On September 16, 2026, Apple unveiled a new photography exhibition, "What Holds Us," featuring original work shot entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro. Three internationally recognized photographers put the iPhone's first-ever variable aperture camera through its paces, with the show opening in New York on September 18 before touring to London and Shanghai[1].
"What Holds Us" Opens in New York on September 18
The exhibition was curated by Kathy Ryan, the longtime photo director of The New York Times Magazine. Built around the theme of what connects us as people, it brings together new work by Alex Prager, Jack Davison and Jimmy Chin, all shot exclusively on the iPhone 18 Pro[1]. The show runs September 18 through 20 at 456 West 18th Street in New York City, and is scheduled to travel to London and Shanghai over the following months[1][4].
Three Photographers, Three Views of What the iPhone 18 Pro Can Do
Mountaineer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin photographed climbers in British Columbia's Bugaboo mountain range, moving from tight close-ups to sweeping aerial shots while carrying minimal gear[1].
Portrait photographer Jack Davison shot intimate images of people working with clay and chalk inside a former sugar warehouse in London. He noted that shooting from a low angle without holding the camera up to his eye let him keep eye contact with his subjects, making the process feel more personal[1].
Alex Prager, known for orchestrating vivid crowd scenes, filmed a festive, swirling crowd on a Los Angeles soundstage, combining aerial views with close-up shots[1]. Davison praised the iPhone 18 Pro's camera for "the ability to switch between lenses, use slower shutters, and shoot RAW," calling it "such a potent package"[1].
A World First: Four Selectable Aperture Settings
The exhibition rests on a genuine hardware milestone: the first variable aperture ever built into an iPhone. According to Apple's official specifications, the 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera uses six laser-cut blades that rotate to switch between four aperture settings — ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4.0[2][3]. That range lets photographers improve low-light image quality while deliberately controlling depth of field, a capability several of the featured photographers specifically praised[1][3].
The camera system also includes a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens with a 13mm focal length, an ƒ/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view, plus a 48-megapixel Telephoto lens with a 100mm focal length, an ƒ/2.8 aperture and 4x optical zoom, extending to as much as 16x with optical-quality zoom overall[2]. Processing is handled by the new A20 Pro chip, which pairs a 6-core CPU (2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) with a 7-core GPU featuring Neural Accelerators and a dual 16-core Neural Engine[2]. The Camera app's new Pro Controls let photographers manually adjust aperture, shutter speed and white balance, with support for shooting in RAW[1][3].
Summary
Apple is showcasing the first variable aperture camera ever built into an iPhone with "What Holds Us," a photography exhibition of original work by three acclaimed photographers, opening September 18 in New York. Combining a four-stop aperture system running from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.0 with the processing power of the new A20 Pro chip, the iPhone 18 Pro is shown handling everything from mountain landscapes to intimate portraits and large-scale crowd scenes. The exhibition is set to travel to London and Shanghai in the months ahead.
Source[1]: https://www.apple.com/jp/newsroom/2026/09/celebrating-what-holds-us-on-iphone-18-pro/
Source[2]: https://www.apple.com/iphone-18-pro/specs/
Source[3]: https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2139662.html
