The best camera is the one i always have with me ...
by Celie Placzek
July 2018
I have not become any smarter in the last ten years, nor have I become the next Ansel Adams thanks to my iPhone camera. It has, however, enhanced my visual curiosity, acuity, and enjoyment of life exponentially.
Yes, the camera allows me to take beautiful photos of my garden roses and elephants on an African Safari, but it’s also a handy tool for helping me remember practical things at home.
Take, for example, a recent trip to the grocery store when I wanted to buy a lug of white nectarines, and I couldn’t find a barcode. I was afraid I might forget the price by the time I got up to the checkout counter, so I took a photo of the display. Of course I could have rummaged through my purse for a pencil and a scrap of paper, but the closest tool I had was my iPhone, right there in my pocket. And so in the wink of an eye, voila, I was walking out of the grocery store with a lug of my favorite white nectarines.
My iPhone camera is also indispensable when I want to record special experiences with my grandson. At times like these, I discreetly reach for my phone and photograph him first at the ice cream parlor with his sundae, then nose to nose with parrots and canaries at the pet store, and finally back home making a slow-motion video of him running up the stairs in his new blue tennis shoes. My grandson is never very keen on me photographing him - none of my grandchildren are. However, recently he glowed when he showed his dad the little two minute slideshow of our afternoon together, all of which we made on my iPhone. After he and his dad left, I smiled watching our little video again….such simple pleasures!
Ask the author
If you have questions about iPhone photography, you may email me at celiep@mac.com. I also use my iPhone photos as an artistic medium, and you can see examples of that work at https://about.me/celieplaczekor on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/celieplaczek.
Let us assist you
Ashby Village Technology volunteers are available to help you with your iPhone. To request assistance, contact the office at volunteer@ashbyvillage.org or (510) 204-9200.