10 Days on The Rock
Ten days on The Rock with an iPhone 12 Pro as my dedicated camera yielded some of my favourite photos to date.
For the past ten days, I've been on the western coast of Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada spending long-awaited time with in-laws, visiting friends, and meeting my nephew for the first time. And the only camera I took along, actually the only camera I've owned for years now, was the iPhone.
Newfoundland, an island off of Canada’s east coast, and its continental region Labrador, is home to some 500,000 people. It is the 16th largest island in the world with an area of 108,860 km².
Every single photo I've taken on this trip was with the iPhone 12 Pro. I don't consider myself a photographer by any measure, although I love the ability to take photos that distill the mood and moment of when it was shot. In saying that, the iPhone 12 Pro has been a phenomenal camera for this trip, helping me reliably and effortlessly take amazing photos across a range of scenes & situations.
And that's one of the qualities I've so much about the iPhone camera. It takes incredible photos effortlessly, and with a bit of planning and post, images can be elevated to look phenomenal. A tweak of the contrast brings out the faintest clouds on a gloomy grey day, while lowering the exposure helps use the shaded areas of a setting sun to frame the subject. The photos below were all taken on the iPhone, primarily using the stock Camera app though a few were taken in Halide. And all the images were themselves also edited on the iPhone, primarily using Darkroom.
So without maundering any further, here's a small gallery capturing some of the past ten days.
Gallery
Shutter Speed: 1/2000; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
The image above was taken using the iPhone's Live Photo option, and then a long exposure effect was applied to the composition. Keeping the iPhone still (and I mean still) ensures the rocks remain in focus while the movement of the water develops a stunning brushed effect. A custom filter created in Darkroom and applied to this image completes the shot.
Shutter Speed: 1/2000; ISO: 25; Lens: 14mm
Along the cliffs on the Western coast of Newfoundland, I found a small alcove where the water of the North Atlantic became crystal clear and still. And on a cloudless summer day, I just sat there for a few moments, pausing to take it all in. Then the flies found me and chased me away, but it was one of the most serene & undisturbed places I've come across up until that point.
Shutter Speed: 1/1000; ISO: 25; Lens: 14mm
A staple for any basic Instagram account, this photo features Mrs. BasicAppleGuy watching the sunset over a small brook on the second night of our stay. But scouts honour, we stopped posing and took a pause to soak in the moment after taking these photos.
Shutter Speed: 1/4000; ISO: 32; Lens: 72mm
Driving through a small coastal town in Newfoundland, I happened to come across a bright red shed on a wharf. The problem? To get into position to take this shot meant scaling down a steep, rocky embankment off the side of a bridge. And since you're now reading this, you know that I made it down and back again unscathed(ish).
Shutter Speed: 1/2000; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
Fun fact: the insect-eating pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea L.) is the floral emblem of Newfoundland and Labrador. The other fun fact about this flower is that it's notoriously challenging to get to as it grows in boggy wetlands, which are even more treacherous to slog through if all you're wearing jeans and high-top sneakers.
Shutter Speed: 1/6000; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
Sharp jagged rocks, worn down Converse that barely have any grip, & Mrs. BasicAppleGuy parkour jumping across. What could go wrong? For shots like this, turning on Burst Mode became the perfect tool for quickly capturing 20-30 frames and selecting the most epic shot to post.
Shutter Speed: 1/406; ISO: 25; Lens: 14mm
A darker, foggier evening was the backdrop for this photo of an oceanfront boardwalk. The image was shot with the iPhone's ultra-wide 14mm lens, and the iPhone was brought nearly to ground level to exaggerate the walkways long planks & vanishing point.
Shutter Speed: 1/3000; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
Although what you shoot with is important, revisiting places at different times of the day can result in dramatically different compositions. This photo is looking eastward towards a small coastal fishing village during the golden hour.
Shutter Speed: 1/973; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
Three Adirondack chairs sit along the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean as the sun stretches their long shadows across the evening's pink sand.
Shutter Speed: 1/4000; ISO: 32; Lens: 26mm
What you don't see in this photo is me surfing down a steep gravel slope to get down the hill & take this shot. This photo was taken overlooking a coastal town on Newfoundland's west coast, where every house has an oceanfront property with views to die for, the kind most of us will only ever have as desktop wallpapers.
Shutter Speed: 1/941; ISO: 25; Lens: 52mm
Ten days have passed with incredible speed, and once again, I found myself at the airport for my flight back home. One way this trip was different is that previously I often relied on photos to make the memory. This time around, I intentionally stopped before taking any pictures to take in the scene and appreciate it where I was. Camera specs can never compensate for the time we take to indulge in moments that I was lucky enough to have over the past week & a half.
It was so much fun shooting with the iPhone 12 Pro. Having access to such an incredible camera that I can also post-produce my images continues to floor me. I’ve always loved the photographs I have taken in Newfoundland - it’s such a rugged and unspoiled landscape. I hope you’ve enjoyed this small album of an unbelievable part of Canada out in the Northern Atlantic.
