Someone asked me with which camera do I shoot, I’ve answered that I don’t own a camera, I shoot with my mobile phone.
I’ve always used a smartphone to make my photograph and shoot street photography.
If you shoot with a smartphone, especially in the streets, others think that you are not a good photographer. And why? Why you don’t own a fancy $7,000 camera but only a smartphone.
But at the end photography is not capturing your vision of the world, people souls and their emotions independently of the tools you use?
Why a smartphone?
In street photography, the smaller the camera, the better. Here are 5 reasons why I like shooting street photography with a mobile phone:
1. It’s always with me
My smartphone fits in my pocket but also fits well in my hands so the more likely I am to carry it with me wherever I go, and the more likely I am to make photographs.
2. It’s easy to take candid photographs
Now everybody owns a smartphone so it’s easy to be unnoticed while shooting street photography and make candid photographs without that people notice me.
3. It’s easy to process and share photos
A smartphone is not only a camera but you can install some apps to process your photos (I use Snapseed) and also share them on social media.
4. It’s easy to learn how to shoot
Having a lot of memory on my phone brings me to shoot more and also to learn more.
Learn from my errors and also learn more about composition, learn where to stand, learn when to shot that photo and learn to pay attention to the light.
5. It’s the best way to capture memories.
Shooting with a smartphone is the best way to capture memories. With my phone camera I make lots of personal photographs to find more meaning in the world. If I owned a serious camera I don’t know if I would shot all the things I like or if I would just use it to look like a pro.
At the end take photos with a mobile phone it’s a good way to store memories and to not always sharing photos on social media.
Lastly it’s thanks to a smartphone that street photography, and photography, became accessible to all the people. If it weren’t for smartphones I would probably not be able to start shooting street photography.
Nicolai PT 