How do you capture potential through the lens of constraint?

Laurence Bouchard

“You need to be more focused…”

Laurence Bouchard is a street photographer based in Tokyo. His medium is the humble iPhone, arguably the most accessible form of technology on the planet. Laurence’s choice of photographic equipment may be very far from the pinnacle of photographic innovation, but that’s the point. It’s entirely democratic. Smartphone photography evens the playing field. The only thing that matters is the right light, the right composition, and the right timing.

Laurence’ work is regularly featured as part of Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone 7’ campaign - a big achievement for such a small device.

So Laurence, how do you turn constraint into potential?

An iPhone is like a darkroom in your pocket.

iPhones have limitations. The zooms aren’t as powerful, the lenses aren’t as sophisticated. But that just means you have to be more focused about how you frame a photo, which in turn makes you become a better photographer.

A specifically Japanese constraint is the inability to switch off the shutter sound on the iPhone. In Japan this is to prevent what they call ‘upskirt’ photos. I’m not sure if that’s been successful or not…

But even that restriction has led to a positive. I’ve found that the shutter sound is so loud that it means I can actually attract eye contact from a stranger, which sometimes just makes for a better picture.

Laurence Bouchard, A Curate's Egg

How do you capture potential through the lens of constraint?

Laurence Bouchard

“You need to be more focused…”

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