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Hands on with the ShiftCam ProGrip

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Smartphone photography is on the rise, there’s no question, and we’ve had our eye on the ShiftCam ecosystem since their Kickstarter announcements. The ShiftCam ProGrip has gone beyond the Kickstarter phase and is now out there for purchase, along with other items in their line-up. There are other systems available to hold our smartphone and make it look and feel more like a camera, but ShiftCam seems  to be up there as one of the better systems. Here’s why:

As a travel photographer and educator, I am constantly shooting, and when I don’t have my ‘proper’ camera with me, I turn to my iPhone. It’s often said that the best camera is the one you have with you, and with the advances being made in phone camera tech, I  find myself using the images I make with my phone more and more often. To that end, I want to be able to treat my phone more like a ‘proper’ camera, and part of that experience involves the look and feel. Rather than feeling like I’m holding a phone, I often want to feel like I’m holding a camera. And beyond that, I want to be able to attach my phone to my tripod.

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An unexpected tender moment in war wins 2022 iPhone Photography Awards

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The iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) has announced the winners of its 2022 contest. Believe it or not, the contest is celebrating its jubilee this year: it’s been 15 years since it’s been around, just like the iPhones. I feel kinda old now.

Anyhow, the 15th annual competition received thousands of submissions from all over the world, and it has selected the best of the best. Antonio Denti from Italy won the Grand Prize, but there are many other stunning photos among the category winners. So, let’s check them out!

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This free app instantly turns your phone photos into 3D models

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It’s impossible to imagine modern video games, architecture or engineering without 3D modeling. It’s a skill of its own and, but it’s about to became simpler than ever. Enter RealityScan, a mobile app that lets you turn your smartphone photos into realistic 3D models. Not only is it simple, but it’s also completely free to use.[Read More…]

These magical, surreal photos win 2022 Mobile Photography Awards

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We could argue forever whether gear matters or not. In some cases, it does, but if you know light, composition, and have an eye for beauty around you, a smartphone will do just fine. In fact, even more than fine!

Mobile Photography Awards (MPA) is a perfect example of what photographers mean when they say that gear doesn’t matter. The 2022 contest winners have just been announced, and they are truly marvelous examples of photography – of course, all taken with smartphones.

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Try this simple smartphone double exposure pano on your next photo walk

Once upon a time, I used to spend hours in the darkroom, making elaborate double exposures with negatives. Then, in the digital era, I started making them in Photoshop, which took so little time, and could be done in minutes.

Now, anyone can do easily do it in seconds, with any smartphone. And it’s a whole lot of fun. Have you tried it?

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13 iPhone camera settings photographers need to know

Common sense says you pick up the iPhone, open the camera app and just start shooting. That’ll work, but there happens to be so many settings and features hidden within these phones that stump way too many people, even some of us pros sometimes.

Thus, I was inspired to jot them all down and explain them one by one, with tips on what I think are the best settings for each one of my top 13. And I’m singling out the iPhone here because A., I’m an iPhone user, B. I think the 13 Pro is far and away the best smartphone camera on the market and C. if you’d like me to do a follow-up on Android, just say the word!

To begin, let’s assume you’ve updated to iOS 15, the latest operating system. Next, open the camera app.  Here’s what you’ll see, and what I recommend.

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A simple tip to avoid reflections when shooting with your phone

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We’ve all been there. We’re trying to get great food shots in a bakery, but the brownies and cookies are hidden behind reflective glass. Our shot is ruined!

Or we’ve paid good money to go to an urban rooftop or another location for the best view in town, only we’re stuck behind glass. Foiled again! The glass seems dirty, but it’s not. Still, it’s ruining your shot by catching the daylight reflections, your image, and any other bright objects out there.

So what to do? Thanks for asking. Because we have a common-sense solution.

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How iPhone macro photography helps an eye doctor do his job

The new iPhone 13 Pro has some pretty cool new specs, including a macro lens. Sure, it can be of great help for us photographers, but have you ever thought that it could help a doctor in his job? An ophthalmologist Dr. Tommy Korn has recently demonstrated how the iPhone 13 Pro’s macro eye photography helps him and his patients, and it’s really fun to see (no pun intended) how phone photography can be repurposed.

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iPhone 7 photo wins Apple iPhone Photography Award Grand Prize 2021 – Here are all the winners

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Apple’s annual iPhone Photography Awards event has happened for 2021 and the winners have been announced. The competition covers seventeen categories with winners coming from all over the world including Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, China, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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