Daily Archives: April 8, 2021

 

 

 

March 24th thru the 28th a group of dear Christian brothers and sisters met in Cartersville GA to fellowship and enjoy shooting at Old Car City, the Booth Museum of Western Art, Gibbs Garden, and the Southeast Railway Museum, all close to Cartersville, GA.  On the first morning we went out to drive around Cartersville and I found this Coca Cola advertisement painted on the brick wall of a pharmacy.  It’s the olddest Coca Cola advertisement painted on a building in America.  It is repainted each year exactly as it appeared in the early 1900’s.  What is unique about this shot and the ones to follow are that they were all shot with my iPhone 12 Pro Max!

 

The reason for going to this event was to just spend some time with some people I really love!  I simply jumped out of the car and made this shot with my iPhone, when I processed it in the phone, I was shocked at the quality!  The next morning when we went out to Old Car City, I went in with just my iPhone.  I’ve shot Old Car Cilty many times and I really wanted to just visit with our group so I left my bag of Fujifilm cameras and lenses in the car.  I shot a lot of things that struck my eye, and later, when the rain came in, I sat in the car and processed them.  These are few of my favorites;

 

 

 

When visiting the Booth Western Museum of Art, I came across this painting that really struck me, I simply held up my iPhone and made a shot of it, when I cropped out the frame and processed it I was amazed at the quality!!!

 

 

 

So what am I getting at?  For years I have been puzzled by how the young folks have abandoned “real” cameras to use their smart phones to make images.  I understood that the instant gratification of posting images and getting likes was a big appeal to them, but I never really gave the iPhone/smart phones credit for being a serious imaging instrument!  So what does this shocking revalation say to me???

 

 

First, I do not intend to abandon using my “real” cameras, however I do realize, now, that used in the right place and time and treated with respect as an imaging device, the smart phone is a “real camera!”  In a time and place that I want to relax and enjoy the day, and not “work” at imging, the smartphone can be a great carry around camera.  What it lacks in versatility and range of lenses it makes up for with convenience!

 

 

For me the act of photographing has always been about the joy I get from doing it, the process, the act of seeing, and then trying to capture what interests me to then share with others, or simply keep for myself!  Not every image I make is intended to be for profit or a work of art, lots of things I photograph are just things that appeal to me.  In those moments, I get the same joy from shooting with my Fujifilm X-H1 or my iPhone, it doesn’t matter, the act is the same, the result must first be joy!

 

No one is more of a gear hound than me, I own a number of Fujifilm bodies and a couple of dozen lenses and I enjoy using them immensely, but the most joy is from seeing something that I believe, with a little effort, I can turn into a photograph, an image, and use it to tell a story!

 

 

So I hearby apologize to the millenials that only shoot with their phones, go for it young people, and enjoy the process of telling your story!  Dive deep into the joy of seeing, crafting and making your images!  I’m truly sorry I doubted you, you are certainly on to something!

 

 

A guess even old dogs can learn a few new tricks, just don’t ask me to jump too high!

 

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim