I used to think that the quality of a travel photograph was mostly hardware dependent, that a fancy Single Lens Reflex (SLR) or Four Thirds camera was critical towards capturing beautiful travel photos. Shots taken with my older, Canon SD300, for example, always seemed to be grainy, poorly lit and generally embarrassing to share among my friends and family. By contrast, my recent Canon Rebel XTi seems to take good photos irrespective of lighting, location or movement. Put enough monkeys in a room with a box full of SLRs, so they say, and the photos will turn out good eventually.

Application, I know now, is much of the battle. ISO speeds, megapixels, sensor quality and number of espressos consumed are all important variables in composing an ideal shot, and with enough training and tinkering, many cameras can produce a beautiful shot.

And then there's the photographer's eye, or simply put, skill. In a recent series for the Associated Press, photographer David Guttenfelder put together a stunning feature on the life of US armed forces in Afghanistan, shot solely behind the lens of his trusty iPhone. Yes, with 3 megapixels, no zoom, no flash and a tiny lens, Guttenfelder captured a series of photos better than all of the photos that I'll ever shoot in my entire life. As it goes to show, talent, skill and composition are better than any hardware that money can buy.

Take a look at the series over at the AP website.

Want some more inspiration? Head over to our own Karen Walrond's posterous blog for shots that she's captured on her very own iPhone.

Filed under: Photos, Afghanistan, Middle East