Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,278
30,339



Photos from the winners of the seventh annual iPhone Photography Awards have been posted on the IPPA website, offering a look at some of the best pictures taken with the iPhone over the course of the past year.

Like last year, the photos include a range of subjects, from landscapes and animals to people and macro shots. The winning photo, featuring a hiker on a snowy mountain comes from photographer Julio Lucas. The second and third place photos feature a shadowed man and a spotted dog on a matching background.

ippawinner1.jpg
Along with three top winners, the IPPA also has awards for several different categories, including animals, architecture, children, flowers, food, landscape, nature, and more. A closeup snapshot of a fox won in the animal category and a fantastic shot of an incoming storm won in the panorama category.

ippawinner2.jpg
According to the rules of the contest, all of the photos were taken with an iPhone. While photo editing apps like Instagram, VSCO, and Snapseed were permitted, no external manipulation was allowed.

Apple's iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s continue to be, by far, the most popular cameras on photo sharing site Flickr and Apple has remained committed to improving the iPhone's camera with each new iteration. Several camera improvements were introduced with the iPhone 5s, including a True-Tone flash and an improved sensor, and even more camera improvements are expected with the upcoming iPhone 6.

Photos from all of the winners of the iPhone Photography Awards can be found on the IPPA website.

Article Link: iPhone Photography Awards Showcase Best iOS Photos of 2014
 

Amazing Iceman

macrumors 603
Nov 8, 2008
5,241
3,982
Florida, U.S.A.
I've had phones with cameras for a very long time, but I really love taking photos and videos with my iPhone 5s (Before it, I was using my iPad 3, instead of my Fuji Digital Camera).
The only reason why I would choose a regular camera over the iPhone is when I need to zoom in.
The only camera I would really love to have is a Nikon D800; but for most uses, my iPhone 5s does an excellent job.
 

HiRez

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
6,250
2,576
Western US
I can't believe some of these were taken with a phone, some incredible shots in there. Looks like MacRumors traffic crashed their site though :(
 

The Bad Guy

macrumors 65816
Oct 2, 2007
1,141
3,539
Australia
Some truly stunning images in there. Not really a surprise (a good photographer will take good photos), but still nice to see something besides self indulgent selfies and photos of food.

The iphone still takes the best photos, i dont care what other people say. Fantastic.

Haha...what?
 

icyrock1

macrumors newbie
May 15, 2014
25
0
It takes good enough photos. I personally don't take many pictures (I'd rather enjoy the moment), but it's nice to see that my phone can take great shots if need be.
 

porky

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2003
172
6
BELGIUM
I have the 5s, and it takes good pictures, but still not inside when there is low light.... And my battery doens't last a day, very annoying when i'm visiting a city. But maybe my iPhone battery doens't work correctly.
 

2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015
I've had phones with cameras for a very long time, but I really love taking photos and videos with my iPhone 5s (Before it, I was using my iPad 3, instead of my Fuji Digital Camera).
The only reason why I would choose a regular camera over the iPhone is when I need to zoom in.
The only camera I would really love to have is a Nikon D800; but for most uses, my iPhone 5s does an excellent job.

Absolutley agree. I have an old digital camera. I took it to Mexico a few years ago and it sat in the closet until last month when my daughter graduated. If Apple comes out with option to add optical zoom, I may never use the camera again. So far I have resisted buying other optical zoom accessories for the iPhone because most are based on a case and since I upgrade yearly, this does not make sense. Would really love for apple to surprise us with something to address the zoom feature.
 

Soylent Yellow

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2014
64
92
That's not a snowy mountain, but rather a glacier. Without snow, that's why you can see the crevasses and that's why the hiker can walk there without rope.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
I'm sorry but these are not photographs; they are snapshots. Photographs are taken w/ a full frame camera body. /sarc.

Just one more data point to prove the best camera to have is the one you take with you, and the one you take with you isn't a POS just because its a point and shoot. Photography is equally as much about imagination and composition as the ability correct white balance or set exposure and f-stop. A better camera/lens just offers additional possibllities and opportunities.

----------

Very nice...
That fox is like: "Anything to eat here?" :D

Yup. The photographer was probably dressed like a chicken. :D
 

Amazing Iceman

macrumors 603
Nov 8, 2008
5,241
3,982
Florida, U.S.A.
Absolutley agree. I have an old digital camera. I took it to Mexico a few years ago and it sat in the closet until last month when my daughter graduated. If Apple comes out with option to add optical zoom, I may never use the camera again. So far I have resisted buying other optical zoom accessories for the iPhone because most are based on a case and since I upgrade yearly, this does not make sense. Would really love for apple to surprise us with something to address the zoom feature.

Optical zoom requires mechanical parts that would not fit on an iPhone at this time. The alternative is to use a better and larger sensor with much higher megapixels (40mp or higher) and a better lens to avoid any distortion of loss of quality; then digital zooming is not bad at all.
 

enigma2118

macrumors regular
Jan 7, 2006
109
2
I'd love to see a side by side of each of these photos. One, the way they are now. And the other what they looked like when originally taken. A good deal of the artistry is in the processing.
 

2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015

Amazing Iceman

macrumors 603
Nov 8, 2008
5,241
3,982
Florida, U.S.A.

Chrjy

macrumors 65816
May 19, 2010
1,095
2,098
UK
By having a DSLR and great glass will of course allow you to manually change variables but essentially a lot of people think the more expensive the camera the better their photos and photography...if you're a great photographer you'll take great photos no matter what your equipment.

As they say, it's not the equipment but rather the person behind the equipment.
 

nwcs

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2009
2,722
5,262
Tennessee
If you want to be experimental there's always the Sony QX10 and QX100. Good concepts but not refined enough yet. If they can improve it on the next generation it may be worth picking one up. Just don't know if I can switch totally to something like that or my iPhone yet. I appreciate the versatility of interchangeable lenses and larger sensors too much.
 

2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015
Oh yes, I have seen those, but as I was saying before, these are not too convenient to carry around. Also, the extra optics reduce the amount of light and definition. Using the higher quality and resolution sensor would be the best solution so far.

I agree. Still, it is clear that Apple is about reducing size not increasing. So I do not expect anything like the Nokia bump to have a large sensor and optics. Apple does have additional patents to solve some of the issues through other technology that would not require increasing space. Since I am mostly a casual photographer, I am actually happy with what apple offers except for zoom. And for that I just do not see too many option other than some sort of external accessory like the link I provided. And that is why I am hoping that apple will establish some sort of standard so that I do not need to buy a new accessory for each release of a phone.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.