Sunday 15 July 2012

Photography: Galaxyography VS iPhoneography


Law and Money (2012) -- Locky Law
Shot with Galaxy S2
Image from Locky's English Playground
Hello, I am a Galaxyographer.


A Galaxyographer is, of course, is into Galaxyography -- the photography of the Galaxy phones. This is a relatively new term as compared to iPhoneography -- the photography of the iPhones. 
Maybe it's because the first Samsung Galaxy smartphone was launched after the first iPhone, but the iPhones definitely have a larger photography fan base.

Shot with iPhone 4
Image from Maxim Leung

In what ways are iPhoneography and Galaxyography similar? Since both on-phone cameras are pretty wide, it is ideal for landscape photography, together with the panorama functions, the landscape photos can cover even wider angles. 

Shot with iPhone 4
Image by Maxim Leung

These small cameras also come with macro ability, allowing their users to shoot close up shots with a fair amount of magnification
Shot with iPhone 4
Image by Maxim Leung
However, the most typical yet amazing advantage of the two types of photography is the ability to carry out on-phone post-processing, that is to tune colours, add filters and effects immediately on the phones without the need to connect to a computer.

Shot with iPhone 4
Image by Maxim Leung
Both the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S2 and S3 can take photos up to 3264x2448 pixels, meaning that they are supposed to work just as well / as noisy in terms of picture quality.


Then of course, due to the small JPG sizes of the photos taken with these smartphone cameras, sharing on social networks like Facebook is quick and easy.

Then what about the differences between the two?

Other than the fact that the two cameras are used by two very different groups of people, I think the attitude is slightly different.

Maybe the getting filter apps on the App Store is easier, maybe there are really better performing apps for the iPhones and so iPhoneographers tend to process their photos more heavily then Galaxyographers.

(Edited via TiltShiftGen, PlasticBullet & PicGrunger)
Image from KateHailey
Image from KateHailey


iPhoneographers can be photographers and also artists or painters, they can jump from one filter app to another, cross-processing their photos multiple times to achieve the desired artistic pieces. The results, as you can see from the above images, can be spectacular!  iPhoneographers  can become a painter without knowing how to dilute their paints, they can create that textures without actually using canvases. Everything can be done, if they are expert enough, in matter of minutes. It is a unique form of art! Amazing indeed!


Mingling At Night (2012) -- Locky Law
Shot with Galaxy S2
Image from Locky's English Playground
But for Galaxyographers, we do not enjoy as much photo-manipulations as the iPhoneographers do. We may have filter apps too, but they are not as well-developed as those in the App Store. Even if we decided to pay and buy some apps, they are simply not good enough. We Galaxyographers are stuck with some a few basic filters which won't degrade the photo quality.

We are stuck with just the on-phone cameras.


Blessed or cursed?

Without the help of all these filters which I, at one time, tried very hard to search for on the Android Market (Now called Google Play), I began to focus more on the techniques of taking a good picture. Learning to compose an image (composition: the ways to arrange subjects and objects in a photograph) is very important indeed but it is not as nearly as critical as "feeling the image".


The Tetons and the Snake River (1942) -- Ansel Adams
Image from Wikipedia
One of THE MOST world-renowned photographer Ansel Adams once said, 


"A photograph is usually looked at -- seldom looked into." 


With this he meant two points, 
  1. since "there are always two people: the photographer and the viewer", many viewers simply look at how beautiful a photo is and ignore what is conveyed in the image.
  2. the photographers themselves forget to look into the image that they are composing and simply look at the what is presented to them.

Reclaiming? Is It Yours? (2012) -- Locky Law
Shot with Galaxy S2 from the front row of a bus
Image from Locky's English Playground
In order words, does an image have a story in it? What is the story? If a photograph has no story, it has no meaning.


“Life is your art. An open, aware heart is your camera. A oneness with your world is your film. Your bright eyes and easy smile is your museum.” -- Ansel Adams


As such, are you able to capture that deep image?


Skills are always more important than the cameras you have, but the best way to master the skills of a photographer is to be in a situation which the equipment is limited, because only then will one learn to think hard with their brain.


My Galaxy S2 has helped me become a better photographer, that's why I love it.


PS:
If you like my photos, please visit my Digitalrev page at http://www.digitalrev.com/lockyep.
If you like Maxim's photos, please visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/maximle.


Vocabulary:

Galaxyography -- (n)[U] the photography of the Galaxy phones.
iPhoneography -- (n)[U] the photography of the iPhones.
panorama -- (n)[C] a view of a wide area
magnification -- (n)[U] the process of making something look bigger than it is, for example by using a magnifying glass
post-processing -- (n) processing an image after it has been taken with a camera
manipulation -- (n)[C or U] mainly disapproving controlling someone or something to your own advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly
are stuck with -- from stick (vb) [I or T] to cause something to become fixed, for example with glue or another similar substance
blessed or cursed? -- is it good or bad?
composition --(n)[C] [C] the way that people or things are arranged in a painting or photograph
renowned -- (adj) famous for something



Resources:
iPhoneography
http://www.iphoneography.com/

iPhoneography @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphoneography

Locky's EP @ Digitalrev
http://www.digitalrev.com/lockyep

Locky's EP photos @ Digitalrev
http://www.digitalrev.com/lockyep/photos

Maxim Leung @ Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/maximle

An Introduction to iPhoneography @ CreativeLIVE
http://www.creativelive.com/blog/introduction-iphoneography/

Ansel Adams
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams


Locky's English Playground @ Digitalrev
http://www.digitalrev.com/lockyep

Maxim Leung @ Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/maximle

Photography: Welding Glass Photography (WGP) Result 2012 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/05/photography-welding-glass-photography.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/panorama?q=panorama
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/magnification?q=magnification+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-processing
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/manipulation_1?q=manipulation
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stick_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/composition_1?q=composition
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/renowned?q=renowned+