iPhone photography: Five glorious photos taken with the humble iPhone

The poor old iPhone camera sometimes gets a bad rap; after all, no matter what iteration of the handset you’ve invested in, you’ve got a maximum of 3.0-megapixels and a very limited array of shooting options to play with. That’s what makes these photos taken using an iPhone and assorted apps all the more impressive; proving that old adage that a poor workman always blames his tools.

Diva publishes her iPhone photos to her blog, iPhoneEyeWithMyLittleEye. She takes all the photos with her iPhone 3GS and uses simple Photoshop filters to overlay different images. In this photo, I love how the individual elements, like the light of the sunset and the detail of the raindrops on the window and that abstract building on the left, all come together.

Diva says of the iPhone camera, “There is something precise about this little camera that captures color, movement and the instant in a way that can be realistic, dream-like, or at times distorted.” A pretty beautiful way to look at a crappy 3.0-megapixel phone camera.

[quote via TheImagist]

Comaruca‘s iPhone photos are a lesson in what upping the contrast on your photos can do; striking shots with vibrant blues and deep shadows can lend a professional air to an otherwise humdrum photo. You can create this effect with the free Photoshop iPhone app.

Old New York in a Modern World showcases iPhone photos of New York City with an aged air, so lo-fi hipster apps like Lo Mob, Tilt Shift, SwankoLab & Film Lab have all played a part. I particularly like this shot of a water tower with a blurred pinhole effect, it puts me in mind of vintage films and Acme cartoons.

[via the iPhoneography blog]

We’ve waxed lyrical about our love for Hipstamatic in the past, and this photo from @halsamples shows you all the reasons why we love it. It’s crisp yet aged, bright and dark all at once with great colours and amazing detail with the rainbow coming in at a really pleasing angle. Seems we’re not alone in loving it – the Hipstamatic community awarded in second place in one of their recent contests.

[Hipstamatic on iTunes]

This final image is really brilliantly done – Flickr user VoodooDahl‘s Optimistic Beachgoers is a lesson in composition – working with really very little he has captured a scene that tells a story and looks great. The bleak colours and timeless subjects lend themselves to the Polaroid-effect he’s gone for (possibly using ShakeIt, a Polaroid emulating app).