Autumn in the City by iPhone and tips

“The best camera is the one you have with you”   ~ somebody wise

Welcome to Autumn in the City. The final episode in the 4 season street photography series in my hometown Den Haag. 

If I only had a camera…

I’ve noticed that many people believe you can only make truly great pictures with a DSL camera. Pictures made with a smartphone are snapshots, no ‘real’ photographs. Everybody remembers a moment when they saw something great and thought: “If I only had a camera right now…” What good does a full frame camera do, when I don’t have it with me? To prove that there is more to photography than just the equipment, I decided to shoot this Autumn in the City blog with my iPhone SE. Want to see more? Check out photographers Richard ‘Koci’ Herandez and Oliver Lang. They are known for their fantastic photographs: all shot with an iPhone.

5 tips for interesting pictures

Who decides if a picture is beautiful or interesting? The answer is: you do! DSL camera’s have their advantages, but don’t dismiss you smartphone just yet. If you keep 5 basic principles in mind, you can take an amazing shot, no matter the camera you are using:

1. Be there. Woody Allen said: ’80% of success is showing up’. Use your eyes and see what’s happening around you.
2. Be curious. There is beauty in everyday things and you just need to be curious to see it. Go for a walk really early or very late at night. Take a different route. Get lost. Talk to somebody or stand still for a moment.
3. Stay close, so you can see what your subjects see. We live in our own little bubble. Try to tune into what they are (not) seeing, where they come from or what they do when they don’t think anybody is watching.
4. Be patient. People pass by, traffic rushes by or something changes the scene in a split second. Sometimes it pays off to just take a seat and wait until it happens. Something always happens.
5. Choose an angle. Look-up, squat, stand on a chair or tilt your camera/phone. By choosing another point of view, a simple, ordinary thing can look completely different 

Autumn in the City

I usually begin a new season with a famous song about that  particular season, but did you know that songs about Autumn are really depressing? They sing about  longing, looming, loss…and I don’t get it. This is the season of Christmas Lights, changing leaves into beautiful colors, getting warm by the fireplace, serious comfort food like hot chocolate with whipped cream. And if you play your cards right: marshmellows on top!

Happy holidays!