The iPhone 17 lineup is now officially on sale, but some photographers got theirs early. Now, a New York exhibition shows the gorgeous photos they were able to create.
Wallpaper reports that artists Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu were given an iPhone 17 Pro Max and asked to create images based on the theme of "joy".
Each took five photos which are now on full display for the "Joy in 3 Parts" exhibition in New York.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has three 48-megapixel Fusion cameras comprising wide, ultra wide, and telephoto options. One photographer in particular was able to capture their shots in part because the iPhone is more accessible than a traditional camera.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max captures stunning in-motion shots. Image credit: Mickalene Thomas
Artist Mickalene Thomas chose to take portraits of Black residents of Brooklyn as they enjoyed the Fort Greene Park. The report notes that the "off-the-cuff portraits" were possible because Thomas wasn't using a "traditional camera that's heavy and often supplemented with a lot of external equipment".
Interestingly, Trunk Xu chose to take photos that celebrated social media culture. That's notable given the iPhone's role in creating that culture, thanks in part to its strong photography performance.
Xu reportedly admitted that the iPhone and its ease-of-use has transformed the whole culture of photography. "For me, the iPhone has unlocked a profound joy: the ability to document the world as it is now, an active participant ready for its moment."
Social media culture has changed how we live our lives. Image credit: Trunk Xu.
If you want to take the new iPhones for a photographic spin yourself, you might have to wait a while. Early preorders saw shipment dates stretch into October, although the iPhone Air appears less popular than expected.
Unfortunately, the iPhone Air is the weakest of the bunch in terms of photography — it has a single camera compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max's trio of shooters.
