Smart phones have made it so easy for us to communicate and share what we see every moment of every day. The advancement in the technology in just the iPhone’s camera alone is amazing. This little camera is about to replace the need to carry around a point and shoot camera. The optics and capabilities of this little gem is only going to get better over time. This has spawned a movement called “iPhoneography“. Basically people showing off photos from their everyday life with their iPhone…but doing it in artistic ways with the help of camera apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic (just to name a few). There are even art galleries opening their doors to artists who use the iPhone as their tool of choice. With the iPhoneography craze building there have been several pieces of “equipment” that you can purchase to make the most of that camera on your iPhone. This equipment can range from kitschy to pretty cool. But who am I to be the judge. I am a photographer and I can get a little geeked out over pretty much any photo toy.

The biggest takeaway I would like you to get from this is that you should know that the photos you take with your iPhone or other smart phone are good enough to print on canvas or large photo prints.  It’s pretty amazing how large of a canvas print we can make from a regular iPhone photo…no matter what little gadget you purchase. So if you want to do a little artistic experimentation…or just have some fun…check some of these tools out, go out and take some photos and maybe create a few canvas photo prints with what you captured. We would love to hear the process you used.

Here are a few different iPhone camera accessories to check out.

First off from Photojojo is a trio of lenses and a special case to hold them.  The lenses are a Macro/Wide lens $20, a Telephoto $20, and a Fisheye $25.  Buy all three for $50 as a package deal

These next two are from iPro lens system.  You can get the case, the wide angle, and the fisheye lens for $199

This one is from cOnice zoom lens for the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S, and Sony Xperia X10.  You will make a statement with this lens.  Retails for just under $50

These next two shots are showing off Photojojo‘s iPhone lens dial.  Take those three lenses that I showed you at the top and insert them in this handy case and you can film movies and take photos without the trouble of changing those pesky lenses out.  Just rotate them.  Seems a little bit clunky but oddly desirable.  The case with the 3 lenses sells for $249

And the grand daddy of all the iPhone lens mounts…People thought this was a hoax when it first came out, but it isn’t.  You can now mount your SLR lenses onto your iPhone.  Thank you Photojojo (again).  This unique gadget will let you mount any of your regular SLR (or DSLR) lenses to your iPhone to get a little more creative and control over your image.  The SLR mount runs $249 (the big lens is not included).  Pretty crazy.

So there you go.  If you are looking for a way to expand your iPhone photography skills and have a little fun doing it these are just a few of the gadgets and tools out there you can use.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with…using your iPhone, your point and shoot, or your SLR…we love seeing the amazing artwork that people order each and every day.  As always, if you want to print a photo on canvas you know where to come…that’s right CanvasPress.com

One of the up and coming trends we are seeing in photography is called iphoneography.  That is the term used for the phenomenon of people using their iPhones (and other smart phones) to capture the world around them.  Two of the most popular camera apps for the iPhone that can add a little extra flavor to your photos are Instagram and Hipstamatic.  They each have a variety of film “looks” that will alter your photo.  With Instagram you take the photo first (or choose an existing photo from your camera roll) then pick which film effect to apply to the image.  If you don’t like it you can always change the filter.  Hipstamatic is a little more like having a traditional film camera.  The app comes with a variety of lenses and film types.  Each combination will give you a different look to you photos.  They are both equally fun to play with to create some amazing photos.  One other large difference between the two is Instagram is built as a social community of people sharing their photos.  Like Facebook, you can follow people…like their photos and make comments.  It is fun because it is all visual based.

If you have played with either of these apps you know how cool you can make ordinary things look.  They are both perfect for taking photos of everyday experiences, but they can also challeng your creativity by trying to create cool little art photos.  This new trend called iphoneography is definitely proof that the best camera you can own is the one that is in your hands.

Ok, so you have taken some photos with Instagram and Hipstamatic.  What now?  Rather than having those photos (that are just oozing with awesomeness) get stale on your camera, let me show you how to make a simple photo collage that you will love forever…and will probably make your friends want one too. This is a super easy to create the collage because both camera apps make your photos square…so there won’t be any hard math involved.  The hardest decision will be how large of a collage you want to do.

I have organized about 25 photos from a beach trip my family took this past summer.  It was the only time during the year that the whole family was all together so it was extra special (Mom, Dad, 4 adult kids, their spouses, 6 little ones, an Aunt, and 2 family friends for a total of 19 people..whew).

Here are the steps I took to create this one of a kind canvas print collage:

1. I sized each of my photos to 5″x5″
2. After sizing my images, I created a new file in Photoshop (25″x25″ at 180 dpi).  One of the nice things that we offer is custom sizing for our canvas prints.  You don’t have to worry about sticking with a certain size.  Feel free to experiment.
3. Now I just need to do copy each of my photos into the 25″x25″ file I created and arrange them however I like them (Each photo will be on a separate layer).  I went ahead and did mine in chronological order…that will help jog my rusty memory on what happened when.  After I have them all arranged I am pretty much finished.  I just need to flatten my image in Photoshop, save it as a JPG, and upload it to Canvas Press.
4. Once I have uploaded it to Canvas Press.  I am going to choose the 1.5″ depth canvas.  I am also going change the border style from image to COLOR.  With the color border option selected I will ensure that my entire image will stay put on the front of my canvas.  I think I will choose Black as my border color to give it a “framed” look.  Then, I just choose my size from the drop down menu – 25″x25″ and I can add it to my cart.

Here are a few of my Instagram and Hipstamatic photos that I used and also the final version of my project.  This is just one idea you can do with your iPhone photos.  And don’t think you are limited to doing this with JUST your smart phone photos.  You can try this with your any photos you take.  There are endless possibilities of arranging your photos on canvas and making fun photo collages that commemorate an event, a person, or even a series of art photos.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with.