Passing on iPhone X to Continue Investing in Architectural Photography
Can you believe it? I’m currently using an iPhone 6. I have no idea what 3D touch is like, still. Trust me, I am tempted to upgrade to the new iPhone X. I’ve heard amazing things about the phone and camera on it; however, I’m still choosing to pass. My iPhone 6 still does what it should for me and I don’t see the iPhone X as a way I can currently make an improvement to my photography. Continuing to invest in improvements to my architectural photography is most important.
How I am Investing in Architectural Photography
Architectural photography is a specialty and as I grow, I always planned to reinvest in it. Instead of picking up the latest and greatest iPhone, I decided to invest those funds ($1800) into upgrading some of my architectural photography gear. Even if the upgrades help me create stronger work by 1%, we’re on the right track for the end of 2017.
The big investments will be:
None of the gear mentioned is cheap; however, we’re getting into specialized equipment that specifically helps with shooting architecture photography. I could try and get technical or list off the neat features for you, but most of you won’t care. Instead, I’d rather try and mention how I see the equipment benefiting my clients.
Architectural photography is tough! Using inferior gear can simply become frustrating on a tough assignment. If I’m more comfortable on a shoot because of specialized equipment for the job, the better the general outcome. I can spend more time dialing in creative compositions instead of fiddling with the ball head sag or spending large amounts of time in post adjusting crooked lines that were supposed to be straight.
As the client, you’d be benefitting from images that continue to show your stand out work for an even stronger wow factor in proposals, a beautiful portfolio that engages viewers, confident award submissions, and greater exposure and connection via social media. As a professional architectural photographer, it’s important for me to keep up on professional equipment that can translate into a way to help you with your business goals. As well, with the upgrades, I’m bringing peace of mind for every shoot. I’ll have a backup for the camera, and other gear! I have been fortunate to not have equipment break or fail (other then when I lost my remote trigger in a field), but I’ll have backups to ensure I can still shoot and get jobs done if something does happen.
The iPhone X Would Not Help my Clients
The iPhone X would be a cool thing for me to have and play with while horizontal or in the doctors waiting room, but I’ll use the funds to cover the Arca-Swiss C1 Cube. I’ll grab the 17mm Tilt-Shift used and save over $1K to cover the Really Right Stuff tripod. Suddenly, these gear upgrades feel a bit better.
I want to take my work to a new level in 2018 and I don’t see the iPhone X helping in this regard. These other investments will help me dive deeper into being a specialized architectural photographer. Last year I fired myself as a generalist photographer, but I still shot a wedding and a couple of real estate projects. I’ve got to stick to my guns!
In 2018, I’ll be dialed in and focused on architectural spaces.
If you see the iPhone X as something that could help me, I’d love to hear from you.
I’ll be creating another entry here in my journal that deals with why I’ve decided to get the Sony A7riii for my architectural photography.
Originally posted in my architectural photography journal and can be found here.
