I use my iPhone more than any other camera. I took 1,150 photos with it in 2014. It’s always ready to record things I’d like to remember.
One of my favorite things to remember is the sky. Or so it turns out: looking through my iPhone photos, I captured it over and over again. Many of my other cameras would capture the sky’s colors more sensitively and accurately, but I don’t carry them around in my front pocket at all times.
Sunrise brought wonderful color one winter morning. I photographed it from the parking lot at work.
My Thursday mornings usually involve driving to Fishers to drop off my sons, and a stop for coffee on the way to work. I’m not a coffee snob: McDonald’s drive-through works for me. Black, with light ice so not to scald my tongue.
My 40-mile Thursday-morning drives show me a lot of sky. My iPhone is always plugged into my car stereo to provide the driving soundrack, so it’s easy to take a quick through-the-windshield shot when I’m stopped, such as at this stoplight in Carmel.
Heading home one evening from Zionsville, I took this sunset photo through my open window while waiting at a light.
I forget where I took this photo, but the skies were sure purple that evening. The spots on the photo are schmutz or dings on the tiny iPhone lens.
I discovered one overcast morning that the Department of Public Works had installed our Michigan Road Historic Byway signs along the route here in Indianapolis. Here’s one of the signs at the Michigan Road intersection nearest my home. More about this on Monday, so stay tuned.
I stepped out of my front door one night to find this scene. The iPhone isn’t great in low light, but it did at least capture the image. If you click the photo to see at it at full resolution, you’ll see how mottled and blotchy it is.
The sky was pink and blue one evening as I left work in November. Our office faces I-465; cars whiz by all day.
Last updated on 16 March 2020 by Jim Grey
I always see amazing sky shots but they never turn out as nice on film(digital :P) as when I view them live. Therefore I file them into my imaginary sky shot file. Its great to see yours up there in the North!
I photograph things to remember them. My brain is made of swiss cheese, I swear. No photo, no memory.
There is something about looking at the sky – a beautiful sunrise while driving my daughter to work, an exquisite cloud formation (whether white and fluffy or dark and ominous), a beautiful moon and twinkling stars, or the sunbeam-through-parted-clouds that seems to happen more commonly than one would expect – that brings me close to God. In the midst of the ugliness that seems to go on every day (just watch the news), it is nice to be reminded that the world is a beautiful and wondrous place.
My dirty little secret is that all but two of these photos were taken to text to my girlfriend. We like to say, “Are you seeing this right now?” when there’s a beautiful sunrise or sunset. So skies help the two of us feel closer together. And that’s beautiful and wondrous.
Ah, beautiful captures! I have been so frustrated with the quality of my phone’s pictures recently that it is now almost purely selfies, food, and other gratuitous shots that will probably never see the light of day…
Most of my iPhone shots are utility shots that don’t get shared, too. But sometimes, the photos turn out fine!
This is the one and only thing about the iPhone that would make me think about getting one, it supposedly has the best camera of any phone (although I’ve heard some of the Samsung models are catching up). Also very sweet about you and your girlfriend sending these pictures back and forth.
Eh, I dunno. My monthly bill stings enough to make the iPhone camera not feel worth it. I’m off contract now, and Sprint gave me a $61/mo unlimited plan, so I’m staying — but the minute the iPhone becomes burdensome, such as failing hardware, I’m switching to one of the budget carriers and going Android to save money, even if it means a lesser camera.
The prepaid carriers such as Virgin Mobile (which is on Sprint’s network) also offer iPhones now, although for a higher up-front price because they’re not subsidized by the higher monthly costs of the contract plans. I’ve also heard good things about the cameras on Samsung’s highest-end Android phones. They don’t cost much less than a similar generation iPhone, but Android does have greater freedom of customization, etc.
I’d go with Republic Wireless. It offers the Moto X and the plans are not prepaid, just dirt cheap.