WRITTEN AND SHOT ON iPHONE BY: STEVE HOLLOWAY
Apple’s commitment to iPhone camera development has reshaped how sensors capture and process light so, even in mixed sources, you get great shots with your iPhone, straight out of your pocket.
And, when you want to add to the lighting, the light kit you need is lightweight and affordable.
Apple engineers and specialists work constantly to perfect the software, hardware and firmware behind iPhone lens snd sensor design, image processing, quality assurance and image tuning.
How many engineers and specialists?
Apple’s Senior Director of Camera Hardware Graham Townsend set that number at 800 in a 2015 60 Minutes interview.
A number that has likely grown with the camera’s increasing complexity.
Apple’s Multi-Frame Fusion captures several frames in rapid succession (sometimes hundreds of frames) and combines them to reduce noise, correct color, preserve detail, and extend dynamic range, a core concept in technologies like Deep Fusion and Smart HDR.
It combines sensor data with advanced computational photography and Apple Intelligence for more natural, less over-processed images.
And that allows you to easily capture color and exposure corrected images even in low light with mixed light sources.
All in real-time.
Apple’s changes to how sensors see and process light is changing how we supplement light.
Here’s is the location kit I use to supplement light. It breaks down to a few soft cases. The whole pack is smaller and lighter than just one of the six electronic flash power packs and heads I used to use to shoot film on location.
LED sources are small, lightweight and agile. They subtly supplement, control and mix in seamlessly with ambient light.
My kit (below, left to right) is built around (1) 32in Reflector, (1) 22” Beauty Dish, (1) LED Light Stick, (1) 36inx48in Diffuser and (1) 10.6in Round LED Light Panel.
LED supplemental lighting is versatile. Here are three typical combinations. 1. Mixed sources, LED with ambient light. 2. LED sources only. 3. Single source, LED light stick only.
1. Mixed light sources.
2. LED light only.
3. Light stick only.
Kim The most versatile source might be the LED light stick. Shown in the background here, the stick light lights the entire area with a natural feeling coverage.
It can be used as a key or fill light.
And, since it’s powered by an onboard battery, you can use the wand light stick handheld in videography to capture someone walking into or through a totally dark room, corridor or tunnel.
The light stick’s built in color options let you control the color pallet of video and still photography, bathing whole areas in color without gels.
If you can only grab one source, the light stick is a compact, versatile choice.
For table tops I’ve added a Flashpoint shooting table with an opaque white plexiglass top to my kit. The table stores flat and folds open like a chair Four tabs secure the plexiglass top and bottom, suspended by the edges to allow easy illumination from under or behind the plex.
Yashica 44 still life photographed on the Flashpoint shooting table with a 22” beauty dish LED main light and a 10.6” round LED under the table section.
I use a beauty dish for portraits, self portraits and table top photography. Light from a beauty dish has the unique quality of providing a soft, flattering light that wraps around a subject. It can’t be matched for that quality.
The dish I use was originally rigged for electronic flash. I modified it to accept two options, a simple COB LED work light from Amazon and a Sunpak 60 watt COB LED light as a continuous source.
Self portrait. Richard Avedon tribute. References Avedon’s self portrait and Chicago 7 triptychs. Shot on iPhone. Illuminated with one 22” beauty dish.
Here’s an itemized kit list including brand information of my kit. Unless otherwise noted, items were from Amazon.
- (1) 10.6in Round LED Light Panel (Neewer $83.99)
- (1) Rechargeable Battery Kit (Neewer 2 pack NP-F 2600mAh $29.99)
- (3) Ruggard Padded Tripod/Light Stand Case 42” (3 @ $22.95ea)
- (4) 7ft Light Stands (Rigiorod 2 pack 2 @ $29.99)
- (1) 30in Light Stand (Linco Back Light Stand $15.99)
- (1) 32in Reflector (Aquirui $17.99)
- (1) 36inx48in Savage 5in1 Diffuser/Reflector to use as a light scrim ($40.99)
- (1) RGB Handheld LED Video Light Stick, 9 Colors, Rechargable ($69.99)
- (1) Glow 20.5″ White Softlight Beauty Dish (Adorama 129.95)
- (1) Glow S-type Bowens Mount Bracket for Speedlites and Flash (Adorama $16.95)
- (1) Broncolor Beauty Dish (Bag B&H Photo & Video $49.95)
- (1) Anylight COB Led Work Light (Amazon $24.95)
- (1) Sunpak 60 W COB LED video light with internal 3000mAH battery (B&H Photo $49.50)
- (1) Flashpoint Shooting Table (Adorama $29.95)
- (1) Neewer Portable LED gobo spotlight, flashlight form factor Gobo 7500mAh 10W (Amazon $39.49)
Total $689.02.
Jump to any Point of View how to guide, process deep dive or a pre iPhone portfolio plus how influences shape the storytelling process and a memoir that looks at the story behind the stories and to Nonlinear Content galleries and stories.
Introduction
Become a storyteller
Technology
- 02A Digital evolution.
- 02B Annie Leibovitz.
- 02C From Batman to the iPhone.
- 02D Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Leica.
- 02E Moving from film to digital to iPhone.
- 02F The self portrait series.
- 02G iPhone camera rigging.
- 02H Leica on iPhone (yes, Leica).
- 02I Lighting notes: Supplemental light.
- 03A Working with light.
- 03B The scout.
- 03C Shooting during the golden hour.
- 03D Photographing people.
- 03E Details, shadows, shapes and textures.
- 03F Plate shots and reflections.
- 03G Feed your passions.
- 03H People and food, two favorites.
- 03I On the road.
- 03J Wall art (it’s not what you think).
- 03K Transitional images.
- 03L Night photography.
- 04B Assemblages and abstractions.
- 04C Change the composition of an image.
- 04D Color correction vs color grading.
- 04E Create motion with Live Photo.
- 04F Resize images and retain detail.
- 04G Software and skill building resources.
- 04H On device apps.
- 04I Offboard resources.
- 05A Two key iPhone features.
- 05B Camera and light kit ideas.
- 05C Copied on iPhone.
- 05D Learning post production.
- 05E Designing with type.
- 05F Learning from cinema.
- 05G The three lens solution.
