The iPhone camera is a sophisticated device. It has compelled millions
of people worldwide to take a new or renewed interest in photography.
Let's face it: most of us now have a tiny yet highly competent camera in
a pocket or purse at all times these days, and we use it to grab shots
of people, places, and things more and more often as the technology
improves--and you know what? We're largely pleased with those captures.
If you're a SERIOUS photographer, you may be wondering just how much
mileage you can get out of your "simple," ever-ready iPhone camera.
Well, the answer may surprise you. In this book, Michael Fagans
deconstructs photos taken in 60 scenarios--with a diverse array of
subjects, in changing lighting conditions, in places that present unique
challenges--showing you how to use solid, traditional photographic
techniques to create great shots. Yes, Fagans will teach you the basics
of creating a great photo. But there's far more: He'll show you that an
iPhone, with the aid of apps, can mimic looks achieved by vintage
cameras, a range of lenses, and countless filters.
In this book, Fagans teaches you how to use free and low-cost apps and
Instagram options to create (or, rather, re-create) beloved
vintage-photo effects that you'd achieve with the Holga (a plastic
vintage camera known for its unexpected lens distortion) and
medium-format-camera looks. You'll learn how to choose and use digital
lenses, filters, and effects--and combine and re-combine them-to
intensify color and contrast, de-saturate color, introduce lens
aberrations, play with the grain and color cast in the image, and much,
much more. What to emulate the look of vintage film stock to create a
photo with an aged, time-worn feel? No problem. Want to introduce a
little focusing inaccuracy for effect? Easily done. Want to do these
things AND use traditional, professional artificial lighting sources
(think a large softbox), a professional image-editing platform
(Photoshop), and really refine your message while pulling out all the
stops? Fagans shows you how.
The deconstruction of the images in this book makes it worth the price
of admission. Still, however, there is far more: Fagans is a
photographer's photographer. The book is peppered with inspiring quotes
from Ansel Adams, Minor White, and countless other photographic
visionaries that speak to the heart of photography.
