Cellphone photography is real photography

A few years ago I would have unequivocally said cellphone is absolutely not real photography. Today, I would argue just the opposite and unequivocally say cellphone photography is real photography. Photography, as defined by Merriam-Webster is “the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor)”.

We can all probably agree that using a cellphone camera is photography, but what about “real” photography. When I hear people use the term “real” photography, I have reached the opinion that they actually mean their photography. If you don’t take photographs like they do with the same equipment they use it isn’t “real” photography and to that, I say hogwash (well I actually use a more colorful term). Rarely am I without my cellphone. My cellphone serves many purposes outside of a mere communication device. My cellphone is my pocket-sized communication device, pocket-sized computer, pocket-sized camera, pocket-sized navigation device, and a few other options. I have my cellphone with me more often than I have a camera.

There are many times when I see something and don’t have a camera with me at the moment. The cellphone is a way to quickly document a storm or fleeting moment. There are times when it isn’t really practical to use a digital SLR camera (or similar camera) to capture a photograph. In fact, I have a complete blog post written using my cellphone. The featured photograph was taken with a cellphone, edited in Lightroom mobile, and the blog was written in a WordPress app.

Don’t let others convince you that a cellphone photograph isn’t a real photograph. The cellphone camera may, at times, be the best tool available. There are times when the cellphone may be the best tool for artistic vision. There are times when your cellphone camera is the only tool you have to use.