When the iPhone 17 Pro models were introduced in September, I told you the upgrade was minor for most folks, if they owned a 15 or 16 model, not so for earlier models, and that the photographic upgrades would only be noticed by the savviest photographers.
Five weeks later: I stand by what I said. But if you gave me the choice of using the 16 or 17 Pro models for photography, there’s no contest—I want the 17 Pro in my hands.
You’ll recall that last week we went over how I cracked the screen of the iPhone 17 Pro when I acted silly in Philadelphia on the “Rocky Steps” at the Museum of Art. The wind blew my beloved Peak Design Travel Tripod (with iPhone atop it) to the ground, face first, directly onto the hard concrete, smashing the screen.
Apple has insisted that the new 17 glass screens are tougher than ever, which is a little hard to believe. But perhaps expecting glass to withstand hard concrete falls may be too much to ask?
Apparently I’m not the only one finding that Apple’s glass isn’t as tough as advertised. A CNET reporter recently dropped her phone on the sidewalk and writes about her issues getting it fixed here.
I do know this: frail glass or not, there’s no way I would consider going back to the 16 for photography and video.
Let me tell you why. It all comes down to the new iPhone “Center Stage” Selfie camera, which truly is new and improved, with a wider viewpoint and higher resolution images.
As someone who makes videos for a living, I need that new Selfie camera. It may not seem important to you—although I believe it’s life changing for most of you, but if you care what you look like in a Selfie, or you make videos where you address the camera, you’ll want this feature.
After traveling 21 days from Boston to Washington, DC for a series of Photowalks episodes that will air next year, I used the 17 Pro every day, and for the first time, was able to address viewers using the Selfie camera, something I’ve never been able to do before.
In the past, my arm stuck out like a sore thumb, my nose looked too big, the resolution was wanting and if handheld, I wished I could have an arm that was just a little longer. It just didn’t work out. I turned the camera around and used the higher resolution back cameras, doing trial and error to get the right shot.
But with the Center Stae camera, what you see is what you get, plus there’s extra wide real estate, the images look great, thanks to the higher resolution, and the only issue is learning to look at the green dot on the side of the camera instead of my eyes in the middle of the screen.
When you think about it, it’s the Selfie camera that’s probably the one most used by smartphone photographers.
Do know that the improved camera isn’t only available on the more expensive Pro models, but the entry-level 17 ($799) and the iPhone Air ($999.)
So yup, the Selfie Camera is the no. 1 reason to upgrade, at least for me. Plus, there’s a larger image sensor, so the overall images are sharper than on previous models, although for most people, they won’t be able to see the difference. I do though. Plus, there’s the 8X “optical quality” telephoto lens, which gets you closer to the action, with 200mm equivalent, and the results look great.
iCLOUD TIP
As many of you know, I’m not a fan of Apple’s iCloud, because it’s sold as a back-up service, when in fact it just serves just as a mirror of images you have on your devices. If you get a nag message from Apple that you’ve run out of storage on your phone and need to make more room, and you delete a photo from your device, it also gets killed from iCloud.
That said, I subscribe to iCloud because I need the auto upload feature for photos and videos when I’m on the road. SmugMug, which I also use, has limits on how big the video file can be, and Amazon Photos doesn’t offer “free” video uploads for Prime members, just photo uploads. Apple takes it all, as long as you pay for enough storage. (I have 2 terabytes for $9.99 monthly.)
So I use iCloud to upload when I’m on the road, then download everything to external hard drives when I get home. And follow up by deleting everything to make room on the devices for the next shoot.
And that tip? I found when I got home that I couldn’t download the files from iCloud on my Mac Mini, because I had the “sync” tab on in my Settings. This stopped the downloads in their tracks.
When I called Apple to complain, they told me they this was because the tab in System Settings on the Mac was selected. With that, images would download everything to the Photos app. And from there I could download to an external drive.
I balked, and said this was nuts, three steps instead of one.
I tried it their way. No thanks. I un-selected the tab and woila. Downloads worked as they were supposed to.
One of the Great San Francisco Photographers
My friend Josh Weinberg has a wonderful Substack that follows his passion for photography and great photographers. In his latest issue he profiles San Francisco lensman Donald Kinney, whose work I wasn’t familiar with before. Thanks Josh—Kinney’s photos blew me away.
Says Josh about Kinney: “His photography is built on dedication, hard work, persistence, practice, and most of all, passion.” And he clearly isn’t shooting bulk and posting away. He’s giving a lot of thought to what he shows the public. Editing is everything folks.
Photowalking & Storytelling
This week I flew up to San Francisco to speak at a Best Western NorCal hotel managers meeting. The topic: storytelling and “Photowalking”—the art of seeing your world on foot instead of behind the windshield.
In putting my talk together, what struck me was how much local wisdom lives behind the front desk. Stacey Boulware from the Alexandria Best Western told me, “When I’m behind the desk, I’m on stage.”
He’s right: these folks are often the best storytellers in town.
Pro tip: Next time you check into a hotel—or even visit a new neighborhood—ask the staff where they go for sunset, a quiet walk, or the best sandwich. Here’s what I learned over the years: you’ll almost always end up somewhere you’d have missed on Google Maps.
Thanks for the great tips Stacey!
Kevin Cody, the publisher of the Easy Reader, a publication that serves the South Bay of Los Angeles, decided to put Photowalks on the cover this week with a great story about second acts, camera thefts and pivots. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s highly recommended!
I’ll be back at you tomorrow with a piece about another one of my favorite photo spots in the world, so stay tuned for Sunday!
Jeff