Hi and welcome to Episode 76 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
Before I go on if you have a question you would like me to answer just go to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
Here is the answery bit
It is better that you take photos than not take photos. It is not better to take photos with a camera or a phone, it just depends on what you have with you, and what you want from the photos. If you are doing a high-end shoot then fine, use a fancy camera. And if you are on a walk in the park then fine, use your phone. And for everything else in between? It really does not matter. Enjoying photography is what matters.
Right, I am glad I got that off my chest.
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
Photography snobbery
You will have to forgive me, but this is a bit of a rant episode. I have witnessed various acts of photography snobbery over the years. This has been in person, in camera shops, in podcasts and of course online.
I have heard people rubbish others for taking photos with phones, completely dismissing this as not being proper photography.
I have heard people say that to be a proper photographer you have to shoot in manual.
I have heard people being rubbished for wearing the camera neck strap that comes with the camera.
But most of all I have heard phone photography being completely dismissed.
And I hate that.
Post episode note – check out this blog post for lots more on this – Photography Snobbery – 10 Examples Of It And Why I Hate It.
Can you take professional photos with a phone?
I have already covered that in the episode titled, erm, Can You Take Professional Photos With A Phone? With A Phone? Really? Check it out, it was episode 72.
Do you get better photos with a camera than with a phone?
Probably, but this is not a given, not anymore.
Is mobile phone photography relevant?
Of course it is. It is completely valid and relevant. Photography is, after all, drawing with light. Photography is not about having the best camera, it is about taking photos and recording the light.
A phone these days is a camera. It just happens to be in a phone.
Camera phones are miracles of technology.
You might not have a camera.
Another arrogant assumption made of people who take photos with phones – what if they cannot afford a camera? Does this exclude them from the wonderful world that is photography?
Well in some people’s small-minded eyes yes, but not mine.
The camera with you
The camera with you is your best camera, so if it is your phone then great, and if it is your camera equally great. On a commercial shoot, I will take photos with my phone of my camera taking photos, and also of what I am taking photos of with my phone so I can publish them immediately.
This is a perfectly valid use of a phone camera in commercial work – I can’t exactly get the photos off my Canon 6D at the press of a button now can I?
When do you need a camera?
Well, I will say this. You can, in general terms, get higher quality images with a camera than you can with a phone. That is a fact.
Cameras have larger sensors, are built solely as cameras, and have higher-quality optics than the lenses in phones. It is just a fact.
So to put it simply, if you need higher quality photos than you can take with a phone you need a camera. That is it. And if you do not have a camera your phone will give you the highest quality images you can capture.
When can you use your phone to take photos?
Anytime you want, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Can anyone tell the difference?
This is the thing. Can you tell the difference? I would say in a lot of cases no, you cannot tell the difference.
How many of us view photos at 100% magnification, or on large prints? Not many of us I bet. And those who use phones probably only view their photos on their phones, iPads and maybe PC monitors.
Sure the quality will not be as good, but does it really matter?
A lot of the time it does not.
Remember they are different.
Cameras and cameras in phones are different. You use them in different ways to take photos.
The talky bit
I have said this before, and I will say it again here.
- You can take great photos with a great camera
- You can take rubbish photos with a great camera
- You can take great photos with a phone
- You can take rubbish photos with a phone
How do you take better photos?
The number one way to improve your photography, and the number one way for me to improve my photography, is to practise, practise, practise.
You are probably sick of hearing me say this by now, but it is so true.
And this is with any camera, any device that can take photos, be it a camera or a phone.
If you only have a phone then fine, your photos are just as valid as the ones I take with a full-frame DSLR and Canon Pro lenses.
Practice matters, as does getting the composition and exposure correct. These are the things that matter, these are the things that we should all be focussing on (pun intended).
It is not what device you used to take the photos, it is the content of the photo that you created that matters.
This is how I see it, I am fortunate enough to have a high-quality camera, great lenses, and also an iPhone. I use these together, it is not either or, they are different tools that work together in different ways to help me to get the photos I want.
Blimey – I feel better now for getting that little lot off my chest!
My one-line summary
It is not better to take photos with a camera or a phone, it just depends. And depends on a lot of things.
Next episode
Episode 77 – If phone cameras are so good, should you buy a digital camera in 2021?
Going weekly
I hope that you are enjoying my weekly output. If you want me to go back to twice a week give me a shout, let me know why, and I will see what I can do. Not that I am looking for more work to do, I just want to give people what they want.
Shout out
This week’s shout-out is to the first person to ask me a question, the wonderful, Nickie aka wifey.
I’m done
Thanks for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast. To find out more about my podcast and do stuff to help me check out Photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
Brought to you by
This episode was brought to you by water. Simple, plain old water. Cheers.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving me 10 (ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
And here is the list of episodes published to date – you can listen to any episode straight from this page which is nice.
Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
Let me send you stuff
I send out a weekly email to my subscribers. It is my take on one photography thing, plus what I have been writing and talking about. Just fill in the box and you can get my weekly photographic musings straight to your inbox. Which is nice.
And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
