Yes but no but yes. But no, seriously!

Yes but no but yes. But no, seriously!

I suggested the idea of Mobile Monday 18 months ago, in an article here on EPZ – I’ll add the link later. A few other people have picked it up, and I occasionally remember to post a mobile image on a Monday. Once or twice, it’s been a hasty ‘behind the scenes’ shot from a model session, and that’s an interesting talking point to begin with.

I know one no-nonsense lady who is utterly unfazed by a bloke turning up with a ‘phone instead of a camera: so long as he pays her fee and gives her a reference, it’s cool. Others want advance notice, and would be happier with the idea as part of a project: but a few view it as rather odd and even aberrant behaviour.

Since lockdown I, one or two models have been using mobiles for remote shoots – but most use cameras that give a decent result under varied conditions. In that world, there’s an abbreviation ‘GWC’ that stands for ‘guy with camera’ and it means a chap who isn’t interested in photography, but sees camera ownership as a way to see girls with no clothes on.

On the other hand, mobile ‘phones keep getting better, and they are superlative for some purposes. The first time I saw someone using a mobile instead of a camera was in 2006, when a couple we met on holiday were travelling very light indeed and carried no more tech than their iPhones. And for standard tourist photography, it really works: a wideangle view, and everything sharp.

Tim Clinch writes a monthly column in Black and White Photography about using a mobile (though he spoils it a bit by having an iPhone and a Huawei), and clearly enjoys using them for professional assignments instead of his current mirrorless kit or the heavy DSLR that he used to pack. And yes, they can be that good, though you need to understand that Tim Clinch really is that good, as well. As Dora commented on yesterday’s blog, you need to see the photo before you click the camera.

For me, there are two things that lead me directly away from my mobile and back to my camera bag. I love differential focus, and a 3.5mm lens ain’t that great for it: plus the ergonomics of a flat thing with no physical shutter release at arm’s length are pretty iffy. But if these aren’t drawbacks for you, that’s cool. I’m just as retro with writing, and use a ballpoint when I have no choice: for writing almost anything else, I carry a fountain pen!

I suppose that means that I have to allow for something that could be called the Great British Eccentric in equipment decisions: and also all other brands of eccentricity. I tried writing a blog with my pen, but the computer screen needed up a bit messy.