready to share. Clearly, smartphones are much easier to use.

I think that this is great! But it is not for me.

I hate shooting on my iPhone with a passion. As a professional photographer, shooting on my iPhone feels lazy, and whenever I try, it feels uninspired and uncreative.

When I have my DSLR, I immediately feel more creative. Having complete control over the settings, the feeling of holding a proper, full-sized camera in my hand brings out the creativity, ideas, and passion of photography in me. Almost immediately, I start looking at my surroundings, what will make the best background, thinking about the different poses I can make the model do, and the feeling that will be conveyed in the image.

I don’t get that rush when I pull my iPhone SE out of my pocket.

The best way to explain it is the comparison of reading. Many people find it difficult and unnatural to read on a tablet or kindle, and need the feeling of paper in their hands which makes it a much more enjoyable experience. So, while the tablet is much more convenient and easier to use in many ways, its not the same.

For me, I need the proper, dedicated camera in my hand in order to shoot and be in that creative mindset. Its why I carry my camera bag with me almost everywhere I go, no matter how heavy it is. I need to make sure that if I am shooting, I am able to be completely in focus and doing the best I can.