CRITTENDEN,Ky.—I prepared for work as normal, by drinking my coffee on my deck while staring over a cow pasture into the sky. Typically, I watch the sun brighten the horizon during the rise.
On this morning, I’m awake at 2 am to drive to Columbus, Ohio to operate the IFB Bridge. As I slurped my java (yes, I’m a loud coffee drinker) I noticed the constellation Orion stepping over the eastern sky.
I reached for my iPhone 11 (not the pro) and tried to capture the notorious hunter. Actually, I was not sure if I could grab the shot when considering the Moon’s luminosity. Well, you never know until you try, so I took my shot.
Here’s the deal, the iPhone is an amazing workhorse. From shooting selfies to recording in-depth television interviews, this piece of equipment will perform about any task that you need when in a hurry.
No, this thing was never meant to compress your shot from 400 meters away. However, it has an amazing macro focus and wide angle mode. Under decent lighting conditions, daylight, the zoom is decent enough.
I’ve shot award winning stories with a phone, as far back as 2012. Most recently, Tanya O’Rourk with WCPO, and I won an Emmy Award for a two part crime series in 2017. I used only a phone and an iPad to capture the video. An ENG camera was used for one interview.
One of my favorite phone stories is when world renowned bassist Adam Ben Ezra visited Cincinnati to pick up a five stringed bass. I used an ENG camera for one interview.
From capturing my kids sporting events to high quality television production, a phone is a great tool to have, even when watching a winter constellation rise in the middle of the night.
The last time I drove my son home after a baseball game. Cameron finished playing in the Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League of Kentucky in the Lexington, Ky. area. I had been driving him to and from games for 14 years. If the pandemic never came, I would not have been able to experience this moment. 
tonymirones 