From the heavy duty camera packs and film equipment to the point-and-shoot cameras, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia brings out street style photographers from all different tech levels. But this year, in amongst the horde of cameras was Annette Widitz wielding her iPhone – and capturing the moments with just as much talent as the more high tech machinery.

As we bring you some of her influencer street style snaps, we chat to Annette about just why she decided to ditch the camera in favour of an iPhone…

Sammy Robinson

Talk me why you went with an iPhone rather than a camera for your street style photography at MBFWA?
I feel it’s less intrusive using an iPhone – people are more likely to pose for you and you’re more able to get snaps of the in-between moments. Once you focus on the subject, you can actually hold the phone down on Burst Mode and then pick the best shots. What I usually do with an iPhone, that I find I can’t do with a big camera, is that I firstly focus on the subject and then I look them in the eyes and talk to them. When they’re engaging and smiling, that’s when I press the shutter – and you seem to capture a split moment of an emotion or a look with an iPhone. I can also then share them on social media really quickly.

You’ve done a lot of events shooting on an iPhone. Can you tell me a bit about this?
The last couple of years I’ve started shooting solely with an iPhone at events. I do a street photography project every year called the 24 Hour Project where you shoot one photo or post one photo to Instagram every hour for 24 hours live from the streets of your city. It’s an amazing challenge – that’s all via iPhone. I’ve shot Mardi Gras a couple of times on iPhone. Now with the Portrait Mode, it’s so good because you can blur out the background as well – so you get that SLR effect and you don’t have to lug around a heavy camera!

Twice Blessed

How did you get started in iPhone photography?
In 2012, I actually had a kidney transplant and so I had a lot of time on my hands because I was on immuno suppressants for six months and couldn’t be around a lot of people. I always loved photography – so I got myself an iPhone, got obsessed with Instagram and learnt how to use it. I was then out shooting every day, all day. And that’s how my numbers grew on Instagram and my photography improved day by day. I got to build up this amazing community around me on Instagram. It started from there and then I had a car accident and had a terrible back and hip injury – but having an iPhone is amazing because you can still undertake great photography without having to lug around a huge camera, which right now I find really difficult. I do still use my SLR occasionally, but not very often just because it’s too cumbersome. An iPhone is something I’ve seen lots of people use that are either disabled or older or really young and can’t afford the SLR yet, and they still take amazing images. I just think it’s fantastic. The phone just makes the art of photography more accessible to everybody, not just those that can afford an expensive camera.

What were your highlights of this year’s MBFWA?
I really enjoyed capturing people like Kym Ellery. It was amazing to see and shoot her – I love her fashion and she’s such a well known icon in the Australian fashion industry. I also met Pia Muehlenbeck, and that was really cool.

Saasha Burns

Main image: Kate Waterhouse
Follow Annette on Instagram at @dawa_lhamo