My Favorite Camera Is: My Phone
My name is Graham Washatka. I’m a working photographer, owner and operator of Graham Images, specializing in commercial photography. I’ve shot Nikon cameras since the 1990’s. I currently use Nikon’s Z8 for my work, and I have an F3 for the little bit of film fun I do. But… for the purpose of this blog… my favorite camera? Yup, it’s the same one I device I use to read/write emails and doom-scroll social medias… my phone! BLASPHEMY, I know! But… let me explain…
With the question being “What is your favorite camera?,” my answer is…
My favorite camera is my cell phone.
If you were to phrase this question differently I might give a different answer… What camera creates your best work? Which camera do you feel most comfortable with? If you were on a deserted island and only had one camera, which one would you choose?
Does it take the best photos? No. Does it take the photos I get paid for? No. My most epic ones? No.
So, why is it my favorite? It’s always there for me when I need it. It’s the camera that is there when a photo is just SCREAMING at me. It’s in my pocket and ready to go. When I’m out and about with my kids and I want to capture a moment, it’s there.
Have you ever been watching your daughter eat a cake pop and you just NEEDED to take a photo? I have.
Have you ever been putting away your laundry and the window light was hitting the doorbell speaker just right and you just NEEDED to take a photo? I have.
Have you ever parked your car, started walking into the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities Barlow Planetarium when you realized the black asphalt and green parking lines match your pants and shoes and you just NEEDED to take a photo? I have.
Have you ever been at a waterpark with your kids and your daughter wanted to get dunked on by the huge water bucket and the direct sunlight crashing in through the windows created such a scene that you just NEEDED to take a photo ? I have.
Have you ever been walking around the streets of downtown Pittsburgh and there was under-road construction being done and an interesting scene just unfolded in front of you and you just NEEDED to take a photo of it? I have.
“Always have a camera with you.” When I was learning photography as a teenager while working at The Post-Crescent I was once told by the photo editor, Dwight Nale, that you should always have your camera with you so you’re ready when photos present themselves. I didn’t always follow that advice through the years. Why? Because those cameras didn’t fit in my pocket. It’s likely that none of these photos would have been taken if I didn’t have a camera in my pocket.
For getting those photos of fleeting moments and helping me hold onto memories of my daily life, my cell phone is my favorite camera.
