Camera phone photos as art: What do you think?

I'm a huge fan of camera phones, obviously, but I'm not a huge fan of 640 x 480 resolution. The sooner we get rid of VGA and start making 1 megapixel the standard resolution, the better I'll like it. However, I'm getting more enthusiastic about camera phone photos as "art" -- even VGA images -- as I see more interesting photos taken with these handsets.

Certainly you can't compare the resolution of a VGA (or lower) camera phone with a multi-megapixel digital camera. But you can compare the creativity of the photos. Dr. Bill Koslosky, a physician and mobile computing/wireless aficionado, wrote an interesting article about camera phones in his Weblog and also started a new moblog with photos from his Treo 600.

Take a look at his photos, both color and black and white (see above). Very, very nice stuff.

Quality doesn't equal resolution

Bill rightly points out that the quality of photos is dependent upon a host of other variables: Lighting, composition, contrast, etc. He also praises the value of the simplicity of camera phones and the merits of taking a good photo from the start rather than relying on photo imaging software to improve the image.

Most of the camera phone photos I've seen are awful. But most of the typical snapshots I've seen are terrible, too! That's why on the left column of this Weblog I've listed camera phone moblogs ("Individual/Group Moblogs") that I find especially interesting.

Not all the photos are great, but many are interesting. I've just added Bill's Treo 600 moblog to the list. His photos are indeed great.

Other resources

If you're interested in good photos with camera phones, take a look at Mike Lee's moblog on the Hiptop Nation site. Also, make sure to look at the photos (see below) on SonyEricsson's t-six-ten online camera phone magazine.

I wrote about t-six-ten on November 5, and the photos are updated every month. Although the site is sponsored by SonyEricsson, the photos don't have to be taken with the vendor's camera phones. Smart move.

Los Angeles camera phone art show

Camera phone photos have been exhibited in art galleries overseas, such as a show in Norway. The first U.S. exhibition of camera phone photos, called SENT, will be held at the sixspace gallery in Los Angeles, February 6 - 29, 2004.

The SENT Web site says, "We'll explore the camera phone's potential as a creative tool in two ways: through an online public dialogue in which amateur photographers and phonecam users around the world share mobile snapshots of their lives; and through an invitational exhibit in which professional photographers, artists, and public figures test the limits of creative possibilities offered by these hybrid devices....

"The images they produce are undeniably crude, but like Polaroids or snapshots from vintage or 'toy' cameras, that lack of finesse lends a distinctive, awkward charm. And the fact that they fuse together the abilities to capture, view, and distribute what we see (through e-mail or online photo weblogs) makes them revolutionary.

"Phonecams are changing the way we see the world, and our place within it. They're an extension of urban eyes. They democratize, hack, and deconstruct photography. When everyone is both photographer and publisher, how will art change? How will human conversation change? What will be the difference between professional and amateur? Through SENT, we'll find out."

What will we see?

I think the most interesting aspect of SENT could be images that illustrate the real-time or can't-get-it-by-any-other-means aspects. In other words, I'd like to see photos of once in a moment occurrences -- images that were captured because a camera phone user was in the vicinity.

That might be tough to do since so many people have digital cameras. But I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the images, which will be available online as well as on plasma screens and in hard copy prints on the walls of sixspace.

Comments

[marcus]

I made a short movie using my Nokia 3650. It includes over 330 photos and video all from my Nokia 3650. Its going to be shown at the Cinequest film festival in San Jose,CA this week. Am I the first to do a short movie using a camera phone as the main recording instrument? As for the quality - check it out for yourself at thecameraphone.com - My name has the link.

[Tom]

High resolution does not make photos into art. Art is the creativity that one puts into the picture. Low resolution is just one of the variables. I see it as an opportunity rather than a limitation.

I just had some of my Nokia 3650 photos printed to photographic paper by Shutterfly (you get 15 free photos when you sign up....) and everyone that I have shown them to are impressed by the quality, considering the resolution of the image.