Ben Stocking: A Journalist in Vietnam by Bridgette
B:Ben, tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been a journalist and what are you doing now?
Ben: I spent 30 years in journalism, working as a reporter and editor at various newspapers around the country. I wrote about race relations, immigration, poverty, and politics, including a couple of presidential elections. Eventually I became a foreign correspondent in Vietnam, first for the San Jose Mercury News, then for the Associated Press.
My family and I moved to Seattle two years ago, when my wife took a job in the global health division of the Gates Foundation. We’ve been here two years now. I’ve been doing various freelance writing assignments and working on a novel set in Vietnam.
B:What prompted you to move to Vietnam? How long were you there and where about did you live?
Ben: I never intended to move to Vietnam or to become a foreign correspondent. When the Mercury News asked me to take the Vietnam assignment, it came as a complete surprise. From the minute my wife and I set foot in Hanoi, though, we loved the place. We arrived in 2002, when our children were 2 and 5 years old, and didn’t return until eight years later. We lived on the outskirts of Hanoi in a gorgeous villa near a lake. Our kids attended a wonderful international school. We were very spoiled and very lucky.
B:Tell us about the work you did whilst there. What type of assignments did you have and what were you documenting?
Ben: During the first three years, I served as Southeast Asia Bureau Chief for the Mercury News, which serves a large population of Vietnamese refugees who came to the U.S. after the war. After that, I served as Vietnam bureau chief for the Associated Press. In both jobs, I wrote about the rapid social and economic change that has been transforming the country, which, like its communist neighbor China, has a single-party political system but has been gradually implementing free-market economic reforms.
For two decades after the war, Vietnam was cut off from the West by an economic embargo. The communist government implemented a classic centrally planned economy — with catastrophic results. In recent years, as the government encouraged the establishment of private enterprise, the economy has boomed. The pace of development accelerated after the U.S. and Vietnam restored economic ties in 1994 and again after 2006, when Vietnam was admitted into World Trade Organization.
My work in Vietnam focused on everything from economics to fashion to art to television — I covered anything that conveyed a sense of how quickly and dramatically the country was changing.
I also wrote about more delicate subjects, such as religious and political freedom. Although it has loosened its grip on the economy, Vietnam’s communist government does not tolerate dissent and routinely jails those who speak out.
When major news broke out around the region, I traveled to other countries to cover stories, such as the Asian tsunami in Indonesia and a political coup in Thailand.
B:How was family life in Vietnam? Are there any traditions that you have kept?
Ben: Our life in Vietnam was wonderful. The Vietnamese are extremely generous, and extremely forgiving. At first, we worried that people would not be welcoming to Americans, especially in Hanoi, where people still remember B-52s dropping bombs on them. But anti-Americanism is extremely rare in Vietnam. People were incredibly warm and welcoming, especially if you took the time to learn some Vietnamese.
In every Vietnamese home you will find a family altar, where people burn incense and leave fruit and other offerings to their ancestors. Here in Seattle, we maintain a small altar in memory of my father, who died during my last year in Vietnam.
B: What camera were you shooting with at the time and at which point did the iPhone come into play?
Ben: The Mercury-News sent me off to Vietnam with a Canon 10-D as well as a 200 mm lens and a 15-36mm zoom, both very nice prime lenses. A couple of times a year, they’d send a staff photographer over to load up on features and shoot pictures to accompany my stories. The rest of the time, I was on my own. I basically shot pictures when I needed to illustrate a story or wanted to document a family trip. In 2008, our last year in Hanoi, I purchased an iPhone and started taking pictures with it, mostly while riding around the streets of Hanoi on my motorbike. This was quite foolhardy — the Hanoi traffic is insane, and the risks of an accident are high even if you are driving with two hands and focusing on the road. But there were so many interesting things to photograph on the streets, I couldn’t resist. I’d steer with one and and shoot iPhone pictures with the other. Miraculously, I’m one of the few people I know who lived in Hanoi but never had a fender-bender.
B: What is your fondest memory? Is there a story you’d like to share with us?
Ben: Well, this isn’t a fond memory, but it’s vivid, and it has to do with photography. Once towards the end of my stay in Vietnam, I was arrested for taking photographs of a news event without permission. A group of Catholics — mostly priests and nuns — were holding a candlelight vigil near St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the biggest church in Hanoi. They wanted the communist authorities to return some land they had seized from the church not long after they came to power in 1945. The state controls religion in Vietnam, and protests are generally forbidden. As soon as I started shooting pictures, an undercover cop arrested me and took me to the Security Ministry headquarters, where I was beaten. The cop actually hit me on my head with the 10-D and broke the lens. The entire episode became a minor international incident. One of the protesters videotaped my arrest and posted it on YouTube. It’s still there, and it’s one of the first things that comes up if you Google me. I would have been deported if the American ambassador hadn’t intervened on my behalf. In the end, I got a brand new Canon 5D Mark II out of the deal, courtesy of the Associated Press.
B: What do you miss the most?
Ben: The food, life street life, and the people. Especially the people. They are funny, wise, kind and resourceful. I miss them every day.
B: Are there any photojournalists on Instagram or another platform that you would recommend?
Ben: My former AP colleague David Guttenfelder is a brilliant photographer. He’s shot photographs of every international conflict in the last 20 years, including some amazing images from Afghanistan, where he spent a lot of time embedded with U.S. troops. He began posting iPhone pics on his Facebook page long before Instagram turned up, and has recently become an avid Instagramer (dguttenfelder).
Another excellent photojournalist active on Instagram is Tomas van Houtryve (tomasvh). Penny de los Santos (pennydelossantos), a former colleague at the Mercury News, can be found on IG as well.
Other IG favorites: je_k, stickiyinhanoi, ipangwahid, josebandeira, zuoc123, iphonefarmer, and eros_sana.
B: And finally, if you were to travel to any place in the world where would you go and why?
Ben: There are many places I would love to go. I’d be happy to live in Vietnam again, if I ever got the chance, or virtually anywhere in Southeast Asia. Myanmar, which is just opening up after years of totalitarian rule, would be very interesting. I lived in Spain for 2.5 years and speak fluent Spanish, but I’ve never been to Latin America. I’d love to go there. And then there’s Rwanda. My wife recently went there on a work trip and loved it.
I plan to return to Vietnam in the spring with my new iPhone, which is vastly superior to the first-generation phone I used to take these iPhone shots.
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Ben Stocking is a Seattle writer/editor who spent 30 years working in daily journalism, including eight years in Hanoi, where he served as the Vietnam bureau chief for the Associated Press. He is currently working on a novel set in Hanoi.
Meet the Decim8nday Cr8ors: David and Suzanne by Bridgette
Don’t think there’s a better way to celebrate @Decim8nday‘s 1st birthday than by introducing the creators of #Decim8nday, David and Suzanne, to you all.
I came across the Decim8nday tag after becoming obsessed with the app end of last year. I then “met” David and Suzanne when I interviewed Kris aka @movax, Decim8’s developer back in March.
A few months ago, we introduced the Decim8nday showcase here on Juxt. I felt the need to further expose the work of those who shared the same passion for abstract, deconstructed images and of course, this fantabulous app (thank you, Kris!).
It has been great seeing everyone’s participation every week and it has been a pleasure working with David and Suzanne. They have put a lot of effort and time into Decim8nday and because of this I felt it was time to formally introduce them.
So here we are…
B: Bridgette D: David S: Suzanne
B:We’d love to know more about the cr8ors of Decim8nday so tell us… what do you for a living? Have you always had an interest in photography? Are you originally from California?
D: Thank you so much for featuring Decim8nday! As one of the people behind the tag, I’m humbled to be interviewed by WeAreJuxt. Born & raised in San Jose, I am enjoying my career as an Union Electrician. I enjoy the job, as it is very challenging and I often get views & perspectives that are unique.
iPhoneography turned my passive interest in photography, into a passionate interest! The photography apps available on the iPhone are mindblowing, and Decim8 has been one of my favorites.
S: Oh, I’m San Francisco Bay Area born-and-raised as well. I’ve spent some time in other California regions, and on Long Island in New York, but always came back to NorCal — where I feel I’ve got nearly everything.
I’m a science teacher, with a background in marine biology and natural history and my interest in photography (as well as marine science) began in high school on the coast of Central California. Until I became hooked on mobile photography, most of my images were “natural world” subjects and edited very little. How things have changed!
Self portrait by Suzanne
B:Am curious, have you both met in person?
D: Even though we live less than 100 miles, we haven’t met in person. We are connected on all the popular social networks, and that’s where we share our latest images & ideas.
S: I think it’s likely I’ll see David on a photowalk one of these days! There is an enthusiastic and talented group of mobile photographers here in the Bay Area who get together often to share their creativity. I’m really happy that I’ve gotten to share with them off of Instagram.
B:How did Decim8nday come into effect? Who thought of it first?
D: Decim8nday started as a way to post a Decim8 on Instagram and be able see the ‘original’ image in the profile gridview. Suzanne is credited with using the tag first, and I can’t remember who thought of it first. The first Decim8nday was 10/10/11, and we jointly promoted it on our personal Instagram accounts.
S: The details are a bit fuzzy, yes… David and I had been following each other on IG for a short while and I think, if memory serves, he commented on a Decim8ed portrait I had posted. It was a Monday, he suggested that it could springboard into a cool weekly project. I think I reached out and asked him if he really thought it was a good idea and if so, what would he call it. David named Decim8nday (even though I guess I used the tag first) and we started a lengthy conversation about what purpose could this weekly project serve.
(This project appealed to me personally as I was really craving some change in the art I was creating; Decim8 was the gateway!)
B:For those unfamiliar with Decim8nday, please explain and list the basic “rules”?
D: Absolutely, the “rules” for Decim8nday start with choosing one of your last 12 photos posted to Instagram, as the base image to Decim8. Then, within the caption or comments of the Decim8 post, list the effects used within Decim8. If any other apps were used along the way, we asked that those be listed as well. Many people post incredible Decim8’d images, but we really enjoyed seeing the original image, and learning the effects in Decim8
S: David has described the basics here. The only thing that I’d add is that for some time now, we’ve included the Decim8This sub-project on Mondays. This is where weekly guest editors are asked to provide a previously unposted and unedited photograph for folks to screenshot and Decim8 (yes, using ONLY Decim8 to create their edit). The guest editor selects three to highlight on Wednesday. We we were really excited that WeAreJuxters wanted to partner with us on this.
B:Any tips for Decim8 app newbies? Some people may get frustrated or overwhelmed, not knowing how to choose an effect at first, what advice would you give? Is there an effect you suggest starting out with?
D: To me, Decim8 is an app that must be learned one effect at a time. I like to use images that are not too busy when learning an effect. Also, I move the effect up and down on the list of effects to see how it renders when applied “strong or weak”. Everyone has unique taste & preferences, but I suggest starting with Graboid or Precog1 to see what the app can do.
Untitled by David
Decim8 effect used: Precog1
S: Funny that David and I haven’t talked about this topic at all! I do agree that this “breaking it down” type of approach works for many — isolating the effects and determining which ones lend themselves well to the varieties of photographic composition. I’m THAT gal, for sure. But, I would never discourage anyone from hitting that Random button for a ride through Decim8 and see what comes out the other side of it. That’s pretty fun and promotes some whimsy, right? And who doesn’t need that every so often?
B:What is your favorite effect(s) / combo?
D: My favorites are Graboid, Precog1 & L225. I am enjoying the new effects on the most recent update, but L225 is still my ultimate favorite.
S: Ha! David’s favorites are not making my list — no way. I can’t get some of them to perform for me. And that is one of the things I really enjoy about this forum — this appreciation I have for the wonderful results others are getting with effects that boggle my little brain. Some of my favorites are the “new” Tribomb, a radical triangular pixelation, Blitbomb and Vortron (redux). I’m really liking what I see Decim8ors are doing with another new effect, Glassdagger.
B:How is the new Decim8This feature coming along? Do you feel as if more people are into it or would you like to bring back the original Decim8nday idea at some point?
D: I like the Decim8This weekly feature, seeing what everyone does with the same image is amazing!! We are still seeing people sticking to the original theme every week also, and I expect that to continue regardless of the succession of Decim8This weekly features.
S: The Decim8This project on Mondays certainly derived from the “original” Decim8nday. There were a few of us wanting to isolate Decim8 and its unique qualities. It’s a wonderful app to use in conjunction with others, of course, but Decim8This is about seeing an image interpreted in a multitude of ways, BUT using the same tools as your fellow Decim8ors.
B:I remember joining Decim8nday this time last year and til this day it’s one of my favorite days of the week. Do you participate in other weekly hashtags?
D: Personally, I participate in the HipstaRoll quite often, and Black & White Wednesday fairly regularly. Unfortunately, increased demand at work has made everything iPhoneography related take a back seat over the last few months.
S: Well, nothing as regular as Decim8nday! I do love #sundaybluesedit; if I can score a quiet Sunday morning, I’ll do that. I’m really enjoying @poppybay’s #fridaynightpoetryreading too; I was involved with a poetry podcast a few years ago, so this marriage of word and image really appeals to me.
Union Square by Suzanne
Decim8 effects used: Bunker, Blitbomb, Xexox
B:Are you on any other photo sharing platforms besides Instagram?
D: Instagram is my primary sharing platform, but I have accounts on Flickr, EyeEm, Starmatic, tadaa, PicYou & Keepsy.
S: I’ve just fired up my Flickr account again after a long break and “clean-up”. I just opened a Starmatic feed last week; I’m thinking that I’ll post only abstract edits there. (I can’t see the point of posting all the same stuff in each app.) I’m on Google+, but I mostly just “listen” there. Same with Twitter. While I’ll post the occasional photo there, it is my place to read about science and photography topics.
B: Aside from using Decim8, what other apps do you use? Do you use any other apps which deconstruct?
D: My favorite shooting apps are Hipstamatic, Hueless, 645Pro, ProCamera, NoFinder & Pro HDR. Decim8 is the only graphicly deconstructing app that I use, I haven’t even looked for others.
S: For me, it’s almost always native camera and Hipstamatic for shooting. I love Snapseed for editing. Lens + has some great filters for both still and video, too. I’d love to work with Noir more; I haven’t had but the occasional success with it. Decim8 is the only app I use to deconstruct an image.
B:Do you have any ideas for a future Decim8nday project with Kris, the cr8or of Decim8? Any thoughts floating around on ways to help engage people to participate in Decim8nday and use the app?
D: Personally, I haven’t. I haven’t been too involved over the past few months. I’ve too consumed at work for the regular demands of a weekly project. I hope to resume more active participation in time, but for the time being, I just can’t.
S: I’m fresh out of grand-scale ideas at the moment! The greatest thing about Decim8nday right now is that Decim8 has such a following– it’s doing a lot of the work itself. #Decim8nday operates without too much facilitation and people have always done what they wanted to there. While we ask people to edit one of their last 12 posted images and cite their process, it doesn’t always happen. David and I agree that we won’t spend the time to police it, rather to encourage from the sidelines. Decim8This requires more of a hands-on approach, but we call upon other enthusiasts to work with us each week, share the workload. It’s been working great.
B:It seems as if there is a core group of Decim8ors who join in on the weekly hashtag. What message would you give those who haven’t yet?
D: I advise anyone that wants to learn what others are doing with Decim8 to follow the tag, see what effects others are using, and what the original image was prior to decim8’ing. Those who participate regularly usually become very fond of the app, as they have learned what effects do what, and how to combine them well.
Jet Blue by David
Decim8 effect used: Brainfeed3r
S: I agree, and wholeheartedly, with David’s advice. Ask questions, communicate about art. Additionally, here’s an opportunity to let go of the controls — throw caution to the wind and have fun!
B:Here’s a random question: if you were to travel back in time, which era would you choose to live in and why?
D: If I had to choose, I’d probably guess the early 1800’s in the United States, before our population & technology explosion. I’d have loved to be one of the Pioneer’s blazing their way towards the Wild West.
S: (Bridgette, that IS so random.) Without spending more than 2 minutes considering this, I will tell you that I think it would have been really cool to have been on the HMS Beagle with Darwin (mid-1800’s) identifying and cataloging new species OR working with Linnaeus, the century before, systematically organizing the animal and plant kingdoms and developing the naming system of binomial nomenclature. Both were exciting times for art-science connections. Albertus Seba and his Cabinet of Natural Curiosities comes to mind.
B:Name an artist or photographer who has influenced you or who you admire most.
D:Tammy George, aka @punkrawkpurl, has been my favorite iPhoneoographer to follow. She combines excellent fundamental photography with an unparalleled ‘App proficiency’ to create her incredible images. She also brilliantly co-manages a thriving community (HipstaRoll) and contributes to others like Ampt. I am continually amazed in all she does, and all she is involved with.
S: Well, I admire the work of many, many IGers — too many to list here today! My favorites from the professional world: I love the large scale work of contemporary photographer Richard Misrach, whose waterscapes blow my mind. Karl Blossfeldt and Charles Jones both worked in monochrome and paid attention to the patterns that occur in nature.
Golden Gate Bridge by Suzanne
Decim8 effect used: Fold4Rap5
In lieu of Decim8nday’s 1st birthday, I asked David and Suzanne to choose five of their favorite edits throughout the year. Hard to do but they were up for the challenge!
David’s choices (in no particular order):
Hello, Hello, Can You Hear Me? You are Cutting Out, You’re Cutting Out of the Radar… by @cekws
“Look up, look down—notice stuff.” is what reads in Suzanne’s Instagram bio. She’s a science teacher and a photography enthusiast who only a year ago shuddered at the thought of editing a photograph—much less using her phone as a creative tool. Suzanne curates #Decim8nday with David Baer and now has her hands on as many editing tools as she can handle. Find her on Instagram at @_suzanne_.
David is a Silicon Valley based guy, who does electrical work by day, but spends most of his free time in iPhoneography related endeavors. Decim8 has been one of his favorite editing apps & the #Decim8nday tag was created with Suzanne to explore more with Decim8 and the Instagram community. Find him on Instagram & twitter at @david_baer.
As I attempt to explain to my youngest daughter why we are going to Mass today, I struggle to make sense of it myself. We’re not Catholic. We don’t really practice any religion. It’s a Sunday evening in late July. I’m hot, tired, and broken hearted. I’ve recently broken up with my long-time boyfriend and I’ve just celebrated my 44th birthday. I realize I’m not old yet, and although I am loved and relatively happy, it is my first birthday in 14 years without Rita.
For most of my adult life, my life and Rita’s have been intricately intertwined.
Our fairy tale started like this:
15 years ago I showed up at my eldest daughter’s first day of school. Just as a side note, my girls have all been Montessori educated. Montessori starts at birth, but they can start independently in the community at 14-16 months. My daughter was 22 months old on this day, and I don’t think we had ever been separated for more than a few hours at a time. To say I had mixed feelings is an understatement. I’m a huge believer in the Montessori system. I’ve seen it produce the most confident, independent, self reliant, and entrepreneurial sprints. I see it’s natural beauty everyday in my own girls. That first day I was full of first-time-mother emotions. I tell myself this is the best thing for her, but I am completely lost. It’s as if I’ve landed on the moon and don’t speak the language. The teacher helps my daughter from the car and she leaves me. This will be her first giant step away from me. I drive a block down the street, call my mother, and sob. I sob so much I’m choking trying to get words out to my mom. “Things will never be the same,” “she’s never going to need me again,” all kinds of dramatic statements are coming from my mouth, and I believe them, despite not being a dramatic person. It feels like the end of the world. Finally, I take a deep breath and gather myself. I’m to go to the new parent coffee and meet the other new parents. I’ve since learned, that as much as I love and am interested in my children and all the things they do, school functions that require me to mix and mingle are not for me. But on this day I am still naïve, luckily for me.
As the head of school speaks about whatever it is he speaks about on these occasions, I scan the room. I’m so out of my league. It’s full of powerhouse women in Chanel suits and professional stay at home moms with perfect hair and perfect lives. I want to run but I am trapped. Then I see her, a stunning yet warmly approachable redhead. She is dressed casually and wears a jade amulet around her neck. The woman fits in and yet still stands out. Like love at first sight, I know we will be friends. After the coffee, I walk to where I am to pick up my daughter. As she babbles about her morning, I see the redhead walking to her car with a tank of a little Asian girl who barrels down the walkway next to her. I scoop up my daughter and run towards her. “Excuse me,” I say, “but where do you get an Asian baby?” It just comes out and I’m wondering from where. She eyes me like maybe I am crazy. She looks me up and down and then at my tiny daughter with her enormous black eyes that swallow everyone. She smiles a little and says to me, “China, she’s from China”.
In the 14 years that follow we share more than seems possible in a whole lifetime, divorces, boyfriends, girlfriends, heartbreak, happiness, a broken neck, new babies, a wedding, a move out of state and back, paralyzing depression, and unbelievable joy. Then cancer, it is the death sentence I refused to let myself believe. Even as I watched her disappearing body lay in the bed in hospice, I am unable to fathom a life without her in it. When she left me that night last July, a piece of me left with her.
One year later, to mark the anniversary of my friend’s death, I’m standing in a beautiful Catholic church, thankful for the relief of the icy cold air conditioning. I’m trying to think of how to answer my daughter’s question about why we are here. She is 5, and I don’t know why. I guess I know, but I don’t understand. It feels unfair. Maybe fairness has nothing to do with it, but this isn’t the fairy tale I imagined that first day of school. How can I explain to her that sometimes the gifts you get when you need them most aren’t always permanent? Sometimes you move forward alone, whether you want to or not. Just then she runs off down the hallway. I’m holding my phone, as always, ready to take a picture. I have my Hipstamatic app open to this week’s Hipstaroll combo. I see her headed towards a side door and I quietly say, almost to myself, “freeze”, but she stops. I want it to be true. I want to be frozen. I don’t want this moment to end. She’s heard me, and being the artist’s daughter, she doesn’t turn around. She knows she’s the model in this moment. Freeze is a word I say when I want her to stop where she is so I can take a shot, and she knows that. I snap her. For all eternity she is frozen. Quickly I come to my senses. It’s just a moment, and I know I can’t stop time no matter how hard I try.
When I go to edit her image, I look for something to add that will represent my desire to hold onto her, to freeze time, to keep her forever in that moment where she hears me even when I barely speak. I mask an image of a Bougainvilla vine that I see growing everyday along my walking route. It is a beautiful plant with hot pink flowers and sharp thorns that protect it. I think of the vines like a mother’s arms, reaching out to protect her, reel her in, keep her safe. As the edit develops and I add another masked vine in to the image, it takes a sinister turn. The vines no longer seem protective but rather threatening and scary. They are creeping towards her; she is innocent of their danger. She is frozen and waiting. It’s then that I realize it’s not the kind of fairy tale I imagined.
Exploring Life’s Fragility it Egmont van Dyck by Anna C
Anna’s Introduction
I first came across Egmont van Dyck a few months ago when Jen and I first started the #stilllifelounge. The image he submitted was not only thoughtful, but a true still life utilizing light and subject matter. During the interview process, I found Egmont to be thoughtful, kind, and creative. That is a hat trick in my book. I cannot begin to tell you how impressed I am with Egmont, it is not often you stumble upon such a refined individual.
A: Anna E: Egmont
A: What does your life look like away from the computer?
E: One might say the MacBook Pro laptop, iPad 1 are tethered to me like an umbilical cord, just as much as the iPhone 4S. However there are times, though not enough, when I simple place one on top of the other, then walk away and into the garden, but most likely a set of mundane household chores require my attention. No one will do your laundry, make the bed or make dinner, unless you do it yourself and so I have developed a passion for cooking and especially baking.
I do try to balance responsibility to the family with my creativity urges, but even here the challenge for me, as I have varied interests. Weeks or months may go without taking any photographs because the creative energies flow in a different direction, for I also paint large scale multi-medium sized abstracts. These can take weeks to several months to complete and in some cases 1-2 years. Yet as of last November I have not painted and the iPhone is in large part responsible.
I have not worked since 2003 due to numerous health issues that continue to effect my daily activities and since I am now staying home more, interest in photography waned. It was not until my son presented me with a new iPhone 4S for Christmas, which ignited my interested in photography a couple of months later. Because I was so taken with what the iPhone 4S is capable of, I secured a dot com name and started constructing The iPhone Arts (A) website, which went public at the end of April.
A: How does your life influence your work
E: There were a few pivotal moments in which life had a direct influence in what I was creating. At first it was just taking pictures of abandoned houses in Hercules, California, seven years ago. Within weeks, the project revealed itself to be the unveiling of a deep family secrete, made public.
From over 400 images, I had selected only ten photographs which reflected my story of having been abused mentally, physically and sexual by my mother.
In 2011 the original Black & White series was revisited, taking the original digital files, reworking them in Photoshop and this time decided they were more powerful in color.
The ‘Family Secrets Revisited’ was posted to The Artist Within Us website in August 2011, with a new introduction and epilogue.
Within a couple of months after the completing the first version ‘Family Secrets’, I underwent open heart triple by-pass surgery. During the months of recovery and physical therapy, I would walk the street of Berkeley, where I discovered the beauty of tattered pieces of paper remains on telephone poles.
There are certain streets where telephone poles are used as advertisement billboards, by having flyers stapled to them. Over time, layers of paper fragments and thousands of staples later, these are nicely conditioned by the elements of weather, a nice layer of abstract patterns developed, to which I was deeply attracted to as a source of inspiration.
I have now been photographing these telephone poles for seven years, first with a 5 MB fixed lens Sony digital camera, then using a Nikon D70 and finally in 2010, I began capturing my images with the Nikon in HDR. As the body of worked developed, I was also very curious how I could transform what I was so intensely photographing into large abstract paintings.
A solution was finally found when I created ‘White in White’ a 36 x 48 inch multi-medium painting in 2011.
Though I felt by now I had exhausted the subject matter which I called ‘Typography Graveyard,’ but then I started using my iPhone whenever I needed to visit any of my doctors, I would take long walks after the appointment in order to capture more images, using either Hipstamatic with different film and lens combinations or just straight photography using 6×6.
A: Tell me about your website and how you are using it to give more exposure to mobile photography?
E: Apart from establishing The iPhone Arts website, promoting the hashtag #the_iphone_arts on Instagram, which features other iPhoneographers through my ‘Weekly Showcase’ and ‘Curator’s Choice,’ I am still in the process to create three small collections of high quality iPhone captured.
A series of three different styles of fine art photography have been in the works whenever time and opportunity permit. Each of the series will be different from the other, but reflect my personal passion and love. They are ‘Abstract Realism,’ a description I coined in 2008, when I tried to describe what ’Typography Graveyard’ is. The other series reflects what I excelled in those years as an advertising and editorial photographer, which was creating still-life table top sets.
Lastly, a love for documentary/journalism style photography, which dates back to when I was 14 and first began taking pictures with a plastic Brownie 120 film camera.
So when I visited San Francisco’s Chinatown last Easter of this year and used my iPhone, was delighted by the results. Since than I have taken several trips to Chinatown, trying to capture the faces of the Chinese people and their environment. Unfortunately a few weeks ago, due to a human error I lost about 900 images which had not been backed up and recovery was not possible, setting back this project by 6-8 months from completion.
A: Do you have a favorite image? If so which one and why?
E: There is one, ‘The arrival of winter as autumn passes’ but it was not taken with an iPhone. It was taken a few days after my heart attack, three weeks before the open heart surgery and reflects death not being far away. But since we are talking about mobile photography, there are two and they are different as night and day.
Yesterday I lit a candle to mark the fourth birthday in my second life, commemorating the day I was to have passed only to cheat death, when doctors performed a triple-by-pass open-heart surgery. The residual consequences have been mixed and though I am grateful to be alive, the side effects of the surgery have become an almost daily battle. Especially the bouts with depression have become more numerous these last one and half years, lasting longer and becoming more sever, that I have even begun to question if the quality of life gained has been worth this daily struggle. – taken fromLife’s Fragility
Personally I believe it takes one thousand exposures before you have the one perfect image. Though I have reached 9000 exposures with the iPhone, only a handful of photographs I feel will stand the test of time.
A Squirrels Bounty
During a clean up of the backyard, I discovered numerous walnuts a squirrels had hidden away among the fallen Sequoia needles that covered the ground underneath the tall coastal redwood tree, including a several empty half shells. I immediately feel in love with their texture, setting each new discovery aside as my own little treasure.
A few day later I set up a table next to a window for the expressed purpose of photographing the squirrels bounty. First I tried using a few old books as a surface, but it just did not look right. Instead I pulled from storage roof shingles I had collected from an abandoned house for the sole purpose of reusing them in a painting or as a prop. Because I elected not to have any direct light onto the table-top set, I used fill cards to help bounce back any light and soften the shadows. After about 30 plus exposures with the iPhone 4S, capturing various different angles and approaches, I felt I had what I wanted.
While studying the images I had just taken, the light from the window began to strike the set. There was a warm breeze also blowing, ruffling the leaves in the tree just outside the window, ever changing the light on the walnuts.
I quickly seized the moment and started all over, taking another dozen and a half or so exposures. The breeze kept changing the appearance of the highlights and shadows on the walnuts. I went from shooting B/W to color and back again, using Hipstamatic John S lens with Claunch 72 Monochrome, Kodot X-Grizzled and Salvador DreamCanvas film cartridges. After editing all the images I selected the Hipstamatic, Kodot X-Grizzled color version converted to B/W.
Though it was a planned image, a Muse intervened on my behalf, showing me another way and with her help, I achieved a better photograph. It is life’s unexpected moments that can take a good image and make and make it memorable and even exceptional.
Since I did mention there were two favorite photographs, I feel it will emerge from the Chinatown series, but not having stood the test of time, I consider being only infatuated with the image.
Here is the duo-toned version which is the version that is my favorite.
B: Tell us more about the idea of the project, mission and vision.
A: This project originally began as an experiment in self-promotion. After being given the opportunity to exhibit my camera phone images at a local gallery I began thinking of how to promote my work. The idea was to create a series of small photo books and hide them throughout the city, giving people clues on where to find them in hopes to generate interest in my work. At the time I was also questioning whether people (the general public) with their smart phones, still believed in the printed image. Or had everyone’s perception of photography been conditioned to see it only as digital images viewed online. How were people interacting with these images online? Had it lost its personal, intimate touch? Had photography been boiled down to sitting at a computer or using our smart phones clicking the “like,” “comment” and “send buttons?” Is this what our experience with photography had become? A physical photograph is the very thing that makes photography, well, photography. So what has photography become? What does it continue to be? What happens to all of these images we create? Do they get stored on HDs never to be born into the physical world? If these digital files don’t last forever, what remains? What of our memories? I wanted to address this.
With this experiment, I considered how I could connect the audience with my work through physical interactivity. Aside from challenging people’s perception of photography, I wanted to challenge how people interacted with the physical images and the urban environment.With physical photo albums we could flip through pages. There was something very intimate and personal about holding, controlling those pages. By creating a photo book and hiding it for people to find I challenged them to get out from their computer, engage their environment, along the way they’d find something new, be rewarded by a truly unique experience, and a free signed and numbered photo book that would contain a one-of-a-kind story, theirs. This was a book that was created especially for the one who found it. And my plan was to engage every individual in the creative process. They would help create their own experience.
I thought about what I would like to experience if given this opportunity. What does it mean to create a book? What would it mean to find a book? Is there a story within it? Can there be a story attached to it? A memory? I thought of this experiment from the user’s perspective in two ways:
Everyone loves a treasure hunt and exploring new places, sights and things.
If I could engage them in the process, and they were successful at finding the book, they would have a photo book embedded with a memory of the adventure they went on to find it, a book that only a small number of people would own. This book would be extremely specialized because no two people’s experience finding the book would be the same.
Would people go out and find this book, a free book? Did it matter who made it? Did a book in printed form, that intimate experience we have touching and turning its pages matter anymore? An adventure outside of traveling to the bookstore or buying a book online that everyone and their brother may own? Oh no, there had to be more, and I was going to challenge this idea.
After hiding two different series I realized that people would be challenged on multiple levels. People’s perception of what a book was, where one would go in order to find one, and how they might interact with the environment once there.
“Life is a game we play with friends in a park.” Lower East Side, NYC
“They casually strolled looking for the catch of the day.” Coney Island, NY
B: Can you provide some testimony/ story with the first book? Who found it?
A: I’ll share with you the story of SF book #15. It has the most interesting story of all. This particular book had one seeker, two finders, was lost and then found again. Book #15 was one of those books where I found myself tired. I really wanted to just get it off my hands. I had walked all over trying to hide it. I knew that right across the street from my office in an alley was a beautiful graffiti mural. I knew I wanted to hide it there but was stumped on how to do it. Taking a quick walk over before a meeting with a student, I got to the mural and looked around, first for security cameras, and second, for a hiding spot. After a little thought I found a fire main that ran down the building ended in a large brass fitting that had four nozzles on it. Bingo. No security cameras, bonus. I hid the book in a newspaper disguise, so it looked like someone had just stashed a read newspaper. I hid the book behind the large pipe, sat there for 10-15 minutes to enter the hint on the blog. Satisfied, I split. Here’s where it gets interesting. After meeting with my student he emailed stating that he saw the book was hidden near by and went to find it. “Has anyone found it yet?” I answered, “no.” Check again, I told him, revealing an additional hint. This was one of the more obvious books. The book had been hidden right outside of a bar/art gallery called 111 Minna. While my student was standing there looking for the book a guy came out of the building to have a smoke. The student asked if he had seen a tall tattooed guy hide something right around here. The person answered that he had. He sees everything, he stated, there was a well-hidden security camera apparently. After witnessing me place something behind the pipe, he came out to see what it was after I had left. He admitted looking at it. He was quoted as saying it was the weirdest gallery submission they had ever received. Obviously, uninterested, and failing to be unique enough for him, he threw it away. Really? After hearing this the student asked where he discarded the book. The guy point at a trash bin, and my student retrieved his book.
I was surprised to hear this story. Man, this kid had one hell of a story attached to this book now. He couldn’t believe the person at the bar/gallery had looked at it, seen a photo book and then threw it away. I would have put it back or kept it. Its not everyday you find something like that on the street. My student loved the experience, and the idea. He had been following the project but never had the opportunity to find a book. When he was finally given an opportunity he had to put one hell-of-an effort into getting his book. And now he’ll never forget it.
This obviously was an extreme example but it shows that each person’s experience in finding one of these books is unique. This experience is embedded in the book as a memory forever. Making the book even more unique. I created the book, and he helped create the experience that would define his book. It really is truly awesome.
B: What are some of the lessons learned being that this is such an innovative project under the new social networking/social media/ mobile photography/ tech world we live?
A: Hiding books in both SF and NYC posed their own unique challenges. I swear it feels like almost every book was a lesson learned. But to keep it simple here’s a list:
Embrace the digital in order to love the physical. Yes, sounds oxymoronic. But this project would not have been possible without the web.
I thought it would be really easy to hide small photo books in a dense city. It’s actually a lot harder to hide a book than I thought it would be.
When I first started hiding books I went in with high expectations. “This is new, fresh, everyone will love this, it’ll go viral and life will be good.” Um, ya, don’t go into a project like this with expectations. Just do it because you feel passionate about the concept or the thought behind it, and then just go with the flow if it takes off. Otherwise, you’ll be distracted by a self-imposed sense of failure.
One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to promote the hell out of this idea. Let’s face it. You could hide a million dollars out on the streets, no one’s going to find it unless you tell them its there. I had to figure out how to create a want, a need, for these books. I wanted to get people talking about it. This was probably my biggest challenge, especially being a book of images created using a smart phone. Not everyone values these images or what they represent. When someone found the book I would post a congratulations stating their name and the book number so everyone would see. I spread it all over the web, IG, FB, twitter, my blog. I had a big wall to scale. And honestly, I’m still scaling it.
People will put their hands in strange places to find a book
Wrap your books in waterproof storage bags, rain and sprinklers aren’t healthy for a book.
Hide your books in stable locations and include a brief “finders‘s” statement inside so if they’re found accidentally the person will know what to either log it or put it back. Expect one or two books to be lost to oblivion. Yes, it’s happened, SF, book #13, NYC books #6, 10, 11. They were either trashed, or someone found them and didn’t know what to do with it.
Have a theme or an idea of where to place the books otherwise you’ll spend more time walking and less time hiding.
Disguise your books. This is where you can be really creative. I disguised them in daily newspapers. This aided my success in NYC where there seems to be a million “eyes in the sky,” and a public policy that if you see something, say something. I would hide the book in a paper sit down and take my time reading an article and then stash it as if I was done reading. No one thought twice, and I hid some books in some extremely popular places.
There are now options at book publishers where you can also create a digital version of your book for people to purchase or download. I considered making this available for my books. I decided against it. I wanted to retain a mysterious aura to the books. There was only one way you were going to get this book and that was to go out and find it.
“In his dreams maybe.” East Village, NYC
“There comes an image that defines every photographer’s existence, reason for being. This is mine.” In the subway coming from Yankees game, NY
B: Were there any historical references you used in developing this project?
A: Good old treasure hunting, adventure, and the love for printed photography.
B: Can you tell the readers more about why you feel that this validates the photography developed from a mobile device?
A: This validates mobile phone photography by proving that these images we are creating with our phone-enabled cameras are in fact a true form of photography, coming full circle. We are creating images and completing the photographic process by printing them. No matter what device we are using to capture the image it is still, and always will be an organic process, unique to the individual. Without that final step in the process of making that physical print, the process lies incomplete. And lets face it. There are a lot of people out there who don’t believe a good quality print can be pulled from the images being created on these smartphones. Making books like these, and prints prove that wrong.
B: When putting a book together, what do you look for in your images that you put in the book? Can you give us some production ideas as I know that some folks have stated they love the idea and may possibly try something smaller scale amongst family and friends?
A: When I put a book together I find it to be a somewhat simple, yet difficult process. What makes this process simple is the fact that I shoot in one genre of photography, street photography, with a specific style. I don’t have to worry about what images to combine. I just have to choose my favorites. I DO NOT choose everyone elses favorites or my most commented on or popular as seen on my IG feed. Be careful of this. In the beginning I was tempted to choose images from my IG feed that had the highest views to put into my books. I realized very quickly that by going this route my audience wouldn’t be seeing me for who I really am, but as everyone else thought I was. These books are an opportunity for me to share my work, what I feel are my strongest, and my thought process on a more intimate level. Maybe even throwing in something you’ve never seen before as a little surprise.
Once the images are chosen I then face the challenge of arranging them in an order, what images is first? What image is last? My goal is to create a flow, a rhythm. Think poetry. Verts, horizontals, squares, b&w, color, how will all of these elements relate with one another on the page, communicate as a whole in the book? Once I get an initial layout then begins the process of finessing to finalize the feel of the book. The challenging part of all though is choosing the cover, and deciding on a title.
Production ideas
Have a theme for your book. Try to keep it consistent. Not to say that chaotic book without a theme can’t be your theme.
Pool your choice images into a working edit before you begin designing the pages.
Edit that pool down to your favorites, based on how many pages you’ll be including.
Think about layout. If you’re going to put multiple images on a page how do they relate to one another? How do they communicate as a “whole?” Are you Juxtaposing thoughts? Pairing similarities? Or just randomly placing images? Give sit some thought to bring deeper meaning to your book, and the story within.
Consider writing captions for your images or include some text about your process. Everyone loves a little extra story.
Title your book.
“Peeking into his subconscious the man knew there was work to be done.” Brooklyn, NY
“I had no idea what I had until I looked later.” Times Square, NYC
B: What do you feel about your project being duplicated by others?
A: I think that’s an awesome compliment to myself, and my project if others find it fascinating enough to want to explore the concept as well. What I would challenge people out there to do who might be considering a project like this is to not copy my project verbatim, but take the idea and use it as a spring board to create a unique project of their own. I was originally inspired by a local illustrator who was a stay at home dad. To pass his time he created 100 illustrations with one theme and hid them all around our town, one a week, using a blog to post hints. The idea was awesome. I even went looking for them with my wife and daughter a few times only to be beat to the treasure. But what I was fascinated by was the intimacy of the search, how I was included in the process. Look, there really are no new or original ideas anymore that weren’t inspired by something or someone else, as is the case with my book project. Think of it as an open source project. We’ll all benefit from the proliferation of creative ideas, and if we all contribute to ideas that help move the art of photography even one baby step forward then we can say we were successful in leaving our mark, even it’s a tiny one. If you find inspiration in this project, great! Now take that inspiration and spin it into something that reflects you.
B: In each book, can you tell us the storyline, the effect you wish to have on the audience?
A: These books contain my favorite images at a particular moment in time that I took great care in choosing and editing. Throughout the pages I am sharing my thought process visually. I want the audience to look at these images. Touch them. Feel the paper. Smell the ink. Well, ok, maybe that’s going too far. I am hoping to create an internal dialogue in their heads. Why did he choose these? “Oh, that’s my favorite as well.” Or, “Not my favorite. He has better.” “Where’d he print this?” “Man! It looks so much better printed.”
There isn’t necessarily a storyline in the books when I hide them as much as they’re a portfolio of images, a celebration of the street, and how I see it. The images in the book are important but not as important as the memory of the experience that will be embedded in this book. That’s the effect I hope to have on my audience. They may be going to find one of these books because they like my images, or just want an adventure, or enjoy collecting photography. But one thing’s for certain, when they’re done this book will now contain a story that tells the tale of their adventure to find it, transforming it into a book that is uniquely theirs. Essentially, they help to complete the book with their story.
B: Share with us the process of developing the book, deciding where you want to hide, the significance of where you may hide a book, what hints you share with the audience?
A: When I first started the project in SF I truly had no idea where to hide these books. I just knew I wanted to hide them in random places. Honestly, this made the project even more difficult. Each time I went out to hide a book I would walk for blocks, sometimes miles unsuccessful. Unsure of what I was looking for, aside from an interesting crack or crevice that was slightly out of view. This made for some really obscure hiding places and even more general clues.
SF Book #2, “There’s a tunnel in the city, a gateway from the new and modern to the old. A gateway to another world that moves both people and vehicles. The book is hidden near the entrance. Look closely. What you find may be deceiving. Post your find here.”
With this problem at hand I would find myself wanting to get rid of the book as quick as I could, stashing them in the first place I could find. I had to fight this. I did not want to succumb to this laziness. After that experience which wasn’t bad, I thought about how I could approach hiding books in a dense city in which I was completely unfamiliar.
The second series in NYC I was particularly challenged because I knew nothing of the city’s urban landscape. I had to come up with a game plan if I was to successfully hide 20 books in NYC over 5 days. Giving it thought I knew that NYC was swelling with photographic history. I chose to hide books in, around or near locations that were historically relevant to street and documentary photography allowed me to add a whole new level to the experience for the audience. Whether you were actively searching for the books or just following the project’s progress you were about to be taken on a journey through photographic history, and hopefully learn about a photographer or event you knew nothing about. And that’s exactly what happened in NYC.
For example, Book #15, “Photographer Helen Levitt spent nearly 70 years shooting street photography in NYC. She had an eye for capturing private, tender moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. According to her Wikipedia page, she has been called the most celebrated and least known street photographer of her time.
Book #15 is hidden in the lower east side. Near the corner of Stanton and orchard are two faded blue boxes. One hides your disguised book. Have a seat and look carefully.
Please log your find here.”
“She pushed her cart up the hill like a modern day Sisyphus.” Chinatown, NY
B: How can we help you in your project? (insert kickstarter or any other fashion you think folks can help out)
A: Thank you for asking. Throughout the life of both SF and the NYC campaigns I received many requests to hide books in other states across the US and in other countries. I couldn’t believe the interest that was generated from this project. I began to toy with the idea of approaching a much larger project, hiding books across the country. As you can imagine this would be a major undertaking. I quickly began to write out details and create a game plan. I won’t get into the process in full detail here. But lets just say I knew I wanted to up the ante here and make this special. I wanted these books to be hardbound. I approached a few different book-publishing companies. Of those, the folks at keepsy.com saw the unique value of this project and jumped onboard immediately to help produce the books that would be hidden upon the successful funding of this project. I also wanted to make sure that all of the donor rewards were also physical, printed limited edition items. The folks at insteegr.am, prinstagr.am, instacanv.as, and sincerely.com all got on board to help produce some cool rewards featuring my images.
So please if you really admire the idea, wish you had thought of it first, want a aeries of books hidden in your town, or just like my photography please donate to the cause at: Kickstarter, if you can’t donate at least $1 or $5 please share the link with your friends and family I would really appreciate it.
Everyone wants to leave their mark on life. Dreams, ambitions, and goals are set. Some are realized while others are forgotten in the rush of life. Dan is realizing his dreams through mobile photography. He has authored two books solely featuring mobile photography’s ins and outs.
A: Anna D: Daniel
A:Tell me where in the world you are and how your location influences your art.
D: I am based just outside Philadelphia so I am 90 minutes from the ocean in New Jersey. So as a kid most of my interest in photography came when I wanted to capture my surfing buddies in waves. Included with that are the typical nature shots of beach, sky and girls. And since we would travel to certain places like Hatteras, North Carolina, Florida, Puerto Rico and Hawaii I discovered many pictures killing time between surf sessions. All this picture taking and the love of “surf based” design and graphics lead me to discover graphic design which I studied at Penn State University.
A: How has mobile photography changed your craft
D: My design career started before computers so I learn the “craft” of design without computer shortcuts. How to think conceptually, how to render typography and at the same time I got to work with many top photographers in art directing editorial, corporate and product shots. All along the way I was shooting lots of personal work for group shows. I shot with many different format film cameras and had my own darkroom. But fell in love with alternative cameras mostly Diana’s and Polaroid cameras and as a result I have a collection of over 120 toy and antique cameras. Anything to give the image an ambient interpretive feeling.
Then after working for someone else for many years along came Photoshop 1.0 that was enough to give me the confidence to go on my own so my wife Denise and I started Marcolina Design in 1990. Our early Photoshop collage work gave us an edge over the competition and got us into many design publications and photography books. I remember running to my desk and working late into the night so excited with what was possible, my head was spinning.
So fast forward 20 years and suddenly and as unexpectedly as Photoshop I am experiencing that excitement all over again. The iPhone has brought together all the elements I love; it is the best toy camera ever combined with Photoshop capabilities and now the resolution for excellent printed output. I work with digital images for a living and have been looking at photo imagery for 30 years to illustrate my various design projects. With the democratization of these image manipulation powers I’ve seen the most imaginative, conceptual and unexpected viewpoints I have seen since early Photoshop. I believe we are at the beginning of a historical movement in photography “the mobile movement”. The convergence of: outstanding Tech in a camera that is always with you, along with cheap easy to discover apps and the sharing and learning of techniques within the hugh social gallery called instagram/facebook has allowed many more people to intuitively create with images. With this prolific rise in participation there is as much naïve bad or cliché images and techniques as early Photoshop but also 10 times as many naïve fresh creative images.
We have turned the corner where Digital is no longer a dirty word is it is just part of the processing.
So that was a long explanation to answer your question… I guess the simple answer is mobile has not just changed my workflow but a whole generations workflow.
A: Tell me about iPhone Obsessed and how that came about.
D: So I put off getting an iPhone until the camera reached three megapixels in the 3GS model. And I started looking for apps and info about apps. I uncovered some early classics like Photomuse, Tiltshift, Camerabag and I began to see the potential for alternative image creation. Suddenly my iPhone became my favorite toy camera. Looking in the app store every day I uncovered more and more interesting apps. Not too many people were talking about the subject online. It felt like early Photoshop days when no one had yet discovered the question let alone the answer to the problems/possibility (Of course there was no Internet yet to find answers quickly). Then my daughter Dana call me from New York where she had just come from a fashion with a big deal photographer she told me excitedly that he had taken half the shots with his iPhone. It was then that I start to realize that the iPhoneography was starting to leach into the professional artistic pursuits. So my gears were turning when at a Photoshop World party Peachpit press asked if I had any ideas for a book.
So I poured all my 25 years of designing experience and my new passion for app stacking (using multiple apps on one image) into writing, designing and programming the book iPhone Obsessed and app iObsessed Companion. The book and app have received great reviews from all the iphone photography blogs and although I haven’t made the bestseller list just hearing from people at my talks about how the book has opened them up to a new world within photography really made it worth the effort.
And so like forgetting the pains of child birth after a year I am about to release a new member of the obsessed family called AppAlchemy. It is an appBook for the iPad and features overviews of my 40 essential apps and 32 image formulas some with detailed step by step video tutorials. Over 5 hours of video altogether. It also includes many many resource links and examples of work based around each app by some of the worlds best iPhoneographers. And there is a way to submit your work for inclusion in the live gallery or add your tricks and tips to a live discussion on each app.
A: There’s a big debate about how and what we should call digital art produced on an iPhone. What’s your opinion? D: In terms of framing what is happening in the historical timeline of photography I am calling it the “Mobile Movement” and not only mobile meaning cell phone but more where Mobile means fluid creativity anywhere any timemoving within and between classes, occupations, and localities. Plus i still like iPhoneography even though it is specific to a brand sort of like kleenx.
I am the kind of girl that points and shoots, followed up by a minimal edit. Because of that I am comstantly amazed at what artists can do with an iPhone. Whatever you want to call it- digital collage, iphone art, mixed media, or wicked awesomeness- is up to you and no matter what you call it the patience and talent it takes to pull it off is amazing. So needless to say when I ran across Beth’s feed I was first blown away, then floored that she used her kiddos as models many times. That’s what I call creative parenting 😉 Her images contain mystery, whimsy, and surreal elements. I ask you does it get better than this?
A: Anna B: Beth
A:Tell me how being a mom has changed your perspective in art.
B: Well to start with, I am more focused on art practices that require a lot more patience and persistence. For example, I do a lot of drawing that requires an enormous amount of detail and pattern work that can be quite pain stacking at times.Before becoming a mom I would have never foreseen that my art would have taken this path. And the same goes for my photography. The amount of time I spend editing on a tiny little iphone screen is pretty crazy. What changed it? I am not quite sure, but I do know that motherhood changed me as a person and challenged my creativity making me moredetermined to never lose my art practice. For once in my life, I have not needed to search far and wide for a subject matter.Being a mother has really allowed me to tune into myself and re appreciate beauty around me, especially in the simple things. I love using my children as a subject matter and often feel like magic has appeared all over again, as theirimagination is something I wish I still had. So to be able to observe and photograph all these elements on a daily basis without them even knowing about, for me is definitely inspirational.
A: what drives you to create?
B: Creativity is something that has always been in my life since a very young age. I am driven daily to create art, whether it is a painting, a drawing or photography. However, being a mother and witnessing the beauty of children has really triggered my imagination at this stage in my life. I am so busy running around in the day that having my iphone on me at all times allows me to take so many photos easily and spontaneously, capturing pure and genuine moments.
Since I bought my first iphone 6 months ago, I immediately downloaded the Hipstamatic App as I had seen a few images from friends that were using it. From here it was a matter of finding other apps that then allowed me to develop techniques to further edit my images.
I really like to mix up my edits a bit, as I couldn’t think of any worse than be bound to one particular style. My creativity is fuelled by also exposing myself to constant inspiration, whether it is in art galleries, beautiful art books, magazines, researching artists via the internet and of late discovering the world of talent in mobile photography. I think that mobile photography has played a really big role in my creativity over the past 6 months. Its almost like opening a new page to your favourite art book everyday only to discover more and more inspiration and amazing talent.
A: What’s your biggest influence?
B: Right now the biggest influence for my current work is mobile photography without a doubt. I am constantly discovering amazing photography and art on a daily basis. Of course I still find great inspiration with my favourite artists such as Bruno Leti, Godwin Bradbeer, Doug Wright, Matthew Jonhston, and Paul Klee.
As for my influence in Photography outside the Mobile photography world, I would have to say that Bill Henson is my main and biggest influence. However, more recently Christopher Relanders work was suggested by @medes101 who does of a lot of breathtaking and quality double exposure photographs, of which I have also been experimenting with.
As far as influences with mobile photographers on IG I absolutely love @jumpstick, @earlybirdninja, @finn, @janske, @_malcome, @saraswebb, and @videotap3….. the list is endless really.
A: Tell me about you outside our pocket world..
B: I live in Australia, in a small town called Castlemaine. I am in my early 30’s with four children aged six and under. Life for me is quite crazy. I am constantly on the move, buttering sandwiches, changing nappies, singing lullaby’s, and in moments of peace I am able to only then concentrate on my iphone photography and editing. This is why it works so well for me, as it’s always accessible. I have developed quite a passion with the art of mobile photography and love IG’s potential to showcase my development with the world. I feel I am connected.
I studied a Fine Arts Painting Degree at University and later went back to University to complete a Diploma in Interior Design and then Teaching. But it was during my Fine Arts Degree that I was tutored by prominent Australian Photographer Dena Lester and other Australian artists. Photography for me is something that I have always been into. However before I got hold of my iphone, I usually used my very basic but wonderful Pentax K1000. I grew up with my own darkroom attached to my home, and pretty much spent my entire teenage and early to mid 20’s in there. My previous photographic work was always of very large scale sometimes taking up a whole wall. I found a great release in expressing myself when I could be encompassed in my development techniques. So to edit and develop my photos on such a tiny mobile screen fascinates me and defiantly comes as a challenge, of which of course I love.
A: What are your thoughts on the longevity of digital art?
B: I believe that mobile photography has come a long way in that people are slowly accepting it as a form of art but it still does has a fair way to go. Even though there is still and probably always will be a certain amount of snobbery towards using an iphone to photograph and edit shots, at the end of the day it is just another tool. It is a camera. And I believe that good photography speaks for itself. I have learnt that anyone can use whatever camera whether it’s an iphone, $3000 camera or $10 disposable to take a photo, but it’s about injecting yourself into your images that makes them speak for themselves. Photographing and editing an image with your mind, heart, hips and soul. It has to come from within and tell the viewer about you as an artist through a means of creative expression.
But considering this type of technology is allowing people universally to felicitate their device and various apps to be creative, I believe it can only a good thing. And I think it’s only going to get better. The cameras will only get better in terms of resolution and image quality. And hopefully if more work is shown in print in art spaces and galleries worldwide, something that obviously is tangible, then the longevity of digital art will live as long as any other art forms.
Josh Johnson, known in the Instagram world as @joshjohnson, is one of the first Instagrammers I followed and is most likely responsible for my impending addiction to the app. Instagram was in its infancy and Josh was one of the only Instagrammers hosting daily photo challenges. It was a great way for me to be able to stretch my creativity, connect with others and get involved in the community. Over the years, Josh and I have gotten a chance to know each other offline. Josh is crazy busy these days, but was willing to take some time with me to do a quick interview.
K: Kewiki JJ: Josh Johnson
K: So, tell us in a couple sentences who Josh Johnson is, what you do, etc.
JJ: I’m a professional photographer who found Instagram and has had a hard time picking up my Canon ever since. Once I experienced snap, edit and share, it was hard to go back to all the work that’s required with photography as I use to know it. For me, if creativity was the drug, IG was an intravenous injection. Instant buzz.
K:How long have you been on Instagram?
JJ: Almost two years
K:What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen on Instagram since you started?
JJ: I think the popular page, now known as explore, is the most obvious. When we started in this community I think it took everyone by surprise the quality of photography that people were sharing. As more and more people have come on the app, it is obvious that the general culture is less about the artistic side of photography.
K: What would you say are the biggest improvements and biggest downfalls of Instagram’s growth since you started?
JJ: I’m not sure I want to judge it that way actually. I think it will surprise some people to hear me say this but, Instagram is what Instagram is. It’s a place to post pictures. There are no rules so I don’t think I would say it’s going in the right way or the wrong way. It’s growing and changing. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow.
K: Rumor has it, you’ve got a big project going on! What can you tell us about it?
JJ: Rumor is right. We’re developing an app that will be an open community featuring the very best Instagram posts.
K: What was the driving force behind your project?
JJ: I see a problem and I think, “I’m in a good position to fix it. How do you find Instagram’s best images? How do you get your images seen by the Instagram community?” I’ve been featuring some of the best images on the #jj tag for almost two years now. With over 11 million submissions it’s one of Instagram’s most active communities.
K: What other Instagrammers are currently involved and what are they doing to help make the project successful?
JJ: I’m working with Kevin Kuster @kevinkuster and Emily Gomez @ohemg87. Kevin is our staff editor and was the first paid employee of the app. Emily is my assistant.
K: How can others find out about the details of the project and/or get involved?
JJ: Check out the Q&A we’ve created on the @our_new_app account and stay tuned for details on the Kickstarter campaign coming soon. Also, you can join the community by following me @JoshJohnson and participating in the daily forums.
K: What are 5 tips you can give for new folks on Instagram?
“Josh’s 5 Tips”
Post only your best work. Your feed has very little time to make a positive impression. It’s about quality not quantity. And don’t forget, personality, not just pictures. We want to know what makes you, you.
Give thoughtful comments. Letting someone know you like their picture is great. Telling them why gets their attention. Always address people by name if you can.
Befriend the new kids. Visit the followers list of a suggested user. The people with very few posts are new. They’d love to have someone show them around.
Relevant hashtags are your friend. Use them. And don’t just tag, also be sure to search tags you are interested in as well. You’ll find people that have common interests. Also, geo-tag your shots when you are in public places. Click on the geo-tag above your picture and you will find Instagrammers who are local to your area.
Ask questions. It’s a great way to start a conversation. You’ll find people are eager to talk to you about their pictures.
K: Any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?
JJ: Have fun. You will come to realize that the best part of Instagram is not the numbers. You’ll find that you keep coming back to IG because of the friendships you make with people who share your love for taking pictures.
K: Thanks Josh for taking the time to do this interview! Sounds like this new app will be very exciting and we wish you the best of luck!
JUXT Rewind: Originally published on January 24, 2012
BP’s Introduction
Hey ya’ll. Well, it’s that time again. I got another one for you all. A doozy. This cat has got some amazing stuff and what caught my eye in particular was the beginning of his “Trucker Series.” I’m a part of the Advanced Mobile Photography Team (AMPt) and I help on the Feature 500 Pillar where we choose mobile photographers on IG who are dope but don’t necessarily have the followership that they deserve. So, we try to help in getting exposure for the amazing work they do. Well we were tasked to find a mobile artist who had amazing portraiture. David has amazing portraiture. Although a few of his first shots in this series were DSLR (he explains in this article), his latter and his most work comes from his iPhone. I had the pleasure of speaking to this brother over the phone and we had a grand ole’ time choppin it up. Here’s the slimmed down version but rest assured we had some good discussion. David is a great guy to boot. Check him out on IG under @dnorphoto. Read through this and enjoy this man’s work!!!
B: BP D: David
B:So David why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
D: I’ve been doing photography since about high school and when I got out I dinked around for a couple of years. In 2001, I got an associate’s degree in photography then went to Philly to finish up my school. I joined a band then came back and that’s when I got a bit more serious about photography.
I’m just a working man slowly working my way into being a full time photographer. I’ve been married for almost 5 years, I got a dog and a cat, no kids yet. We like to travel. We’ve been out to the Caribbean. We also went out to the West, specifically Arizona. We love to travel. The West Series, I posted, I used my DSLR and it’s where I started my portraiture stuff out there, in Arizona. This Series and the Trucker Series I’m working on now is really influenced a lot by Richard Avedon’s “In The American West” Series. The work he did in that series was amazing. I believe it was from the late 70’s or early 80’s, but I first saw it in college. He’s definitely a great influence on me.
B:Well, tell me more about the Trucker Series. That’s definitely what caught my eye on your feed and topic is a dope idea.
D: Now I do weekend gigs like weddings, family stuff, model stuff and during the week I’m a dock worker. This obviously gives me access to all the truckers in the series. It’s the grittier side of life, it’s the life that no one gets to see. The truckers are real supportive and at first they are hesitant and then they get real excited and engaged. I first started with my Nikon d700 with a real big lens. It’s real intimidating walking up to someone with a big ass camera and lens. A lot of times it feels akward from my end, but it’s definitely not something the truckers are easily open to. I’ve found that I can use my iPhone much easier than my DSLR because it’s less evasive and plus I can show them in real time the work that I want to do with this series. I learned about the iPhone’s power through seeing what AMPt and Juxt has been doing with it. You guys are taking it to another level with the iPhones. It’s definitely made it easier for me to get to these truckers and rid of the hesitation. So really, I’ve found that this series has taken it to another level. I’m able to access more truckers and able to share I real time. That’s pretty powerful. Plus I get to show them exactly what “they” look like and they get excited.
B:What kind of story are you trying to tell?
D: Basically I’m just trying to tell everyone about the truckers, their lifestyle, and the stories of the various characters that I see. Really for me, it’s trying to get to their story, it’s a bit selfish in a way. I want the interaction with them as people. I’m not trying to go from truck to truck to truck just so I get a shot. The shots I’ve taken have happened for a reason. I feel that certain situations happen and when I see a face, I see my photo, or I see a reason for why I need to take their portrait. I’m trying to document the lifestyle and the individual again. I want to give them their image and give them respect. I make sure that how I do this is all done respectfully.
B:Can you tell us a couple stories about some of the dude’s and their portraits so far?
D: Actually this one is my favorite. So it was the start of my morning and I see this truck. I knocked on the door, and I see the cab window start to slide open. I think to myself, “OMG” this is going to be a perfect shot. I got my iPhone ready and out comes this head. It’s perfect. I remember thinking, “dude, please don’t move, I need this shot.” So 10-15 minutes roll by and later the guy comes out all dressed normal and he got excited when I was telling him what I was doing ad showed him my shot of him. Afterwards he asks me to take a posed shot of him and his girlfriend. I’m like sure, and I end up taking a family portrait. If you look at the picture or imagine it for a bit, these folks live in their trucks. They’ve lived in this truck probably for a year now. The moral of it is, that they are at first hesitant, and when they find out that I’m doing this to show their lifestyle, they are all gung ho about it.
There was another guy who I photographed awhile back and he had a whole wad of tobacco in his mouth. I didn’t know if there was something wrong with him or if he had tobacco. I didn’t want to ask initially and I was thinking that he wouldn’t want this shot to be seen, then I showed him. So imagine these guys go up and down the coast, they are mainly from the South. Heavy accents, they talk your ear off. Sometimes I just don’t listen but I listen. Like they’ll say things about politics or about our president, and I may not necessarily agree with them, but I’ll listen. Sometimes I’m the only person they get to talk to in how many days or weeks. So I give them the opportunity to release. They get to talk to a person, right!?!? So anyways, I’m thinking he’s not going to like this shot. Turns out, he LOVES the shot. I mean, he’s like, “that’s a great shot man, I mean man, what a great shot.” And there’s the another moral to the story, I want to give them that respect. They get to release whatever they got in them, and sometimes they have some heavy shit, but I give them that time and listen to them.
B:I’m telling you bro, this series is brilliant just because of what you just said. So, when or how did you even start thinking about this series?
D: My final project in college was at a port where I shot in a documentary style of the unloading ships. I owe that to my father, but really this style came back from these ports where I started to see it in a different way. I used to shoot just parties and stuff. I found that at the port and with this trucker series, I get to show the working class, show their life. I mean I’m shooting in Hipstamatic and uploading right away. I’m not doing anything to it as far as edits. It’s all about the characters. The people make the shots. It shows the real life.
B:What apps are you using to shoot and edit with?
D: I usually shoot in Hipstamatic. There are some things where Snapseed has been helping me with some edits. But really, its mostly done with Hipstamatic. Sometimes I use Noir. For example, the sepia tone stuff, I’ll shoot mostly through Hipstamatic, then bring it through Noir, tone it, contrast it a bit, then call it good. Also I like to shoot in black and white and then tone it through an Instagram filter. Then there’s other stuff, where I take a shot and I’m thinking with apps in mind, what kind of shot I’m going to take. For instance, the shot I had the AMPt feature for the community tag, I did that one with it. I knew the shot and used the app I needed to use to edit it. By the way, it means a lot to me to have that shot featured because it did have a story behind it.
B:Oh, how come? What’s the story?
D: Well I lost my grandmother awhile ago from my mothers side which is Jewish. In order to keep with the rituals, she had to buried 24 hours after she passed. So when I found out she passed, I was at work and without too much details I had to either fly out there (with a lot of family) and be down there for her burial or figure out how to get all of this family to the funeral. So, we all drove through the night. That photograph was taken after I got ready at the hotel. Outside of the hotel was this field, I asked my wife to walk into the field naturally because I saw this specific shot in my head. She did and so I got a picture of what I saw in my head. It was a shot that I did no edits. It meant a lot that AMPt chose it. It was the only shot I took that day. It means a lot also because my grandmother was the most artistic one in the family. The last time I saw my grandmother was at my photo exhibition last August (2011). She was so proud of me and was telling everyone how proud she was.
B:So other than Richard Avedon, who else has influenced your work?
D: I don’t have any exclusives. I try to do it real time and its about the interaction for me. My biggest influence is Henri Cartier-Bresson. Everything comes from him. Even though I don’t have similar shots, I’m trying to do exactly what he does, I shoot and try not to worry about edits or crops. I’m trying to go for real time, as real, as raw, as gritty as the characters and subjects in my shots.
B:So you’ve got a gallery coming up with this Trucker Series, what other galleries have you been in or have you been in any?
D: I’ve been in 2-3 galleries. My biggest show was in August, where my grandmother was at. It featured the shots I took while I was in Arizona. The ”West” Series and its images were shot with my Nikon. It was various scenes from travelling through the West, specifically Arizona. In Wilmington, Delaware, the city where I live, there is this First Friday Art Walk. This walk has this loop where it’s so big there are shuttles that help folks get around this loop to the various galleries and exhibits. There’s this “poppycock” tattoo shop, who is a part of the loop and these guys have live music, Pabst beer. It’s not the wine and cheese type event that is like the other shows in the loop. It was a packed house and I had a blast showing my photos there.
The other two galleries I did with a couple of other artists, and a few years ago, I had another show with a few buddies of mine. So this upcoming show, the Trucker Series, the guys who are putting on the show own a print lab that I go to. They also have a gallery out front. I told them about the idea of the series and I’ve been talking to them about my work in mobile photography. It only took an hour of talking about it, where they were like, “Let’s do this.” In an hour they were on board.
B:Word. That’s real nice. So how does this help the photography community and more importantly the mobile photography community since it’s primarily all done on the iPhone?
D: Well, it excites me for my community in my city, I mean, there are a lot of photographers around here. A lot of them may not think that mobile is viable. But I’m getting the respect for the mobile community by showing them that using my iPhone is also an artistic and creative way to produce dope shots. Don’t get me wrong, on the weekends I do my “business”. I shoot weddings and such. But during the week, I get to be more creative and artistic by using my iPhone. I mean with mobile photography, I was like, it’s a raw form of art. It’s very refreshing. The Nikon won’t let me connect like with the iPhone. When I walk through the woods for instance, I’ll bring both my Nikon and my iPhone. The iPhone helps me connect right then and there. It’s in real time. It’s like a renegade style. I used to shoot a lot of music and band shots. At the end of every shoot, I’d do a band shot with my iPhone. I’d then send that image or post it on Facebook. The last band I shot, when I was leaving, the band came up to me and was like, “Hey you forgot to use your iPhone.” It’s an great way to get things done, again, in real time. There’s more interactivity and connection. I like that a lot.
Andrew Proudlove is a jack of all trades. His feed boasts a painters touch, a eye for portraits, and touch a playfulness. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the man, father, and husband behind the camera.
A: Anna AP: Andrew
A: Alright mister Proudlove tell me about yourself.
AP: I am a husband and a father to three kids who wear me out every day and grow up to fast. I am originally from the UK but after uni I went to the USA where I worked and travelled for a bit before coming to Europe where I have spent the last 15 years living and working in the Czech Republic as an IT Manager in the legal sector.
I have always liked art, initially I used to draw a lot but for a number of years after I started travelling, I stopped drawing. Then about 11 years ago, I got my first digital camera, an Olympus C300 (I think, I don’t have the camera anymore), which got me interested in photography and the fact that I could see and work with the images almost immediately was just amazing. Not long afterwards I upgraded to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 but I found that due to its size, I wasn’t taking it every where with me, so I would often miss things simply because I didn’t have a camera with me. This all changed with the iPhone 3G, as even though it didn’t have the best camera, I did have it with me all the time and so I continued to upgrade the iPhone going to the 3GS and then the iPhone 4.
Initially I was just using the iPhone as a snapshot camera, although I was trying to practise and improve my photography skills, I had no idea of the full potential of the device that I was carrying around with me. Then in February of this year, I discovered iPhoneography, after giving Instagram another go. I had initially signed up on Instagram the previous year but didn’t quite get it or see the point but afterwards I came across some amazing images on there that I couldn’t believe had been created on an iPhone, so I started trying to find out more and improve my skills. After googling iPhone Art, I came across the iPhoneArt.com Web site and from there I came into contact with other groups and web sites and met some really nice people, who encouraged me with my work.
Since then I have had work displayed on Pixels, interviewed by Joanne over at TheAppWhisperer for their A Day in the Life and Extension of the I series of interviews, featured in the Mobile Photography Awards showcase, in iPhoneographyCentral’s Apps Uncovered, LifeinLoFi’s faved on Flickr, been voted Artist of the Day at iPhoneArt.com and will have work featured in the upcoming Mobile Arts Festival that takes place in Santa Monica at the end of August. It has been a really amazing journey so far and it has been a real honour to have my work included with and shown next to work from such talented artists and photographers.
A: How does Prague influence your work?
AP: I have to commute into Prague each week day because of work, so while it’s a pain in the neck having to commute each day, Prague does provide me with some good opportunities for street or architecture photography. Whereas the town where I actually live is in a kind of rural area (for the moment, there are more and more housing estates springing up each week it seems), so when I’m home, most of my pictures tend to be of the countryside, landscapes, nature and my kids.
I think this is one of the reasons that I do a lot of collages and fantasy type images as well though because I often have ideas for an image that require something that I don’t have around me, such as the view from a skyscraper for example and so if I want to do those types of shots then I have to make my own, at least until I can afford to travel to some of those locations. This type of work though, also allows me to experiment and push the apps and try to accomplish things with them that are new or at least different to what you would expect to see.
A: What would you say influences you the most?
AP: To be honest, that’s a question that I’m not exactly sure how to answer. The iPhoneography movement in Prague hasn’t really taken off yet and most of the iPhone community here seems to operate abroad. I’m working with the admin of the site iPhoneArt.cz to try to change this a little though and generate some more interest in iPhoneography and iPhoneArt. Otherwise I am lucky in that Prague itself is a beautiful city and as such presents a lot of opportunities for photographers and the surrounding countryside is also beautiful, so I am quite fortunate to have that. What I find though is that work I see online from other photographers or iPhoneographers influences me a lot more, especially as there are so many great images out there. I really am amazed and some of the things that I see and at times I am sitting there looking at an image, thinking how did he/she do that or simply I just look and think that’s such a great photo. This always inspires me to try to do something new or better.
A: where do you see your photographing going in the future?
AP: Good question and one that I’m not sure that I know the answer to in all honesty. I think that like any type of art form it is evolving or at least I hope it is and I hope that is partly through me becoming better with the tools that I have, in essence, “knowing the camera”, partly because my eye is improving as time goes by and with practice and also because I am getting better at conveying the message that I want to or telling a story with my images. I’d like to think that’s all true as I think that if we don’t grow we stagnate.
The only thing that I do know for sure right now is that I don’t want to be pigeon-holed. I wouldn’t like for people to see my name or my work and associate it with one form or type of photography as I think that this would limit me creatively and I like having the freedom to experiment and try new things. Who know’s perhaps I will discover some niche going forward and end up working towards it but right now I like trying my hand at different styles. I tend to like and seek out opposites with my work, light and dark, right and wrong and so on, so for near future, I can see myself alternating between straight photography, almost photo-reporting style and more heavily edited, fantasy type pieces, as these two types seem to be the opposites of one another and each helps to scratch the appropriate itch in my brain when it arises.
Some days I just like to get as close to the subject as possible and just record what I see, whether its an interesting person, scene, the way the light falls just so across something, these times I tend to work in black and other days, my right brain goes into over-drive and I need to work in colour and push the boundaries of what reality depicts. I think if pushed though, I would say that I can see myself drifting towards doing a series of pieces in the future instead of individual, standalone images. Thats probably as much as I can say right now though, as it’s not something that I have consciously thought about really and your question has given me something to think on.
A: Tell me about your style
AP: I think that my style is still in the process of developing and I don’t think I have settled on any one thing yet. In one sense I hope that I never will and that I will continue to try different areas, topics, themes, styles and so on and so continue to grow. Something I have noticed though is that in the beginning I was mainly trying to just capture as good an image as I could and then bring out the best of that image in the processing afterwards. Over time though, I have indulged my fantasy a bit more and created work that is more iPhonic Art than photography but I tend to go back and forth from trying to create pure photographic images to iPhone Art and sometimes a combination of the two. I think that its a natural evolution of my ability to work with the apps improving and I hope a sign that my “photographic eye” is also developing. I am also a sucker for a good black and white, as I love the play between light and shadow, so I also go through periods where I tend to focus on black and white photography.
What I think fascinates me most in general is the idea that things have two sides or two extremes but that neither could exist without the other, right and wrong, shadow and light and so on. So where possible I try to play with and utilise this in my work.
A: The process behind someones photography always amazes me. Can you tell me a little about your process?
AP: My process isn’t really that complicated.
First of all in terms of capture, I tend to chase shadows and light a lot, I love the interplay between the two and any time I see a strong combination of the two I always stop and try to get something from it. Other times I am more opportunistic photographer and just walk around with my camera ready to capture anything that strikes me. It’s very rare that I will plan a shoot and go out with a firm idea in my mind of what I want to get. Sometimes when I am capturing an image, I can see the finished result in my mind, what I want it to look like and then it’s just a matter of using the apps to get there.
Once I have captured some images though, the next thing that I do is somewhere reasonably quiet (a very hard thing to find with kids), I will sit down and review the images. Sometimes one or two of them will jump out at me and just looking at them I will know exactly what I want to do with them, then other images, that on the initial run didn’t quite stand out, I find after a couple of viewings or letting them “sit” for a couple of days, I see something that I didn’t notice before, some part of the image itself or a way to edit it and then off I go.
From there it really depends on the image and the emotion or message I want to convey, sometimes, I like to keep things simple, other times I tend to use multiple apps on an image in order to get the desired effect.
A: And last but not least tell me about your perfect day with your kids.
AP: The perfect day with my kids… I think it would probably start off with them letting me sleep in until at least 8am, that would be a fantastic start and a nice change from the 5am usual wake up time. Then I’d make us all breakfast, usually on a weekend as I have more time I tend to make them something like scrambled eggs or muffins as opposed to toast and cereals. Afterwards, well it really depends on what they would like to do, at the moment its a little difficult as my eldest Elizabeth is 4 going on 5, James will be 3 in a couple of weeks and Charlotte is 1.5, so finding something that we can all do together without them getting bored or upset with each other can be a challenge. So there are usually a couple of options, the first being that we go to the zoo or out on a day trip or the second option, we stay home and play various games. Personally I tend to prefer it when we stay home as going anywhere is like trying to move an army logistically, especially with the amount of things that you have to take with you to cover contingency, so its nice to be able to just play (though seeing their faces does tend to make it all worthwhile). It tends to work out that after breakfast, we play for a little while either with the lego or with this wooden train set we have, which usually goes well until Charlotte comes through it like a tornado 🙂 Sometimes we draw or paint, which is good as its something that all of them can do.
Once it gets a bit warmer we go outside and play in the garden. Charlotte is addicted to the swing and so she just wants to be in the swing being pushed most of the time. James tends to play with his various tractors and diggers in the sandpit and Ellie likes to dress-up and play princesses or fairies and thinks up a lot of games. She is going through a frisbee stage at the moment and so we play that a lot together. We also sometimes play racing, I’m the starter and shout out three, two, one go and they race from one side of the garden to the other. As time goes by it tends to get more complicated with obstacles to run around, sections where you need to hop and so on. Another big hit just lately is hide and seek. That usually works out to them hiding and me finding them or me hiding and them finding me. 🙂
After lunch they all usually have a nap (me too if Ive got up at 5) for a couple of hours and then we go back outside, again depending on what they want to do, we can end up on bikes or in the garden or if their friends come over, then I basically just keep an eye on them while they’re playing and spend a bit more time with Charlotte or we do mass games of hide and seek. Our street is quite good and we were quite lucky in this regard, it’s mostly full of people who are our age, with kids all of similar ages, so it worked out quite well and the kids tend to move from one garden to the next in a mass mob depending on what they’re doing 🙂 They come to our garden for the swings and hide and seek, one of the other neighbours for the trampoline and so on. It works out really well.
Usually on these occasions when they are absorbed in what they are doing and so don’t notice me, I tend to start photographing them, I much prefer this to forcing them to pose somewhere and I think that it adds a lot more emotion and interest to the images. Just lately Ellie has started taking an interest too and she walks around with an old iPhone 3G photographing stuff, its really interesting seeing things from her perspective. She will also walk up to me sometimes and say Dad, I look like a princess, will you photograph me? Or can you photograph this flower? So either a future model or the next Ansel perhaps? 🙂 Out of all of them she seems to be the most artistic at the moment, loves drawing, painting, singing, taking photos, all stuff I try to encourage with her. James seems more logical, he’s good at working out puzzles and Charlotte is an unknown element at this point but shes very bossy. 🙂
We start winding the day down at about 7, we tidy up (or we try to get them to), have dinner and then its bath time, all three of them go into the bath together at the moment (at least while they can still fit) and so they have a nice time playing in the bath for a bit. From there we go to bed and I tell each of them a story, usually something that I make up as I go, which can cause problems if they like it and want to hear it again as I have to get the details right. If I slip up though, then Ellie usually reminds me, its amazing how good their memory is already. The only problem is when they end up liking a story then you can tell it to them for days and days and days and they never seem to get tired of it, for example I made up a story about a Knight called Sir Alfred who helps a dragon move house and have been telling it to them for ten days straight now 🙂
Once the stories are done, then my wife and I finally get to spend a few hours together in piece and quiet, so Mom and Dad take a break and Andrew and Soňa come out of their shells for a couple of hours at least 🙂
Im not sure I answered your question with this but really this for me is a perfect day in the sense that we get to spend time together and do things together as a family. I just enjoy spending time with them (though there are times like most parents when I wonder why we got ourselves into this 🙂 ).
Contact Info
Twitter @aproudlove
Facebook – aproudlove
Flickr – aproudlove
Instagram – aproudlove
500px – aproudlove
iPhoneArt – aproudlove
As you can see I was really original with the username 🙂
A: Thank so much for your time Andrew! Next time I’m on your street I’m coming over to play hide and seek.
A true pioneer, Greg Schmigel has blurred the lines between Mobile Photography and the origins of classic street shooting. His photographs are timeless and serene. A true inspiration, Greg shows us that it’s not about the camera you carry, it’s just what you see.
Chinatown #12
Humble beginnings
I often tell people I’ve always been a big fan of photography as an art form, but wasn’t always a creator of the art coming up as a kid. I had the cameras that mom and dad had given me or my grandparents had given me as gifts. It didn’t really fall into place until around 2001, when I decided to buy a DSLR from a co-worker, and even then I was only seeking out urban decay and stuff like that.
Five years later, I have a really good friend, Ricky Carioti, who is a professional photo journalist, and I was living with the guy. He got me turned on to taking pictures, specifically shooting high school sports. Same guy started to do a lot more photo journalistic work, and I was always intrigued by the fact that he was taking pictures of people, not so much on the playing field, but people in public. I talked to him a lot about it, not knowing really anything about street photography as a genre. I didn’t know too much about the people who started the whole thing. I was finally convinced by Ricky to start going out and taking pictures of people and I was terrified to do it; it’s pretty intimidating to go out and shoot street photography if you’ve never really done it before. So I just kept happy with my sports photography, doing it for the schools and making a little bit of money here and there. Later on, I revisited street photography and I got a little more comfortable with it, but I was still the guy, hiding behind the bushes taking pictures of people walking by.
The Bicyclist
2007. The iPhone comes along and I got one. I was loading up my contacts and got everything loaded from my old phone so I started looking at the apps, which were very few at that time. I remember thinking, “Oh cool, check it out, there’s a camera.” I pointed at whatever was on the table and I wish I still had that photograph. It was at that point, I realized, this phone actually has a decent camera on it and I always have it with me.
Faces at Freedom Plaza
One night my same friend Ricky came over with a Cartier-Bresson book called “The Bystander” and I was basically introduced to street photography in that one night. That was it. I knew, though I had never taken a true street photo, that whether it was the next weekend or the following weekend, that’s what I was going to go out and do. In the beginning, I carried a Leica Deluxe 3 and a Canon Rebel. By 2008 those fell by the wayside and I was just using my iPhone… and that’s really how it started.
Bus Boys
On his camera of choice
Chase Jarvis said “The best camera is the one thats with you.” I think that’s a true statement. At this point, I don’t use the phone because it’s always with me, I don’t use the phone because everyone else is doing it or because it’s the hip thing to do these days. I use the phone because it’s the camera that I have become completely comfortable with. Since I’ve gone fully iPhone, I have shot with other cameras, a Ricoh X100, an X10, but all the photographs I was taking were exactly the same as my iPhone. I don’t mean from a data perspective, an M9 would obviously blow away anything on an iPhone from a data perspective. But what I believe is my own style, and my composition, and what I see… it was the same no matter which camera I was using. It was a fulfilling feeling, because I’d reached the point where I felt completely comfortable with what I’m shooting. I find this peace with myself. I’m not out trying to force landscapes on myself, I’m not out there trying to do portrait work. That’s for other people. I go out and I shoot just what I see, with my phone, and it’s like a perfect match. It’s not about the camera, it’s what the artist sees.
On printing
My friend Anton said something recently, and it’s one of those things that instantly stuck with me and I think it’s going to be one of those things I keep written down in my wallet for a long time. He said “I don’t think a photograph is truly a photograph until its printed.”
For me, maybe the reason I didn’t hesitate to print my work is because I feel that is the natural process for photography. Okay! Let’s get these off the screen and onto the walls. I wish more people that I admire would print their stuff, but maybe it’s just personal preference. For printing, I use a company called Mpix; they are one of the only companies that I know of that use an Ilford true black and white paper.
Advice for aspiring street photographers
First thing I would say: whatever I tell you, don’t listen to me. I say this as a joke and with a bit of a serious light.
I think I have a bit of an unorthodox approach to street photography. I’m not a sit and wait for the decisive moment kind of guy, I’d rather move along with the crowd, be part of the crowd. Sometimes, I’m an after the fact kind of shooter, whereas I’m out shooting and I will cross a street and in the crossing of that street I’ll fire off 30 shots. Sometimes I’m not even looking. I’m shooting from the hip, I shoot behind the back, I’ll shoot from wherever I feel there is a shot.
To me a very important part of my photographs is a character; I can walk all day long and not take a single picture. That’s not to say people aren’t interesting everywhere, but I try and find something interesting about a character, whether it’s their face, whether it’s the way they are dressed, their walk, something they are carrying, something that catches my eye, and that’s usually in a street or city setting.
I’d say keep your eye out for characters. Composition is important, although as I mentioned, I don’t sit and wait. I usually don’t go to place and say “Ok, this is a perfect frame here I have created, now wait for characters.” Composition is definitely important, but then again, I’ve got some shots in my collection that, to me personally, are some of my favorite shots that go completely against the grain of general photographic rules. And that’s one of the things I love about photography. Just love what you do. I don’t go out and shoot what I think, I go out and shoot what I see. I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how it’s supposed to be or what’s going to make people appreciate my photograph. I shoot just what I see.
The Conversation
On missed photographs
I almost didn’t get this photograph, more for an ethical standpoint. But I saw that shot, I think we were crossing First and Second, my wife and I, and I saw her sitting there and it was a cold, cold morning. I try not to shoot the homeless; I think they are easy shots. I do have some shots of them but as I’ve matured with this I try and stay away from that. But this one particular shot, here is this big paste up reading “I can’t afford to love New York” and this women’s huddled over in the cold and is obviously homeless; it just all kind of came together. I almost missed this shot because my inner self was saying “Don’t take this picture.” But something spoke to me.
I Can’t Afford to Love NY
I may not think about the shots I’ve missed, but I do often wonder where some of the people that I’ve taken pictures of are now…
We take all these pictures of people and there is bound to be some of whom have died, ya know? They aren’t here any more. But you have their photograph and it’s kind of a weird connection, you’ve documented them for a minute. There are some people I will never see again. There are some people I have seen again, since I have taken their picture. But I do often wonder, where are these people now?
On Jazz
When shooting in the streets I’ll listen to, by far hands down, Billie Holiday. I don’t know if it’s an homage to Baltimore, my dad’s hometown, but there is just something about her music that really gets me. It’s the city, it’s the grit; she’s one of the true divas. We’ll put Mariah Carey and those gals aside. Billie Holiday, Nina Simone… those are the divas. I like to listen to jazz a lot. I am not a jazz head, I couldn’t tell you all the big names in jazz. I have my core group that I really like to listen to. My grandfather was a big band singer so I was exposed to it when I was a kid, and I guess it really just stuck with me.
Advice to your younger self
I’m 43 now, and I was having a conversation with a good friend. We both kind of realized, from a numbers perspective, within a couple of years, I’m probably on the down slope. I’ve probably hit the halfway mark. It’s funny to think about that. I tell everyone I’m 43 on paper, I think in my heart I’m 22, and my body is probably 68…(laughs).
In all honesty, I would say something that my father would probably say… Life is short, so go out and do things, take photographs, paint pictures or be the best accountant you can be. Do what you really love to do. Travel abroad, go to a foreign country, learn another language, learn to play a musical instrument. Find something you really like to do. Take it from being a hobby to a passion and sometimes, take it fully into your life. As far as enjoying life and smelling the roses, you gotta do that too.
Today marks our first Instagramers Seattle Feature!
Each month a member of the manIGers team will select a photographer to interview here on the Juxt blog. The idea behind this is to showcase local artists who are creative and representative of the Pacific Northwest.
To date, we are close to 50,000 photos tagged with #Igers_Seattle, so if you haven’t already checked out our gallery please do. There is plenty of incredible talent, believe me!
So, let’s get to it.
Everyone… meet Tony… a “Seattle guy”
B: Bridgette T: Tony
B: Hi Tony, let’s start with this shot, one which is particularly AMAZING! Are you a surfer? Where were you when you took this?
T: Gosh, no! I wish I were a surfer, but I have to be content with boogie boarding and other water sports that take place in waist-deep water. I have a fear of dying by drowning. I think I’d prefer fire. Actually, yes, I’ve just decided for certain that I would prefer fire. While I can manage on the water’s surface just fine — floating, dog-paddling, splashing or sipping a Campari and tonic on a raft — I’m not fond of being pushed under by a ton of falling water.
This shot was taken in Pacific City, Oregon, which is a small, quiet, surf-friendly beach town. My husband, Rand, and I own a little house down there that we use as an escape, so I do have quite a few beach and surfer shots in my feed. Rand surfs, so he shows up in a lot of my shots. Having spent part of my youth in Hawaii, I’m fascinated by the surf scene down there. It’s not territorial and it’s actually very beginner friendly. Most everyone there is just starting out and not actually very good. Except for Rand, of course, who is the best surfer I’ve ever witnessed and certainly ever will.
B: Here’s another favorite – I think of this effect as your signature effect. What are your favorite editing tools / apps? And tell us which you use to create the blur and drama.
T: This look kind of became known as the “blurry people” effect, and I have many variations on this theme in my feed. I actually think these pieces feel positive and liberating, but based on a few comments I’ve received, I think some people see it as “beautiful death” in some oxymoronic way. That’s OK with me, too. I like that its intent is vague.
The look actually came about by accident. I masked out part of a figure and intended to blur the rest of the scene, but I forgot to invert the mask and I ended up with a partially blurred person. From there it morphed. For example, I have several pieces in which the blur extends in the direction opposite of what you’d perceive to be the movement. I like the jarring effect it creates.
This one — called “Ascent” — is actually my favorite. Here I’ve use the blur to give the feeling of a person evaporating. I called it “Ascent” because I imagine this person ascending to a better place. And I don’t mean from life to heaven, but maybe just from sadness to joy, or from frustration to forgiveness. It’s a movement in a positive direction. But I guess I can also see how some might see a person dissolving molecule by molecule in a Star Trek kind of way.
To get the effect, I use the masking feature in PhotoWizard, and then I apply the Motion Blur tool. Sometimes I do this repeatedly at different strengths and in various areas to keep it from looking too uniform. To get the “smoky” look above the figure, I mask again, and adjust brightness and hue to get it to match the rest of the blur.
To get the texturing, I like to use the layers feature in PhotoForge2. Most of the textures are photos I’ve taken — rusty walls, grimy concrete, driftwood, sand, tree bark, paint, etc. Sometimes I’ll layer two or three to get the look I want.
B: By looking at your photos it’s clear that you love to travel, which has been your most memorable moment? Where would you love to travel to next?
T: I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel so much. My high school years were spent entirely in Germany (my stepfather was an Army pilot) so I’ve always wanted to stray from home from time to time. Rand and I own a small design firm and we design everything from furniture to holiday items to home decor. We have two large manufacturing partners in Asia, so we travel there 3 to 5 times a year to oversee the development of our products. I think I’ve been to China nearly 40 times already, and I’m still not tired of it.
We feel very lucky to be able to work and travel together without killing each other, and these trips give us the opportunity to tag on short vacations after our work is done, such as Thailand, Bali, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. Although I traveled with my family all throughout Europe while I was in high school, and Rand and I have seen so much of Asia through our business travels, there are still so many places to visit. India is high on my list. I’d jump at a chance to get to Morocco or Greece. And we are planning a Turkey trip next year with friends. I also need to see Lebanon sometime before I die because I am half Lebanese.
One of my most memorable travel experiences happened just this year on a trip with a large group of friends to southern Africa. Our friend who planned the trip tagged on a humanitarian effort, and, using funds we collected, we had a kitchen built for a school for orphaned children in Zambia. Rarely do you have the opportunity to give and see directly the effect you are having on real people.
B:Your photos in general are so atmospheric and resemble remarkable pieces of art. Have you ever taken a painting class? Who or what influences you most?
T: Wow, I really appreciate the compliment. My biggest influence is actually Rand, who truly is a talented artist in every sense of the word. He’s an incredible sculptor and painter, and his work never ceases to surprise and amaze me. I’m inspired by him to bring that variety into my own work. I don’t really consider myself an “artist” in the same sense, but I have always had a creative side. I excel at photography and graphic design, and I have nice handwriting (does that count?), but physical art-related activities (sculpting, painting, etc.) elude me.
When Rand and I first met in the mid-90s, I tried painting and sculpting alongside him. I was very good at painting Pharaoh eyes that seem to be staring directly at you from a side-turned face, and I fired a clay serving piece or two that would be welcome at any Klingon dinner party, but that’s as far as I got. Most of the art I’ve wanted to create was either with a camera or a computer. But after a day of work on a computer, the last thing I want to do was spend the evening at the same computer creating art. So Instagram, my camera, and my iPad have actually been an incredible outlet for me. Having an instant audience on Instagram is so gratifying, if not somewhat addictive. After that initial rush of “likes” starts to slow, it’s tough not to want to post again right away to keep it going.
I’ve always had a big interest in trompe l’oeil, which is a fancy French art term that means to “deceive the eye.” It’s an old technique that involves imagery to trick the eye – say, a painted door or window on a wall to give the illusion of a larger space. I spent many a lunch hour after college in temp jobs drawing extremely realistic paper clips on the desk pads of secretaries just so I could spend the afternoon watching them try to periodically brush them aside.
So I like to add a little bit of the almost impossible to some of my images to deceive the eye. For example, in the cloud image above, the beach is Pacific City, but the clouds were shot just a month ago in Vietnam. In this image I joined the two together and flipped the clouds upside-down. The clouds almost look plausible, but there’s something a little off about them. I like bringing disparate images like these together in a sort of collage, but when I do, I want the transitions from one element to another to be seamless.
B: Tell us a bit more about yourself. Aside from exploring the great outdoors, what else do you enjoy doing in your spare time? What type of music do you listen to? Do you have a favorite book of all time?
T: I’m a big fan of hiking the amazing mountains and waterways that surround Seattle. I can’t imagine a more ideally placed city than ours. I also love to cook. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and for the past 20 years, my good friend Ruth and I have cranked out 20 unique meals for a large group of guests. (Rand and my sister, Karen, do the table decor.) We have a “no repeat recipes” rule, so there’s a lot of testing and planning involved. We also don’t let people contribute any food of their own, even if they claim they cannot survive a Thanksgiving without their grandmother’s mushroom-lima bean casserole. We simply can’t risk any unplanned dish disrupting the perfect harmony of color, texture, and flavor we believe we’re creating… haha.
As far as music goes, I’m a big fan and supporter of KEXP radio (if you’re outside Seattle, check them out on the Internet or in the Apple App Store). I guess I’m partial to indie Seattle artists, like Damien Jurado, Ivan & Alyosha, and Unbunny, but I also love Dan Mangan, Langhorne Slim, and Phosphorescent.
My favorite book of late has been “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell, which the Wachowskis have adapted to film and will release this fall. To me, this book seems nearly impossible to adapt to film, so I’m excited to see what they’ve produced.
B:And lastly, name three restaurants you’d recommend to a first time visitor here in Washington, of course!
T: I could easily name 10. There are so many fantastic places here. My top three this week might be The Walrus and the Carpenter (oysters, fantastic small plates, and amazing cocktails), How to Cook a Wolf (incredible pastas and crudo), and Sitka & Spruce (local farm-fresh foods and incredible atmosphere). But I’d also recommend stopping at Metropolitan Market grocery store at the bottom of Queen Anne Hill, grabbing a few Salumi sandwiches, an orzo salad, some cookies, and a bottle of wine and heading to Discovery Park to picnic with the sun setting behind the Olympics as your backdrop.
BIO: Tony is a product and furniture designer in Seattle. His household consists of himself; his husband, Rand; two cats; an espresso machine; two ovens; a pair of hiking boots; travel shorts; and a stack of unread books.
IG username:@tonyinseattle Hometown: Although I wasn’t born in Seattle, I’ve been here longest and freely claim it as my hometown Current location: Seattle, WA Camera(s): iPhone 4S and Olympus E-M5
A Squirrels Bounty
A: When I first started the project in SF I truly had no idea where to hide these books. I just knew I wanted to hide them in random places. Honestly, this made the project even more difficult. Each time I went out to hide a book I would walk for blocks, sometimes miles unsuccessful. Unsure of what I was looking for, aside from an interesting crack or crevice that was slightly out of view. This made for some really obscure hiding places and even more general clues.
The second series in NYC I was particularly challenged because I knew nothing of the city’s urban landscape. I had to come up with a game plan if I was to successfully hide 20 books in NYC over 5 days. Giving it thought I knew that NYC was swelling with photographic history. I chose to hide books in, around or near locations that were historically relevant to street and documentary photography allowed me to add a whole new level to the experience for the audience. Whether you were actively searching for the books or just following the project’s progress you were about to be taken on a journey through photographic history, and hopefully learn about a photographer or event you knew nothing about. And that’s exactly what happened in NYC.
Kewiki’s Introduction
Greg Schmigel
BIO: Tony is a product and furniture designer in Seattle. His household consists of himself; his husband, Rand; two cats; an espresso machine; two ovens; a pair of hiking boots; travel shorts; and a stack of unread books.