Maybe I was dropped on my head when I was little, or maybe I’m just super forgetful, but I don’t have the best memory. I can recall snippets of events, the gist of conversations, and the plot of a movie, but beyond that I kind of suck. I’m definitely not one of those people with a photographic memory, (or even someone who can remember what they ate for dinner on Monday) so I think that’s one of the reasons I love photography so much. I’ve always had a love for taking pictures, but when I had my daughter I knew that those snapshots would be my saving grace in capturing all the things I never wanted to forget.
I take a ton of pictures with my iPhone. They may not always be tack sharp, or be able to be blown up big and put on the wall, but that doesn’t matter to me. It’s freezing a moment, an expression, a memory – with whatever I’ve got with me. I love using my big girl camera, but it’s just not always practical to bring it along to the grocery store or the doctor’s office. (Plus I probably would forget anyway) So having that little camera on my phone is perfect.
One of my favorite things about using my iPhone is how easy it is to get in the picture with my daughter. And this is SO important. (Get in the frame people!) I want my kids to be able to look back on these and see that I wasn’t just watching what they were doing, I was right there doing it with them. I took this photo with my iPhone taped to our bedroom ceiling… yup. I use the app TimerCam for all the shots I take of us together. So I just had her lay down, opened the app, set the focus on her, set the timer to 30 seconds, taped it up above her, and went in for some snuggles. Pretty sure my DSLR wouldn’t be cool with hanging off the ceiling. These are the kinds of things that I love to capture with my phone, because it’s fun and easy and there are a million possibilities! I’ve used tree stumps, car bumpers, and trashcans as “tripods” - Don’t get stuck thinking that you can’t get good shots with your phone, there’s so much potential, you’ve just gotta get creative and go for it. And let go of perfection, it’s totally overrated.
I used packing/mailing tape to tape my iPhone to the ceiling. It's strong but didn't ruin the paint :) I would probably suggest testing a small spot first to make sure the tape won't rip any paint off. I just used 2 big strips across the phone both ways making sure I wasn't covering the camera. I use VSCO Cam and Snapseed for editing (both free!) and I have all of my Instagram phone shots printed through Chatbooks (so easy!).
You can see more of Bethany's beautiful iphone photography on her instagram feed.
