Class or book for iPhone (mobile) photography?

[RobOK]

I am starting to embrace my phone more as a camera in its own right (as with the saying, it is the one camera I always have with me).

Have people found any value in an iPhone eBook or video series, or is it simply applying what I already know about photography to this new device? If someone DOES have a phone photography recommendation (youtube, online class, ebook, etc.), feel free to share that too. I get a bunch of ads in my Instagram, i guess Zuck has read my mind that I am thinking about it!

Cheers,
Rob.

[Jack Dahlgren]

My experience with is that I installed an app which allows finer grain control over shutter speed, aperture, white balance etc. but almost NEVER use it. Built in functions work well enough for ordinary situations, and for extraordinary situations I'd prefer to use a different camera. I think I'd just rely on my experience with other cameras instead of buying a book. I learn best by doing and experimenting. You may learn best another way.

[RobOK]

That is what I am thinking too, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious.

I have Lightroom app on my phone, I try to take pics with that, but like you am often just in the default app!

[Akira]

Rob, I just bought a near-mint used iPnone8 Plus with the same premise (also for videos).  I was planning to use a photo app that allows RAW shooting based on my good impression of using "RAW+" app in my iPhone SE.

However, the image shot with the default genuine camera app on this newer iPhone looks good enough for the purpose.  So, I would agree with Jack.

Off topic: I used to be happy with VSCO and its various film simulations, but unfortunately it has become a subscription system.

[ColinM]

For those already on this path, do you tend to

• Post Process & edit on the phone?
  (e.g. using an app like Snapseed or Lightroom)  or
• Download to your computer and do your PP there?
  
  
• Also, do any of you bother shooting RAW on your phones?

I usually take the first option.

Also i tend to resize for sharing & discard the original.
(One day I'll find I've ditched an original and regret it, but its as if I'm working in a different mode with the phone)

[Tristin]

I agree with Jack.  Because there is so little variation in DOF with such small cameras, aperture control is largely irrelevant.  So unless you want to introduce some blur, there really is not much use for manual control over the cameras in such devices.  Just focus on composition, and PP later if you feel it would help.  This approach also works hand-in-hand with the advantages of using a mobile device for photography.  Speed, and convenience, of access.  You should focus on and utilize any given platform's strengths, not it's weaknesses.

[RobOK]

So circling back to my OP, i think an ideal "iPhonography" (or "Androidography") class or ebook would be about what is different from traditional (DSLR) photography. If I find one of interest for this crowd (not one on the basics of photography). I guess more focused on composition and how to work with the deep depth of field and wide angle (like having a wide angle lens on f16).

If i use the Lightroom app, i do shoot in RAW (DNG), hard to tell if it makes a difference.

[Tristin]

If i use the Lightroom app, i do shoot in RAW (DNG), hard to tell if it makes a difference.

I'd think white balance correction would be the major application of shooting RAW on mobile devices.

[Nikfuson]

I have ProCam7 installed and it has a plethora og options; WB, raw, tiff, compositional grids and other settings.

[pluton]

My experience with 2 different iPhones is that the automatically created JPEG/HEICs, especially the HDR ones, look great when displayed on a computer LCD display but look awful when printed.  While the noise reduction used on the automatic settings is very good, the aggressive edge sharpening applied by the camera is pretty ugly.  Shooting raw, in theory, should ameliorate the sharpening issue for printing.  But---in raw, you lose the slick and fancy Apple noise reduction. 
Of course, if you don't make prints, there's nothing to worry about.