# iPhone 6 Photography at the White House



## DrumsOfGrohl (Dec 8, 2014)

White House Photographer Uses iPhone 6 Plus to Shoot Presidential Decorations


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## D-B-J (Dec 8, 2014)

Stupid.  Iphones, while robust, CANNOT match the quality of a DSLR.

Jake


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## tirediron (Dec 8, 2014)

Mehh...  Sounds to me like someone trying to gain a little extra notoriety by doing something "edgy".


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## Designer (Dec 8, 2014)

DrumsOfGrohl said:


> White House Photographer Uses iPhone 6 Plus to Shoot Presidential Decorations


So this year it's all about THE PHOTOGRAPHER, not the decorations.


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## Paul Josaph (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


> Stupid.  Iphones, while robust, CANNOT match the quality of a DSLR.
> 
> Jake


yes DSL quality is awesome, go for it.


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## bribrius (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


> Stupid.  Iphones, while robust, CANNOT match the quality of a DSLR.
> 
> Jake


they do make up for it in some other ways.... portability and accessibility, noticeability, and I am tempted to say the worse the camera the more the photographers ability to have vision comes into play....

I will shoot with anything really. cellphone, bridge camera, dlsr, point and shoot, 4 mp 5mp 16 mp 20 mp 24 mp toy camera from the toy section I pretty much like it all..


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## D-B-J (Dec 10, 2014)

bribrius said:


> D-B-J said:
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> > Stupid.  Iphones, while robust, CANNOT match the quality of a DSLR.
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But this is a pt photographer who went to shoot an event. Not a random person who happened to have their phone on them. It's just such a foolish idea.


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## bribrius (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


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true, I guess there is a certain quality and professionalism expected...


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## D-B-J (Dec 10, 2014)

bribrius said:


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Exactly. This is a perfect example of a professional doing something non-professional and writing it off as an artistic idea.


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## bribrius (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


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he did make a couple interesting points though. holding over his head, people less likely to react, ushered through rooms fast. It doesn't sound like a actual shoot more of a quick tour. And I do like the square format and lack of quality in a way it almost looks old school.


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## SoulfulRecover (Dec 10, 2014)

If he wanted square format, being a professional, he should have either cropped from shooting a DSLR or shot 6x6 medium format. This sounds lazy and like he didnt care about the job. You could easily shoot a TLR or Hassy with a waste level view finder upside down above your head for amazing shots. Hell, shoot a rangefinder.


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## tirediron (Dec 10, 2014)

Does anyone truly believe that this was just something he did on his own?    Not in a million friggin' years!  I am willing to bet two years of the OPs salary, or three large cheese pizzas (whichever is of greater value) that this was an idea that was discussed and approved well in advance based on the premises that (1) the pictures weren't terribly important; (2) the results were likely to be at least  decent; and (3) there was a certain amount of positive publicity to be gained through the photographer using a "cool" new tool to which the children could relate, and being artistic.


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## D-B-J (Dec 10, 2014)

tirediron said:


> Does anyone truly believe that this was just something he did on his own?    Not in a million friggin' years!  I am willing to bet two years of the OPs salary, or three large cheese pizzas (whichever is of greater value) that this was an idea that was discussed and approved well in advance based on the premises that (1) the pictures weren't terribly important; (2) the results were likely to be at least  decent; and (3) there was a certain amount of positive publicity to be gained through the photographer using a "cool" new tool to which the children could relate, and being artistic.



Then the whole office is dumb.


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## tirediron (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


> tirediron said:
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> > Does anyone truly believe that this was just something he did on his own?    Not in a million friggin' years!  I am willing to bet two years of the OPs salary, or three large cheese pizzas (whichever is of greater value) that this was an idea that was discussed and approved well in advance based on the premises that (1) the pictures weren't terribly important; (2) the results were likely to be at least  decent; and (3) there was a certain amount of positive publicity to be gained through the photographer using a "cool" new tool to which the children could relate, and being artistic.
> ...


 THAT is a whole different discussion and might be getting a little too close to 'political' for this forum!


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## bribrius (Dec 10, 2014)

dunno. said freelance. sounded to me like he was just getting a quick walk thu. But what do I know...


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## photoguy99 (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


> Stupid.  Iphones, while robust, CANNOT match the quality of a DSLR.
> 
> Jake



Maybe he didn't care about the things DSLRs are good at. In fact, I think that's kind of the point of the piece. The photographer actually makes it quite clear.

Image Quality is not the be-all and end-all of photography.


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## D-B-J (Dec 10, 2014)

photoguy99 said:


> D-B-J said:
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When the tools are available, it is. What's the point of a pro using an iPhone when he/she has access to a bunch of high end gear? It's pointless, idiotic, and a waste of their time/effort. It shows little to no care or pride in his/her work. 

Jake


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## photoguy99 (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


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Did you read the article? It's not very long. He talks about several advantages to the iPhone.

It's frankly insulting to say 'you don't care about the quality of your work if you're not optimizing <some trivial and specific detail>'.


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## tirediron (Dec 10, 2014)

bribrius said:


> dunno. said freelance. sounded to me like he was just getting a quick walk thu. But what do I know...


 Fair point; I took the line to "... been at the White House since 2000" to mean that he was on-staff; unafiliated, but on-staff.  Regardless, I wouldn't think if you're a regular there you have carte blanche to do what you want, but I have been wrong before.


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## Designer (Dec 10, 2014)

He's padding his resume in preparation for something else.


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## D-B-J (Dec 10, 2014)

photoguy99 said:


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I did. And I stand by my statement. His actions imply a lack of pride in his work. Call it insulting, but it seems pretty clear to me.


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## bribrius (Dec 10, 2014)

D-B-J said:


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I don't want to turn this into a political thread but I agree with you in the iPhone 6 to a extent,  For the white house a toy camera would definitely be in order...


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## limr (Dec 10, 2014)

bribrius said:


> *I don't want to turn this into a political thread *but I agree with you in the iPhone 6 to a extent,  For the white house a toy camera would definitely be in order...



Then don't.


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## limr (Dec 10, 2014)

Silly gimmick that is typical of the attitude that seems to be pervasive these days: newer is always better!

For me, the biggest sin is that the pictures are super boring.


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## SoulfulRecover (Dec 10, 2014)

well one thing is for sure, it got people talking about his work. Had this never come up, I wouldnt have ever heard of the guy


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## limr (Dec 10, 2014)

SoulfulRecover said:


> well one thing is for sure, it got people talking about his work. Had this never come up, I wouldnt have ever heard of the guy


 
Agreed. Let's face it - we've all seen better pictures taken with a cell phone.  If this all he can really do with his iPhone 6, maybe he needed that gimmick to get noticed


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## Designer (Dec 10, 2014)

After seeing the photos, I have very strong reservations about the term "White House Photographer".  

IMO, he is not anything official, just took the tour and blogged.  With photographs that ordinary, he is definitely not being paid.


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