Official White House photographer uses iPhone to capture intimate presidential moments

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Pete Souza, President Barack Obama's Chief Official White House Photographer, posted his annual "Year on Instagram" collection of photos to the Web on Monday, this year selecting only images shot on iPhone.


Source: Pete Souza


The 58 square format shots curated from Souza's Instagram account appear in a Medium post along with some background on the photographer's process and equipment.

"My approach to my Instagram feed continues to be all square photos are taken with an iPhone, and full-frame horizontals and verticals are taken with a DSLR (usually a Canon 5DMark3, but I've also posted some from Sony, Nikon and Leica cameras)," Souza said.




For this year's selection of Instagram photos Souza said he decided to feature only square images taken on iPhone, as the format is believed by some to be the social photo-sharing site's defining feature. Aside from Hipstamatic, Souza doesn't mention the use of image editing or filter apps.

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted out a link to Souza's post, calling the photography "stunning."

The photo presentation includes shots from around the White House grounds, Air Force One, various seasonal events and more, captured using a variety of techniques. President Obama is seen in only a handful of images.




Souza plans to release a Year in Photos collection in the near future, focusing on DSLR images instead of those captured on iPhone. More candid behind-the-scenes shots of President Obama's last year in office will be available on Souza's Instagram feed next week.



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    plovellplovell Posts: 824member
    Great photos !
  • Reply 2 of 18
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago.  I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 3 of 18
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    fallenjt said:
    Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago.  I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.
    Not it's not. But, the worse shot is a shot not taken. And, in the hand of a good photographer, any camera can take pretty good shots; how good a shot is goes beyond purely technical issues of course.
    diegog
  • Reply 4 of 18
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    fallenjt said:
    Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago.  I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.
    It depends on how you determine quality. The iPhone 6s' camera has a resolution of 4032 x 3024, or 12Mpixels. My Canon 60D has a resolution of 5184 x 3456, or 18Mpixels. The 60D APC sensor is a lot larger than the iPhone 6s sensor, giving it more light gathering power and a better image. However, for many shots, like the ones Pete Souza is posting, an extremely high resolution isn't needed. These shots are being posted on-line, which doesn't require a high-resolution image. That being said, all DSLRs have the ability to use a wide variety of lenses from wide angle to super telephoto. That's what really sets them apart. I gave my adult daughter my 60D so she could learn photography, making use of different lenses and exposure settings. I use my iPhone because I carry it all the time and use it as much for documenting things as I do for taking photos of people and scenery. I just wish Apple would come up with a zoom lens, I'd buy that camera/phone in an instant.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    fallenjt said:
    Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago.  I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.
    At the size of an Instagram image on a phone or tablet? Sure. But that 40 MB dSLR file comes into its own as you zoom in or enlarge REALLY big such as on an HDTV connected to your computer. The dSLR sensor is huge compared to the phones so the physics is always going to favor the dSLR: but only when the final image size can display all that extra information. And sometimes there's advantages to the phone: HDR shots of complicatedlylit street scenes are far easier with my iPhone 6s Plus than my Nikon d800. 

    This  page really doesn't like editing from an iPhone does it? Ironic in its way. 
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 6 of 18
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,093member
    Being a Canon 5D Mark fallenjt said:
    Is it close to SLR quality? I see less and less people carrying SLR around during social events vs 5-6 years ago.  I upgraded my SLR every few years starting from Canon Rebel. My last SLR was Canon EOS 60D and I haven't touched it since 2012.
    I see SLR cameras everywhere.  Being a current owner of a Canon 5D Mark III, and an avid photographer, there no comparison between the two.  I agree that the best camera to have is the one you have with you.  That being said, when it comes to events I really want recorded, my SLR comes with me.  I may be with dozens of people, all flashing happily with their iPhones but when it comes to a making a photo truly stand out, and making the viewer appreciate the richness of the scene, an SLR - for now - has no competition.

    Peter Souza is a great photographer and obviously is using an iPhone camera more as an artistic statement.  It's what everyone uses.  So why not?  Sure makes it easier to walk around with the president than to carry a big SLR behemoth that can be like a visit to the gym.

    Still, only way to take my SLR away is from my cold, dead hands.  And, I'm most likely a customer of the 5D Mark IV when it comes out.

    My iPhone 6+ camera is my 2nd best camera I've owned.
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 7 of 18
    sachasacha Posts: 15member
    The camera in the iPhone 6s is truly amazing. I think the quality has finally reached a level where it is comparable to a basic camera.
  • Reply 8 of 18
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member
    The iPhone/iPod is for taking pictures. A DSLR is for making pictures.

    I have a very different mindset when using my Canon 70D. Lenses & the ability to shoot RAW* is what keeps me in the DSLR world. I welcome the touchscreen on the 70D, but somehow I wish the touch interface to be more immersive like only Apple manages to do.

    Having said that, I am happy to see more and more people using their iPhone instead of a crazy expensive Canon 5D to make snapshots.


    (*) The RAW format is great for Post Production, like Lightroom.
  • Reply 9 of 18
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    mr o said:
    (*) The RAW format is great for Post Production, like Lightroom.
    Or you could stay away from Adobe and get something like Affinity Photo for under $50 and get almost all the features without having to "pay for" the Adobe ecosystem.
  • Reply 10 of 18
    steviestevie Posts: 956member
    The iPhone made the 35mm camera obsolete years and years ago.  This is no surprise.  The only surprise is that some people still lug around a heap of metal and glass to take pics no better than what an iPhone can do.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    stevie said:
    The iPhone made the 35mm camera obsolete years and years ago.  This is no surprise.  The only surprise is that some people still lug around a heap of metal and glass to take pics no better than what an iPhone can do.
    Sorry, but you have a limited understanding of photography or a very low expectation of what can be done. Of course, if they're fine for you then that's all that matters.
    cnocbui
  • Reply 12 of 18
    steviestevie Posts: 956member
    rob53 said:
    stevie said:
    The iPhone made the 35mm camera obsolete years and years ago.  This is no surprise.  The only surprise is that some people still lug around a heap of metal and glass to take pics no better than what an iPhone can do.
    Sorry, but you have a limited understanding of photography or a very low expectation of what can be done. Of course, if they're fine for you then that's all that matters.
    Major motion pictures have been filmed with iPhones.
  • Reply 13 of 18
    calfotocalfoto Posts: 70member
    stevie said:
    Major motion pictures have been filmed with iPhones.
    I saw "Tangerine" which was shot on an iPhone - I wouldn't exactly place it in the "Major" motion picture category though...Are there others?

    I did find it ironic that much of Tangerine was shot right around the (formerly) Kodak Hollywood offices  - where you'd go to pick up film stock and have Kodachrome processed overnight.
  • Reply 14 of 18
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member
    Without going into all of the benefits of using an SLR, if you need a camera with a large lens for light gathering power or high power zoom then a cell phone camera just won't cut it. If you could attach a big honkin' lens to a cell phone camera to get that ability (I don't think such a beast exists) then why not just use a DSLR instead and go with the other many advantages of using it? This being said, the cameras on the latest iPhones are really good. They'll suit 95% of the population.
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 15 of 18
    staticx57staticx57 Posts: 405member
    mr o said:
    The iPhone/iPod is for taking pictures. A DSLR is for making pictures.

    I have a very different mindset when using my Canon 70D. Lenses & the ability to shoot RAW* is what keeps me in the DSLR world. I welcome the touchscreen on the 70D, but somehow I wish the touch interface to be more immersive like only Apple manages to do.

    Having said that, I am happy to see more and more people using their iPhone instead of a crazy expensive Canon 5D to make snapshots.


    (*) The RAW format is great for Post Production, like Lightroom.
    I'll have to go ahead and disagree with you, the influx of easy to use cameras like the iPhone have eschewed some basic things from photography like composition. We are now in a world where snapshots have replaced thought out photographs.

    By that thought, the secret to these photographs is the subject matter, if they were photographed with a potato they would still be interesting. These don't sell me on a new iphone, they sell me wanting to be the white house photographer.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    staticx57 said:
    mr o said:
    The iPhone/iPod is for taking pictures. A DSLR is for making pictures.

    I have a very different mindset when using my Canon 70D. Lenses & the ability to shoot RAW* is what keeps me in the DSLR world. I welcome the touchscreen on the 70D, but somehow I wish the touch interface to be more immersive like only Apple manages to do.

    Having said that, I am happy to see more and more people using their iPhone instead of a crazy expensive Canon 5D to make snapshots.


    (*) The RAW format is great for Post Production, like Lightroom.
    I'll have to go ahead and disagree with you, the influx of easy to use cameras like the iPhone have eschewed some basic things from photography like composition. We are now in a world where snapshots have replaced thought out photographs.

    By that thought, the secret to these photographs is the subject matter, if they were photographed with a potato they would still be interesting. These don't sell me on a new iphone, they sell me wanting to be the white house photographer.
    Maybe about acquiring the skills necessary to be considered for White House Photographer? A potato TAKING those images wouldn't be worth the electrons consumed in recording them, as a thought.... all due respect to WeeGee.

    One nuance about composition is the thought present a lot of times that "I'll jay crop it later", a capability absent from film for the casual user but ever present today with digital. Or my personal bane: correcting that *&^&$$%^&* slight image tilt.
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 17 of 18
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    stevie said:
    The iPhone made the 35mm camera obsolete years and years ago.  This is no surprise.  The only surprise is that some people still lug around a heap of metal and glass to take pics no better than what an iPhone can do.
    "pics" no better than an iPhone can provide on an iPhone sized screen looking at FB or Instagram? Sure. On a monitor or HDTV or for subject matter that is either at a distance or under really challenging lighting conditions? Not even remotely true. There the vastly larger sensor and far more capable lenses record vastly more information that can only be seen on screens bigger than the smartphone screen you look at your food pictures on. But hey for those whose world is entirely on a phone screen. Absolutely no need for a dSLR.
  • Reply 18 of 18
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    linkman said:
    Without going into all of the benefits of using an SLR, if you need a camera with a large lens for light gathering power or high power zoom then a cell phone camera just won't cut it. If you could attach a big honkin' lens to a cell phone camera to get that ability (I don't think such a beast exists) then why not just use a DSLR instead and go with the other many advantages of using it? This being said, the cameras on the latest iPhones are really good. They'll suit 95% of the population.
    Unfortunately, there have been a few attempts. Here's one I found quickly after finding another one on this site no longer available, https://photojojo.com/awesomeness/iphone-slr-lens-mount. They actually show it in stock for an iPhone 6/6s. I'm not willing to fork out $150 for it though. I can immediately see alignment issues between the lens and the case. I still would like to see a larger sensor in the iPhone along with a zoom lens. Apple has a patent on a zoom lens but not sure if it's for an iPhone or competition for a GoPro, http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2015/02/apple-reveals-a-zoom-lens-breakthrough-for-future-idevices.html. Simply adding a huge (for the iPhone) lens in front of the iPhone lens doesn't really make for a good optical system while having something designed specifically for the small form factor does. I like using my iPhone for snap and go photography but will still use a DSLR for portraits (get close with any phone camera and it's too wide angle) and shots I intend to display that are larger than a 4x6. 
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