My iPhone had been with me for the past five years. It was still serving me well but updates in technology and capability made it necessary for an upgrade. It was impressive that I kept it looking like new despite the heavy use which included iPhone photography. I use my iPhone whenever I don’t have the chance to use my DSLR. As I stated before, it made me happy whenever I captured eye-pleasing photographs. The quality of the photographs were good and I was happy with it. The newer models are supposedly superior and capture better quality photographs.

Our trip to San Francisco, California included a winery tour near the city of Calistoga. This presented a good opportunity for iPhone photography and test the quality of the photographs.

We saw the vineyard surrounding the castle from a distance. The castle projected itself as a dominant structure in the middle and we knew that it housed the winery. We walked up a flight of stone stairs that led to the drawbridge in front of the castle entrance. Rough stones on the castle wall rose high above and cast shadows where the bright sun shone. There were some stones that had a different hue and added accent. The contrast in color and brightness were all captured in detail by the photograph.

There was a series of hallways all made of brick and stone. This was the design of the castle to mimic the medieval castles in Europe. Importing the stones from different parts of Europe added to its authentic look. The columns and walls were partially shading the sunlight bathing the hallways. I thought that the contrast in light made it look interesting. I could have convinced myself that this was a medieval hallway in the photograph were it not for the exit sign at the far end of the hallway.

The top of the tower afforded a great view of the vineyard and the surrounding valley. It was lush and green. My untrained eye told me that the valley provided a great harvest this season.

The paltry light shining in one of the wine rooms at the cellar looked bright in the photograph. The bottles recessing at the back didn’t look grainy in the photograph. The isolation of this locked room was clearly showing the significance of this particular batch of wine.

There was symmetry in stacking the dark colored bottles in the hallway. It was occupying both sides and I was thinking that this was part of wine processing. The tour guide was describing them as “a stack of expensive bottled vinegar’. It was wine that had gone past their recommended consumption time and had turned to vinegar.

The odd looking chair was sitting isolated in a corner of the torture room. A closer look at the pattern of its metal spikes divulged its sinister purpose. It beckoned an invitation to sit. The reaction was to stare, contemplate momentarily, and walk away. No wonder nobody was sitting on it.

All the statements here are my subjective thoughts. Photography using iPhone worked well during this trip. I was using the iPhone like a point-and-shoot camera and the photographs were good. It was further discovered that there was no need to extensively edit the photographs. The photographs were edited, when needed, with only the iPhone’s edit function satisfactorily.