iPhoneography Pro

Book excerpt: The iPhone is revolutionizing photography. Never before has a camera been so portable yet powerful, so versatile and ubiquitous. Yet, as this book shows, this amazing device has untapped potential for taking jaw-droppingly detailed, sharp, professional-quality images. In this book, commercial photographer Robert Morrissey investigates the photographic capabilities of the iPhone, right out of the box, then moves to advanced uses that will surprise even seasoned photographers. Starting with the basics, Morrissey teaches readers critical strategies for taking great pictures—from how to properly hold your phone, to how and why to use the flash. You’ll learn simple ideas for improving your photos—from crafting a strong composition to posing subjects for flattering results. Next, you’ll learn to use the iPhone’s panoramic and HDR features to take your imaging to the next level. You’ll also get some great insights into how to photograph action, scenes with non-average tones, landscapes, and much more—with natural light and flash. The power of the iPhone grows exponentially when the photographer downloads applications (“apps”)—incredible free and/or inexpensive software programs that add a mind boggling array of photographic options and features to the phone. Morrissey shows how to choose and use apps that allow for the use of ultrafast frame-per-second capture rates, old film (Tri-X and T-Max) emulsions, incredible filter and lens effects, unique borders, and much, much more. There is a large market for iPhone accessories, and many of them are geared toward pros. Many shooters are now using bracketing systems that allow for the attachment of professional DSLR-type camera lenses, an invention that takes their capture capabilities to surprising new heights. Accessories are also available that allow the iPhone to be mounted to a tripod or even a dolly for video shoots. Armed with this book, you’ll learn to create technically sound, artistically inventive photos of any subject for any end use—from web use, to wall-size prints, to gallery presentation.