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Another pretty incredible video. The guys over at F Stoppers did a shoot entirely on an iPhone 3GS- The pictures were stunning. What do you think made the difference?
The iPhone Fashion Shoot – Lee Morris Shoots With The 3GS Fstoppers from FStoppers on Vimeo.
That’s a great vid. Lighting (and setup) played the most important role, but I think the photographer’s knowledge in regards to how to position the model played into it as well.
I agree. The huge number of studio lights and the subject made the photos. A 3 megapixel camera is fine for 5×7 or even 8×10 shots. And the iPhone does very well for close up shots. He was only 1 to 2 feet away.
I have an Olympus Camedia 3020 – 3.2 MP and it takes wonderful shots in the right light. I enjoyed the video. Nice work.
Great video. Obviously the lighting equipment was very important . . . and those little velcro strips.
My perspective on it is this: I’m always hearing how photographers want a new camera or piece of software to become a "better photographer". While gear and software are important- there is just no substitute for a solid knowledge of light which I believe is the most important of all photography skills and most poorly understood in general.
In the video, he mentions he normally uses strobe lights, but because there was no way to sync with an iphone, he bought some cheap floodlights from a hardware store. Without good lighting, the noise of the images would have been ridiculous, this is why shooting at high ISO’s is not a substitute for having good light.
I think its a great lesson. I believe most photographers can do more for their photography by studying light than they can learning a new camera or piece of software. I know some will disagree with me, and that’s ok too.
My thoughts are the camera body as we all know is not a main requirement for a shoot. saying that… Having about 10k in lighting & diffusers, used in one shoot, a full studio, pro model & makeup/hair team, and a skilled photog..
You can get decent photos from the world most expensive production smart phone ever created…
I went to their Vimeo website and was amazed by the amount of "hate" these guys are getting for a well done video. I think people are missing the point they were trying to make, which is sad. Instead of trying to understand what they were demonstrating, they are being accused of cheating with "pro-lights", which has nothing to do with it and besides that, much of the shoot was done without pro lights. Guess some people would rather say "I cant do that because of this and that" instead of trying to actually learn what is happening.
I am more confused one what is trying to be demonstrated by this video… I know the concept was "the camera doesn’t make the picture" and I get that. But the video shows a talented individual creating a wonderful scene. not much to do with cam quality. Also shows that properly done lighting creates a beautiful scene. Once again not much about camera body effect. And the iphone being used as the "proof" that the camera is not important is poorly executed by showing a few seconds of the guy holding the phone with images twords the camera. I don’t see how that is much of a demonstration of what they were trying to show. Perhaps posting up the final images in full res instead of a video would of made a more compelling demonstration IMHO. As common sense will tell ya a great image is the product of the photog and not the equipment. I am not sure how this demonstration shows it more effectively then just a series of fantastic pictures taken with less "technically superior" camera in any situation. Hell even look at the 1000000s of amazing iphone photos on the web already taken with no other gear to demonstrate it more clearly… All this video demonstrates IMHO is that any camera regardless of price will capture what it see’s in front of it at various "image quality" levels.
In short… The message is good but the execution was poor is what I feel…
I took this as a lesson on light. As I have really started to focus in this area, I can appreciate the points they made. Yes, you could look at this and say beautiful model, fancy makeup, professional studio & lights. I learned to look for placement of light to enhance the subject (with an emphasis to make sure subject looks good). As I have read on many sites (including here) is it not our responsibility (as a photographer) to properly setup our shot? I think they went a little over the top but the point was not wasted. I have learned that for most shoots I have a minimum of three light sources; my 2 580 EX II and the Sun. I also look for additional light (or shadow) for effect. I strive to use light (or lack of) to enhance my photos.