A camera is a set of capabilities and limitations. The most remarkable capability of smartphones is that they are “invisible” and always with us. For most people the fact that everything is automatic is also an advantage, but for street photography it is a limitation.
The first iPhones had fixed focus at the hyperfocal. Starting with version 4 they introduced autofocus, which was marketed as an advancement, but it complicates the shot. Waiting for the phone to be able to focus often means losing the photo.
Another major problem for street photography is automatic metering. A change of framing implies a change in exposure parameters, and the calculation system is not as advanced as that of DSLRs, which often can handle complex situations with matrix metering.
A few months ago Marcelo Aurelio told me he was testing a camera app that allowed him to expose in manual mode. It’s called Manual. It allows manual control of ISO, shutter speed, focus, and white balance. Although it’s not the only app that allows manual focus control, for me it’s the closest to a photographer, especially because the interface is clean and easy to use when you’re shooting. Focus control via apps is an improvement in iOS 8.
Being able to control exposure and focus removes the initial limitations. I decided to do an experiment and share the recipe and results.
Camera settings
- Full manual mode: focus, exposure, and white balance.
- Focus: about 5 m.
- White balance: sun (emulating film).
- ISO: 200.
- Shutter speed: 1/500 or less if possible.
While walking, only change the shutter speed if we notice the light changes significantly. In extreme cases, adjust the ISO.
At the end of the post you’ll find a link to download all the tests in full resolution so you can evaluate them yourself. These are some examples, uncropped, but post‑processed.
A problem I encountered while walking was that when shooting with the volume button, at some point I would touch the screen and the app would change some parameter. To avoid this I used a remote trigger: Shuttr. This model is a bit expensive, but due to the popularity of selfie sticks there are Chinese models for much less. Headphones with volume control can also be used, but the cable draws attention.
With the Manual app we handle the capture, but we also want to do something with these photos afterwards. One of the iPhone’s capabilities is that it’s not just a capture camera; we can also do post‑processing, even print the photos.
Most of the images above are processed with the VSCOCam app on the same phone. The last two on the computer with the DXO suite.
8 megapixels can be printed at 30 × 40 cm (200 dpi), but the image detail is lost quite a bit when raising the ISO, and you start to see “ JPG Artifact”. Both noise and compression artifacts can be hidden using a grain mask. That’s why I leave you the examples of images processed with DXO Film, which allows copying the grain pattern from different film stocks.
The effect is quite visible on the left cheek, lips, and chin, but it is recognizable around the entire face contour.
Original iPhone
Processed VSCO
Processed DXO
To be rigorous, I printed a couple of examples at A4 size at home. I couldn’t see the detail that appears when zooming to 100 % on the computer.
For me, street photography is above all an experience, a mix of dance to the rhythm of the city and the camera clicks. I find it hard to think that I use an iPhone as my main street camera, but now that the technical problems that prevented me are solved, I have gained an option.
You can download the high‑resolution files here:
StreetPhotography_with_iPhone_fransimo.zip.
Note for Android users: the Manual Camera app should be the same as Manual for iOS, but I couldn’t test it on my devices (Moto G and Nexus 7) because the manual functions appeared as incompatible.