Hunting with a phone
Week two readings
“The Great Picture Hunt” – David LaBelle
Street pictures – David Snider
My grandmother undergoing physiotheraphy on 13 Dec., 2007 after suffering a stroke on the right side of her brain. This photo was shot using a 2 mega-pixel Nokia phone. By Derrick Ho
Camera phones: They’re generally regarded with disdain in the world of photojournalism. They are tools for play and the occasional snap shots.
Will this ever change?
Needless to say that camera phones today aren’t still comparable to any digital SLRs in the market. But as technology progresses, it may soon be a reality. Some phones already boast of a lens that’s similar to a 28mm wide-angle one, others can shoot up to 8-megapixels in quality.
As technology closes in, what might eventually help bridge the gap is the skill of the user. The same basic concepts as listed in this week’s readings that make a photo great will not change. It will still take a curious reporter, who has an eye for photography, to make good pictures. The rules of framing, composition and exposure don’t change.
As the technology gap narrows, what will change will be the tools of the trade. And if users of camera phones are taught the “hunter skills”, the camera phone could well move beyond as a tool for cam-whores and citizen journalists.
Who knows, maybe one day, the winning photo for Pictures of the Year could be shot using a phone.
