iPhone photography

When photographer Melissa Lyttle handed in her iPhone photos from a fun assignment shooting kitschy culture and places along the gulf beaches of Pinellas, the editors became intrigued with the way they looked and asked her to answer a few questions to run with the project.

Why the iPhone?

My photo editor saw some vacation photos from Fort Lauderdale and the Keys that I took on my iPhone, and he was hoping I could do something similar here. The nature of the assignment lent itself to a different approach. It essentially allowed me to play tourist for a day in my backyard. What says tourist more than photos taken with a cell phone.

What's the most interesting thing you took a photograph of?

The most interesting thing about this assignment was that I got to learn about a lot of great little local spots I've never been to before - full of character and characters. Bras and dollar bills hanging from the ceiling at Mahuffer's, Roscoe the Surf Shack's mascot and a lot of cool murals and colorful wall art I found along the way all made the journey fun and interesting to photograph.

Place in Tampa Bay you'd like to capture next with your iPhone?

They say the best camera is the one you have with you. And I think it's an important reminder that it's not the technology that makes a photo good. I'm always documenting life with my iPhone - friends, funky places, Florida skies, my dog. I'm really impressed with the quality of the pictures from it as well as the ease with which I can post those photos to my blog, facebook and twitter... so I don't think I'll stop shooting with it anytime soon. As far as a specific place or project in Tampa Bay, I don't have anything in mind, but I'm certainly open to the possibilities.

I love the Camerabag iPhone app for the iphone. The "helga" filter is modeled after my favorite cheap, plastic toy camera - the Holga. It crops the photo into a square, bumps the contrast a little and vignettes it. And it's what I use for 99% of the stuff I shoot with my iPhone because it's fun and quirky.

SEE MELISSA'S GALLERY OF IPHONE PHOTOS MADE ALONG GULF BLVD

PURCHASE PHOTOS OR A POSTER FROM THE IPHONE PROJECT

Editor's note: Using the iPhone as a camera is growing in popularity. The NY Times Lens blog recently invited readers to submit cell phone photos, and published an online gallery of the submissions they received.

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Comments

[cindy]

This was such a great idea. Just goes to show, it's the eye behind the lens that makes the images. Great photos and a great layout. Keep up the good work.

[fotograf]

Check this out, awesome stuff!

http://www.fotoshoot.nl/

http://www.fotoshoot.nl/portret.php

http://www.fotoshoot.nl/bedrijf.php

[Chris]

Fantastic photos! You have a great eye and make we want to visit Florida.

Are you using the iphone 3gs?

[Melissa Lyttle]

cindy -

thanks for the comment. i appreciate the compliment. :)

-m

[Melissa Lyttle]

fotograf-

there's some nice work in there. is that yours?

-m

[Melissa Lyttle]

chris-

no, i'm using the second generation iPhone. it's a 16gig 3G. no s. haven't upgraded yet, because i'm locked into this contract for a few more months. but i can't wait to get my hands on the new 3Gs.. i hear the camera on it is amazing. you can apparently do things like selective touch screen focusing (which also means you can hopefully do more spot-metering when it comes to exposure).

-m

[Chris]

Melissa,

I had gen one iphone and the 3gs' camera is so much better. The selective focus is really great and works wonderfully and the sharpness of the photos has really improved. I haven't yet tried low light photos, but will soon. Btw, I just downloaded Camerabag for $1.99 and it's really cool.

I've subscribed to All Eyes to keep up with you guys and your wonderful photos.

[iphonegrapher]

GREAT

[iPhone Games]

Nice. I did not realize that the iPhone camera was this good. My whole office just went with the iPhone, and even my boss is on board. It is so much easier to use than our previous set up.

[paula and terry]

way cool we loved what you have created. we saw you are able to get a poster of this how do i go about this? we are interested in one

[Joe Flood]

Very cool - I have the same model iPhone you have and with enough light, it can take good pictures. I like CameraBag too - the effects are interesting and there very easy to apply. It's really a fun and casual approach to photography.