As my picture making slowly slides into the iPhone realm-I am desperately trying to avoid going all the way-I must admit that the idea of "ultimate image quality" has faded even further in to the background of my picture making mind set than it already was.
Specifically, since I acquired a digital camera capable of making RAW files-c.2003-I have been a full-on maker of RAW files. Nary a camera-made JPEG file has ever darkened content of my hard drives. While the fact remains that, whenever I use a "real" camera, I still shoot only RAW, my iPhone camera module picture making is full on JPEG format.
ASIDE I do have a iPhone camera app which allows me to make pictures in the RAW format, I have yet to spend any significant amount of time trying to grasp the techniques (shooting+processing) to do so, or, if it is even advantageous to do so. And, the fact remains that I most likely never will ... if I want RAW, I'll use a "real" camera. END ASIDE
The reason for that belief is simple ... I want to keep my iPhone picture making as simple as possible in order to adapt my iPhone picture making mentally into a "snapshot" frame of mind. That is, as close as possible to the original KODAK advertising slogan of You push the button. We do the rest. While I do the rest, it is done on my iPhone with, again, the idea of keeping it as simple as possible.
In shooting JEPG format with the iPhone and processing it on the iPhone, I have been pleasantly surprised at the image quality that it is possible to obtain with careful shooting and processing techniques. As mentioned previously, the image quality is such that I can make a print of one of my "serious" photograph-made with the iPhone-for which no apology is needed, quality-wise.
FYI, for newcomers to this blog, the genesis of my recent the new snapshot awakening can be found in the book, The Art of the American Snapshot ~ 1888-1978. Specifically in the following excerpt regarding the 1944 MOMA exhibition, The American Snapshot:
.... the pictures "constitute[d] the most vital, most dynamic, most interesting and worthwhile photographic exhibition ever assembled by the Museum of Modern Art" .... [P]raised as being "without artistc pretensions" and coming "nearer to achieving the stature of true art than any of the inbred preciosities in the museum's permanent collection of in any of its previous shows," the photographs were applauded as "honest, realistic, human and articulate."
I really like making pictures which are honest, realistic, human and articulate.
