The difference between Phone photos and Camera photos!

The difference between phone photos and camera photos, comes off like there is no difference, but my friend there is a HUGE difference. This post is not to discourage anyone who uses their phone for photos, no I still take personal photos on my phone. This post is meant to break it down and give more of an understanding of what the difference is, but to also help brands and businesses as they navigate editing these photos. & while most phone’s cameras are getting crazy intense they still do not have the capability of what a camera photo can do. So, let’s dive in!

“Well that is just like portrait mode on my phone.” or “Wait my phone can do that.” These statements can come off a touch numbing, because while yes portrait mode was designed to help you achieve that nice clean blur in the background of your images it still is very different than what a camera can achieve. & before we really dive in we need to first talk about Raw photos vs Jpeg photos.

Jpeg Photos: Jpeg photos are mostly what we are all used to. & unless you have a camera jpeg photos are your only option. There is nothing wrong with Jpeg photos, but they require more prep work than we realize. These images are actually processed by the camera, smaller in size & higher in contrast. & while we all enjoy having them at our fingertips to shoot, edit & share all on our phones, there are also a lot of restrictions that come with editing a jpeg image. Imagine a jpeg image like an already baked cake that needs a little extra something something to make them great. A jpeg is an already processed photo that when edited can be better than it originally was by itself, but you CANNOT actually change the overall taste and ingredients in the photo. 

Raw Photos: raw photos can be captured through your camera. Most all cameras have this capability and are something that I highly enjoyed every camera owner to switch their camera from jpeg to raw. However, before you make that switch keep in mind that raw images are much larger than a standard jpeg. They require a lot more space, but if that is the only reason you are not wanting to switch your camera over let’s chat about the benefits of a raw image. When you are taking a raw image you are actually housing all the pieces that make up the photo, but it is not until you get the images in Lightroom or Photoshop that, that image will actually be processed. These images come off not as crisp as a jpeg, but here is the deal you have access to completely change the overall sharpness of a raw image instead of just adding more sharp to a jpeg. Along with sharpness you have complete control over; exposure, shadows, highlights, contrast, colors and so much more. Most photographers shoot in raw to give them that extra reassurance that they can create an image that is tailored to them and their style. I refuse to shoot my camera not on raw, because I have an overall look that I want to achieve. 

Now let’s see the difference between a raw and a jpeg. Both of these photos were shot on the same day and in the same location however, one is a jpeg and one is a raw. Which one do you think is which? Keep in mind these are both straight from the camera and phone and keep in mind the things we chatted about above. The answer will be below.

Okie, did you choose the colorful jacket as the raw and they yellow jacket as the jpg? Remember when I said how the jpeg was an image that was already processed straight out it’s source and how a raw image is everything gathered for that photo and then Lightroom and Photoshop will process the image? Well, now go back and look at the images. The one on the left (The Raw) looks undone, while the one on the right (the jpeg) looks like it is already to go. When it comes to editing I have way more control over the raw image to edit freely than I do the jpeg. Now, let’s look at them editing. This edit will be the Dixie J Original on my shop & this is how the preset looks as a one click with no adjustments made yet & also keep in mind that I am leaving the crop as is, so we can focus on the colors.

Okie, friends as you can see both still need adjustments to fit my style. However, just the one click the one on the left looks so much brighter, almost like the adjustments of the preset took to the image and worked with the images, while the one on the right needs a touch more work, because the adjustments of the preset looks forced. This is ok cause most presets are going to need adjustments, but for the sake of this blog lets really look at the quality of the image. Now, let’s see what would happen if I editing both images to the way that fits my style and look at the difference in edits.

Exposure: +0.90

Contrast: +30

Highlights: -90

Shadows: +40

Whites: -32

Blacks: 0

Exposure: -0.25

Contrast: +25

Highlights: -90

Shadows: -1

Whites: +30

Black: -10

Okie, so here are the edits of both of these images. Both are beautiful and oh so fun. This preset we used has the same adjustments for green & look at the difference. Now, before we wrap this blog up I want to zoom in and show you the quality of these images. Both of these images have the same amount of contrast on them. As you can see the left image the contrast took to the image so much more softly and defined as the right image still looks forced and very pixled.

Like I said this article is not meant to come off like phone photos are bad and camera photos are the end all be all, but my hope is that it shed light on how to give yourself more control over your images. & if you are wanting to invest in a camera right away for personal reasons or business reasons I highly suggest renting a camera and test driving it and/or start small. There is no reason to give a big fancy camera, especially why you are learning the basics. A good rule of thumb is, once the settings on that camera and feel like you have grown above it educationally then switch to a fancier one. But my friend if you made it this far and still have questions let me know. I am so excited to watch everyone grow in their image skills.