Best of iPhone street photography in 2021.

This is not a sponsored post, just sharing what helps me creatively and why I started shooting more with my iPhone.

Quite often, when I’m feeling uninspired or not very creative, simply leaving the house without the extra weight of a dedicated camera for walk seems to really help. I think It’s the thought of going out without the specific intention or pressure of having to capture something.

When I started shooting and experimenting more with my iPhone in 2017, I started to feel like the pressure for perfection was greatly reduced. I can edit with much more freedom in whatever place I found myself at and experiment with pulling colors and shadows a little beyond what I usually do with images.

Although I still regularly use and appreciate my mirrorless cameras and their huge sensors, there’s a special place for smartphone photography in my creative toolbox.

Here are some of my favorite Observations from 2021. All were shot on iPhone 11 or 13 and edited using VSCO & Snapseed.

For more work you can check out my Instagram

Instagram - @ericvannynatten

New York City Street Corners

A favorite subject I enjoy shooting is New York City’s vibrant street corners.

There are many things that make it an attractive subject, from the way light falls on detailed signage to the ease in people watching as they wait to cross the street. There’s a lot of character and storytelling to be found even on quiet side streets.

Here’s a collection of some New York City street corners captured in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Shot on iPhone 13 pro max.

For more work you can check out my Instagram

Instagram - @ericvannynatten

Finding and photographing reflections on the streets of New York

Seeking a more abstract view of your surroundings can make a familiar scene seem fresh and exciting.

In these images taken across New York City, I’ve practiced looking for colors and subjects of interest reflected through surfaces like puddles and vehicles.

I find that even just looking for these kinds of compositions boosts my creativity and ability to see compositions differently. Its a great exercise for any photographer.

For more work you can check out my Instagram

Instagram - @ericvannynatten

Capturing light on New York City's Staten Island Ferry

Hey! It’s been a while! Thought I’d get back to posting images here as besides helping me sharpen my writing skills It’s a good way to keep creative and see my images laid out and grouped together. I also find that its an effective way to stay creative.

The theme here is photography on the famous Staten Island Ferry in New York City.

I now find it to be kind of cheating to do photography here because you’re always gonna come out of the session with something good because even if there aren’t any subjects to shoot there is always the amazing view of the skyline framed through the windows of the ferry. 

So if I want that satisfaction of having captured something I’ll do the 50 minute round trip.

The best time to shoot would be about two hours before sunset. The light is golden and really hits those windows with the most beautiful light.

There are often some amazing characters to be found too so it’s always a great people watching spot.

I even used the ferry as a location for a scene in a fashion shoot.

During the pandemic the ferry was running with hardly anyone on it so I settled for some Ferry still life.

Sometimes if you’re really, really lucky you end up capturing something really special. This image of a red-headed girl pressed up against the window ended up winning me an ADC Cube for Achievement in Photography at the 99th ADC awards in New York . The image is titled ‘‘In Transit’’

In reality the true subject of all these images is actually the Statue of Liberty. Never get tired of photographing it from the vantage point the ferry offers.

Hope you enjoyed this post! For more work or to purchase prints you can check out the links below.

Instagram - @ericvannynatten

Prints - ericvannynatten.com/prints

Blog: Outtakes part 2

Here’s a series of outtakes from a moment I photographed in New York’s Financial District in December 2017.

Looking back at these images I remember how sometimes I’ll move on too quickly after a couple shots and I’ll miss the very best image the location has to offer which would only happen say 20 minutes later. So having patience and waiting for a longer period of time is important and I have to constantly keep reminding myself of that when out photographing.

All images were shot on iPhone 8 Plus and edited using VSCO.

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Light can change so quickly that new image opportunities appear and others vanish so it’s important to stay sharp and observe everything closely not to miss anything.

Photographing steam vents around NYC at a time of day when sunlight isn’t hitting them would probably look rather flat like this image so I like to keep that in mind if shooting them.

A couple minutes later the sun lights up the street.

I loved the dark shadows and silhouette here in a more pulled back shot.

I like to buy time by framing spots where the subjects have to stand for a while without moving much.

Tricky iPhone exposure issues when shooting directly into the sun. I guess with any camera these issues arise when shooting in these types of situations.

Trying to capture people walking through the steam.

Not working very well.

Back at this composition. I love the sharp shadows but not happy with the image overall.

What I love most about being Downtown is the height of the buildings. Standing on Broadway is like being in a canyon almost.

Maybe a wider shot works best in this location to reveal more of the skyline and street.

Moved even further up the street. I think it works much better for scale.

Traffic ceases a little. I think this composition works best. Just have to wait for a subject to enter the frame nicely.

I love how the wind kept blowing the steam in crazy directions.

Finally a silhouette emerging through the steam at the perfect spot.

I’ve chosen my favorite image. You can see here how rapidly the steam changes the mood of the image.

Final chosen image where I think the environment, light and subject come together best. I like the way the steam wraps around the subject but also reveals the scale of buildings and the sky behind them.

You can find this image as a print below. Thanks for tuning in and until next time!

-Eric

Instagram - @ericvannynatten

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