Jesper McIlroy
Jesper is an American commercial photographer who lives in Hong Kong. He shoots food, people and places for a wide range of Asian companies, including hotels, restaurants, fashion brands and magazines. www.instagram. com/jespermcilroy, www.jespermcilroy.com. Uses: iPhone 11 Pro Max, with Shiftcam Pro series lenses
‘I USE a Canon EOS 5D IV and Hasselblad H series kit for my commercial work, and used to feel I needed to use similar kit for my own personal photography. Now, though, phones are so good, especially with accessory lenses, that I use my iPhone with ShiftCam lenses for my behind-the-scenes pictures as well as pictures of my family, and any other “added value” pictures I do for work and video projects,’ he tells us.
Jesper uses the Pro series lenses from ShiftCam with his iPhone 11 Pro Max, especially the Ultra Wide and 60mm Tele lenses, but he also likes the 70mm Macro lens for video and for shooting details of food to include some of the background and so show the environment. ‘These lenses aren’t going to replace the kit I usually use for my commercial work, but they do allow me to shoot incredible photographs in places I wouldn’t want to, or be able to, take my usual kit – such as when I go hiking in the mountains, caving or on the beach. The quality I can get now from my phone and these lenses means I can feel okay about not taking my professional gear out all the time. That’s a very recent change for me – like in the past six months. Previously I wouldn’t have even thought to use my phone as I would have been too concerned with the picture quality.
‘This phone and these lenses have made me relearn the possibilities of photography. For so long I’ve been obsessed with having the most technically superior equipment with me the whole time, but now I don’t have to think about that so much any more. Of course you can’t compare the quality of my phone with my professional kit, and when I’m commissioned to shoot the best possible quality I need to use the best possible camera with the best dynamic range, resolution and colour gamut. I’m actually using my phone more than I use my professional kit now though as it is good enough for so many situations.’