IPhoneography

iPhoneography is the act of creating photos with an iPhone, or any brand of  with a camera where images or video have been shot and processed on the iOS device. The term is originally derived from Phoneography which is the act of creating photos shot and/or processed by a.

Phoneography, though already a few years old, became mainstream with the advent of the iPhone and its App Store which provided better, easier, and more creative tools for people to shoot, process, and share their work. In 2013, Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior VP of worldwide marketing tweeted a link to a feature in which phoneographer Jim Richardson used his iPhone 5s for a photo feature on the Scottish Highlands.

iPhoneography has grown since 2007, when the original iPhone with 2- camera was released. Photographer used  to make photos of the,  a collection of which was published November 21, 2010 in the New York Times in a series titled "A Grunts Life". Also in Afghanistan, in 2011, photojournalist used an iPhone and the Polarize application.

iPhone camera
iPhoneography gained popularity with the constant improvement through generations of iPhone cameras. The first generation of iPhone was only equipped with a fixed-focus camera with no optical zoom or flash. As it evolved into the iPhone 3GS, the camera became more intelligent with autofocus, auto white balance and auto macro. The iPhone 4 was the first iPhone that could natively do high dynamic photography. The iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 were released with a panorama function available in the built-in camera app. The iPhone 6 and 6S further improved on functionality and performance, allowing more sophisticated manipulation and higher picture quality.

Applications
July 11, 2008 saw the public release of iPhone OS 2.0, which allowed developers to create apps for the iPhone. At the same time, the App Store opened, allowing people to install new functionality through apps. Among the earliest apps, there were camera replacement and photo filter apps, some of which also provided social networking that allowed users to share pictures instantly. In camera replacement apps, such as CameraPro, Snapture and Camera Genius, featured anti-shake, composition guide, burst mode and auto horizon etc., to assist people in making photographs. The photo filter apps focused on the post processing of pictures, including adjusting color, or converting to black & white. A notable app was Hipstamatic, released on December 9, 2009, which combined both the camera replacement and photo filter features. Its many manual control options and different editing tools contributed to the vintage look of photos.

iPhoneography community
On June 30, 2010, "Pixels at an Exhibition" was held in Berkeley, California, organized and curated by Knox Bronson and Rae Douglass. It was the first gallery exhibition to feature iPhoneography exclusively.

iPhone in journalism
In Afghanistan in February 2011, photojournalist David Guttenfelder, winner of numerous World Press Photo awards, used an iPhone and the Polarize application, which imitates the look of a Polaroid photograph, to produce pallid, washed-out war photographs. In another case, when the Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the US, causing great damage and casualty, Time sent out 5 photographers with iPhones to document the devastation. One of the shots, raging ocean waves collapsing on Coney Island in Brooklyn, taken by Benjamin Lowy, made the cover of Time's November 12 issue.

Photographer Damon Winter used Hipstamatic to make photos of the war in Afghanistan; a collection of which was published November 21, 2010 in the New York Times in a series titled "A Grunts Life", earning an international award (3rd) sponsored by RJI, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Philip Bromwell, a journalist for RTE News did a network news story using his iPhone. Professionals are using their smart phone and iPhones for practical purposes as well as for certified and specialized projects. Michael Rosenblum, with others, has trained United Nations field operatives to tell their own stories. Several years ago, he helped train more than 1200 journalists at a BBC bootcamp for video journalism (VJ), and believes "good training is everything". He said, "Bromwell’s work puts to rest the idea that shooting a TV news story with an iPhone is 'amateur' or 'fine in an emergency.' Looking at Bromwell’s piece, you can’t tell the difference between this and something shot by a professional crew."