Berlin Through My Phones
Huawei vs Berlin
Over the 2.5 years I lived in Berlin, my Huawei Mate 20X — which I’d had since 2020 — turned out to be a solid starting point for getting into photography. What began as quick snapshots gradually turned into a steady, intentional practice. I found myself paying more attention to light, lines, and the moments in between. These images reflect not just the city, but my growing connection to photography — a visual diary of learning to see, and to compose, using what I had in my hands, despite the limitations.
Along the way, I also got into editing — mostly by messing around with sliders until things looked better (or at least more interesting). I didn’t follow rules at first, just instinct and a lot of trial and error. Over time, I started to figure out what worked and what didn’t. I began learning more seriously from experienced photographers on YouTube and started to understand how to make a photo feel more like what I saw — or what I wanted it to feel like.
Next Step, Still Mobile
After a while, I had saved up enough of my own money and decided it was time for an upgrade — so I went for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’d never owned an iPhone before, but I was drawn to the camera quality — especially for video — and, let’s be honest, the hype.
I considered getting a proper camera at that point, but I didn’t feel quite ready. I wanted a new phone anyway, so I went with something that could do both. With my editing skills improving in Lightroom, I figured I could still produce good photos even without making the jump to “real” gear.
By then, I had already moved to Hannover, so I didn’t have as many chances to capture Berlin with the new phone — just whenever I came back to visit friends.
As you can see, these shots are in 16:9 or 2:3 ratio. That’s because I mainly shared my work on Instagram Stories and wanted the images to fill the screen. Looking back, I kind of regret not exploring the other ratios and focal lengths the iPhone actually offered — especially since that’s one of its key camera features.
So yeah, everything here was taken with phones — not for the aesthetic, but because it’s what I had, and it worked. The Mate 20X was glued to my hand the whole time I lived in Berlin, and it quietly became my first camera. No big plan, no big gear, just me pointing at things and slowly figuring it out.
I spent almost a year with the iPhone 15 Pro Max before deciding to upgrade. The camera is great, the video quality is superb, and it’s incredibly convenient —but after a while, I started to feel boxed in. It felt quite limiting after a while. I wanted more control over how I shoot, more flexibility in different light (especially in low-light situations) and more room to work with in editing. Basically, I outgrew it. (And also because I was heavily influenced by too many photographers on Youtube…)
So I started learning how real cameras work — deep-diving into YouTube videos, trying to understand better about settings I’d never had to think much about before: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, all the fun stuff. The more I learned, the more obvious it became that there’s a whole other level you just can’t reach with a phone — no matter how good the software is. Real cameras give you actual control. And once I started looking at the work of photographers who knew what they were doing, it was hard not to be convinced that it was time to buy a real camera.
In the next post, I’ll share what came after: the painfully indecisive phase where I tried to figure out which camera to get for a beginner. I spent way too much time comparing specs, watching YouTube reviews. Eventually, I picked one. And yes, I took it straight back to Berlin — because apparently, I can’t resist photographing the city I left, just with better gear and higher expectations.