The iPhone Photographer: How to Take Professional Photographs with Your iPhone

by Michael Fagans

The iPhone camera is a sophisticated device. It has compelled millions of people worldwide to take a new or renewed interest in photography. Let’s face it: most of us now have a tiny yet highly competent camera in a pocket or purse at all times these days, and we use it to grab shots of people, places, and things more and more often as the technology improves—and you know what? We’re largely pleased with those captures.

If you’re a SERIOUS photographer, you may be wondering just how much mileage you can get out of your “simple,” ever-ready iPhone camera. Well, the answer may surprise you. In this book, Michael Fagans deconstructs photos taken in 60 scenarios—with a diverse array of subjects, in changing lighting conditions, in places that present unique challenges—showing you how to use solid, traditional photographic techniques to create great shots. Yes, Fagans will teach you the basics of creating a great photo. But there’s far more: He’ll show you that an iPhone, with the aid of apps, can mimic looks achieved by vintage cameras, a range of lenses, and countless filters.

In this book, Fagans teaches you how to use free and low-cost apps and Instagram options to create (or, rather, re-create) beloved vintage-photo effects that you’d achieve with the Holga (a plastic vintage camera known for its unexpected lens distortion) and medium-format-camera looks. You’ll learn how to choose and use digital lenses, filters, and effects—and combine and re-combine them–to intensify color and contrast, de-saturate color, introduce lens aberrations, play with the grain and color cast in the image, and much, much more. What to emulate the look of vintage film stock to create a photo with an aged, time-worn feel? No problem. Want to introduce a little focusing inaccuracy for effect? Easily done. Want to do these things AND use traditional, professional artificial lighting sources (think a large softbox), a professional image-editing platform (Photoshop), and really refine your message while pulling out all the stops? Fagans shows you how.

The deconstruction of the images in this book makes it worth the price of admission. Still, however, there is far more: Fagans is a photographer’s photographer. The book is peppered with inspiring quotes from Ansel Adams, Minor White, and countless other photographic visionaries that speak to the heart of photography.

Genres: Photography

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2015

Reviews

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

More at look-at book then a how-to book. Michael Fagans places more emphasis on memoir than on instruction. That being said, this work contains many photos that will inspire the photographer in you.

[Tonya Carpenter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not that great. If this book had been titled to match the content (a book of the photography accompanied by the photographer telling the backstory and explaining what he liked about each photo), I wouldn’t have minded. This book recommends a few apps, but other than that, has little to no information on how to take good pictures with an iPhone.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book when I saw the title because most photographers don't think of an iPhone as any where near professional gear BUT once I had read it I realized there are those situations where an iPhone is the only option that will work to get any photographs. The sensors are capable of giving a pretty decent image anyhow so why not take advantage of that? It really pushed me to rethink what 'professional' can mean and reminded me greatly of the saying about how it's the photographer who makes the photograph not the camera.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps this book could have been called "How to use the Hipstamatic app", as this is about all of the "how to" the book contained - and the extent of that was to say "I used the Hipstamatic app". There is no mention of what version iPhone was used. No tutorials. No useful information. Two stars is being generous.

[JennLynn]

So-so. Would have liked to see a much wider variety of apps showcased plus tutorials on getting the most out of them

[Hapzydeco · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title will catch your eye, but the content will leave you bewildered. This promotion of the Hipstamatic app is copyrighted 2015, perhaps Fagans needs to update.

[Shwetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here the photographer tells you that u become a professional photographer by using "Hipstamatic App" and "Instagram" to edit your photos. Nothing to really learn in here.