Let’s face it.
Mobile photography has never been more popular. For iPhoneographers like me, the desire to carry a second device to snap photos is fleeting. Especially with recent mobile advancements (higher resolution image sensors, better low-light capabilities, etc.). And as I was pondering it the other day, it got me thinking. What about the pros? What do they think? What about major news organizations like the
Los Angeles Times? How (if at all) is mobile photography changing or impacting the way its photographers capture and report the news? I wanted to know.
So I asked.
In fact, I sent an email off to the
Los Angeles Times photography department littered with questions. I couldn’t help it. I was curious. I asked whether they thought mobile photography was changing the way today's news organizations capture and report the news. And going against my better judgment, I asked if they thought that Steve Jobs had reinvented photography, as Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson stated he had hoped to accomplish in his lifetime.
 |
| Robert Lachman, LA Times Staff Photographer |
To my surprise (and probably to yours, too. after reading all my questions)—
Robert Lachman,
staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times, replied with the following thoughtful note:
"Thanks for your interest in the Los Angeles Times photography department. Colin asked me to answer your questions. Cellular phone cameras have become so popular because their quality has improved and it's the camera people carry.
The mobile phone camera doesn't work its way into the workflow of most photojournalists because they don't compare to high-quality DSLR cameras. You wouldn't expect to cover the Olympics, football games, brush fires or a press conference with it. The top DSLR have a great selection of lenses, fast motor drives, lightning fast auto-focus and great quality in low lighting conditions like an indoor arena.
Most of the add-ons for the iPhone are like toys compared to professional gear.
 |
| Courtesy of the LA Times. |
Newspaper photographers are equipped with laptops and phone cards which give them internet access so transmitting photographs is fast.
It is true that a cell phone camera is convenient, because it's all in one. So, if one quick photo is needed for the website, this might be an occasional option.
Most news photos from cell phones you might see probably are taken from a citizen on the street who happens by a news event like a fire or traffic accident and snaps a photograph. It's a great record of the event from a person who is not likely to be carrying a DSLR or compact camera with them.
One of the most famous examples of a photo taken with a cell phone camera is from the time the US Airways jetliner landed in the Hudson River in 2009. I have attached a copy of the LA Times front page.
Cell phone cameras make it much easier for the photo editors to consider reader's photos for the paper since they can just be emailed to us to look at them. It's a big change from the old-school days when people would have to drive their film to downtown Los Angeles and have it developed.
I also read Walter Issacson's biography on Steve Jobs. While I agree Steve Jobs has brought amazing innovations to computers and how we use technology today, I can't really say that he reinvented photography. He included the technology and put it in a iPhone and iPad. Pretty impressive no matter how you look at it. I hope this helps you out."
RL
Robert Lachman
Los Angeles Times Staff Photographer
Night Photo Editor
Pretty impressive, indeed. And a lot to think about. Sure, mobile phones will never outpace high-end DSLR cameras in terms of capabilities, but they
do serve a purpose. They
do have their place. Even for those tasked with recording and reporting the news.
One tidbit from Robert's note that I had not considered that I found fascinating: the boost that mobile phones are giving to the rise of citizen photojournalism. For a news organization like the
Los Angeles Times and for other media outlets vying to "break" a story first, that's
very good news. An everyday citizen with a mobile phone can now become an integral part of the news. And for iPhoneographers liking to make it above the fold, that's more opportunity to contribute.
I'd like to thank the
Los Angeles Times and Robert Lachman for taking the time to respond to my note. Even on the slowest of slow news days, I wouldn't have expected to receive such a thoughtful response.
Keep up the good work.
