Best Camera Is The One That's With You, The: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis

by Chase Jarvis

A beacon of creativity with boundless energy, Chase Jarvis is well known as a visionary photographer, director, and social artist. In The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You, Chase reimagines, examines, and redefines the intersection of art and popular culture through images shot with his iPhone.The pictures in the book, all taken with Chase’s iPhone, make up a visual notebook—a photographic journal—from the past year of his life. The book is full of visually-rich iPhone photos and peppered with inspiring anecdotes.Two megapixels at a time, these images have been gathered and bound into a book that represents a stake in the ground. With it, Chase underscores the idea that an image can come from any camera, even a mobile phone. As Chase writes, “Inherently, we all know that an image isn’t measured by its resolution, dynamic range, or anything technical. It’s measured by the simple—sometimes profound, other times absurd or humorous or whimsical—effect that it can have upon us. If you can see it, it can move you.”This book is geared to inspire everyone, regardless of their level of photography knowledge, that you can capture moments and share them with our friends, families, loved ones, or the world at the press of a button.Readers of The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You will also enjoy the iPhone application Chase Jarvis created in conjunction with this book, appropriately named Best Camera. Best Camera has a unique set of filters and effects that can be applied at the touch of a button. Stack them. Mix them. Remix them. Together, the book, app, and website, represent a first-of-its-kind ecosystem dedicated to encouraging creativity through picture taking with the camera that you already have. The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You—shoot!

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2009

Reviews

[Lineola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but it is essentially a collection of images, not a "how to guide". Even if you just want somehting to spark ideas, the images a bit dated. If you join Instagram or EyeEm (app-based social photography sharing sites), you will find many many iphoneographers with quirkier, more inspiring ideas. If I had found this a year or so ago, I would have loved it, but after reading "The Art of Iphoneography" and "iPhone Obsessed", you are already beyond this book.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

jarvis writes the dirty little secret of the great photographers was takings lots of pictures. the suggestion that if they throw enough against a wall one will stick. i disagree, look at the contact sheets of great phographers, most are v. good, some are great and only a few are poor, but only one could be chosen for an add or a layout.
the thought that the rest of us w/out the eye or talent could be one of them?

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. I love art made with unlikely tools. But I think it couldn't decide if it was a photo journal or an abstract photography art book. As a photo journal it was disjointed and not personal enough. On one of the few pages with text, the author writes, "some pictures tell stories. Others ask questions," we'll there wasn't enough story in these for me, plus they weren't chronological. As an art photography book, it needed further editing. Some of these images are just beautiful, and some have little artistic value to my eye. I realize that's subjective, still...

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chase Jarvis is having fun with his iPhone. Which is cool. Several of these pictures are really great. Others are nice, or just so-so. But the point of the whole thing is to show that you don't need gear to take interesting pictures. You just gotta shoot a lot and pay attention to what's around you. Cool things can happen.

[Appel Aja]

This book is mostly photos with few words. I was inspired by the way Jarvis captured his life and experiences using only a camera phone. I would like to make a similar book about my life.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by Ken Rockwell

........

It's a book that some won't like very much, but it's one to inspire beginners that it's not about the camera, and I think it's an educational experience, that there can be brilliant photographs without ideal tools.

[Gillian Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

99% pictures. 1% words. The perfect mix to show you how to take an artworthy photo.

Beware: if you are a vegan, vegetarian, or animal rights activist you will find at least 4 images offensive.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a book about iphone photography and this is about 95% his iphone photos from 2010! It seems dated now that I look at the filters and how far the iphone camera has come along.

[Laura Forner · Rating 2 out of 5]

thought it would be more tips and tricks rather than this dude’s mediocre phone photography

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and inspiring photos. Chase's main message, other that the title, is that pictures don't have to be clear and clean and beautiful. They just have to say something to you, how you feel in the moment. They are about capturing what is there now because it will change as the years pass because nothing lasts forever. And when in the moment, you have to take to photo with the camera that's with you, which is almost always the one on your phone!

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend Kara Murphy gave me this book and it's a neat quick "read". Since it's a photography book it sits on my counter as a perfect way to see what you can do with the camera on an iPhone, and, more importantly - to remind you that there is beauty everywhere, even in the mundane - it's all about perspective!

[June Pecchia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this from the library online, thinking that it would give me written tips about iphone photography. Silly me. Jarvis offers some sage words here and there, and his photo titles tell a lot. But rather than write and write about ideas in iphone photography, his little book is full of photos he has taken on his iphone. I really the images, each being worth a thousand words...

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book. Fun and entertaining. It emphasizes what you can do with a little imagination and "the camera that's with you." Chase shows you what you can do, his new iphone app gives you the tools...now go, create and share!

[Bel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring book that encourages you to really take a good look at the world around you via your iphone camera to discover that art and life is all around us. Great idea to start our own iphone galleries!

[Mona AlMuaigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!! with exceptional photographes i really liked it true "the best camera is the one that's with you"

[Jeff Triplett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and it really shows you what can be done on such a limited platform. #dmingml

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, great pictures. Wonderful inspiration showing what you can do within the limitations of the iPhone camera.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I had hoped to see some really inspiring photography but only a few of them "moved" me or made me think "Wow! I wish I had taken that!"

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An example is set in this book: Concise, deep thoughts are phrased in simple, large type among example images of how those simple-to-say pieces of advice can be put to good use.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 2 out of 5]

a small book of photos as the author travels with his iPhone and photographs his everyday life.