Phone Portraits

On our coffee meetup, I showed Nick and Bob what an iPhone could do right on the spot while taking a portrait. There are several light modes (for want of a better term) that the photographer can call upon.

I took a photo of Bob to demonstrate. This is how his portrait came straight from the phone with no post editing, except for a slight crop if I recall. Keep in mind that we were in a lighted and busy coffee shop. One crazy thing is that you cannot apply this effect in post (or at least I haven't figured out how),  but only as you take the picture.

Bob liked it well enough that he asked me to send it to him. I did, and he used it on his Facebook profile straightaway.

I then used a different setting for Nick. I do admit to doing a little post editing on this one. I cropped, removed some light spots on the edges, and gritted up his face just a little. But the basic image was what the phone initially developed.

It's amazing really: no studio lighting, just quick shots in an uninspiring coffee shop.

I've done this with Lacey too. She doesn't get on the chair with me often, but she recently did, looking for treats and not my companionship. I took a photo to mark the occasion.

That ↑ was the plain photo, but as she lingered, I took two more photos using those interesting light modes.

Whether you like the photos or not, I find it pretty impressive what a phone can do with a quick press of the shutter. It sure has little to do with the photographer's skill. It's called computational photography that goes beyond recording light and colour on a pixel. 

Computational photography uses software, digital sensors, optics, and smart lights to digitally capture and process the world, enhancing images beyond what traditional optical processes can achieve. By leveraging algorithms, this technology produces features like high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, portrait mode, night mode, and even augmented reality (AR) filters by combining multiple exposures or using artificial intelligence (AI) to understand and reconstruct scenes in new ways. 

I do not know what versions of the iPhone can do this. I am using an iPhone 13.