Why Do Smartphone Photographers Still Struggle to Be Taken Seriously?

“The camera is just a tool,” says almost any established photographer that’s ever practiced the craft. And I tend to agree. I’ve enjoyed some works made on an iPhone more than I have on a Fujifilm X-T4, for example. That’s not to say the latter isn’t a better camera. It most certainly is. But it’s the scene, the creativity, and the emotion that makes a photo, not the camera. So if the camera is just a tool, as many photographers agree, why do Smartphone photographers struggle to be taken seriously?

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Here’s Why Modern Medium Format Cameras Need Faster, Better Lenses

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! You can also listen to it right here on the Phoblographer.

We’ve been saying it for years not, but the current digital medium format isn’t really “true medium format.” At least, it’s not the same as film. In purely digital photography, you can arguably consider the Fujifilm GF system to be a digital large format. However, the camera systems need faster aperture lenses. Luckily, we’ve started to see strides made by Fujifilm and Hasselblad. But I don’t really think it’s enough. The arguments have to do with the traditional medium format.

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Are Old DSLR Lenses Still Worth Your Money in 2021?

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! You can also listen to it right here on the Phoblographer.

Old DSLR lenses can be enjoyable to use. They’ve got imperfections that you don’t see in most modern lenses. Plus, they really make you work for the shot. In a world where photography is so simple, they’re refreshing. But in the past 10 years, lots of manufacturers have only cared about clinical perfection. This has surely satisfied tons of different photographers who wanted to get it all finalized in post-production. So what lenses are worth buying? And who should buy those lenses?

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The Surprising and Puzzling Paradox with Modern Cameras and Lenses

I’ve spent a lot of time pondering a critical issue with cameras. In many ways, it still feels like we’re caught in a traditional problem that hasn’t disappeared. It starts with modern cameras. Lots of things about them are rooted in tradition. And that’s wonderful. Photography needs to be loyal to where it began. But embracing digital still hasn’t truly happened. One of the most perplexing things about modern cameras has to do with lenses. My hope is that it doesn’t take long for a lot of rapid change to occur.

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These Portraits by Phil Sharp Make You Wonder

“One hopes to get to execute the A-Plan, but I’ll always have a B-Plan, C-Plan in place,” says London-based commercial photographer Phil Sharp about his approach to his work. He began his career shooting on a Nikon F-mount enabled Kodak body but uses more medium format these days for portraits. A man of few words (as the posts on his website and Instagram suggest), we take a look at some of his favorite portraits.

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Why It’s Crucial to Show More Positive Photos of Developing Nations

There’s something I’ve thought about for quite some time. Whether it’s countries in Latin America, Asia, or the Middle East, why do we only see images that show these parts of the world in a negative light? It’s mainly the mainstream portraying the doom and gloom, but even documentary photographers tend to focus on the pain rather than the pleasure. The results are damaging, and it’s time for the photography industry to help drive change.

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How I’m Finding a Photography Community in the Most Unlikely Place

I’ve longed for a meaningful photography community. And it’s been difficult to ascertain in the real world, especially during the pandemic. So, like most photographers, I turn to an online community. Instagram is a waste of time as it feeds narcissism. Facebook seems to be more about online fighting rather than togetherness. Flickr is okay, but I never got on that hype train. Then I turned to Twitter. And to my surprise, I’m finally finding a photography community that I was close to thinking was only a utopia.

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Nannimensch Escapes to the Outdoors to Create Poetic Photos

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“I only use my camera, my feeling and the given frame. I don’t think about what I do or how I do it”, says Nannimensch, who doesn’t always refer to herself by the term ‘photographer’. Her images convey the moods and emotions she felt at the moment of the click. Without the aim of developing a signature style, she lets her feelings dictate the flow of the shoot at her various outdoor locations.

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5 Photographers Go High to Create Marvelous Rooftop Photos

Rooftops are the ideal vantage point for making photographs from a different perspective. While the world goes about its day, the rooftop photographer can document what’s going on, without anyone knowing they’re there. Rooftop photos aren’t only about looking down. The pinnacle point of a building is also a cool location for conceptual photography. We’re going to take a look at it all in this article, bringing you the very best of the rooftop photos we’ve published over the years.

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5 Proven Tips for Regaining Confidence in Photography

Photographic confidence comes in ebbs and flows for many photographers. Not to be confused with a creative rut, photographic confidence relates more to not believing in yourself, even if you shoot consistently. It’s a horrible spot to be in and leads to many photographers giving up. But I don’t want that to happen to you. So, in this article, I’m sharing some tips on regaining and maintaining your photographic confidence.

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Stop Hoarding Film! The Best Time to Shoot Film Photography Is Now!

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Fact: You will seldom know when the perfect moment is happening. That’s the truth. If you’re like me, you’re a hybrid photographer: you shoot film and digital. You shoot any medium that gets the job done. But for a long time, I’ve been told that I should get as much film as I can, freeze it, and then just shoot it whenever I want. That’s a great idea, but I think the pandemic taught me that the best time to do something is now. Don’t put it off. You never know when you’ll have the time to shoot some film. So I’ve started to go through lots of films for the pure joy of shooting. That, and it’s a joy to not look at a screen on a camera.

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E-Ink Screens Could Rekindle Photography’s Romance of the Print

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Confession: I really hate staring at screens. I think the Fujifilm X Pro 3 and the Leica M10D are two of the most brilliant cameras of our time. They help keep us focused on what’s important. The E-Ink screen on the X Pro 3 also uses super low amounts of energy. With that said, I think it’s time that we make photography romantic again. I’ve written about this a number of times. And as the world progresses, the photography world has become better and better. But I think that E-Ink screens are the next step camera manufacturers need to take. Specifically, they need to find a way to make the refresh rate increase, add touch capabilities, and more. For what it’s worth, it’s not like any of that isn’t possible right now.

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7 Easy Photography Genres That Anyone Can Do!

I love the fact that there are so many genres of photography. The diversity is what makes our craft so enjoyable. I’ve dabbled in many genres of photography, but it’s street photography where I feel most at home. I’ve also got friends and peers from various backgrounds in the photographic field. With that said, we will look at which are the easiest genres to practice, all of which anyone can do!

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Pentax: Two Years Ago, You Got it Really, Really Wrong

Back in 2019, Ricoh believed that some folks would leave mirrorless cameras and return to DSLRs.

I know that Pentax fans and readers will be furious. But people come to this website because we often voice our informed opinions. In this case, Ricoh seriously messed up. We can start with how they haven’t created a mirrorless camera and continue to produce DSLRs. But we’re choosing to hit home on an article from a few years ago. Further, I wish and hope that Ricoh Pentax finally wakes up and realizes a major problem that they can fix.

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Why You Actually Need a Dedicated Camera Bag, Not Just an Insert

A camera bag serves a much bigger and better purpose than just a bag with an insert.

Confession: I’ve failed to find the perfect camera bag. Here at The Phoblographer, we’ve probably reviewed the most camera bags on the market. Of course, we stand by ethical statements and won’t review some brands, but we’re pretty comprehensive. Everyone makes good camera bags. No one makes a perfect camera bag, at least for me. Many have gotten very close. But when I couldn’t find what I wanted, I started modifying camera bags to fit my needs. All of them failed over time. I’m writing this piece because of many folks who like using regular backpacks or messengers and throwing their cameras in there. But that’s really not the best idea. Here’s why.

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Artur Lahoz Sees His True Love in the Starry Universe

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“Somehow I feel more alive when I use the weekend and my free time to photograph”, says Artur Lahoz of Brazil. Much like many of our readers, he uses photography to escape the complexities of his weekdays, and he finds some much-needed solace in analogue photography. We caught up with him to understand the intricacies behind his latest double exposure film project – ‘She Was The Universe’.

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Photographing September 11: How They Feel 20 Years Later

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Twenty years have passed since two commercial planes struck the twin towers. You don’t need me to tell you what happened that day. Everyone has their own theories and opinions about it. And while that may divide people, one thing we all agree on is how traumatic that event was for the people of New York. Amongst the people fighting the struggles of that tragic day were photographers. Out on the front line, they felt compelled to document the harrowing events. Two decades later, how do they feel about the photos they made?

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​​​​Dr. Emil Chynn Will Never Forget Being at Ground Zero on 9/11

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! You can also listen to it right here on The Phoblographer.

“That day, I encountered literally thousands of people screaming and running past me in the opposite direction,” Dr. Emil Chynn remembers of September 11th, 2001. Two hijacked passenger planes had just been used in a coordinated terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, hitting the North Tower at 8:46 at the South Tower at 9:03. “Actually, I was the only person going downtown,” Dr. Chynn says. “I tried to flag a yellow cab to take me downtown, but nobody would stop. Finally, I got a cabbie to stop, but he said, ‘What are you, nuts? If you paid me a million dollars, I wouldn’t take you there!’”

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George Forss Made Magical Photos of the Towers Before 9/11

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“George took this picture in 1998,” Phyllis Wrynn, the longtime friend and gallerist of George Forss who passed away last month at age of 80, remembers. At the time, he was standing in the offices of Woolworth Building, with a clear view of the Twin Towers. “The first time I saw it, I loved it because I had never seen the Towers from that vantage point before,” Wrynn explains. “They were so enormous, but this image makes them human scale. I can imagine building a Lego version of the Towers…and that it would look as they do in this image.” 

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