I recently returned from a trip to Tokyo and South Korea. This was a trip of many, many firsts. Experiences, sights, sounds and tastes. It was also the first major trip post-no-professional-camera.
I first got into photography with the Canon Rebel T2i, then graduated to a 5D mark iii, then eventually made the amazing switch to Fujifilm with the X-T1, and most recently the X-T2.
I’m not a professional, just someone who likes to take photos. The more experience I got with shooting photos, the more I realized I cared less about the gear I shot with, and more about just getting the shot.
Enter the Pixel 3
Smartphone photography was never a “thing” to me. People used to get all excited over how great photos were becoming, but anyone with any experience with an “actual” camera can call out a smartphone photo in a heartbeat. That is, until the iPhone X. The iPhone X was the first phone that seriously made me think twice about having to carry both a camera and a phone. In the past couple years, I probably only picked up my dedicated camera 2–3 times.
When the Pixel 3 was released, I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes. The level of detail and dynamic range totally blew me away. The bokeh effects (which still need a lot of work), were getting close, and night sight… ohhh night sight. Game changer.
So on my trip to Japan and S. Korea, I took the plunge and went camera-nekkid, just my Pixel 3 and a portable battery charger.
Why Korean Grandmothers?
Like a lot of 2nd generation Koreans in America, I was raised almost completely by my grandmother. Parents worked from 5am to 9pm, and my grandmother was my sole caretaker during those hours. Korean grandmothers are selfless and do not know pain or complaint. The mere thought of one makes me feel like I just drank 100 cups of hot cocoa.
As I walked through the various Korean markets we visited, the vast majority of proprietors were Korean grandmothers. You could see the story written on their faces, in how they sat, with what they sold.
The following is a collection of photos I took with my Pixel 3.
So do I miss having a dedicated camera? To be honest, a little bit. My X-T2 was magical. Paired with a fast lens like the 23mm F1.4 (or any lens in the Fuji lineup honestly), it was an amazing street setup. That being said, I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy another one just yet.
I enjoy street photography, and candid photography in general. The ability to remain “invisible” with a smartphone is very useful. Even the smallest of cameras can often grab peoples attention, but phones are so ubiquitous, nobody gives you a second look.
Being on a mobile device and being hooked into a cloud platform, the second I take a photo, it gets uploaded to Google photos, analyzed by machine learning algorithms, face-categorized into the appropriate albums, and then shared immediately with those I’ve granted access to, ready for them to re-share in their circles. When we got home, the hundreds of vacation photos were playing on our various smart home display devices.
That’s all from just pushing 1 camera button.
No post processing, no drag and dropping, no organizing, no emailing/drop boxing/messaging.
As the saying goes “the best camera is the one you have on you”, and I’m 110% bought into that. With the advancements in AI that Google has put in place, smartphone photography with their tiny little sensors, is finally starting to cross the divide.
*Photos edited in Photoshop Express App for Android
