Once again, Apple is inviting people to share their best photos in order to promote the abilities of the iPhone camera, and rightly so, it’s raised concern about giving credit where due.
In my opinion, both full credit and payment should be given. No question. Because while the iPhone camera is great, good photography (especially consistently good), is all about the eye behind the camera and practically nothing to do with the technology.
The case in point that comes to mind is – what must be the first ever ‘shot on camera phone’ ad campaign – the 2008 ad campaign for the ‘Samsung 8-megapixel Pixon camera phone‘.
This was not a good camera. Nor a good phone. But the project was super innovative for the time (2 years before instagram) and the choice of Nick Turpin was spot on. The photos from his month away were fantastic, and still hold up today I think, even if the website design and video editing have dated rather poorly.
Read and see more about the project here. View some of the project on Nick’s Flickr, for however long that lasts.
Documenteering 