Stretching iPhone 11's focal range beyond the camera's default setting

As most photographers know, a phone camera comes in very handy when you find yourself without your regular gear. And if you have a quality phone camera, which is what you have in the iPhone 11, it's also handy when you need a shot pronto ... and/or just don't feel like stopping to mess with preparing a camera, lens and settings.

I didn't have my gear with me yesterday when I took a stroll through Preston Ponds Park, a modest neighborhood green space in the Preston area of western Cary. The park has a pond equipped with a fountain and a habitat that includes turtles.

So I turned to the iPhone, and these are a few of the dozen or so shots I took during my visit. This time, I didn't see any turtles, so I just used the phone for a few landscape shots.

One of the 11's features is to allow you to stretch the focal range beyond the default parameters, which I've already used on quite a few occasions since getting the phone last month. The photos leading off the post and the one immediately below are good examples. I'm not sure I would have been able to fit the entire pond in a composition this close to the water even with my Canon 24-70mm.

The stone pathway along the pond (second photo below) is new since I was there last; the whole area you see in that photo had been simply mulch. The pond waters were so still, I grabbed several reflection shots (also below). Along the park's perimeter flanking Creek Park Drive are several holly bushes, and as the photos near the bottom depict, they were display some bright red berries.