Selphie by Dave Weekes

However minimalistic his captions might seem, Japanese photographer’s Dave Weekes images of his native Tokushima City couldn’t be more graphic. As I’m staring at a selection of his work for the zillionth time on my computer, the titles come to explain once again the reasons I’ve initially admired his vision and keep returning to his work whenever in search of thought, emotion, or inspiration. “Woman Crossing On A Rainy Day As Seen From A Bus”, “Phone Booth”, “Window Washers”  “Red Umbrella Before An Approaching Typhoon” “A Woman Rushing Past” “4 Stories” “Man On Overpass” “Alone On A Train” “Taxi” “Read” “Boy At Airport”.

This is the kind of photography that chronicles the subdued, the common and the mundane in ways only exercised by poets. For Dave Weekes is truly a poet at recording light, shadow or any other kind of electromagnetic radiation that’s associated with the medium of photography. Textured and layered to otherworldly proportions, his images transcend time and space, they somehow feel magical but at the same time very real.  

With this prologue beginning to get in the way of allowing the artist to speak for himself, I therefore relieve you of my blabbering and pass on word to Dave, in this Life In LoFi interview that I was privileged to have been given.

Gas

Life In Lofi: Multi-layering is an element of great significance to your work. A single image contains a variety of points of perception, and focal points are often distorted beyond recognition. As a result, the final result springs out mystery, poetry, hope, solidarity and a whole array of emotions, open to individual interpretation. How do you explain your relationship with layers, textures and editing?

Dave Weekes: Most often I don’t have a clear idea of the final image in mind. I sometimes have a rough idea or a “feeling” that I’m after when I edit, sometimes no idea at all. It’s very much a journey of discovery. It’s a fun and therapeutic process to come to the end result. It brings to mind my favorite toy as a child, which was Lego. I think the slogan was “It’s a new toy everyday.” I get the same satisfaction and feeling of discovery creating images on my iPhone. I never really know what the final result will be.

LOFI: Did you set out from the beginning to create this kind of photography? Did you have a strict vision from early on? Or did it just happen that way?

DW: I originally bought my first iPhone, a 3GS for a few reasons. In no particular order; I love Apple products, I needed a phone, I like gadgets and I had seen on flickr someone who had used the Tilt Shift Generator app to create these cool miniature street scenes. I had wanted to buy a Lensbaby for my DSLR to experiment with tilt shift, but when I saw that I could do the same on an iPhone I was sold. From there I started experimenting and buying more and more apps. I found that I was finally able to realize some of the images/ideas I had in my mind. So really, my aesthetic has been there for ages. The iPhone, combined with the multitude of apps available allowed me to bring that out. It’s still progressing and I hope it never stops being a work in progress. There are still lots of concepts and ideas that I’m still not skilled enough to bring to reality. Time will tell.

LOFI: When or why did you decide to start taking pictures? Did someone draw you into it? And how has that relationship with photography evolved ever since?

DW: I started taking pictures in elementary school. I had an Instamatic camera, the type that used 110 film cartridges. In high school I took photography and even bought an old enlarger and printed black and whites in my basement. A few years after college I spent a year at a commercial photography school. I had every intention of making photography my career, I was particularly interested in stock photography. This was in the early 1990’s. Digital was on the horizon, but everyone shot chrome. I used Fuji Velvia, it cost about $1 a shot. I quickly ran out of money and as I started working to pay my rent and eat my dream and desire to do something with photography faded ever so slowly into the background. The iPhone changed all that!

LOFI: Tom Waits used to say that his whole approach to songwriting was a bad imitation of Louis Armstrong. Naturally, he was being moderate, and merely trying to underscore the creative interaction with his artistic heroes. Would you care to share with us your own influences? Mind you, these need not be necessarily restricted to photography.

DW: This is a good question. From an early age I was drawn to National Geographic Magazine. We had a subscription and I would basically wait by the mailbox each month for it to arrive. I poured over the images and I think that helped me develop my sense of composition and use of shape, shadow and light. Some photographers I discovered growing up include, Ernst Haas and Bill Brandt. As for other creatives, I am inspired by individuals who bring something fresh to an art form, while also remaining honest and true to themselves. Some notables; Brian Eno, David Bowie, Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame), Woody Allen, Federico Garcia Lorca, the list goes on…

LOFI: How often do you work on your iPhoneography? Do you spend as much time on editing your photos as you do on going out there and capturing them?

DW: Since buying my 3GS in December of 2009, I’ve shot and posted images almost everyday. I did go through a period this summer and fall where I began to lose my focus and saw myself slowly slip away from the community. From the beginning of this year I’ve made it a bigger part of my life and have resumed posting almost everyday. As for time spent shooting versus editing, I’d say I spent more time shooting. I honestly edit my images fairly quickly.

LOFI: What has been the some of the challenges of using the iPhone as a camera?

DW: I think the biggest challenge for me has been the fixed focal length. When I shoot with my DSLR I use a zoom lens and I like to crop in camera. I know the iPhone has a digital zoom, but I never use it. It has forced me to become braver and get closer to my subjects.

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LOFI: Do you feel your work gets the attention it deserves? Does it matter to you?

DW: I think I’ve been really lucky with the attention I’ve received. While I don’t have tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, I have been fortunate to have been in numerous mobile photography exhibits and recognized on most of the mobile photography blogs and awards. My work has also been published. Compared to where I was two and a half years ago I couldn’t be happier. Although a few more Instagram followers might be nice!

LOFI: What’s your preferable social network for uploading photos? To my knowledge, you post your work almost everywhere: Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr, EyeEm, Blurb Mobile. How would you compare them?

DW: I started with Flickr and still post there, but not as often. I’ve been with EyeEm since day one and they’ve shown me a lot of support (thanks guys!) Now I post everything to Instagram and select from there what I post to EyeEm and Flickr. I can see myself moving more to EyeEm in the future. The UI on their app has improved greatly and there is a very nice sense of community with them compared to IG.

LOFI: Impossibly enough, you haven’t anthologized a photo book of your work yet. Why so?

DW: Well, actually I have, I just didn’t tell anyone about it. I had a solo exhibit last fall in the public gallery space of the local power station. I wanted to have a book to be able to show more of my work. My plans were a bit too ambitious for the time that I had so I created a book from my Instagram feed using Blurb. I called it “Speedbook”. It took all of 5 minutes plus two weeks shipping. I let the Blurb photo gods do their thing. I will create a proper book sometime in the future. I have some ideas on how I want it to look, but don’t know yet how to achieve that.

LOFI: You’re already responsible for a vast amount of work, but can you bring yourself to choose a single image that never fails to make you go “wow”? That makes worth all your while?

DW: Yes, there is one image called “Crowds” that I shot last year at Ebisu Matsuri, a festival here in Tokushima to bring good luck to businesses and businesspeople.

Crowds

LOFI: Do you ever have a creative block? If so, what do you do to break out of it? Do you look at the work of other iPhoneographers to be re-inspired?

DW: I often have creative blocks. So far I haven’t found a magic cure for that. Sometimes viewing other photography or movies will inspire me. Sometimes certain music will do the trick. I’ve learned not to force it. It’s kind of like a baby, it’ll come out when it’s ready!

LOFI: Do you also shoot with other cameras other than an iPhone?

DW: Yes I do. I use a Nikon D80. I would dearly love to shoot with a medium format digital camera, but at this point, they are a little out of my price range.

LOFI: For all the good mobile photography has done, do you feel it’s all become too easy now? That so many people can claim they are “photographers,” simply because they can post to Instagram?

DW: No, not really. I think it’s great that so many people are using Instagram and other social networking apps and sites. No matter how easy it becomes to do anything there will only ever be a small number who truly excel at any one particular thing.

LOFI: I’ve read somewhere that there’s only two kinds of photographers: farmers and hunters. I suppose that applies to the “chance or method” dilemma. Which category would you put yourself under?

DW: Hmm, I think I might be more of a hunter. I like to walk around and find interesting light, shadows, situations. I’m not very patient, so I need to be moving around.

LOFI: Apart from being a perfect camouflage for street photography, do you prefer shooting with your headphones on? Does the kind of music you listen to unconsciously determines your artistic outlet?

DW: I never shoot with headphones on. I find that really distracting. I like to be as much in the moment as I can.

LOFI: If I could give a title for this interview and for your photography in general, I’d name it “Extraordinary behind the ordinary”. Give us the 9 remaining rules for a “ten rules for street photography” short guide.

DW: Thank-you! I’m not really very good at following rules let alone creating them, but I’ll give it a shot.

In no particular order:

- Shoot, shoot and shoot more.

- Respect your fellow mobile photographers. (This is important)

- See light; shoot it. See shadow; shoot it.

- Find support. Not emotional, but hold that iPhone firmly, lean against something when shooting, images will be much sharper. (I break this rule all the time).

- Experiment

- Have fun.

- Don’t be shy.

- Clean your lens.

- Shoot for yourself, be honest!

LOFI: Is it my own impression that you have a great affection for the common people? Your photography usually chronicles the working class, the passer-by, the elders, the station to station commuters.

DW: I do have a great affection for all people. In my eyes everyone is equal. I don’t go out of my way to shoot a particular type of person, it probably just represents the demographic that makes up where I live.

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Tunnel Vision

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Wall

Blood Orange

Walker

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All photography in this post ©Dave Weekes. All rights reserved.

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Dave Weekes." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

Tracy Munson of Photocruncher interviewed her recently. In case you missed it elsewhere, click here to read this great interview with Jennifer, “Talking to iPhoneography Artist Jennifer Bracewell.”

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"Cool Link: The PhotoCruncher Interview of iPhoneographer Jennifer Bracewell." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

Operating under the moniker Konstruktivist, Dan Cristea is one of the most prolific and original iPhoneographers around. Based in Toronto, Canada, he is a graphic designer as well as founding member of the Lofimode.com website, which he runs along with friend and fellow iPhoneographer Richard “Koci” Hernandez.

Yesterday, we presented Part I of Dimitris Karathanos’ extensive interview. In Part II, Dan Cristea talks more about his photography, his style, and gives advice to shoot by. Click past the jump for the conclusion. >>>

Life In LoFi: What other photographers inspire you? On second thought, let’s make this question more challenging…. Let’s exclude the major, popular artists! Who are the iPhoneographers that are tragically underestimated?

iPhoneograper Konstructivist, also known as Dan Cristea

Dan Cristea: Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time looking for new iPhonographers but from the ones I follow on Instagram I would have to say; @felixzero, @Intao, @ilein, @twopennykarma, @daveweekes68, @_blemish_ , @rottenronnin, @vladatat, @du_lim, @xxxyxyz, @dopez, @fabgrassi, @dayzdandconfuzd, @aniexe, @saturninofarandola.

LOFI: Do you ever have a creative block? If so, what do you do to break out of it? Do you look at the work of other iPhoneographers to be re-inspired?

DC: Yes, of course I do. I believe that any creative individual has some sort of block, it’s inevitable but necessary.I often try to break away from photography because it can be overwhelming at times. Just like a muscle, you have to break it in order to build it back, to make it stronger and more efficient. Therefore, rapture is necessary in order to evolve.  If I would say that I don’t look at other iPhoneographers I would lie. I might go for a walk without shooting. But instead look at things and try to capture them with my mind’s eye. It’s a different way of training the mind to be more receptive next time I shoot. Everyday people and nature inspires me a lot as well as some good readings and spending quality time with my family.

LOFI: Do you also shoot with other cameras other than an iPhone? In fact, I know you do. I just thought this might be a good chance to discuss your love of Polaroid.

DC: My love for photography came way before the iPhone existed so yes, I do shoot with other cameras. I’m starting to have very interesting collection and some of them go back as far as 1930. Like any amateur photographer, I started with black & white film back in the days and moved between different types of cameras and films. Recently, I shot a couple of slides with my Polaroid SX-70 and the Silver Shade film from The Impossible Project that I plan on enlarging and have them up in some galleries around Toronto and hopefully in other places in the world. Very excited about this project.

LOFI: For all the good mobile photography has done, do you feel it’s all become too easy now? That so many people can claim they are “photographers,” simply because they can post to Instagram?

DC: Well, I’ve always said that there are those who take a picture and those who photograph. But more than anything I think that IG is a learning platform where anyone can truly learn from each other in a friendly and dynamic environment. ?I’ve witnessed incredible improvements from those who really are passionate about this medium and it is only going forward, very exciting time to be alive.

LOFI: Although you’ve mastered a very unique style — by looking over and over at your photos, I’d say there’s two Konstruktivists: one of them is constantly out on the streets, capturing moments, posting raw, almost unedited street photography, shot from the hip, Cartier-Bresson style. The second Konstruktivist, (partly perhaps due to your relation to graphic design), creates complex diptychs, triptychs and multilayered image collages by using an arsenal of apps in an attempt to evoke emotion and narrate visual stories. How are those two characters of your get along with each other? Do they co-exist in harmony with each other? Or are they ruthless competitors?

DC: I truly believe that highly visual creative people are multi-dimensional. When I look at some of the Instagrammers that I greatly admire and follow, I often think of what else they could accomplish creatively if they had to?

I have a genuine love for street photography that I would never be able to get away from and I am perfectly happy with that. But on the other side of the coin there is this creative spirit in me that wants to evoke emotions in a totally different light. Graphic design has a tremendous importance to me and I try to use it in order that it compliments an image rather than just adding “cool elements” to it. In the end it’s all about visual communication really and how well that images speaks to others. Because as soon as you decide to post that image, whatever you think about it goes out the window. I’m more interested in “WHY?” instead of “HOW?”

I think that the Dyptics are in a way that middle ground between pure street photography and illustration. I love the simplicity of it and how strongly it can communicate. All that said, I would like to think that these to sides of my creativity compliment each other rather than competing. But, maybe subconsciously they do?

LOFI: I’ve read somewhere that there’s only two kinds of photographers: farmers and hunters. I suppose that applies to the “chance or method” dilemma. Which category would you put yourself under?

DC: Without a single doubt, hunter!

LOFI: Apart from being a perfect camouflage for street photography, do you prefer shooting with your headphones on? Does the kind of music you listen to unconsciously determines your artistic outlet?

DC: Funny enough I rarely shoot with my headphones on. For some people it works really well, and others not so much. I like to be aware of my surrounding as much as possible. The street sounds are a very important element of how I work. It’s a language on it’s own and I like to tune in as much as possible. Also, it is a question of safety. If you ever ask my fiends how it is to walk with me on the streets you will soon find out that one second I can be near you and the next running on the other side of the street to catch something, haha. I’m a bit erratic that way.

LOFI: If I could give a title for this interview and for your photography in general, I’d name it “Expect the Unexpected”. Give us the 9 remaining rules for a “ten rules for street photography” short guide.

DC:

1.    Don’t think, just shoot (Koci)
2.    Observe, observe, observe
3.    Visualize ( See it before you shoot it)
4.    Don’t have the lock screen on your iPhone
5.    Be ready to shoot at any moment
6.    Find the right camera that defines your own style
7.    Avoid shooting with the native iPhone camera
8.    Be curious
9.    Understand light, it’s almost everything.

LOFI: Let’s discuss humans: is it my own impression that you have a great affection for the down-and-out characters? Your photography usually chronicles the working class, the poor, the elders, the outcasts.

DC: As a story teller/photographer you have the duty to notice the N.O.W. And when I say that, I mean Notice Our World. I’m not a journalist and my pictures surely don’t translate that feeling. What interests me more than anything else is the human condition. If a picture does not evoke a sentiment or a feeling that I can personally relate to, it simply does not interest me. So in that sense, yes I do have affection for certain kind of people. However, it is a very personal thing that it is very difficult to explain. The more I shoot the more I think that my work is focused more on a wide spectrum of emotions more than anything else. I know deep down inside that this is where I’m going for.

LOFI: I’m borrowing a quote from one of your photos from your stream for the next question: “I do not judge, I only chronicle”, by John Singer Sargent. All of your images are complimented by famous quotes on every possible subject, from art, to love, to loneliness, to time, and so forth. I’ve noticed that many of your followers relate themselves to those quotes, the combination of text and image helps them go through stuff. Is that your initial intention? And what comes first? Does it all start with the image or do you have the quote in mind and then go after the picture?

DC: I never wanted to publicly educate people because it is not my job to do so. The quotes that I post along with the images are often there to support my thoughts. But first and foremost these quotes are there because they help move through some personal stuff. And if I am successful in my expression, I am more than happy that it reaches out to others because that’s what art is supposed to do. Or at least that’s how I like to think about it.

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Contact: lofimode.com

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Dan Cristea – Konstruktivist, Part II." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

iPhoneograper Konstructivist, also known as Dan Cristea

Operating under the moniker Konstruktivist, Dan Cristea is one of the most prolific and original iPhoneographers around. Defying categorization or conventional rules of composition, his images convey a strong sense of artistic vision, as well as an affectionate eye for strange characters. Based in Toronto, Canada, he is a graphic designer as well as founding member of the Lofimode.com website, which he runs along with friend and fellow iPhoneographer Richard “Koci” Hernandez.

In the Life In LoFi interview, Dan shares his thoughts on life, his style, and his aesthetic approach to photography. This extensive interview is being presented in two parts. Click past the jump for part I. >>>

Life In LoFi: When or why did you decide to start taking pictures? Did someone draw you into it? And how has that relationship with photography evolved ever since?

Dan Cristea: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination about the idea of what a camera can do.  My father, who is an amateur photographer, is probably the main reason why I started taking pictures. I remember vividly even now taking his Zenith-E Special Olympics off his shoulder and running away to snap a picture of my parents while vacationing in Romania. I was about 9 or 10 years old at the time if my memory is correct.  The idea of capturing a fragment of life on to a piece of paper with this mysterious big black box was something very fascinating to me. But more than anything, it was the honesty of the medium that truly fired up my enthusiasm. One of the major key elements that I’ve learned from him was to be spontaneous, to be alert at all times about my surroundings and sink in the moment when a situation is most “vulnerable” if I may say so. His candid approach to photography is something that I’ve carried with me ever since then.

LOFI: Would you care to share with us your influences? Mind you, these need not be necessarily restricted to photography.

DC: Sure, my influences are a bit all over the place to be honest. I admire very much classic photographers such as; Henri Cartier-Bresson, Roy DeCarava, Louis Faurer, Andre Kertesz, William Eggleston, Fred Herzog, Vivian Maier and Keith Weaver the list can go on.

But if I would have to pinpoint one major influence I would have to be, Saul Leiter. His approach to photography is an invitation to the eye, to see what you normally wouldn’t see. He has a very suggestive style of shooting and that’s because he first started as a painter. Later on, when he moved into photography, he brought along with him, all the texturing and the feel of  a painting, he’s absolutely mind-blowing. He was also one of the first street photographers to shoot in color throughout the 40’s and 50’s. A huge source of inspiration to me and I could never get enough of his work. I find myself flipping through his books at least once a week.

I also find inspiration in classic traditional paintings. I very much admire the work of John Singer Sargent for his incredible sense of light and composition, Phil Hale for his distinguished body language and staggering sense of hyperrealism. I find that the fact that I started to draw at a very early age, really affected a lot the way I see and look at things around me. However, that made me realize how important it is to understand light, shadows, composition, proportions and geometry. If you look at the work of John Singer Sargent for example, you quickly understand how every single element had a fundamental role. Every detail was thought out, nothing was compromised but rather celebrated, and I try to transpose that idea into my photography or digital collage as much as possible.

There is something very engrained in me about retro graphics & typography. When I was young living in Romania, we where very secluded from external visual imagery. What I mean by that is that since I was living in a communist regime, it was very difficult to be able to have your hands on a nice magazine or publications. Luckily for me, my father had a fantastic collection of 60’s and 70’s French and Italian magazines that if found myself flipping through almost on a daily basis without him knowing, of course…hehe! Artists such as Stefan Sagmeister and Mark Weaver have a profound influence on my graphic work. I find a tremendous sense of nostalgia that somehow draws me back to my childhood and brings a very strong sense of creative innocence.

LOFI: How often do you work on your iPhoneography?

DC: As often as possible. Whenever I find a gap of time, during commute or anytime I get bored. I try to kill the time by doing something creative rather occupy my mind with useless thought. Let’s put it this way; it’s my own salvation form the daily boredom.

LOFI: Do you spend as much time on editing your photos as you do on going out there and capturing them?

DC: I would say half and half. With time, I found myself shooting less because the more you shoot the more you know what you really are looking for. Henri Cartier-Bresson said “Your first 10 000 pictures are your worst” I find that to be very true. ?However, I think that it is very important to go thought this process of obsessive shoot, shoot, shoot!! Until you find your own personal style.

LOFI: What has been the some of the challenges of using the iPhone as a camera? As far as I’m aware, you’ve been using an iPhone 3G, which makes the creative risk even bigger, considering its limitations against the latest models. Or would you say that it eventually adds to your unique style?

DC: That’s a great question. I’ve always looked at the iPhone as a camera that I can make phone calls with, not the other way around. To me, the iPhone is that little brilliant and well-designed gadget that I’ve always dreamed to have when I was growing up. I remember when I first started talking to Koci about the incredible possibilities that this “camera” has to offer he said, “This is the darkroom in the palm of your hand!” The fact that I don’t have to sit in front of a computer all day long and I don’t have to lug a big camera over my shoulder really opened a new and exciting door of creative possibilities. In contrast with others, I find the restrains of this new medium extremely fresh and challenging, and forces me to think differently each time I create something.

As far as having the latest iPhone, it’s not something that I pay too much importance. They say that the best camera is the one you have on you. The new iPhone 4S sure is faster, better camera but my process of building an image is rather slow. More often than not, I would start working on something and then let it sit for a while, let it breath like a good wine that you just open. You want to let it breathe so it matures in the back of my head. Same thing when I shoot, I rarely snap something more than once. First because my camera is slower and I mainly shoot with Hipstamatic and second, it confuses the hell out of me… hehe. I rather have one good shot then ten bad ones. So in a way, it does limit me but at the same time I think that the tools you have defines the medium and eventually your style.

LOFI: You’re already responsible for a vast amount of work, but can you bring yourself to choose a single image that never fails to make you go “wow”? That makes worth all your while?

DC: No, and if I would I would stop doing this. I like to think that the best is yet to come, at least the idea of it. I’m never satisfied with what I do, but I guess that’s a good thing. It pushes me to go further and explore more.

LOFI: You met fellow mobile photographer, Richard “Koci” Hernandez, on Instagram. And ever since, you two have been sharing a friendship, you’ve been collaborating on photos and numerous projects. Want to tell us a little about Koci, the lofimode.com site you’ve founded together, the 1197.is convention that you’ve participated in and any of your future projects?

DC: It’s funny that you ask me this question since you are the one to have introduced me to Koci. I came on Instagram around January 2011, so that makes it just over a year ago now. And like many of us, I was very excited to have finally found a platform that was right on what I was looking for. It spoke to me right away and somehow I saw an incredible potential to meet creative like-minded people. When I first discovered the work of Richard Koci Hernandez, I felt like someone had pulled the carpet underneath my feet. For the first time on IG, I found myself going through someone’s feed entirely and being totally captivated by his unique vision and remarkable style. I knew that this man was something else, something very different and his work was sticking out like a sore thumb. So at the time I decided to approach him for some small fun collaboration between the two of us. The idea for lofimode.com came from the famous “How did you do that?” question on Instagram. Since Koci is already a professor at UC Berkeley School of journalism, I thought it could be cool to put together a website where we could share out “tips and tricks” on iPhoneography. So we decided to make some tutorials that we can share with those who are interested in this art form online. In the summer of 2011, Koci and I met for the first time in Montreal, Canada. We both connected right away and ended up walking the streets of Montreal for about two days consistently shooting and feeding off each other’s passion for photography. That ended up as a book that we decided to keep for us, as a memoir of our encounter. It was an experience I will never forget, a true mind opener.

The idea of a workshop came pretty much at the beginning of our friendship and took a lot of time and work before it materialized. We liked the idea of being able to share out thoughts and tips with the world, but we wanted to have a more direct approach. When the opportunity came for us to be part of 1197.is in San Francisco, we jumped to the occasion and put together a presentation in which the goal was not to perhaps teach, but to show the possibilities of the medium and the power of the iPhone.

As for some future projects, yes absolutely. We both have been very busy lately but the way things look right now, we have some nice updates coming up on LFM and hopefully a video tutorial from my end. As for other workshops, the future will tell.

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Dimitris Karathanos’ interview of Dan Cristea concludes tomorrow in Part II.

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Dan Cristea, Part I." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

Awesome Sauce by Sara Tune

We were able to catch up with iPhoneographer Sara Tune recently. Her very cool abstract “Awesome Sauce” won the Mobile Photography Awards in the Juxaposer app category and was overall First Runner-Up and winner of Second Prize in the inaugural MPA. Considering the competition, that’s an even more impressive credential. (Life In LoFi is a media partner of the MPA).

We recently interviewed MPA-winning iPhoneographers Souichi Forusho and krapoz. Sara Tune now shares her thoughts on life, her style, and rediscovering photography with her iPhone. >>>

iPhoneographer Sara Tune and her wee models

Life In LoFi: Hi, Sara! Congratulations on your success in the MPA. Thanks for taking some time for us today.

Sara Tune: Hello! Thank you so much for the congratulations! I’m still in shock! So much Talent in the iPhoneography community! I’m really honored.

LOFI: So, let’s start with the basics. Tell us a little about yourself — where you’re from, your background, what you do.

ST: I was born and raised in Los Angeles basically in the 70′s. I believe I had a very unique and unusual childhood, being that I was an only child raised solely by my mother who was an actress in Hollywood. I’ve always been surrounded by interesting and artistic characters.

I had an early interest in photography and my mother sent me to photography camp. Later, I attended Parsons school of Design in New York City as a photography major. I did not pursue a photography career however and moved back to LA and into the movie business — scenic painting, sculpting and building sets and miniatures. This is where I met my very talented and artistic husband and we are now raising our two kids and constantly working on some house renovation project.

My driving force in life is to be creative and I believe it comes out in everything I do. I’m interested in so many things I find it hard to focus on JUST ONE! I wish I could live forever and try each one as a career or master one at a time! I love architecture and Interior design, landscape design, building stuff, building my own signs (I’ve got some pictures of these), assemblage and collage, photography, music, fashion, cooking and eating food, travel and adventure!

LOFI: What got you started in iPhoneography?

ST: I have to say I stopped shooting pictures for over ten years. For some reason I lost interest in it. Instead my interest became creating these assemblage pieces and big art signs and selling them. But once I had my kids I couldn’t find the time or energy to work on my art. My husband gave me his first iPhone when he upgraded and because it was always with me I started documenting my kids every moves. My love of photography was reawakened and I was inspired again, photographing a subject I loved and was always there.

The first app I found was Shake It, the Polaroid app. Once I found that, I started photographing everything. I then found DXP and I was hooked on pushing the photos to a more artistic level. Because the phone can go everywhere with me, I found myself processing and playing any free moment I had. I love that I can create wherever I go! I’ve processed pictures while driving (in the passenger seat) on long road trips, on the beach, in bed, in the bathtub and yes… on the toilet.

LOFI: I understand. I do some of my best apping there as well. Do you also shoot with other cameras other than an iPhone?

ST: I have two Canon DSLRs, an old 2 1/4 film camera, and a Holga. I really only use the Canons once in a while. They are too heavy for everyday use. I should use them more and master them, but I honestly like the way I see and shoot with the iPhone more!  I used to drag a 4×5 view camera all over New York, but I sold it.

LOFI: How does shooting with the iPhone compare? Do you shoot any differently with the two?

ST: It’s absolutely different and I keep trying to understand why… possibly because you hold the iPhone out in front of you so you’re able to see your whole environment while shooting instead of having your eye just looking through the lens? Sometimes I think not fiddling with all the technical stuff frees me up to just what I’m seeing and feeling. Still not sure though.

LOFI: Tell us about your style. What are you shooting these days?

ST: For a while, I was shooting everything I saw but now its mostly my kids and textures or things of interest for collages. I’ve always been interested in layering and double exposures. I think I’m attracted to the humorous, surreal and bizarre, beautiful moods, personalities and also things that are old, rusted, peeling paint or have a vintage feel.  When I’m feeling brave, I like to ask and take portraits of strangers.

LOFI: Out of your own photographs, which is your favorite?

ST: Hmm… tough question. I love the one of my son riding on the ball. It might be one of my faves. It just came together so right and easy, like it was meant to be. I love some of my straight portraits of my kids maybe because of my connection to them personally.

Maybe two of my favorites might be in my early DXP experimentation days. The one I call “Oceania” of my daughter double exposed with seaweed and “King of 5″. I love how they came out and their bizarre quality.

LOFI: What other artists or photographers inspire you?

ST: Some of the artists who inspire me are Bill Barminski, the painter
Sally Mann, photographer
Annie Liebovitz
Diane Arbus
Edward Keinholtz
… and I recently discovered Tierney Gearon and bought her book “Explosure”. Her double exposure photography blows me away!

LOFI: Would you share with us some of your favorite photo apps?

ST: Right now, I’m still using Camera +, Superimpose, Juxtaposer, Diptic, Pic Grunger, Pixlr-o-matic, Lens Flare, and PhotoForge2. But I feel I need to discover and master more. I have lots of apps, but I’m always going to these.

LOFI: Where do you see iPhoneography and mobile photography going in 2012 and beyond?

ST: I have no clue, but I hope it goes more commercial! I would like to get a job shooting with my iPhone!

LOFI: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

ST: Nope. This was hard enough for me .

LOFI: Again, congratulations and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us this year.

ST: Thank you, Marty, for your patience!

LOFI: No problem at all. Thank you for sharing your works and your time with us, Sara.

…

~~~~

Big thanks go to Daniel Berman of MPA for easy access to these MPA winning artists.

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Sara Tune." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

Here is the second in our series of interviews with the winners of the Mobile Photography Awards. (Life In LoFi is a media partner of the MPA). We recently caught up with Souichi Forusho.

Giuseppe Capozzo won the ScratchCam category with his colorful and playful “You, Too”. In the iPhoneography community, he’s better known as krapoz. You may have seen his work in some of our Faved On Flickr showcases last year. We caught up with krapoz recently after the MPA awards announcement. Click past the jump to learn more about krapoz and to read what he has to say. It’s a great read.

Life In LoFi: Hi, krapoz. Congratulations on being one of the finalists in the MPA. Thanks for taking some time for us today.

krapoz: Hi, Marty!

LOFI: Congratulations on being one of the finalists in the MPA. Thanks for taking some time for us today.

I’m extremely honored to appear on such a prestigious stage, so first of all thank you for giving me the chance to share some thoughts here. I’m still shocked to see one of my works among the 25 winners of the MPA. I take this opportunity to shout out loud my big “thank you!” to Daniel Berman, all of the judges, and Steve, the developer of ScratchCam. You’ve done (and always keep doing) a wonderful job!

LOFI: So, tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?

k: Sure! Born in the mid-seventies, I answer to the name of Giuseppe Capozzo. I’m an interactive developer and creative coder living in Italy, in the Milan area; because of my job – as well for personal interest – I’ve always been interested in the mix between art and technology. That’s why iPhoneography has easily become one of my favorite ways to explore this fascinating field.

I’m also a quite eclectic music lover and in the spare time, I try to improve my skills as a youngster husband and father. My only worry is that our days are just 24-hours long and, from time to time, we also need to sleep. Otherwise I’m sure I would have tried to be good at cooking and dishing like a chef.

LOFI: How did you get started in iPhoneography?

k: My approach to iPhoneograhy has been definitely a slow one. I had a 3G model since its release in summer 2008 but until early 2010 I had installed very few photography-related apps (Photoshop Express, PhotoForge, Photogene), just to make very simple edits of my family pictures. During the same year I began to hear some increasing buzz about iPhone photography. To be honest, I was a little skeptical about it, primarily because I was not particularly exalted by the original captures of my 3G.

Anyway, out of curiosity, I downloaded the well-famed Hipstamatic and everything changed. I know this could be the same story of many others out there, but there it is. From that moment on, I found myself spending a lot of time (and money!) right to assemble my brand new camera-bag in the App Store, and exploring (as well as learning a lot from) various blogs and Flickr accounts devoted to iPhoneography.

LOFI: I hear ya about the money…. Tell us about your style. What do you like to shoot?

k: I like contrasts, paradoxes and extremes. That’s why I love to combine discordant – if not opposite – concepts within my images.

I really enjoy visualizing bizarre situations, often at the edge of surreal. Sometimes I tend to approach my creations with a good dose of sarcasm and black humor. Some other I like to be suspended between dream and reality. In all cases I never forget to add a touch of (typically Italian) poetry and romance.

More technically, I use to start from simple shots or neutral sceneries. Then I play with layers and cutouts, merging elements drawn from different pictures or literally synthesized by some weird apps. With the ideal of a balance between narrative and experimentation, I spend a good amount of time testing different solutions for the same image – often stimulated by the features of an app that somehow caught my attention – as well as taking care of small but significant details.

I try to offer the viewer several levels of interpretation or suggestion, in the hope of turning any image into something interesting or at least thought-provoking.

I’m aware that my style is closer to digital painting or graphic design than traditional photography, but one of the main reasons why I love iPhoneography resides in its crossover nature, allowing us to include different approaches under one umbrella. After all, it always starts from photography and always ends up with images whose strongest peculiarity is to have been produced on a mobile device.

LOFI: Out of your own photographs, which is your favorite? Why?

k: More than being my favorite, “do not rush, vanguards of time!” is definitely the one I am most fond of.

LOFI: I know that one. It was selected for a Faved showcase back in June of last year. Very Dali-esque!

k: Besides having a very deep personal meaning, this image represents the first time I thought I had expressed my vision in a complete and satisfying way, as if I had finally focused my style. From then on, although I’ve been pushing and still push myself with most demanding technical challenges on the apping side, I’ve been able to concentrate mostly on the story – or the message – to convey, since I had no more to worry about the right “language” to use.

LOFI: What other artists or photographers inspire you?

k: Without even thinking, I can affirm that I’ve always had the deepest admiration for the surrealist movement, regardless of the artistic context of application. So I could spend hours staring at the immortal creations of Salvador Dalì, Renè Magritte or Giorgio De Chirico, as well as enjoying the always amazing reading of Boris Vian, Raymond Queneau or Stefano Benni.

On the other side, if I were asked to choose three musical outfits for my visual aspirations, I would surely mention the crazy and creative freedom of Mr. Bungle; the dreamy, abstract and powerful soundscapes of Explosions In The Sky; to finish with the dark, urban and vaguely melancholic spirit of Interpol.

LOFI: What are some of your favorite photo apps?

k: Well, as a true app-dicted (sort of an OCD, indeed) I can’t live without my daily visit to the App Store in search of new apps or updates. Over the last three years I’ve installed tons of apps (mainly for photo and music creation) on my iPhone, so extracting a top-list out of my huge collection is a quite tough task. But If I were to outline my favorite apps inside my habitual workflow, categorized by use case, I could get to something like this:

- shooting: Hipstamatic, Lomora 2, 6×6
- general adjustments: PhotoForge 2, Snapseed, Iris Photo Suite, Camera+
- cleaning and perspective correction: TouchRetouch, FrontView
- layering and juxtaposition: Image Blender, Juxtaposer
- artificial lighting: LensFlare, LensLight, Rays
- blur and/or artificial focus: BlurFX, TiltShift Generator, Big Lens
- B&W and color manipulation: Noir Photo, Bleach Bypass, Cross Process
- texturing: ScratchCam FX, Pic Grunger, Photocopier
- final touches and fine-tuning: Photo fx

I would also like to mention the apps from Jixipix, especially the PhotoArtista family, as well as all the ones focused on a more experimental side, like Percolator, WordFoto, Pixel Twister, Decim8 and so on.

LOFI: Where do you see iPhoneography and mobile photography going in 2012 and beyond?

k: With the advent of devices more and more powerful and advanced, I can only predict – or at least hope – a growing success for mobile photography, along with an ever increasing interest in the medium on the part of traditional establishments.

Online communities, social platforms and blogs (long life to Life In LoFi!) will continue to be essential in spreading the word, attracting new participants in the movement and eventually encouraging people to raise the bar on quality and “interestingness” of their images.

Last but not least, I want to stress the importance of events such as the MPA, wishing this is just the beginning of something even more important and large-scaled, in order to help iPhoneography – and the overall mobile photography – gain the deserved respect as a mature artistic expression.

LOFI: One last question…. If you were in charge of design at Apple, what would you want in the iPhone 5?

k: Definitely a more resistant front glass! I have already had the “pleasure” of seeing mine broken into pieces some months ago after an otherwise negligible fall. Apart from this, I do not foresee or expect anything more because I love surprises as much as I love the style and ideas from Apple.

Ok, to be really honest I would go crazy for something like the just announced Polaroid SC1630. Naturally by Apple!

LOFI: Yeah, I’ve got to say that just looking at the specs, that could be a sweet little camera. I’m interested to see how the optical zoom works. Anyway, is there anything that I forgot?

k: This is for all the people and friends who visited, commented, faved and inspired my work online so far: thank you so much my fellows, I always appreciate any form of support and attention you bless me with. And to the amazing guys who operate each one of the other iPhoneography related channels – Nicki from iPhoneography Central, Edgar from iPhoneogenic, Glyn from iPhoneography.com, Yann from i comme Photo, Allan from What I See Now, everyone at EyeEm, just to name a few. Thanks a lot for your work and always keep up your great passion and dedication!

LOFI: Again, congratulations, krapoz, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work in 2012 and beyond!

Thank you again, Marty! I follow Life In LoFi from the very first moment I stepped into iPhoneography, so I will cherish this moment as one the best memories from such an exciting journey. Stay creative and see you all soon.

krapoz’ work can be found online on these websites:

Flickr (flickr.com/krapoz)

IPA (iphoneart.com/krapoz)

EyeEm (eyeem.com/krapoz)

Twitter (@krapoz)

…

~~~~

A big tip of the Fedora to MPA’s Daniel Berman for allowing us to interview some of the winners of the Mobile Photography Awards. =M=

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Giuseppe Capozzo. You know him as Krapoz.." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

In December, the winners of the Mobile Photography Awards were announced (Life In LoFi is a media partner of the MPA). Among the winners was the abstract industrial “Image pic #35″ by Japan’s Souichi Furusho.

You’ve probably seen a lot of Souichi’s work displayed in Life In LoFi’s Faved On Flickr showcases often. His photography is simple yet stunning. He caught everyone’s attention with his stark use of light and shadow. Recently, he has been creating incredible abstract dreamscapes with his photography.

We finally caught up with Souichi. Here’s the Life In LoFi interview. >>>

Life In LoFI: So, tell us a little about yourself — where you’re from, your background, what you do — things like that.

Souichi Furusho: I live in Japan, and work as a graphic designer in the field of advertising media.

LOFI: What got you started in iPhoneography?

SF: I discovered iPhoneography on Facebook and Flickr about the same time I bought my iPhone. That was followed by a variety of delightful encounters with people online. Although I had no prior experience whatsoever as a photographer, I was familiar with working with photographs as part of my career in graphics. This made it very easy for me to use the iPhone applications as picture-making tools. Trying out application began my pursuit of iPhoneography.

Despite an interest in other cameras, I don’t consider myself a person who could use both them and the iPhone well. I can carry my iPhone every day with ease, and this makes it a very useful camera in my mind. You could therefore say I made a conscious decision to shoot exclusively with the iPhone. All considered, I think I made the right choice.

LOFI: Tell us about your style. What are your favorite things to shoot?

SF: My style is what I call “freedom & simple.” And I approach it from many different angles. It is the result of pursuing my own vision, which is represented by my works. I often have the final image in mind at an early stage of the creative process. One challenge becomes seeing whether I can achieve the final image as envisioned using the applications at hand. I then proceed using these various applications as I work to complete a piece. At times, surprising forms take shape while processing, and this can change the final outcome. I find this process quite interesting.

LOFI: Souichi, you caught everyone’s attention with your excellent monochromes — a lot of light, shadow, and a lot of contrast. Recently, you’ve been sharing some brilliant abstracts. How did this evolution come about?

SF: When I began posting on Flickr, I established color divisions and thought that I would present my works according to those. The reason is that I wanted to discover which color would prove significant among my works. I thought I would see a big difference show itself. I also wished to analyze my works through this classification for myself rather than for those who look at my work. However, as I produced images, I found myself making many in monochrome. The black-and-white palette turned out to be one of my favorite “colors”. It offers a simplicity that lets me explore my vision. I feel it was a good idea to attempt this color classification as an approach. I shoot in a variety of situations, most often shooting scenes I come across in daily life. I do not go to various places seeking out shutter opportunities, as do many photographers. I therefore combine photographs taken in everyday life with imaginary scenes and moments as I envision them. This gives birth to “My World” as viewed through my images. All this said, I do think it good to get out and shoot lots of photographs. Of course, it was also indispensable to my evolution to view the work of others.

LOFI: Out of your own photographs, which is your favorite?

SF: My favorite work is “Child pic #07.”

LOFI: Why?

SF: I have many recollections as regards this piece. My son served as my subject, and makes it most important to me. Furthermore, this piece caused me to start being strongly conscious of iPhoneography. It serves as my logo and I use it as my icon. To me, this is the best piece I have created to date. For me, it is also the most wonderful work.

LOFI: I love that photo. That’s your Flickr profile pic. What other artists or photographers inspire you?

SF: I am inspired to try new things by viewing the works of others. It allows me to observe feelings and sensibilities that are not part of my inherent makeup, and I absorb a great deal from the works of other iPhoneographers. Let me introduce some of those who inspire or influence me.

Alan Kastner
Alessandro Greganti
Benedicte Guillon
Carlein van der Beek
Chia Aik Beng
Catriona Donagh
Daniel Berman
Edgar Cuevas
Emily Rose
iPhoneography London (Robson Santos)
Io Analoger
Jennifer Bracewell
Jaime Ferreyros
Janine Short Graf
krapoz
Laura Peischl
Lindsey Thompson
Lene Basma
Liz Grilli
Max Berkowitz
Mariann Nikolaisen
Nacho Cordova
Nicki Fitz-Gerald
Patrick Shourds
Paul Moore
ReCal El Ectro
Robert Herold
Robin Sweet
Robert-Paul Jansen
Stefan Mahè
Sascha Unger
Star Rush
Yammay
Masahiro Jitsuda (iCloud_9 / NyanJiroo)
Blue_Moon_Rabbit
U-ko Pebble (Browneyes)
Takamasa Mitsugi (3S-i)
mutablend

And many others. There are too many to list.

LOFI: Great list. I’m familiar with most of those artists, but there are a few there that I’m going to check out based on your recommendation.

What are some of your favorite photo apps?

SF: Applications I use often include Iris Photo Suite, Filterstorm, FX PhotoStudio, Photo FX, and PhotoClip. All these apps are important to my workflow and were used in producing the pieces I’ve created. Iris Photo Suite broadens the range of my imagination by allowing me to perform compositing processes. My latest favorite is Filterstorm because of its ability to introduce particular details. Photo FX is helpful when processing colors. Each application has its appropriate place and function to me.

LOFI: Where do you see iPhoneography and mobile photography going in 2012 and beyond?

SF: I expect iPhoneography and mobile photography to continue evolving as it becomes more capable. This will also change the nature of the photos we create with them. At the same time, the imaginative power and techniques of those who produce images will evolve further. I think this continued change and its relationship with the ongoing evolution of the hardware and software is most interesting. I think that the evolution will continue to attract even more people to the field.

LOFI: If you were in charge of design at Apple, what would you want in the iPhone 5?

SF: If you allow me to digress…

LOFI: Of course…!

SF: If you allow me to digress, my desire is to see Apple release a version of “iOS” that is designed specifically for children. In conjunction, I would like to see them make a product intended for children. This is my wish.

LOFI: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

SF: I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to a few people. Firstly, I’d like to thank all the friends and families who have supported my efforts. I’d like to thank you for inviting me to do this interview. And, I appreciate the ongoing support shown me by Alan Kastner and Daniel Berman. Thank you all very much!

LOFI: My pleasure! Thank you, Souichi for taking the time to talk with us.

=M=

…

~~~~

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"Spotlight: iPhoneographer Souichi Furusho." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

No. 255 by Lynette Jackson

We’ve been posting the weekly Faved On Flickr showcase since August of 2010. Recently, you may have noticed a lot of images from an iPhoneographer who goes by Page67. That would be Lynette Jackson. Her abstracts caught my eye last summer and she’s been a regular on the weekly showcase since. Her style is unique and mixes high contrast photography, architecture, typography and geometry. I really like her work.

We had a chance to get caught up with Lynette recently. Click past the jump to find out more about this fascinating iPhoneographer.

Life In LoFi: Hi, Lynette! I’ve loved your works since you started sharing your abstracts in LoFi’s Flickr Group last year. You have a very distinct style. Thanks for spending some time with us today.

Let’s start by telling a little about yourself — where you’re from, your background, what you do — things like that.

Lynette Jackson:  I live in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia and work in the Telecommunication industry. As a creative outlet, I have always spent time drawing, painting, and now creating photo images. Although photography is a hobby I have a few clients that I shoot for on a regular basis. Mobile photography has increased my love for photography.

LOFI: What got you started in iPhoneography?

LJ: I am a visual junkie and often surf the internet soaking up photography and design. About two years ago, while surfing I stumbled upon Sion Fullana and instantly intrigued with his iPhoneography. I wanted more information, so I googled “iPhoneography blogs” and a few blogs, including Life in LoFi appeared. Your site legitimized mobile photography for me. I downloaded some photography apps and have been shooting & experimenting since.

LOFI: Do you shoot with other cameras as well?

LJ: I have two Canon DSLR’s which I use for shooting my client’s projects and a Panasonic GF2 as my second camera during vacation.

LOFI: How does shooting with the iPhone compare? Do you shoot any differently with the two?

LJ: A DSLR is straight forward; an iPhone is limiting which forces me to be creative. The most challenging thing about the iPhone is the perspective issue. I prefer shooting with my iPhone in public, it’s less conspicuous than a DSLR with a 70-200mm lens attached.

LOFI: What is “Lynette Jackson’s style?” What do you like to shoot and why?

LJ: I’m not sure if I have a style, but I am inspired by monochromatic photography, modern architecture, and International Style graphic design. I will shoot anything that moves me, landscapes, light & shadows, buildings, but I have a phobia about shooting people — street photography. I don’t want strangers to catch me taking candid shots of them. I love photography as a creative outlet. It gives you instant gratification.

LOFI: I’ve gone back through the images that you’ve shared. You first caught my eye with “Mixed_002. Image 03.” last summer. That whole series was very grungy. I really liked the way you incorporated the type and very stark imagery in those photos. Same thing with “Mixed-Diamond Bar Road.Image 01.” Please tell us about those series’ of images.

LJ: Through Flickr I discovered great artists like Mark Weaver, Stéphane Massa-Bidal, and Ophelia Chong. I was inspired by their handmade and digital collages. So I challenged myself to create similar collages on my iPhone, the results is the Mixed series, not even close to their masterpieces, but it was great fun.

LOFI: Your more recent work is cleaner, less grungy, more abstract and architectural. Tell us more about your recent work.

LJ: In the beginning I was skeptical about architecture as my main subject, but I decided that I should shoot and experiment with things that inspire me. I found ads that Richard Paul Lohse’s created for the Wohnbedarf’s furniture company in 1955 and 1965. The layout is simple and brilliant — a monochromatic image, a simple rectangular color overlay, typography, and great use of space. Each day I am inspired by those layouts.

LOFI: Out of your own photographs, do you have a favorite?

LJ: I don’t have a favorite photograph, but perhaps two favorite moments since I started posting my iPhoneography online. On Instagram I post in series of four, and two series, No._253-256 and No._285-288 is when things seem to fit and work. The series represent a simple blend of 2-3 images, but I found a look that worked for me.

LOFI: What other artists or photographers inspire you?

LJ: I was just recently introduced to Aitor Oritz, but Julius Shulman, Alex Varanese, Andreas H. Bitesnich, Oscar Neimeyer, Richard Neutra, Alex Lustig, Richard Paul Lohse, and Sion Fullana to name a few. Music is also a constant source of inspiration. I am inspired daily by work posted on Flickr and Instagram.

LOFI: Care to share some of your favorite photo apps?

LJ: My apps for processing are SnapSeed, CameraMatic, PictureShow, FilmLab, MagicHour. For  design, it’s iDesign, StripeCam, PicFrame, Decim8, ImageBlender, and Phonto. I use the iPhone Camera for shooting.

LOFI: Where are you currently showing your works — online and in brick-and-mortar galleries?

LJ:  Flicker/p67, iphoneart.com/P67_byLynetteJackson, I post almost daily on Instagram as @P67_byLynetteJackson.

LOFI: Lynette, again, thank you for taking some time to talk with us.

LJ: Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my mobile photography journey. I am excited to have this medium as a form of expression and I am very grateful for the people who take time to visit my work.

LOFI: We look forward to seeing more of your work.

~~~~

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"iPhoneography Spotlight: Lynette Jackson." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

One of Life In LoFi’s promotional partners is the Mobile Photography Awards and it’s one of the largest, highest profile mobile photography contests to date. The MPA was organized by one of iPhoneography’s pioneers, Daniel Berman. You might also know him online as Reservoir_Dan. Dan has been shooting and exhibiting since the early days of iPhoneography, as well as being a highly visible presence online on both Twitter and Facebook.

As the entries phase of the Mobile Photography Awards ends in about a week, we thought this would be a good opportunity to talk with Dan about the MPA and the state of iPhoneography in general.

Entries are still being accepted through November 30, 2011 — that’s about a week away. Click here for more information.

Click past the jump to hear what Dan has to say.

Life In LoFi: Hi, Dan. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview.

Daniel Berman: Thanks, Marty. Firstly, I’m very sorry about your Rangers. Since I had no horse in that race I was truly pulling for you. As a Cleveland Browns fan and a Toronto Maple Leafs fan I have no clue what it means to be that close but I know it must hurt.

LoFi: Thanks, Dan. I don’t think you wanted to talk baseball here, though. As I told you over the phone a while back, I love the concept and how you’re doing the Mobile Photography Awards. What is the MPA and why have you started it?

DB: I’ve been involved one way or another with mobile photography for several years now. I’m passionate about my own iphoneography but what keeps me coming back for more is the talent that I see around me on a daily basis. And there is truly very little being done to harness that talent in a concentrated way outside of the online world. So, the Mobile Photo Awards were founded to promote the medium as an art-form, a commitment to presenting the images in galleries and exhibits.

The short-term goal of the Mobile Photo Awards is to celebrate the medium of mobile photography, the artists, the developers who create the applications and, of course, the beauty of the images. We believe that in order to bring the pictures into the public eye the medium must move beyond online photo sharing. The images must be tactile, printed and framed, viewed on walls in a public space, and treated with the public respect accorded other art forms.

LoFi: How will this further expose Mobile Photography and Mobile Art?

The idea is that over time the awards will grow into something that are covered by the mainstream press. My goal is to bring these images into the public eye much like other international photo awards elevate the stature of the artists and images in particular genres. I see mobile photography as a genre of photography and art at large and it deserves it’s own focus. Hopefully, the gallery shows and exhibits will continue to garner media attention and bring the images into the view of both the public and collectors of fine art.

LoFi: Who are the judges and how does the judging process work?

DB: The judges are drawn from a pool of established talent in the mobile photography and art world. Most of the folks on the panel have been creating pictures with mobiles for several years and have made names for themselves in the community. I felt it was important to populate the jury with people who work in the genre and view/create images everyday. Each category in the awards has a lead judge who will narrow down the entries to five images. The system is “blind”, that is to say that the names of the entrants will not be available to the judges. Then 3 or 4 other members of the panel will join that person to determine a winning image. The grand prize winner will be chosen from among the 25 winning images and be decided upon by the entire panel.

LoFi: How is this event different from similar events?

What distinguishes the Mobile Photo Awards, besides the prizes and exposure of the contest, are the gallery shows.  Yes, there is a $500 Apple Store gift card for the grand prize winner, $50 itunes gift cards for the 25 winners, Keepsy books, free archival prints, and more…but the real award in my mind are the exhibits that will visit three cities for month long runs at established galleries.  I see nothing wrong with 2 night runs but it’s important to me that the exhibits are lengthy, and build momentum to give the press a chance to cover the events and viewers the chance to see the images.

LoFi: Why is there an entry fee?

DB: Like virtually all open gallery calls in the art and photo world there is a nominal entry fee. These fees cover both the prizes as well as the costs associated with the gallery shows. When a brand or a product puts on a gallery show without entry fees the costs are paid for from an advertising/marketing budget and is designed to build awareness for a product. We have no product to sell. The means to an end here is about the art, not about a corporate brand, a particular camera or a piece of software. Not that there is anything wrong with sponsored events, please don’t get me wrong there, it’s just that we are an independent organization and have no product or brand besides the awards themselves.

LoFi: Can you tell us about one of the galleries that will be presenting the MPA exhibit?

DB: Absolutely, the MPA exhbit will be visiting the prestigous ArtHaus gallery in San Francisco from April 4 through April 30th. ArtHaus is an amazing 1700 square foot space in the heart of San Francisco’s art district. It has been voted the city’s best contemporary art gallery the last two years by the media in San Francisco. This is a serious gallery, one of the biggest and most well known to put on a Mobile Photo show and we’re thrilled to be putting on the exhibit there. We expect it to be a big success and are very excited about the run. And more to come!

LoFi: Where do you see the MPA going from here?

DB: Well, let’s hope it’s a success this year and if so we’ll be back next year!

LoFi: How can people enter the awards?

Please visit www.mobilephotoawards.com to enter the awards. The deadline for submissions is November 30. So hurry up and get those images in for a chance to win!

LoFi: Dan, I know you’re busy. Thanks again for taking the time here.

DB: Thanks, Marty!

=M=

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"An Interview with MPA’s Daniel Berman." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

The blogroll in our sidebar isn’t just a place where I swap links. These are links to sites and iPhoneographers whose work I like or blogs I read often. In this “Meet the Sidebar”, we talk with someone who fits both descriptions.

Read past the jump for another look behind our sidebar and meet not only a very talented iPhoneographer, but a prolific blogger as well, Edgar Cuevas.

LOFI: The iPhoneogenic blog is the creation of iPhoneographer and fellow Texan, Edgar Cuevas. Good afternoon and how are things down south, Edgar?

Edgar Cuevas: Hey Marty, it’s nasty out there right now! It’s been hot and rainy the past few days and when it clears up you’re hit with the humidity. That’s what Houston is known for though, heat and humidity. Other than that, everything else seems to be in fair condition.

LOFI: I hear ya. We got it today. Thanks….

Tell us a little about yourself. Who is Edgar Cuevas? What do you do when you’re not taking photos? Tell us a little about where you’re from and how it affects your art.

EC: I’m a native Texan from a place called H-Town. I am student at the University of Houston Downtown studying for a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. When I’m not taking photos, I try to find iPhoneographers to feature on my blog, iPhoneogenic and just being a mid-twenties kind of guy. The enlightenment from interviews with fellow iPhoneographers propels me to keep improving my own work.  Being from the H has its limitations when it comes to my art, especially living in suburbia. If I want to capture something truly unique I have to venture thirty-five minutes into town or an hour the opposite way toward the country fields. The local art scene here is fairly hidden underground, either you know about it or you don’t. Houston is moving from the traditional urban art to a new medium of street art called Wheat Pasting, with guys like Dual and Give Up leading the way. This has inspired me to start a new series in my Flickr iPhoneography in which I will attempt to chronicle the Houston Street Art phenomenon.

LOFI: What formal arts training do you have?

EC: I have no formal training in any art form that I pursue. For the most part, I think anyone is quite capable of creating a masterpiece without formal training. Sure, there is a need for basic knowledge to improve your work but I don’t like dealing with the technicalities that formal training requires.

LOFI: Let’s talk about your iPhonegraphy. How did you get into iPhoneography? (I lifted that one straight from your site!)

EC: I have always used my iPhone to take snapshots, but never thought about the potential of creating art in the realm of iPhoneography. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon iPhoneography.com and Life In Lo-Fi a year ago while searching for a plug-in-play replacement camera with higher resolution for my 3G (no luck). From then on, I was hooked by all of the reviews about photography apps and the inspiring work of others.

LOFI: What types of subjects do you like to shoot?

EC: I tend not to focus on any particular subject. I believe being open to any subject gives you a wider range of possibilities for capturing something you feel is truly unique. Much of my earlier work (not posted online), consists of Mother Nature.

Another aspect of shooting that I love is panoramic shots. There is so much to see around you and panos does a great job of capturing that. Panoramic iPhoneography is quite underappreciated might I add.

Street iPhoneography presents many possibilities as well. Thanks to iPhoneographers like Sion Fullana, Greg Schmigel, and Robson (iPhoneography London) I have found inspiration in the streets. Everything is just so real and I enjoy capturing moments that usually go unnoticed.

Perhaps it’s my unwillingness to conform to one style/subject that keeps me evolving as an iPhoneographer.

LOFI: What are some of your own favorite photos that you’ve shot?

EC: My favorite photos are the ones that usually don’t get much attention on my photo blog and Flickr. Those are the ones that I actually put a lot of effort in. Sometimes it takes more than half an hour of patience, probing, and close monitoring of the subject. For example, following a fly around for a significant amount of time to get a decent shot makes it a favorite of mine because I know what it took to capture it.

Click to enlarge

LOFI: Who are your artistic influences? Who inspires you?

EC: There is a laundry list of artists that I admire. They include artists from the Byzantine era, Pop artist Andy Warhol, Nontraditional artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jackson Pollock and Street Artists like KAWS, just to name a few.

As for iPhoneographers, there are plenty of influential and inspiring people I follow on Tumblr, Posterous, Flickr, Twitter, and elsewhere. Too many to list but they know who they are.

LOFI: You’ve got some nice apping in your work. You use the apps to enhance the photo, not to be the photo. Nice. What are a few of your favorite apps that you’re using right now?

EC: You’re right, Marty, I like to use the apps to improve a photo, not to change it into something it’s not. There are plenty of iPhoneographers using the apps to really change their photos into a form of mixed media, which I love but, Knox over at Pixels has been encouraging everyone to produce a more refined look that would be more accepted by galleries and the general public as a form of photography. With that said, don’t be surprised if I use some of the radical filters in PictureShow or Backgroundz because that’s one of the things that makes iPhoneography so great.

In my camera bag right now, there is well over 50 apps, most of which rarely get used. I usually cycle through my apps but, my go-to apps include Perfectly Clear, FilmLab, Diptic, TiltShiftGen, CameraBag, PictureShow, Lo-Mob, Cropulator, and Pic Grunger,

LOFI: Okay, let’s talk about your blog, iPhoneogenic. Does it feel a little weird being the one interviewed?

EC: Somewhat. I never thought that my blog would be so well received by the iPhoneography community that I would end up answering a few questions about it.

LOFI: Tell us about the blog. How did you come up with the idea?

EC: When I first encountered iPhoneography.com, I saw the feature “The iPhoneography Showcase Of …” and took a liking to it. I wanted to recognize iPhoneographers for their extraordinary work as well so I started iPhoneogenic as a Facebook Page where I introduced a feature called iPhoneographer of the Day. I wanted to make it a point to feature someone new everyday, but it had to be more than just a feature. I wanted to get to know each iPhoneographer on a more personal level where they lived, how their iPhoneography journey began, etc.  I didn’t want iPhoneographers to ask me to be featured, but rather, I wanted to find artists that had great work and deserved to be recognized. The task of featuring someone everyday in an interview has become overwhelming due to other priorities outside of iPhoneography but I do my best to post interviews whenever I can. iPhoneogenic will continue to be a place for highlighting the iPhoneographer.

LOFI: One of the things I love about your blog is your ability to get so many iPhoneographers to open up about themselves and their work in such great detail. You have a ton of interviews on the site. Is it hard actually getting the iPhoneographers to interview?

EC: I was quite surprised by their responses as well. Their willingness to open up was set up by the first interview I conducted with Matt Beechan. I had no idea what I was doing, but Matt set a precedent on how to go about answering my questions. From there, things have only gotten better. Each iPhoneographer has really taken their time to articulate what iPhoneography means to them. I wanted people to see that iPhoneography is not only about the photos but the people behind the work and the strong sense of community between iPhoneographers.

As for how difficult it is to get an iPhoneographer to interview, it hasn’t been difficult at all. They are more surprised that I would consider them to be featured. Everyone has shown gratitude for the opportunity to be interviewed. They feel honored that I have asked them to be a part of the blog.

LOFI: Are you afraid that someday you’ll run out of iPhoneographers to interview?

EC: That has crossed my mind, but the number of new iPhoneographers continues to grow every day. More and more people are switching or upgrading their mobile phones to an iPhone, everyday people like me are becoming iPhoneographers.

Now that the new iPods are equipped cameras, there is a new pool of iPhotographers to consider for interviews. There will be a debate in the weeks to come if the community should consider this wave of iPhotogs as iPhoneographers. What should we even call them, iPodographers?

LOFI: Are there any iPhoneographers who you haven’t interviewed yet that you’d really like to?

EC: Yes. Dirk Dallas, IcyThings, Steve John, Odilia Liuzzi, Marty Yawnick, Maia Panos, The Lisa Show and Pixel Particles are due for an interview on iPhoneogenic.

I have also asked two prominent iPhoneographers if they would oblige to an interview but I have not heard back from them in a while. I won’t say their names because that would be calling them out, but the people want to hear from you! I’ll remind them that there are Q&A’s in their inbox very soon.

LOFI: I know a guy who can hook you up with a Marty Yawnick interview….

Writing a blog like yours, you are exposed to a lot of iPhoneographers. Who are some of your favorites?

EC: Man, that’s a tough one because I don’t want to leave anyone out! There is so much talent out there so I’m going to limit this one to three iPhoneographers in no particular order.

Odilia Liuzzi : Her work is phenomenal. The vibrant tones in her photos and choice of subjects are out of this world. To me, she represents the fine art nature of iPhoneography.

Daniel Berman : His work in capturing Mother Nature in all her beauty is jaw dropping. From sunrises and sunsets to flowers and trees there is a sense of tranquility and awe that leaves me speechless.

Gusbano : His work in black and white iPhoneography is very cool. He finds a way to really accentuate the difference between light and dark spaces.

LOFI: Dan Berman and Gusbano are great. I definitely need to track down Odilia Liuzzi — I haven’t seen her work. Thanks for the tip. Are there any up and comers that we need to watch out for?

EC: Some recent discoveries have led me to a few iPhoneographers that we need to keep our eyes on. A fellow Texan Meagan Metcalf, a young lady from Delaware Jenni C., and a veteran iPhoneographer who I have not heard of until yesterday, Eliano Imperato.

LOFI: Where do you see mobile photography and iPhoneography a year from now? Two years from now?

EC: I believe iPhoneography can go as far as it wants to go. Proponents like Knox Bronson, Marty Yawnick, Glyn Evans, and others like EYE’EM and iPhoneArt are doing everything possible to make iPhoneography come up from being an underground medium to a publicly accepted art form. iPhoneography Artists are also doing their part by producing amazing work. If everyone continues to do their part, the sky is the limit for iPhoneography.

LOFI: Anything else you would like to add?

EC: I want to thank you, Marty, for including iPhoneogenic on your BlogRoll and supporting the efforts of iPhoneogenic in shedding a new light into the world of an iPhoneographer. Not only that, but also asking about my personal iPhoneography. Your words are much appreciated.

LOFI: You’re very welcome. Your blog is a great read.

Edgar, thank you so much for your time. Your blog, iPhoneogenic, is a resource. You are helping to write down the history of iPhoneography.

=M=

~~~~

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"Sidebar: Meet iPhoneogenic’s Edgar Cuevas." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.

UPDATED 02.08.10: Now with a link to our follow-up story, “Wausau City Pages uncovers the real Hipstamatic backstory?”

The case can be made that the hottest camera app in the App Store right now was created in 1982.

Hipstamatic (link to Hipstamticapp.com) is one of the most popular photography apps in the App Store at the moment. It’s in the Top 5 in multiple countries. Flickr groups have popped up. The #hipstamatic hashtag is all over Twitter. The app has universally gotten rave reviews, and deservedly so. The environment, the sounds, the photos — it recreates the fun of shooting with an old, plastic, toy camera.

Read Life In LoFi’s full review here.

The original Hipstamatic camera is almost an urban legend. Part of the mystique of the new app is its backstory — that it’s based on the old, plastic camera that few people had heard of, let alone seen.

The story starts in North Central Wisconsin in 1982. While attending art school part-time, brothers Bruce and Winston Dorbowski came up with an idea for bringing photography to the masses cheaply. Inspired by an old Russian plastic camera and the Kodak Instamatic, they worked from their small riverfront cabin, developing and hand-producing the all-plastic cameras which they called Hipstamatic.

The original was a square frame 35mm camera. It had the ability to swap lenses and use multiple film formats. Each one had a yellow shutter button which became sort of cult icon. Only 157 of the cameras were ever made — the family currently has only 3 of those.

In 1984, Bruce and Winston were killed by a drunk driver on their way home from signing a lease on a new building that would have been their manufacturing plant. The Hipstamatic was never mass produced.

There’s very little history available on the original Hipstamatic camera. Most of what’s available is on their brother Richard’s Dorbowski’s blog, The Great Hipstamatic 100. An excellent read and a good tribute.

UPDATE: Actually, an intrepid reporter from the Wausau City Pages has followed up on this story and found that there is no evidence to support the Hipstamatic backstory. Click to read our follow-up story, “News: Wausau City Pages uncovers the real Hipstamatic backstory?”

The Hipstamatic might have been little more than a footnote in the history of quirky lo-fi cameras had it not been for two graphic designers from the Twin Cities. The iPhone version of HipstaMatic was created by Ryan Dorshorst and Lucas Buick with Synthetic Infatuation. Not only have they created one of best retro camera apps, they’ve also recreated the analog camera user experience. From the jet-black unibody faux-plastic case to the viewfinder to the great Hipstamatic Owner’s Manual, the app is loaded with little details. Everything about Hipstamatic is a loving nod to the retro, analog camera experience.

Life In LoFi was able to ask Ryan and Lucas a few questions. Below, they talk about the Hipstamatic, the backstory and how they got involved with this rare, classic cult camera.

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LOFI: Why LoFi? What got you interested in “toy” cameras?

L & R: We have always been obsessed with all things retro, vintage, and mechanical, as well as tech toys and gizmos. The physical experience of taking photographs has really been lost over the past several years. 10 years ago you had to be much more intimate with your camera. Just by removing the need to put your face up to the viewfinder, we have lost that. Polaroid has always been a favorite at Synthetic. We have a collection of shots of people that stop by our office or would come to our exhibitions, but now we have run out of film.

LOFI: In addition to being a really cool app, the whole package — the backstory, the user interface of the camera, even the downloadable owner’s manual — this is also a tribute to the Hipstamatic 100 and to its story. How did this all start for you?

L & R: We become aware of this obscure toy camera about a year ago through a family member. We had a hell of a time tracking down Richard Dorbowski. His blog went offline just after we reached out through email, and we didn’t hear back until we finally got a phone number, which was over the summer (we have since helped him put the blog back online). Anyways, the idea of creating an app was something that we wanted to do for quite some time — actually, the idea of having a product to sell instead of working with our clients was a big factor in going into app development. As a brand consulting and design studio, Synthetic has always been about creating experiences, so when it came to developing the Hipstamatic we set out to recreate the experience of having an analog device yet make the best possible use of the iPhone technology.

The story of the original Hipstamatic was something that we really related to. The idea of a couple of guys from nowhere that set out to innovate and inspire an entire industry couldn’t have possibly hit any closer to home. After meeting Richard and seeing the vision of Winston and Bruce, we really wanted that product to live.

LOFI: With only 157 of the cameras ever produced, this is probably the rarest, most hard-to-find lo-fi camera in existence. I read on Richard’s Hipstamatic blog that you got to spend some time with one of his cameras. I’m envious that you got to handle one. Tell me about your hands-on with the actual camera.

L & R: Over the summer we did get to play with one of the original Hipstamatic 100s, As it turns out the sucker was much more of a prototype that you would have imaged. But it was super fun to be able to change lenses, and we even rigged up a modern Canon lens to the Hipstamatic, which was the inspiration to the Lucifer VI. All in all, the original camera was a ton of fun. We even dropped off the film at the drug store for processing, which is something neither of us have done in years. Only a handful of our images turned out but for us it was beside the point.

LOFI: Did you get to keep one?!!!!

L & R: Sadly no, Richard has only three cameras left, and of those only one of them is really usable.

LOFI: How was the process to capture the look of the Hipstamatic and get it from film to iPhone?

L & R: We took a lot of creative license with making the Hipstamatic. Though the idea of the camera was from the Hipstamatic, the end result is more of a mashup of all of our favorite things about lo-fi cameras. The flash charge sound, for example, is something that reminds us of family vacations and our childhood, so we had to add it.

LOFI: I hope this is a huge app for you. So far, it looks like it is. What are your plans for Hipstamatic and beyond?

L & R: We are completely blown away by the community that has begun to pop up since the Hipstamatic came out a few weeks ago. We are currently working on an update that will include more manual control of the camera, and more unpredictable effects. The Hipstamatic is a way to spark creativity and allow people to see things in a new way. We would like to start putting together exhibitions of people’s prints and we are looking for a partner to allow people to order prints directly from the app or the website.

We are also working on an app to change the way users manipulate images taken outside of the Hipstamatic. That’s really all we can say at the moment.

Longterm goals for Hipstamatic are all about the community and inspiring creativity in people. There is nothing better than seeing someone who doesn’t consider themselves ‘artistic’ uploading a HipstaPrint to Flickr or sharing it on Facebook or Twitter.

LOFI: Any other favorite analog lo-fi cams? Other than Hipstamatic, what are your three favorite camera apps in the store right now?

L & R: Hands down, ShakeItPhoto (App Store link). Nick Campbell, the creator, is the most giving designer/entrepreneur ever. According to Facebook, he has another app in the works. I have seen some test images and they look amazing. We would love to have him create a HipstaPak for the Hipstamatic.

LOFI: Gentlemen, thank you so much for your time. Any parting words?

L & R: We would like to thank everyone for feedback they are sending with feature request, problems, praise, etc. The more we hear from our users the better we can make this app.

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UPDATE: A recent issue of City Pages in Wausau, Wisconsin features a story about hometown hero and one of Hipstamatic’s creators Ryan Dorshorst. City Pages’ Deputy Editor Rick LaFrombois, who wrote the story, dug pretty deep into the Hipstamatic backstory. What he found indicates that the Hipstamatic backstory may be “a myth.” Read the full story here.

We’ve got a lot more Hipstamatic news throughout Life In LoFi, including all the latest on updates and HipstaPaks. Check out all the news by clicking here.

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"Q&A: Hipstamatic: The Story Behind the Plastic App with the Golden Shutter." originally appeared on Life in LoFi: iPhoneography. © 2013 LifeInLoFi.com. All rights reserved.