Image credit: Time Magazine

When superstorm Sandy was approaching, New York photojournalist Ben Lowy, 33, didn't grab his high-end camera equipment. He grabbed his iPhone 4S, put it in his pocket, and headed out on assignment for Time magazine.

Time sent out a handful of photographers with iPhones to capture the storm, but it was Lowy's photo that made the cover of the Nov. 12 issue. "The photo was taken on Coney Island," Lowy told ABC News. "I was watching the waves come in and I went into the surf about waist deep and waited for some crazy waves to come along."

The photo was taken with just the iPhone 4S - no lens accessories. Lowy did use Hipstimatic, an application that lets you add effects to photos. Lowy actually created his own photojournalism lens pack in the app with the help of the company.

Apps like that and the great optics of the iPhone make him feel comfortable leaving his higher end camera equipment at home now, he said. "I used to not feel confident, but I definitely do feel that way now." His one complaint about the iPhone is poor image quality in low light. Apple has tried to improve with the iPhone 5; Lowy hasn't yet upgraded to one.

Lowy has been shooting with his iPhone since 2010. He shot a series of photos in Libya for The New York Times Magazine and the political conventions for The New Yorker.