Taking Fine Art Pictures With Your Phone

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max advance photo technology

Most people who know me know that I have long been a photography fan, in recent years even trying to sell Fine Art pictures. Along the way I’ve had many cameras and settled on Nikon equipment. I am currently shooting with a D850 DSLR. The D850 is very high-end and has many features I haven’t even used yet. I haven’t felt the need to update my equipment to the newer mirrorless line.

But I have recently upgraded my photography with a new iPhone 14 Pro Max. The onboard camera is amazing. Cell phone cameras have been capable of professional RAW format pictures for several years. That’s not new. What is new with the current iPhone is the ability to shoot pictures at 48 megapixels. That’s the same resolution as my D850.

To be sure, you don’t want to shoot everything in 48 megapixels. The files are huge and can quickly eat up the onboard memory. For most of my pictures I use the standard 12-megapixel setting, which is fine for most occasions. But for those pictures you think you will want to blow up and frame, the 48-megapixel setting is there when you need it.

If you shoot video the iPhone now offers 4K capabilities. Again, the files are huge so normal HD video settings are best for most occasions.

Not only has Apple upgraded the camera in the iPhone, but photo software companies have come out with apps that rival Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop, the industry standards for desktop photo processing. You now have an almost unlimited ability to process your pictures right on the iPhone.

I have found the new iPhone very capable for about 80% of my photography. In fact, depending on what I’m shooting, I sometimes leave my D850 and assortment of lenses at home and go out solely with the iPhone. I know a professional photographer who went on safari in Africa with just his iPhone. His pictures are amazing.

The only shortcoming I see is with telephoto shots. The iPhone camera’s maximum zoom is about 70mm. You will often want more than that, and have to resort to the DSLR with a telephoto lens. You can actually pinch the iPhone to digitally zoom in on distant objects, but this reduces the image quality. Another workaround is to use the 48-megapixel setting and crop in tighter with your software. You can still get a good quality picture.

But I’m sure the people at Apple are aware of the need for more zoom, and I can’t wait to see what's new with the camera in that next edition, the iPhone 15, which is due out in the fall of 2023.

Happy clicking!