How Shooting With Your Phone Will Make You a Better Photographer

Most of us have invested thousands of dollars in dedicated, professional-level photo equipment, and so, the idea of picking up our phones instead seems a bit strange. There is merit in doing just that, however, and this awesome video discusses why you should grab your phone a little more often when you head out. 

Coming to you from our good friend, Pye Jirsa, with Adorama TV, this great video will show you why using a phone can improve your photography. Personally, I think my phone has improved my photography quite a large amount. I simply do not want to (or often cannot) carry a dedicated camera and lens everywhere I go, and I would undoubtedly miss out on a ton of photo opportunities if it was not for my phone. While my phone does not require as much technique as a dedicated system simply because it is mostly automated, constantly engaging in the act of taking photos keeps my eye sharp and trains me to always be on the lookout for potential opportunities, and I have absolutely noticed a difference when I do pick up specialist equipment. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jirsa. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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5 Comments

Fantastic presentation... keep it up.
Thanks

Save your time: If you shoot via screen and not through the viewfinder it does not really matter what gear you use. If shooting with your phone does make you a better photographers you never will be a good photographer. If you have no idea what video you can do next because you already did videos about everything, keep watching this one.

Or stop buying super expensive gear just because it is super expensive.

Buy a cheap m4/3 or aps-c camera with a kit-lens. Most are small and light enough to fit in the pocket of your sweeter or get a small bag, just big enough for your camera, your wallet, or a bottle of water.
You will bring that with you much more than the half ton pro system.

But good video if you want to learn how take better photos with your smartphone.

I don't see the point of the video. He did the same thing with the dedicated camera that he did with the phone's camera. He could have given us those same tips using only one device and cut the video down by almost half.

Also he should have added a comment at the end of the video correcting his use of terminology. He said we are "actually getting depth of field." "So that distance and focal length is really creating depth of field..." All cameras make photos with depth of field. What he is pointing out is relatively shallow depth of field as opposed to deep depth of field.

I don't fault him for what he said in the field. We all misspeak occasionally. But he is a pro, and not correcting himself with an comment at end of the video is like a pro writer not proof reading text and fixing spelling and grammar errors.