The great iphone 6 photography experiment

Re-wind two years ago and I used to rave about my iphone camera - all of my blog photos were taken on my iphone (some were better than others) as I didn't know any different. However buying my Nikon D3200 last year was a real game changer for me and I now use this for about 90% of all of the photos you see on this blog. My Nikon produces beautiful images that are far superior to anything my iphone can take, however it does have it's draw backs  - the main one being that it is big and heavy to carry around so I don't always have it on me meaning that photos at the park don't usually feature on my blog unless I have specifically taken my Nikon with me. I do ALWAYS have my iphone with me though, so when Mandy Charlton Photography selected us to take part in her great iphone experiment I was intrigued to see the results (Disclaimer - Mandy does not normally take portrait photographs with her iphone - this was simply an experiment to see what her phone could do).


We met Mandy at Heaton Park one hour before sunset (Mandy is a professional photographer and photographs children for a living - I was kind of hanging off her every word! Tip 1 - The hour before sunset is recommended as a good time to photograph children as the light will usually be good).

Mandy was prepared and arrived with her brand new iphone 6 and selfie stick. I sat back and let her do her stuff! Mandy is a natural with children - getting them on her side and making them naturally laugh which is something I wish I could do! (Tip 2 - Don't ask children to pose, simply talk to them and make them smile as you snap away)

iPhone Photographs




The above two shots were taken with an iphone - they are perfectly acceptable to print and shock horror I would even use them on my blog!

We then decided to put the iphone's burst mode to the test - this is perfect for taking photographs of children who like to run about and those all important action shots. The iphone 6 takes an impressive 10 frames per second in burst mode. Here are the results:-


I love this photo - it is just  shame Heidi's face ended up blurred - to be fair, this happens when I use my Nikon in sports mode a lot too, I imagine if we tried a few attempts, the iphone 6 would eventually get a shot where all of their faces are in focus.



I also love these black and white images and I can't believe they were taken on an iphone! In fairness a lot of this is down to Mandy's wonderful editing skills (Tip 3 - Lightroom and Photoshop are what the pro's use to edit their photographs).

Professional Photographs


The following photographs were taken with Mandy's professional Fuji X-pro1 and I can honestly see a huge difference. The X-pro just seems to capture a sparkle in my children's eyes that you just don't get from iphone photography and the clarity and depth of field in much more apparant. I just love these photographs of my children. Although I have a professional camera myself, and take a lot of photographs of my children myself, I am not a professional photographer (and always use my camera on auto mode?) and I just don't have the ability to capture my children the way Mandy can. I think Heidi looks like an Angel!




Mandy has really captured our children's personalities. Harry's nick-name is Mr.Sensible:-



Jack is the known as the crazy child which again has been perfectly captured:-



Mandy then used the 'burst' mode on her X-Pro which actually shoots less frames per second but I think the results are crisper than the iphone and all of our children's faces are in focus this time:-



Conclusion


I'll be upgrading to an iphone 6 next month and when I do I am certainly going to try and take more 'everyday' photographs with it. I think the iphone has now got to the point where it can produce quality images that with a bit of editing would be fine to upload to instagram or print and frame. However I think you really can see the difference between what the iphone can do and a professional camera can do so I won't be hanging up my Nikon for blog photos anytime soon!

Special offer with Mandy Charlton Photography


Book a 30 minute session with Mandy at either Jesmond Dene, Heaton Park, Saltwell Park or Tynemouth Longsands for only £25 and receive a 12x8 print of your choice for free. You will also have access to a web gallery for 30 days and 15% off any orders in your first week. Offer valid until 30/4/15.

Contact Mandy Charlton here and quote North East Family Fun to book.

I would not hesitate in recommending working with Mandy. She is professional yet informal and fun and will be happy to chat through some basic photography tips with you during your shoot.








Share:

17 comments

  1. Such an interesting read. I do use my iPhone for blog pictures every now and again. If I'm away for the weekend with friends I don't want to lug a big camera around so always just take a few photos on my iPhone, it's amazing the quality of pictures you can get. Mandy got some really lovely shots x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah it's so lovely to read this and I'm glad you got some top tips, I always say I'm not a great teacher because I just do what I do and it's hard to tell people how I do it because I've been doing for so long. I have to say that I am so glad I upgraded, my X-Pro1 is still in camera hospital and I've been thankful for my iPhone when out and about this week, I've actually gone back to using my huge Canon behemoth for sessions and weddings until my X-Pro1 comes back, maybe I should have compared all 3... (don't tempt me).

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so interesting to see the difference - gorgeous photos with both but I love how she's captured the mischief in Jack's eyes! I have the same issue that the shots from my DSLR are much better but it's not practical day to day. Editing obviously helps with my phone pix though :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah editing works wonders - I just love the images created by my DLSR and can definitely see the difference x

      Delete
  4. The other thing about taking your dslr out to the park is that everyone knows you're there taking photos! It's a good conversation starter, though. I need a special compartment in my changing bag because at the moment I just chuck it in there, which is a bit risky with snacks, nappies, wipes and the odd toy car on top!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes - very risky! Why do they have to be so big and bulky! x

      Delete
  5. Awh your children are beautiful.. The iPhone photos are great, but the shots from the X-Pro really stand out! Much better for enlarging and printing x

    HOW I WEAR | A Manchester Style & Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is so good to see the difference, the angelic look in Heidi's eyes is really noticeable x

    ReplyDelete
  7. The iPhone 6 camera is so much better, I swear by my bridge camera but for those occasions that I don't take it my iPhone is perfect :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes - I think the camera is much better on this iphone than previous models x

      Delete
  8. i often find using my phone is good for certain things like outdoor pictures but indoors not so great unless i can edit using instagram or something , great pics

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - yes and the flash is way to harsh on the iphone too x

      Delete
  9. Beautiful photos! As much as the iPhones can take great photos I still think the professional cameras can capture so much more details. If only they were as practical to carry around and fitted in your pocket!

    Ami x

    ReplyDelete

I'd love you to Tweet your thoughts about this post (@nefamilyfun) or leave a comment over on my Facebook page (fb.com/NeFamilyFun) - Sam x

© North East Family Fun | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Designed by pipdig