Today’s cameras capture images in megapixels (one million pixels). Each pixel is a tiny square portion of the image. Those squares combined determine the detail of the image, the more squares the sharper and better quality the image. A novice digital camera today will usually produce 24-30 megapixels (MP). In 2004, my flip phone camera had 0.3 megapixels, while my current phone camera has 12MP. It's easy to see how far technology has progressed for better imagery.
All cell phones rely on an application or “app” to access and operate the camera. Whether an Apple, LG, Samsung or Motorola, the icon for the camera app is universal, it’s an image of a camera. Each manufacturer may offer app features like filters, lighting and live or motion photo controls, grids and even lens kits.
Filters allow us to color the image in certain shades and tones, such as black and white, sepia or vivid. Current phones offer filters in warm and cool tones, dense gray casts, or effects such as paint, chalk and sketch. There are also apps available to add animations to photos. The purpose of a filter is to create a more dynamic photo and give the image personality or depth that might not otherwise exist.
Dynamic lighting gives an option to select a specific lighting scenario for taking pictures. Stage lighting is an option on some models which gives the impression the image is taken in a spotlight. Using the live photo option, available on iPhones, short video bursts are taken that allow better editing of images. Live photo is useful when taking freeze frame or action shots.
Another useful tool that most phones incorporate are gridlines. The gridlines split the screen into thirds, creating nine squares and four intersections. This helps guide the use of photographers’ “rule of thirds.” This rule suggests that a photo should be framed so the focal point(s) align with the lines and corners of the grid, not in the center of the image.
Finally, lens kits are attachments which can augment a camera's features. A lens kit usually contains three kinds of lenses: a wide angle, a fish-eye, and a macro lens. A wide-angle lens widens the aperture to capture a more open image in the horizontal direction. A fish-eye lens gives an image from a fish’s perspective inside a fish bowl, which is a wider angle in all directions and a little distorted. The macro lens is my favorite of the clip-ons. It works as an ultra-close subject lens, allowing the capture of the tiniest details. Depending on the fit of the lens, you may end up with a “ghost ring” which is a gray fuzz or shaded ring surrounding the outside of the image; this happens when the lens doesn’t clip well to the phone.
A cell phone camera gives us an opportunity to capture life as it happens. We’re always prepared to capture a moment while that phone is close in our pocket, and the technology to capture those memories is increasingly improved as time passes.