iPhonography!

As a commercial studio, it goes without saying that the tools we use are generally very expensive and certainly can be cumbersome and heavy. This is just the reality of being a professional. To produce images that are better than "the average guy with a camera", and worthy of being paid for by a client, traditionally, a professional photographer's equipment needed to be "professional".

This paradigm has continuously been challenged through the advancement of technology. DSLR cameras have gotten better and are more affordable to the masses. Now, literally anyone who is in the right place at the right time, can potentially capture an awesome shot. Our first high-end, digital camera, purchased in 1995 was a 6.2 MP camera made by Kodak. It used a Canon body and without any lenses, cost us over $30,000! We paid $1200 extra for a 1GB memory card, then had to buy Canon lenses. Needless to say, after investing well over $35,000 we had the most advanced and practical digital system available. We used this system for several years until the next generation of technology was out and it made sense to invest again. We sold that $30K system for $700 on eBay and felt lucky to get that much for it.

The systems we use now are still expensive - in the $50,000 range, but produce results that are exponentially better and bigger than those early systems. These huge files however, require expensive computing power and software to make them usable for clients. All together, what we can produce now is so far superior to what we did before, it's almost embarrassing to look back at the old stuff. But again, the new professional technology is big and expensive.

Enter the iPhone. Once again, our friends at Apple have raised the bar by now giving everyone access to a phone that is really a pocket computer, high quality camera, video camera and post production/editing device. The iPhone is capable of producing amazing images and is available to anyone willing to shell out a couple hundred bucks.

Scott Knutson, veteran photographer at InsideOut has recently discovered the iPhone and has been using it extensively for personal work and to challenge himself creatively to produce creative imagery without relying on thousands of dollars in equipment and software. He recently has been asked to teach a course on iPhonography at the Mpls Photo Center to inspire other enthusiasts to realize the potential of the iPhone. Recently, he spent some time at the Mall of America shooting with his iPhone 4 in the indoor amusement park, Nickelodeon Universe. The results are amazing! So save your money, buy a phone and go have fun!