“The best camera is the one you have with you” – Melissa Lyttle
Technology is constantly shifting, it’s our job as humans to keep up. Take for example the iPhone 4, a phone for communicating, for games and fun, phones for business. The iPhone 4 has rapidly gained major kudu’s amongst many of the world’s talented photo journalists. Jack Kurtz, David Guttenfelder, Matt Nager, Todd Heisler, Melissa Lyttle, Damon Winter and Chip Litherhand have all worked with the device, each with positive things to report.
Then you wonder why; why choose such equipment over the professional superb high quality imaging of an SLR. The answer’s pretty simple when you look a bit deeper, namely; see things from a photo journalist’s perspective.
Take David Guttenfelder an Associate Press photographer who not only documents the war in Afghanistan with traditional digital SLR cameras, but also, an iPhone camera (which he chose for one highly acclaimed project “Depth of Field; Afghanistan”) presented by AP. ”These photographs, shot with an iPhone I carried in my flak jacket pocket, are not about the fight for Marjah. Instead, they are an attempt, during my downtime, to show something of the daily lives of Marines and Afghan soldiers as they moved through the city and set down their packs each evening in harsh, isolated places.” The project was shot using the iPhone camera together with the ShakeItPhoto Application.
His reasoning behind this tool of choice; “I wanted to make some pictures that had the look or mood of the keepsake shots that the Marines take themselves. I’ve noticed that the new generation of Marines and soldiers take a lot of photos and videos, even when they are in combat situations. Most use phones or point-and-shoot cameras and make gritty keepsake pictures to remember what their lives were like on the deployment and to post or show their friends and family back at home.”
“People who might normally ignore coverage of Afghanistan or ignore traditional photos from the war paid attention to these iPhone pictures because they use similar cameras every day to document their own lives.” It was relatable. “As a result, they were drawn into the story by these photos, a connection was made, and the photos got a lot of attention.” The images showed details of soldier life thought perhaps, too mundane to transmit via the news. Inspiration for his lens came in the form of a makeshift urinal, dried poppies, and the flea bitten skin of a fellow journalist, amongst numerous others. Alongside his iPhone, talent and knowledge of position and lighting, these often considered ‘boring’ items became something more.
Another man with the iPhone added to his toolkit is New York Times staff photographer Damon Winter. He believes that while iPhone photography is a challenge to traditional photojournalism, it’s also an innovation. Drawing him to the iPhone was the camera’s informality and lack of presence. Because soldiers were used to taking photographs of themselves and friends on their phones, when Winter did the same, no one noticed. It allowed him a certain level of access and improvisation he could not have achieved with a large bulky camera. Thus he got shots a larger camera just wouldn’t allow, real photos and reel settings
Winter won third place in Pictures of the Year International’s Feature picture story for his photo essay “A Grunt’s Life.” The series of images portray daily life in a war zone for US troops both in and out of action. The photographs were shot using the Hipstamatic application as a faux Polaroid filter.
Arizona Republic photojournalist Jack Kurtz who believes the iPhone 4 to be practical, namely in covering breaking news. “When you’re covering a march through downtown or standing on a sidewalk in front of the courthouse for hours, opening a laptop and editing 20 plus megapixel raw files from a state of the art digital camera is just not practical.” He emphasizes how in such cases; not drawing attention to yourself can help capture those “real in the moment images photojournalists strive for.” He covered the immigration protests in Phoenix using his iPhone 4. “Newspapers’ internet sites are insatiable beasts that need to constantly feed; when there’s a major story taking place the website is updated several times an hour. Our photos are the chum that draws in readers.” To him, the iPhone is the perfect accessory
Melissa Lyttle of the St Petersburg Times believes it’s important to remember that good technology isn’t the only contributor to solid photography. A good eye and knowledge of the subject is of utmost importance, you’ve got to know when and how the shot should be taken, the light and positioning to emphasize the focal point of the photograph. She uses the CameraBag iPhone application for her iphone shots, a particular favourite being the Helga mode (a digital replica of the film camera she used as a child.)
Basically, there are quite a few pro’s to the whole concept. With the iPhone’s touch screen design it is exceptionally dustproof in comparison to the majority of professional cameras on the market. Not only that, it’s discreet allowing you get closer to the action and take the shots you want. It’s relatable to the majority of the public which is an effective way of attracting people’s attention in itself. Not to mention the uncountable number of apps available to help you on your way. It’s no great wonder it’s become an important piece of many photojournalists toolkits as of late.
All this hints that the iPhone for the photojournalist is here to stay and no doubt; progress and develop further in the field. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Images copyright of David Guttenfelder
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