Snap judgments

How do you use the camera in your smartphone? Do you share candid snaps of yourself and friends on Facebook? Proudly display to the Twitter-verse the delicious meal you’re enjoying?

Or do you aspire beyond point-and-shoot to true art?

The possibilities are on display in the "Phone Camera Photos 2012" exhibit at the South Street Gallery. The bulk of the photos are by recognized professionals such as Franco Salmoiraghi, Ric Noyle and Rae Huo.

Exhibit curator and freelance photographer Karen Jones said she was pleased with the increase in response this year compared with the first exhibit mounted two years ago.

"Smartphone photography has definitely become a trend, where it’s not considered weird to shoot with your iPhone," she said.

Jones considers the smartphone camera to be the digital equivalent of cheap plastic film cameras. "The smartphone camera is simple to use and you have it with you all the time. You can put on a zoom lens and make taking pictures more complicated, but I prefer to use my smartphone camera just as is."

While the addition of popular apps like Instagram, Hipstamatic, ToyCamera, OldCamera and TiltShift Generator can add flair to your photos, Jones said she prefers not to do "heavy editing" or manipulation of her images.

Salmoiraghi is of the same mind. "For me, the apps make the processmore complex and I prefer to have the most simple relationship possible with the camera," he said.

Jones likes the flexibility of the smartphone camera. "It makes it easier to adapt to any situation. For example, I was coming back from Hilo, and I noticed a little moth on the plane window. I got some nice stuff out of that.

"One of the images from the show is from Zak Noyle, who’s the senior staff photographer for Surfer magazine, and it’s this incredibly clear image of this dead cockroach. It’s a great shot and shows the benefits of having a smartphone with you when you come across something interesting."

Zak’s father, Ric Noyle, himself an acclaimed photographer, also is a fan of the smartphone camera.

"What a marvelous invention to have in the palm of your hand," he said. "It can have all the abilities of a regular SLR camera with phenomenal image quality. I’ve even taken photos with my iPhone that have been used in print.

"Soon after I got mine, I got a last-minute request by a magazine to take a photo of Japanese vessels docked near Aloha Tower. So I took the shot, converted it to infrared using an app, and emailed it to the magazine on my phone, and they used it as is."

Noyle said he regularly uses his iPhone as much as his regular cameras for hotel, fashion and location shoots.

"I use this $2 app that tracks the sun’s position, so it tells me where the sun will be at any given time and what angle.

"I’ve always been a true believer that, with a good eye and good light, anyone with any skill can set up a shot even with relatively poor equipment. But more people can improve their photography and create better images with these smartphone cameras."

Some of the apps on Noyle’s iPhone include Camera+, Photoshop Express, AutoStitch and Night Camera, "and I recently picked up Gorillacam that adjusts the shutter speed and has a time-lapse feature.

"I tell people all the time to shoot loose, edit tight. Take photos everywhere, lie on the floor, stand on a ladder. The real key is how people can finesse their images."

Print and advertising photographer Huo admits to "being anal-retentive when it comes to structuring my photographs, but with the smartphone camera, it’s best not to think too much. I’ve learned to trust my feelings and it’s helped me grow as an artist."