May Cover of Food Magazine 'Bon Appétit' Shot on an iPhone 7

Food magazine Bon Appétit has used an iPhone to shoot the cover photography for its latest travel issue. The Condé Nast-owned publication follows in the footsteps of magazines like Billboard and Condé Nast Traveler, both of which have recently run covers shot on iPhones.

Bon Appètit has used iPhone-shot photos in the past – including in last year's Culture issue – but this is the first time photography shot using Apple's smartphone camera has graced the cover. The image, taken by Peden + Munk on an iPhone 7 Plus, shows a woman holding a strawberry Paleta, on location in the Tlacoula Market of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Peden told TechCrunch that the iPhone's portability and the "comfortability [of] not having some humungous lens in your face" allowed them to work with a tiny crew, so it felt like a "throwback to the early days" of their career.

"It didn't feel like a big magazine cover shoot where there were a bunch of assistants and light reflectors," Peden said. "It felt very comfortable and natural."

The photographers also said the VSCO app allowed them to edit photos while at their favorite bar or brunch spot, rather than having to drag out their laptop.

Creative director Alex Grossman said it made sense to lead with an iPhone picture for the May travel issue, given the close connection between photography and travel. The iPhone 7 "works really well picking up people and places", said Grossman, and while it's not completely comparable to "a $25,000 DSLR", when shot in the right conditions, "99.9 percent of people out there" are unlikely to notice the difference.

Apple is a Bon Appétit advertiser, and an Apple ad on the back cover of the May issue highlights the fact that the cover photo was taken on an iPhone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7

Tag: photography

Top Rated Comments

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cyberlocke

31 months ago

Wow. As a photographer, this is very cool, and at first glance a little unnerving. But the truth is, it's not the tools that make the photographer, but the photographer that makes the tools. Cameras are just getting better and more accessible to people.

Rating: 12 Votes

thisisnotmyname

31 months ago

99.9% of people out there are unlikely to notice the difference.

This sums up why consumer camera business has dropped off the map. There will of course still be pro level and prosumer offerings for those who have a deep interest in the best but 99.9% of us will never need a dedicated device again.

Rating: 9 Votes

jerry16

31 months ago

Low light still needs work but it does get better and better each year. For the majority of people smartphones are good enough. Plus smartphones are easy to use along with the ability instantly edit and share if you please. I still have a dedicated camera but it only goes with me when I am specifically going to take photos.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. As they say, the best camera is the one with you. The iPhone does a fine job most of the time, no doubt.

I just think all these articles and shot on iPhone ads are misleading to the average consumer. You can't just pick up an iPhone and take this photo the way these articles and ads insinuate - it as much about the photographer as it is about the camera.

Rating: 5 Votes

LordQ

31 months ago

I believe we're approaching a point where the only reason to upgrade an iPhone yearly is because of the tremendous camera advancements. My 6s is jealous of it.

Rating: 4 Votes

darcyf

31 months ago

It's the cars and trucks analogy Jobs made about iPads and computers, only now it's iPhone cameras and dedicated cameras.

Stories like this are a little gimmicky, but thematically what they did here makes sense. I don't think this is a sign of things to come, though. Trucks are not going away.

Rating: 4 Votes

Kaibelf

31 months ago

Next you'll tell me that putting on mascara doesn't turn a woman into a supermodel, and tossing a Pepsi to someone won't stop a riot.

Rating: 4 Votes

now i see it

31 months ago

Cover shot was an iPhone marketing stunt. Fine. Shows what it can do. But then for the photographer to go on with his rediculous story about how natural it feels to use it and how editing on the iPhone is a breeze was pretty funny. Silly.

Rating: 4 Votes

ApfelKuchen

31 months ago

Any camera ad, for any camera, can be misleading, for the same reason. How many DSLRs has Nikon and Canon sold to amateurs simply because that's what the pros use?

Sometimes, the shot is dependent on a camera's unique capabilities, but far more often, there's a long list of cameras that could have taken a shot of comparable (or even greater) quality. Perhaps more to the point, there's often a long list of factors that contributed to the shot that have nothing to do with the camera, from supplemental lighting and tripods to wardrobe and makeup, location (and travel budget), attractiveness of the subject, art direction... and the photographer's skill at utilizing them all.

To me, this is a pretty "honest" camera ad - the shot is well within the normal capabilities of the camera and the average point-and-shoot photographer.

Rating: 4 Votes

macTW

31 months ago

Not everyone needs a big fancy DSLR. In fact, 80-90% of photos taken don't need to be on one. But the photos that DO need a DSLR... DO need DSLR.

Rating: 3 Votes

-Garry-

31 months ago

I was going to post a big long rant about being a photographer, and how the cameraphones, in most situations, are vastly inferior to dedicated cameras.

Instead, I invite you to go and look at your friends' Facebook photos. If they're anything like my friends', they're often blurred, awkward, dull and noisy. That's because an iPhone can't do what a DSLR can do, and my friends can't do what photographers do.

Rating: 3 Votes

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