Ah, cell phones. They can make everything so fast and easy when it comes to documenting your life!

You see it all the time. People taking selfies, recording little snippets to upload online, live streaming their life to the world, taking quick photos to show off something interesting. I'll admit it, I do it too. I love how easy my phone is to use when I'm out with my friends and family.

If I'm not really planning on doing anything with the photos other than a quick drop into my personal Facebook, or just to have in my phone for a memory, I don't even bother getting out my professional gear. But, if I'm planning to use a photograph for professional purposes such as marketing, advertising, print, or website, I use my professional camera.

Camera phones have come along way from what they used to be able to do. I remember the first phone I had that took photos. I was so excited! I took a photo, then pushed a few buttons to be able to see it, only to find out it was super small in size, pixelated, the color was off, and it was blurry. Boo. I was not a happy camper. Things have come leaps and bounds since that first camera phone I was so excited about. Now the camera in my phone can work in lower light, isn't as awful, and I can potentially use the image for something other then a laugh at how horrible it is. But, I still won't use it to take images for professional use.

When I post to places like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, I have a huge folder of images already downloaded into my phone. All of these images I have taken with my pro gear. The quality is a thousand times better and, for me, have a more versatile use.

To showcase the differences in my camera phone vs my professional gear, I've taken a photo of the same object or scene and put them side by side.

Depth of Field:
The top image was from my phone, the bottom from my professional gear. I've cropped in on the shot to showcase the flowers. In the camera phone image, there is no depth of field control. The phone tried to make sure everything was in focus. On my pro gear I have control over my depth of field. Therefore, I am able to make the flowers I want to be the focus in the image sharp, and have the background blur away.

Detail:
When there is a lot of detail in a photo, camera phones just can't pick up everything. Think the two photos below look pretty similar? Let's take a closer look. Scroll down to the images below it.

What if you wanted to show off just one of the elements? Let's get closer and see which is a better option:

Natural Light/Flash:
In bright,natural light settings, a phone's camera can do a much better job then with low light, or no natural light situations. You might be thinking, 'Well duh! But, it has a flash.' Sure it does. And it's...um...lovely....
The top two images show what a room shot can end up looking like with out using a flash and hand holding the phone or pro gear. (no tripod use)
The bottom two images show what that lovely phone flash vs the pro gear flash looks like.

The Whole Picture:
Getting the whole scene in your photo can be important. I'm standing in the exact same spot for these photos. Top is from my phone, bottom from my camera. Unlike the phone, I'm able to switch to a variety of different lens options with my pro gear.

Smudges/Scratches:
I spend a lot of time taking care of my pro gear. If anyone puts a finger on my lens, or throws my pro gear at all, there will be hell to pay! I spend a lot of time throwing my phone into my bag, or shoving it in my pocket. So, needless to say, the camera on my phone is a bit scratched and often has finger prints all over it. I try to clean it when I use it. Doesn't always work though.

Color:
Filters on my phone's camera are fun, and can make the photo I've snapped look super artsy. I'm a sucker for filters on my phone. But with out color correction, the unedited image doesn't compare to the pro gear unedited image.

Okay, so you are probably saying something like, 'Duh! Of course your pro gear is better at all these things, it's pro gear! Phone cameras, of course, can't compare!' So, with that thought in mind, hire a professional to do the heavy work for your companies imagery.