This is how your cell phones will be used as tools in the academic field

Photography has become the most important element of mobile phones high-end. So much so that large manufacturers have teamed up with reputed brands in the sector to push the software and hardware of their best mobile phones to the limit. In the case of Xiaomi we have the collaboration with Leicawhich already occurred in their premium high-end mobile phones, such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultraand which now reaches its high-end mobile phones, the Xiaomi 13T Series.

It was within the framework of the presentation of these models that we were able to attend a round table with the photojournalist Giuseppe Nucci and the academic Jordi Hernandez, professor of the subject Postphotography and Communication at the Faculty of Philology and Communication of the University of Barcelona. At this event Xiaomi has announced its first Workshop within the Spanish university system. This makes it very clear what the company’s position is regarding photography, beyond the technical capabilities of its mobile phones.

After the round table we have been able to see an exhibition by Giuseppe Nucci made entirely with the Xiaomi 13T Prodemonstrating that in terms of technical capabilities certain current mobile phones can now replace professional cameras. In fact, the photojournalist has highlighted on several occasions how not having to carry several kilos of equipment or having to stop to choose a lens has made his task easier. In his field it is normal to enter the area to photograph, it is not done in a studio, and versatility and lightness are key values.

Teaching photography

People feel much less intimidated when a phone is pointed at them than with a professional camera with its corresponding lens. Of course, knowing how to use a cell phone does not turn a person into a photographer, and it is something that classes allow us to correct.

In a subsequent talk with Jordi Hernandez we were able to see how Smartphones have been deeply integrated into photography teaching, as support tools but also as tools to create the final works. According to him, “even if the students were not asked to use them, they did,” making it clear to the teacher that for the students it was an important tool.

In this field Xiaomi continues to advance in the collaboration with Leica, maintaining the Authentic and Vibrant color profiles so that it is possible to take photos with true colors and, at the same time, be able to choose to take photos with more intense colors, necessary in certain uses such as when images are published on social networks. Even photos taken in low light seemed to appear as they appear to the human eye, not more clearly than reality shows, although the camera was capable of artificially creating that clarity. The biggest novelty in the software comes from the personalized Leica profileswhich we can create from our mobile phone and apply directly to our photos, to always obtain a specific type of image, which is key when making, for example, a photographic series.

Professor Hernández also told us how important it was being able to have tools so that students could learn the essence of photography. “Many of them still distance themselves from professional equipment, due to price or availability,” but the mobile phone is something almost innate to them. “They have been surrounded by cameras since they were born, with parents who took photos of them” and then they were the ones who took them.

This dual approach as a user and also as a professional is logical. As he indicated to us, his intention and hope was that they would take everything they learned in the classroom beyond their jobs and their projects, which It could even change the way they understood photography.

Danger of homogenization

The teacher also pointed out to us the dangers of being able to share images so easily. The homogenization of art It is something that not only happens in photography, but this is a teaching in which it is very well appreciated. That is why it is so important not only to have a powerful tool, such as these new smartphones, but also to teach future creatives and professionals how to use them. Social networks have created trends in which users often only replicate images and poses already seen previously. That doesn’t help foster creativity.

However, Jordi Hernández made it clear that ““The democratization of access to photography was an advantage important enough to outweigh all possible risks.” that we could see in the system. The “difference between image and photography is key,” Nucci pointed out, it is something that is not known a priori, that has to be learned.

This, along with the possibility of much greater exposure thanks to social media, can change the way photography is taught and learned. Xiaomi’s involvement in a process like this, pioneering in the case of this company, can mark the turning point in photography, finally giving mobile phones the place they deserve, as another work tool, a powerful one that It even allows you to do things that other cameras can’t.

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