by Anna Cox | Jul 27, 2012 | Anna Cox, Featured Articles
Anna’s Introduction
Meet @denikv, I stumbled across Dennis’s feed and the glorious colors and textures made my jaw drop. The way he captures everyday objects is absolutely fantastic. As I scrolled through his feed I was treated to a cacophony of diverse subjects. He has posted series after series of abandoned objects, homeless, and signage that gives the viewer a poignant look into the Philippines. Every photo is flawless and you come away with a feeling you just walked down a back street in Dennis’s city. I do hope you will enjoy the view through this lens as much as I have in the last weeks.
A: Anna D: Dennis (Italics in Tagalog – One of many dialects in the Philippines)
A: Tell me about yourself outside IG.
D: I’m Dennis C. Villanueva. I live in Manila, Philippines. During the day, I work as a creative director in an advertising agency: Gallardo and Associates. I am married with one daughter who is 3 and a half years old. I have 3 Siamese cats. I love going mountain biking and sport fishing. I get fascinated a lot too with the design of chairs, architecture, and mid-century design and furniture.
I’m Dennis C. Villanueva. I live in Manila, Philippines. Nagtratrabaho ako sa isang advertising agency, Gallardo and Associates, as a creative director. I am married with one daughter who is 3 and a half years old. I have 3 Siamese cats. Mahilig ako mag-mountain biking at sport fishing. Na-fa-fascinate rin ako sa design ng chairs, architecture, and mid-century design and furniture.
A: When did you begin snapping with your iPhone?
D: I got my iPhone December of last year (2011) and that’s when I discovered instagram. Since then, I was hooked!
Nagka-iPhone ako nung December last year, tapos na-discover ko ang Instagram. Mula noon, hooked na ako!
A: What motivates you to shoot?
D: Well, there are a lot of beautiful things that’s just around us that we really don’t notice. I guess we just have to “LOOK” and appreciate the simple, little things that we take for granted. Capturing these things in a different perspective are what make taking pictures a lot of fun.
Well, maraming mga magagandang bagay sa paligid natin na hindi natin talaga napapansin. Siguro, dapat lang tayo tumingin nang mabuti para ma-appreciate yung mga simpleng bagay na we take for granted. Pag kinukunan ko ang mga ito sa ibang perspective, nakaka-aliw ang pagkuha ng letrato.
A: The Philippines seems like such a fantastic place to shoot. How have the Philippines influenced your work?
D: The Philippines is a tropical island country with a very colorful and mixed history and culture that offer a lot of interesting things to see. My snaps document all of the things neglected, rusty, worn out that I find interesting and beautiful. You will just see it all around here. It may not be beautiful to others, but as long as I find it pretty and beautiful, everything else doesn’t matter.
Tropical island country ang Pilipinas. Very colorful and mixed ang history at kultura namin kaya maraming interesting na makikita dito. Kinukunan ko ng pictures yung mga hindi pinapansin, kinakalawang, laspag na na sa tingin ko interesting at maganda. Makikita mo lahat yan dito. Pwedeng hindi maganda yun para sa iba, pero basta maganda para sa akin, bali wala na ang iba.
And I’m proud to say that the Philippines is a very beautiful country and we are very rich in natural resources. A lot of beautiful scenery, beaches, mountains and the most beautiful of all are the Filipino people. Come visit us sometime and I will show you around and you will understand what I’m talking about. The Philippines is progressive, booming, teeming with life! Everything is fast paced. And Manila is very cosmopolitan. As what they say in one of our tourism tagline: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”! And I can say hell yeah!!!
At proud ako to say na maganda talaga ang Pilipinas, at mayaman sa natural resources. Maraming beautiful scenery, mga beach, bundok, at pinakamaganda sa lahat yung mga Pilipino. Come visit us sometime tapos ipapakita ko sa inyo yung mga sinasabi ko. Progressive ang Pilipinas, booming and teeming with life! Everything is fast paced. And Manila is very cosmopolitan. Tulad ng sabi ng tourism tagline namin, “It’s more fun in the Philippines!”. Talaga naman!
A: I fell in love with the colors and textures on your feed. Tell me about some of the series on your IG feed. I adore how you shoot 5 or more in a row your feed flows so well. It is a feast of numbers, colors or textures.
D: Right now I have 15 different series going on. I started with my “Cola Loca” series – these are Coke signs that I see all around Metro Manila.
Sa ngayon,may 15 different series ako. Nagsimula ako sa “Cola Loca” series. These are Coke signs na nakikita ko all around Metro Manila.
And the others are:
1) “Cola Loca” – Coke signage
2) “Electric Meter” – Electric meters around the city
3) “Art through Vandalism” – Graffiti’s around the city
4) “Number Fever” – All about numbers
5) “What’s your Type?” – Anything typography related images
6) “Beautiful rim job” – these are the colorful rims of jeepneys around metro manila
7) “Knock! Knock!” – Doors galore!
8) “Chain Reaction” – beautiful rusty chains
9) “Roughing it out” – Anything with texture I put here
10) “Petty Pets” – Filipinos love pets. These are the cats and dogs that roam around the city.
11) “Just Sittin Around” – I love chairs! Anything about neglected old chairs, couch and sofa.
12) “Keyhole Peephole” – These are keyholes with colors and texture
13) “Between the lines” – All about lines and shapes
14) “Sleepyhead” – These are people that I see sleeping around the city
15) “Pick a lock” – is about beautiful rusty padlocks
A: Which out of the series are your favorites? Will you tell me a little more about them?
D: My favorite amongst the series that I’m doing currently are the “Cola Loca,” “Number Fever,” “What’s your Type,” “Just Sittin’ Around” and “Chain Reaction.”
Favorite ko sa series na ginagawa ko ngayon yung “Cola Loca,” “Number Fever,” “What’s Your Type,” “Just Sittin’ Around” and “Chain Reaction.”
“Cola Loca” is my very first series. Everyone in the Philippines loves drinking soda! It’s funny because you find the signs all around even in the most obscure places. Coke Philippines did a great job in doing that. It’s like Coke is ubiquitous. I also love the texture of the paint and the wall together. It creates a nice “look” to it that makes it really interesting.
Unang series ko yung “Cola Loca.” Mahilig ang Pilipino sa soft drinks! Nakakatuwa kasi nakikita ang signs all around, kahit sa mga obscure na lugar. Coke Philippines did a great job in doing that. It’s like Coke is ubiquitous. Gusto ko rin yung texture ng pagkakapinta at ng mga wall. Nagkakaroon ng magandang look na interesting.
“Number Fever” and “What’s Your Type” go together. It’s basically all around us. I like discovering weathered, peeled, textured, and rusted typography and numbers. There’s a certain charm and magic in each and every one of them. I guess I just generally love typography and numbers.
Bagay magkasama ang “Number Fever” and “What’s Your Type.” It’s basically all around us. Natutuwa ako pag nakakakita ako ng mga typography at numbers na pinagdaanan na ng panahon, yung mga kumukupas na, kinakalawang na. May magic at charm yung mga yon. Baka gusto ko lang talaga ang typography and numbers.
“Just Sittin Around” – because I love chairs! I love all the Bauhaus and mid-century chair designs. I love Marcel Breuer, Giancarlo Piretti, Le Corbusier, Hans Wegner, Jean Prouve, Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, George Nelson and the list goes on. And I really find a lonely, forgotten, neglected chair just sitting around sad. It is very interesting to shoot specially if it’s really worn out and weathered and peeling and you just “feel” the love that that chair gave to whoever owns it and used it. Things are going to get old, tired, weak and eventually lonely, especially if you don’t take care of it. Again, there’s a certain magic and feeling in capturing those chairs. It gives me some pleasure and excitement that I can’t really explain why when I find one just sitting around. Happy and sad I guess.
“Just Sittin’ Around”–because I love chairs! Gustong gusto ko ang mga Bauhaus at mid-century chair design. I love Marcel Breuer, Giancarlo Piretti, Le Corbusier, Hans Wegner, Jean Prouve, Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, George Nelson and the list goes on. Pag nakakakita ako ng mga lumang upuan na nakakalat lang, parang nakakalungkot. Interesting sila kunan ng letrato lalo na pag sobrang worn-out and weathered, kasi nararamdaman mo yung pinagdaanan nung upuan. Pag hindi inaalagaan, maluluma lang at masisira ang mga bagay. Again, there’s a certain magic and feeling in capturing those chairs. Natutuwa ako at na-e-excite pag nakakakita ako ng isang nakasalampak lang. Happy and sad I guess.
“Chain Reaction” – It’s the texture, shape and form that interest me when I shoot chains. Even if it’s all weathered and rusty, it still gives you the feel of “strength” especially when they are all linked together and being “one”.
“Chain Reaction”– pag nagkukuha ako ng letrato ng mga kadena, interesado ako sa texture at shape nila. Kahit kinalawang na at luma, parang may tibay pa rin, lalo na pag linked together at iisa.
Thank you for chatting with me Dennis and thank you so much for sharing with us! I can’t wait to see what your next series.
To find out more about Dennis:
Instagram: denikv
Twitter: Ski43210
by Brad Puet | Jul 18, 2012 | Featured Articles
I have BIG love for the International District (ID).
Most recently, Boohi (@boohi_bronson) and I went to shoot the Dragon Festival before we had to start on the gallery for the upcoming fundraiser. I had the opportunity to roam the streets that Sunday afternoon and soak up the neighborhood that I know so well thru love and thru hate. There are many memories and learned lessons that come from being integrated into that community. I learned on so many aspects of my life; career, community organizing, arts, personal relationships, political…the gamut!
After I had graduated college, my first “real” job was in the ID. It was like one of my “dream jobs” actually. Once I decided to get my psych and comparative american cultures degrees, I told my self, “Self, one of the things you will have to do once you get out is work where you can utilize both these degrees.” Self then said to me, “Self, then you best brush up on your language.
You see, I wanted to provide social services to my community. A community that is typically underserved and forgotten until its time for a cultural performance or a specific dish at a party. So Self was right. I had to work real hard at brushing up my native tongue. Well, as native as it can get considering I was born in the states and learned from my parents.
Enter the “dream job.” I worked there for 12 years providing mental health, domestic violence, and youth services. I bounced between those 3 programs but there was LOTS of overlap. I remember my first appointment after I had completed “training.” It was an elder woman and her daughter. Her daugther was probably 2-3 years older than me at the time and she was enrolled in the mental health program. She suffered from a few diagnosis but paranoid schizophrenia was her main issue. At least the other diagnosis, were treatable and controllable. Unfortunately for the schizophrenia it wasn’t (I know I’m rambling again…trust me, theres a point in there). She was a pretty Filipina woman and if I didn’t have her chart and studied her history, I’d never have thought that these were issues she would suffer from the rest of her life. It was a hard first session. Actually, it was a hard first 6 months. My idealism definitely was brought to earth. After that meeting, I went straight home and balled my eyes out. Called my mom, talked to the girlfriend, called the boys…I tried everything to get it out of my head. I got to say though, it lead me to the love of the neighborhood.
I wrote a caption for my Liam’s Pet Shop Kite shot a few months ago for one of my IG photos:
Chinatown is like that. For me it wasn’t about the food or the boba tea. It was really about the people. The elders doing Tai Chi in the morning. The school kids on firld trips during the day. The addicts and pimps at night. The spoken word and art on Seventh and Jackson. The “just kickin it’s” crowd coming to eat after a night of clubbin’ and alcohol consumption, going to either Seagarden or Honey Court; ordering Honey Walnut Prawns, Special Fried Rice, Salt and Pepper Porkchops, and whatever else your table of 30 wanted to eat. Chinatown is the owner at Liem’s who took some time to warm up to you, but once he did, it became meaningful and lasting.
I’ve only missed a handful of ID Street Fairs aka Dragon Festivals. It’s pretty much the same thing every year, but it’s real nice to head back to the neighborhood and see the same folks there running the same but newly named festival. It was nice to see the security for the neighborhood, or as I dubbed them, the “Cherubs of Justice.” They were always in the know. Who’s the new crack addict posted at the Key Bank parking lot? Mrs. Hsu leaves work at XXYYZZ and we have to have someone there to watch her and walk her to her car. Those guys are great!
I loved and hated coming into the ID for work. It smelled of trash and garbage in the morning and by 11 Am, the aroma changes to the food smells atypical of any chinatown in the country. I always ran into past clients which is both good and bad, all depending on which client of course. I hated missing out on watching the elders Tai Chi at sunrise on a nice spring day with a tad bit of fog. I loved Kau Kau’s BBQ pork, boy. I hated watching riff raff running the corners of the street, some drugs, some prostitution, sometimes both. I loved talking story with the elder who fought in the 70’s and 80’s against the Marcos Regime. I hated hearing the police present to the community that they were going to help the ID, and toothpaste as analogy, “We will squeeze out these derelicts and scourge of society and squeeze them out of this neighborhood and into other neighborhoods so that we won’t have to deal with it.” I LOVED that the ID is one (if not the only one) neighborhood in the city where they’ve refused to open up a Mcdonald’s or a Starbucks. NOW thats strength right, keeping out arguably two of the LARGEST corporations in the world. I loved when at lunch I played ping pong against Cambodians, Vietnamese, Samoans, Caucasian, Africans, African Americans, Japanese…men and women…and we kept tally…and that they called me and my boy the Filipino Nightmares. I play a mean ping pong! I loved the arts kollective (the K is meant to be there). I loved the history/herstory that we carved into that world. I loved that everyone in the arts and hip hop community knew about this kollective. I hated watching it fall apart.
So…I wanted to tell you all that I have BIG love for this particualr neighborhood of Seattle. I want to tell you that my son will also love this neighborhood as I do. He was amazed last year by the amount of craziness and diversity. So much so that to this day, he still asks me about the ID and the people.
I was excited again to shoot the neighborhood as it is one of my go to places to shoot these days. It’s full of characters and culture and story. I hope these shots does the neighborhood justice. Peace.
by Rebecca Cornwell | Jun 22, 2012 | Featured Articles
#sundaybluesedit by Rebecca C.
This is a story about how Instagram helped make me, and thousands of others, happy. I am not a scientist and I’m not going to try to prove a theory. This story is based on my experiences in life and my observations with my Sunday tag.
To start I have to get personal. I’ve waged a full-out war against depression since I was 19 years old. I’m now 43. I’ve won some battles, and have been badly beaten by others. I’ve watched members of my family struggle. I’ve read books. I’ve listened to and worked with psychiatrists and therapists. I’ve downed dozens of medications and medication cocktails. In 25 years I’ve learned not how to win the war, but how to cope with its existence by carrying better ammunition and wearing better armor. I know now that I can tolerate it as merely background noise.
At 19, I was also beginning to take my love of art more seriously. I went to college and majored in painting. The work kept me focused and grounded. There were assignments to complete and deadlines to meet. Feedback, common interest, social interactions, and sometimes praise were all motivators for continuing to work. I didn’t know this at the time but I do now: art saved my life.
Photo Credit: @redlilith
Statistics show that art viewing and art creating can improve many aspects of existence, especially those associated with mood. I recently heard a story on NPR about Alzheimer patients taking field trips to a museum with young kids. Just looking at works of art and being in a social group helped the patients speak and interact more. They came to life viewing and discussing works of art.
The creation of art is used in all kinds of therapy, from abused children to people with Down syndrome. It’s used in the therapy of children in war torn countries suffering from posttraumatic stress and patients with terminal illnesses. Basically, the making of art can be used to help almost anyone improve physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. So even in a layman’s world, that tells me that art is good for us.
Photo Credit: @mineowneye, Jamie Stewart
Although I had some concept of this, it wasn’t until I joined Instagram and started sharing my newfound passion with others that I realized how powerful this was.
I’ve had the blues on Sunday ever since I can remember. These blues were compounded by a feeling of guilt that it was the weekend and I should be happy and doing things that were not work. It’s also a day when I have felt lonely, regardless of the fact that I have 3 daughters, and don’t spend much time alone. Sundays filled me with dread and a feeling of hollowness I tried hard to shake. Over the years, I developed some Sunday coping skills, but for whatever reason, Sundays have always seemed harder than other days.
Photo Credit: @lou_askew, Laura Jennings
On one of these Sundays 15 weeks ago, after being on Instagram for 30 some odd weeks, I started a tag. For those unfamiliar with tags, in the Instagram world, if you add a # in front of a word it will drop your photo into a group of like tagged images. People use tags to have their work seen by others or to keep their own images together, to join groups or participate in various challenges. By this time I had a tag to join for every day of the week: Monday is #Decim8nday (a day to decim8 one of your images from your past 12), Tuesday is #Texastuesday, Wednesday is #blackandwhitegrunge, and on through the week. These tags helped me stay motivated and inspired even when my creativity was low.
At some point I decided I wanted to create a tag of my own. My biggest fear was that no one would participate. I dreaded my tag being a flop. I noticed a lack of weekend tags, which, in hindsight, makes some sense. Lots of artists take “breaks” on the weekends or have other routines. I, however, had already been posting to #bluesunday or #sundayblues, both tags which had already been created by someone else and didn’t appear to have any organization.
I noticed that when I would post a blue image to Instagram on Sundays, I would get support as well as empathetic comments from my followers. I wasn’t alone. There were others out there who were blue on Sunday too, and we were finding each other. It was then that the #sundaybluesedit tag was born.
Photo Credit: @elvisandme, Izzy
By creating the tag, I stumbled upon a sort of Sunday fix; only the fix wasn’t just for me. So many of the artists who participate in the tag say they “look forward to Sunday;” they feel supported and embraced by their fellow blue artists. They feel they can express themselves in a nurturing and understanding environment. Sundays were starting to look up.
I’m not going to pretend I had any idea what I was creating at the time. I was being selfish. I didn’t want to spend Sundays alone with my emotions. What I discovered then—and continue to find every Sunday—is that blues and creativity many times go hand in hand.
Do creative people feel more intensely than others? Is creativity just an outlet for emotion? I don’t know for sure. Is the moody artist just a stereotype? For hundreds of years the question of the link between creativity and the blues has been theorized. The speculation was so frequent that the idea has become a cliché. It’s true that humans make unreliable test subjects when it comes to subjective things like feelings and emotions so we may never have conclusive studies.
An article by Jonah Lehr in Wired magazine discusses this widely controversial issue. Lehr looks at the scientific literature that suggests depression not only gives us the blues, but also makes us more creative and may even help with focus. In his article, he writes about the research of a social psychologist at the University of New South Wales in Australia, Joe Forgas.
Photo Credit: @savagemoon, Luna
Forgas’ research centers on the benefits of negative moods. He believes sadness makes us more attentive to detail and more focused on our tasks, and that angst and negative moods promote “information-processing strategies best suited to dealing with more-demanding situations.” In his research, Forgas’ test subjects were better at “judging the accuracy of rumors and recalling past events; stereotyping strangers and made fewer arithmetic mistakes.”
So, according to some research, not only do creative types appear to have more of the blues, but also creativity can help ease the suffering that comes with it. Perhaps it’s this ability to focus and stay persistent in a task that allows people with the blues to be more creative? We know that statistically, underprivileged youth who have training and access to the arts have a much higher success rate staying and finishing school. We know that all kinds of art therapies help thousands of people express and recover from traumatic situations. For me, the mere act of focusing on the task of creating can ease the feelings of the blues.
I’ve been an artist for the better part of 25 years. I’ve made tons of art on Sundays and the focus and work did help some, but I was still basically alone, in a creative vacuum of sorts. Enter social media…the Sunday tag was the convergence of all the elements that were required to help move me through the bluest of Sundays… I was now spending my Sundays with artists, with or without the blues, from around the world. Of interest to me was that a majority of these artists were women.
Photo Credit: Deena F., @deena21
I don’t know the gender make up of the sundaybluedit tag following, but I do know that the most emotionally expressive in my tag tend to be women. And it is women who thrive under this umbrella of social media.
At the risk of stereotyping, many women spend lots of hours without other adult interaction, least of all with other creative people. This was my situation for many years raising small children. Now, with the invention of cell phones, 3G and Wi-Fi, social media can be carried around in your pocket or purse. You can shoot and edit pictures almost any time or anywhere. And you can “connect” 24 hours a day with other artist.
Instagram, and other photo-sharing sites that are likely to attract artists, allow the user to participate in social media in a way that shares ideas and emotion through image and not words. The user is not “checking in” or posting a “status” like on Facebook but with an image that speaks to how you are feeling or what you are creating. What better way to spend your blue Sunday than carrying around a pocketful of friends willing to listen, comment, and support anytime this creativity strikes?
Photo Credit: @jenntofriends, Jennifer Reeves
It is estimated that less than 1% of academic papers written on the subject of psychology deal with the creative process, but recently there seems to be more interest and studies on the topic. Although these studies still appear to have a ways to go before conclusions can be drawn to a link between depression and increased creativity, I have seen the surprising popularity of my tag on Sundays. I’ve also seen the support that social media elicits to people who are struggling with these issues allowing them to share ideas, images, and inspiration.
To say that Instagram has cured my depression would be an overstatement, but when I’m shooting and editing photos, I am fully engaged. There is no thinking. The little world in my pocket has brought me and many others true friendship, the return of my lost creativity, and a cure for my Sunday blues—pretty incredible for an iphone and an app.
Photo Credit: @antitheist82, Wade
Editors note:
Here are a few photos from #sundaybluesedit. Join in on this creative movement.
[instapress tag=”sundaybluesedit” piccount=”15″ size=”90″ effect=”fancybox” paging=”1″]
by David Norbut | Jun 13, 2012 | Featured Articles
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David’s Intro
I thought after I spoke with Sion, that I would learn some secret to how he gets these amazing images.
But there is no secret. It’s a combination of his fluid dance through the streets, his natural connection to the world around him and most importantly going with his gut.
Sion Fullana’s passion to capture New York City in an undying attempt to give back the gift the city has given him. It’s that simple.
With that I’ll say Thank You Sion for sharing the gift with all of us.
D: David S: Sion
D: Let’s start at the beginning. Were you surrounded by the arts during your childhood and upbringing?
S: No, no, no, not much. The only person in my family with an artistic flare was my cousin Eva, my mom’s sister’s daughter. She used to draw and paint with water colors, and I used to think “wow, that is beautiful.” My dad collected paintings, so it was more about seeing paintings and going to galleries. I never took any creative classes or things like that as a kid.
D: So is all of this output recent or what?
S: I always knew that I liked to tell stories, it was all about transmitting things. One of the things I always wanted to study, because I like working with people, was psychology or psychiatry. The crazy part is, I wanted, for a while, to study the science of dreams. But I’m so 100% right brain that in high school I had to repeat one year because I failed the 3 more “science” subjects… having great grades in everything else, I failed math, chemistry and physics. So I thought there was no way I could study medicine, to learn psychiatry, so I thought I’d go for psychology. But then when the time came to go to college, I said you know what, there is math and science and statistics in psychology. I will never finish a degree that has any of that. So my other interest was Journalism. I didn’t know back then, when I was living in Majorca and going to school in Barcelona, that there was a field or a degree in Audio Visual Communications. Had I known, that would have been what I studied, for real, because that had more to do with cinema, TV, radio, a lot more, uh… story telling devices. But I landed in journalism, and it was great; I love it too. But, for example, in the 5 years of college I just got one cinema subject a semester, and one the first year in photography. We learned how to develop film and I didn’t really pay much attention, that was one of my regrets… Anyway, I ended up in Journalism and throughout those years the other thing I loved was film making, I started taking some workshops in screen writing and in the summer of 2000 or 2001 I visited Cuba with my dad, my sister and 2 friends. I had learned there was a very well known international film school there, and during my trip I visited it and fell in love with it. It was in the middle of the countryside, it was an amazing beautiful place, and I thought “when I graduate college I will come and take one of their 3 week or 1 month workshops”. Later I learned that they had a 2 year course and I thought that could be an adventure, so I applied. It was kind of difficult to get into that school, but I was one of 6 directing filmmaking students in my year. I lived there between 2002 and 2004.
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D: So this is were the visual side was born…
S: Yeah yeah yeah, I was coming from telling the story, like a journalist, and then that was more the visual and working with composition.
D: Well it’s almost the same, you are storytelling with words and with photos.
S. Oh! If I start talking about this (the captioning) I will go off on a tangent, so very briefly… this is one of my big, big opinions. Yesterday, I was googling my name, because i wanted to find a blog post, and I found another one that I had never read, it was on a discussion forum about Cartier-Bresson and the “decisive moment.” Someone was talking about captioning, and someone was like “oh, if you had to see a Bresson photo and then read a caption, it wouldn’t be that special” and someone else was saying if Bresson had lived and photographed in the era of Flickr, he would have written great captions too and then they said “oh but Sion Fullana and someone else, I can’t remember their name, do great photos even beyond having the caption. The photo tells a story.” To me, coming from journalism, what I’m saying is… the story is never fully what you may want to tell if you leave it open, so I like to combine both and use all the tools to portray what you want.
D: I’m glad you brought Mr. Cartier-Bresson, because that was my next question. Are you a believer in the “decisive moment?”
S: I think so… Oh my god, now you put me on the spot, because I was thinking of a beautiful Cartier-Bresson quote that I read and that I believe in. He wrote: “I’m not responsible for my photographs. Photography is not documentary, but intuition, a poetic experience. It’s drowning yourself, dissolving yourself, and then sniff, sniff, sniff – being sensitive to coincidence. You can’t go looking for it; you can’t want it, or you won’t get it. First you must lose your self. Then it happens.”
I always say, when people ask “oh, what’s your process?” …I say it’s something that comes from the gut. When I go around the city and shoot, I go into a trance. Someone said the other day too, that it was like a dance. And I’m like, it is! I dance around the street and sidewalks between characters, trying to connect with whatever is around. When I walk around the city, everything happens so fast… if you stop in New York you will get run over, people don’t pay much attention to the faces or the eyes of people. I like to pay special attention to that.
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D: I will say I saw a TV interview with you, and you do dance! (laughs)
S: One of my favorite things to do when I go out by myself is to put music on… and I start observing. Whatever music I have in my ears, I start pacing the people around me and everything that is happening to that rhythm. So to me I call it the real life video clip, and I try to think how would I film this?
D: Well, what music is in your ears? Give us some of your inspiration.
S: Oh my! Well one of my muses is Marketa Irglova from the Swell Season, I put on her album a lot. It’s so mellow, dreamy and romantic, and sometimes I’ll go totally opposite into electronic, and listen to Air, David Guetta, Daft Punk or anything like that.
D: I see a ton of street photography on the various mobile photography networks. I think most would agree that your street work is different, like there’s something magic happening, almost fantasy like. Is that your intention?
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S: (laughs) I think so, I think I would agree it’s in a very intuitive way more than in a logical way… one of the photos was of this probably homeless man. And I tend not to photograph homeless people much, but it was near Columbus circle in NY, and there’s this metallic wall, and the light at certain times of day hits it miraculously. I was there one day taking shots of people and this man was walking, he had this giant fur, I don’t know if it was a blanket or a cape or whatever, but to me, to see him in this light, he became like those mythical creatures from Lord of the Rings. Sometimes I look around, and I try to see those qualities in everyone around. So I love to capture the reality in the way people dress and whats in today’s urban spaces… on the other hand, the filmmaker in me tries to fantasize about who is this character and I make scenarios and stories up.
D: How long after you take a photograph before you add your titles and words, is it something that comes instinctively or does it take some time? Your titles and stories are often a perfect fit. Can you fill us in a bit?
S: So the captions, my answer has different branches… one of them is if what you post has to be the most artistic image you are producing or if it is an excuse to talk about something you want to talk about or tell a story you want to tell, regardless of if the photo is perfect or not. So I don’t mind posting a photo that isn’t my best if it tells the story. On the other hand, I will have something I wanna talk about in the caption, and it’s in my head, so I will either take a photo that illustrates that or I’ll pull from my archives and see if I can find something. Other times I’ll just open the photos I like and boom, boom, boom start writing on the spot. Here’s a little funny note… Anton always makes fun of me, because when I write for Instagram 95% of the time, I write within instagram, so I type in that fucking tiny box! So anyway, I get inspired on the spot.
Sometimes I find that there are photos that I like a lot, but there’s no caption coming to me, and I end up feeling strangely unable to post them. There is a photo that I’ve been sitting on for 2 weeks now, and I’m like “I don’t know what to call this!” (laughs)
D: Since you started shooting, do you feel any different, see things in a new light? More alive or awakened to the world around you?
S: Oh definitely, like definitely, definitely. If I’m not taking photos I’m seeing them everywhere. And that is good and bad, you know? Good because even when you are not capturing photos, you are working the creative brain… On the other hand it is terrible because it gives you the anxiety that sometimes you are not able to disconnect and enjoy the moment. And I will never say anything because I don’t want to be rude, but I can be sitting with a friend at a cafe and even if I’m paying attention, because I am a good listener, my eyes are seeing people around or walking by the window, and I’m like goddamn that is a great shot! (laughs) So yeah, it has changed a lot, the way I go around through my day,
D: Good, it should, I mean, you are turning life into that frozen moment.
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S: That’s how I see it too in a way. I was saying to someone the other day, we should ask ourselves why do we do what we do. Why do we post everyday? Why do we take the photos? Blah, blah, blah, and some people will say “oh just to get noticed or have more followers” or whatever, it’s bullshit. To me it’s to try to do an x-ray of what’s around us and preserve it, you know? 50 years from now, those shots of today’s streets will have an added historic/documentary value we may not fully see today.
D: How are the reactions and connections in your subjects different in NYC and in Spain? I’m sure you have your reasons for loving both places for different reasons, can you talk about some of those feelings?
S: It’s a funny story you know, sometimes I wonder about this. I was telling Anton the other day how I would love to go to another country, some remote location, like in Asia or something and spend like a year telling stories and all and he was telling me, oh you don’t need a year to do that, and I’m like well, at least a few months, to connect, to learn the pace and the idiosyncrasies of the people and the city. And I guess that’s why when I’ve gone to San Fransisco, it’s similar to New York and I love it. But when I go back to my hometown in Majorca, it’s just not the same.
D: When you say it’s not the same… is it less populated? When you go, are you in the countryside?
S: Well, no. When I go, I stay with my mom in the city… I think it’s hard to describe. Maybe I don’t connect emotionally. I guess there has to be a point of fascination and curiosity and in New York. I still find it. I like to connect with the everyday life, also I am trying to challenge myself now. I’m trying to push forward, to take one shot and be done isn’t that challenging anymore, so I am once again trying to tell stories with a series of shots. When I moved to New York in 2006 I had a lot of time alone, so I would go in the streets to take shots, using them as an excuse to write stories… whether the story was connected to them or not. Then all of a sudden, I don’t know, I guess the city inspired me in a way to keep practicing and strengthen that muscle. I once said, when I was speaking at Apple, “I thought New York gave me so much that I want to keep showing it as a thank you, to capture it and showing it the people that cannot be here. As, look, I’m sharing it with you.”
That doesn’t happen much in Majorca, when I go home. When I’m there I like to be with family, and I will always have a little pride on being from the island. To me Majorca is more about nature, remembering summers by the water more so than about urban beauty.
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D: OK, here’s a guy getting work and gaining popularity over his Mobile Photography. Why do you think there is such an emphasis on keeping iPhoneography or mobile photography separate from traditional photography? Isn’t it all just photography?
S: It should be, right? One of the strengths with mobile and shooting with a smart phone is the immediacy of everything: shooting, processing, sharing from wherever you are. For example, I have something coming up where Anton and I are photographing our friend Gabe’s conference in San Francisco. I use my camera, but he wanted lots of iPhone shots too so he could share them with the community that follows his brand right then and there. If I was to use just the camera I could not do that so easily, because there is no compact card with wifi for DSLR yet.
D: You would think that Nikon or Canon would come out with a camera with an editing program and an internet connection.
S: But is it gonna be the same? You know what I mean? That’s what I keep thinking too, but if I’m thinking of grabbing a camera and working and editing on a screen behind when its so much heavier and clunky, it’s just not the same. Same thing applies to candids and street when you are trying to shoot people, you’re more inconspicuous with an iPhone than with a big lens. It also applies when you are doing casual stuff. If you are going around at an event, and you say “hey I’m shooting for the party and can I take your photo?”… with the iPhone, people just smile and keep having the fun, but you go in with a camera, probably they’ll pose for you too, but seeing a camera they’ll think it’s way more serious, so it conditions their reactions.
D: One of your more recent images caught my eye, please tell me about “Masculina Plural”.
S: Strangers, and on the fly, I mean this is the kind of thing when sometimes I may lose shots because I don’t stop. But if you’re walking and the subject is walking too, especially if they are walking from far away, you can pretend like “oh i just got a text” and wait to get it. But when you are close by you aren’t gonna stop on their face, point the camera and shoot. I mean, aah… sometimes you can do that, but it’s more like they can say what the heck are you doing, you know. So I shoot on the fly, you know, boom. Here, we were walking and I saw the guy, the guy that’s looking at me actually was standing up. Then I saw the other guy, and I said “ooh, that’s a good compo here.” He sat down, and boom, I shot him and just kept walking.
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We Are Juxt thanks you for your art and your words!
1- Masculino Plural, West Village (NYC), 2012
2- Sangre Española, West Village (NYC), 2012
3- Grumpy Day, Subway car (NYC), 2011
4- The Girl at the Bar, West Village (NYC), 2010
5- There Is No Better Fantasy Than Life Itself, Columbus Circle (NYC), 2010
6- Mutual Curiosity, Majorica (Spain) 2011
7- The Dog Whisperer, Gramercy (NYC), 2012. I stumbled upon this woman sitting on a bench with many dogs, and I had a conversation with her and asked to take a few portraits. As soon as I saw this image and I heard she had over 20 years of experience in dog training, caring and walking, I immediately knew the time had come to finally start a documentary series on her and the topic, which had always fascinated me here in New York. The woman’s name is Carol Kissling: https://www.facebook.com/manhattanTLC4pets I’m meeting Carol once a week now, walking around with her, taking photos of her and the dogs, and the interactions that strangers get with them. Plus I have met a few of the owners and even another few walkers, and I hope to eventually tie it all in the same story as well.
Contact Information for Sion
Website: http://about.me/sionfullana
My Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sionfullana/
MPG page: http://mobilephotogroup.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/sionfullana
Instagram: @sionfullana
by Anna Cox | Jun 13, 2012 | Anna Cox, Featured Articles
Frankensinatra: The Art of Capturing Grunge and The Derelict
Anna’s Introduction
Mike Hill (@frankensinatra) has blown me away time after time with his view of the world. His grungy style and architects eye for detail always deliver a strong photo. Mike explores not only his everyday environment but seeks out abandoned sites to shoot also. He captures these derelict places like only someone who is moved by them can. His edits add color and whimsy back into a place that is lifeless. I have really enjoyed getting to know Mr. Sinatra over the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy meeting him as much as I have.
Carousel: I took this in an area called Old Town in Orlando, Florida. Just a random Saturday out with my chick. There’s a full version of the whole carousel, but I liked this one for the details. This was a patient edit, going around each one of those light bulbs with color splash on a iPhone can get tedious, the horse itself wasn’t so bad. But I’m glad I did, I love how it came out.
A: Anna M: Mike
A: Hey Mike, why don’t you give us a quick intro into who you are and where you got started with mobile photography.
M: I live in Orlando, Florida. I moved here about two and a half years ago, originally I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana. I came here because I met a girl who was home visiting family and friends in New Orleans and after about 7 months we decided that we needed to be closer. And because she still had to finish doing her licensing from her job, she needed to stay in Florida for another year. My type of work would allow it so long as I was at the dock when it was my shift every couple weeks, I worked offshore in the oilfield industry at the time in the Gulf of Mexico. Florida is not really my kinda place… let me rephrase that, Orlando is not really my kind of place. I’m a Louisiana boy. The culture here, what little bit there is, doesn’t suit me. Being from a place like New Orleans, that’s bursting with rich culture and cool people is more my style. So most of my work is of places I’ve photographed there. When I go back to visit, I try and spend as much time as possible collecting photos of any and everything I can so that I’ll have stuff to edit until my next visit. Last time I was home I think I got close to about 700 photos, most were of the abandoned six flags theme park that has been rotting since Hurricane Katrina flooded it in 2005. So much more to see there then in Orlando, unless you’re into giant talking mice and busy touristy theme parks, but I prefer my parks derelict and abandoned. We do however have giant rats in New Orleans, haha, but they don’t talk… yet. I’ve lived in Hawaii, Colorado, New York, other areas of Louisiana and states in America. Backpacked through Western Samoa for a few months sleeping on beaches and in fales (grass huts), visited Japan and other places, but there is still nowhere else I’d rather be than back in New Orleans. HOWEVER, haha, it’s because of my boredom with being in Orlando that led me to find Instagram. I was so bored, and it was hot as hell outside, so I started looking around in the app store and saw it, I figured, since I hate and don’t have Facebook or any other social network, I would try it out. I never edited a photo before that in my life, I had like thousands saved in my external hard drive from the past few years, but could never be bothered to learn Photoshop or any of that stuff. Now I’d rather stay home on a Friday night and edit a photo then go out to like a bar or something like I was doing back home. So I guess, in a way I’m glad I did end up here, because it’s like a sleeping beast has woken up inside me. A hobby I can be proud of.
Mans Best Friend: This photo I took while at the vet with my dog Voodoo. She had a mild ear infection, and had to get a few shots. She gets nervous at the vet so like any good dad I held her paw. I love this one just for obvious reasons, I mean, who doesn’t love their dog? She’s a miniature bull terrier, and if you ask anyone who has ever owned one, they’re just like having a three year old in a dog suit.
A: I love the way you edit your photos, it is so far removed from my own style. Will you explain your style to us?
M: The grunge thing, for me, is kind of like a bridge between editing and minimal processing of a photo. I’ll never do anything that actually changes the structure in a photo, cause then in my opinion it becomes digital art and not photography anymore. Which is fine for some people, that’s cool, just not my thing. Adding texture, changing color and making a photo look aged just fits my interest more, like it was found in one of the abandoned places I shoot in, under some debris and kind of scratched or molded. I’ve kinda slacked off on using it as much lately, though. My evolution of editing is backwards than most people. When I started they were heavier, now I’m starting to take a more subtle approach as my “style” matures. I’ve been doing this for less than a year now, so I figure I’ve still got some more evolving to do. You’re not likely to see anything in full color from me, it’s pretty rare, if at all. Either black and white, or black and white with a spot of color. That’s just how I roll. Color photos bore me, it’s like I can always look at something and see it in color, to view it from another person’s perspective is much, much more interesting to me. As for my process, I usually edit at night, when the house is quiet. Most of the time while editing, I listen to music, usually Pandora Radio or Last.fm. Something down-tempo, trip hop-ish, like Nightmares on Wax, Portishead or Dj Krush. One of the first things I always do with a photo is camera+ clarity then black and white, or color splash, then either camera+ clarity or dynamic light. Then I just experiment till it looks right.
Old Mausoleum: I took this one on my last trip back home to New Orleans. It’s in uptown nola in one of the many above ground cemeteries, the place was so unkept that this mausoleum actually had a tree growing out the top of it. Made for a perfect pic, only it ended up getting messed up from the sun rays. So, since I really don’t know what I’m doing, I enlisted the help of a friend to fix it up so I could edit it. It went from completely unusable to one of my favorites thanks to her.
A: We both love to shoot abandoned sites. Can you tell me about your love for them?
M: I don’t really know why I like shooting abandoned places. Maybe because it’s just one of those things you don’t really see a lot of and the possibility that it’ll be gone soon. They have history. Everybody can walk outside and see clouds or trees, I prefer to sneak into an abandoned theme park or building and risk falling through a floor or getting busted by the cops to get that unique shot. Sadly, where I live now, there’s not a lot of abandoned spots, plus I haven’t lived here long enough to know the area so I look online a lot for places, but it’s pretty weak here haha. Disney shut down a few parks when they came and staked their claim on the area, and I’m just starting to get a list together of some spots to hit up. They are hard to get in and are heavily watched by guards though, but I’m vigilant! So look for those soon.
Gypsy: A lot of times I ask people to send me portraits to edit when I’m in the mood to do one, so a friend took this one and emailed it to me. I really love doing portraits, but it’s one of those types of edits I have to feel like doing. This one pretty much represents exactly what I look for in a portrait. I hate when people look at the camera, it bothers me so much that I usually won’t even edit it. I prefer for it to look more candid and deep, like they have something going on, it shows more emotion I think. This girl nails it every time so I’ve done a few with her, I think this is my favorite, so far.
A: Who do you look to for inspiration with the photography world?
M: One of my favorites has always been Thomas Barbey. I saw one of his prints in a store one time called “O Duomo Mio” and bought it. Although I don’t really do stuff like that, it’s still one of my favorites. It’s of a dude in Venice on a gondola, inside a church, with pews on each side of him. Look it up and you’ll see what I mean. Scott Mutter is another and has a similar image that I use as the background on my phone. It’s of a old church, but the isle is of a street with cars and people. I don’t read or look through photography magazines so besides those two, I don’t know of any other photographers other than the people I’ve met through Instagram or IPA. Mi hermano Jose ( @jr_el_nota )aka “The Dude”, has some of the best work I’ve ever seen and is just an all around good dude. Craig Corbin, ( @heavycoat on IG and IPA), has beautifully dark mixed media combined with photography, definitely a favorite. Marie Matthews, ( @kaphinga on IG and IPA ), who I’ve just recently met but has quickly become a favorite. Her photos are perfectly edited, I love her New Orleans work. Those are just a few, but anyone I follow you can pretty much throw on that list.
Ghost Playground: I took this in a Looney Tunes playground area of the abandoned Six Flags theme park in New Orleans. Kind of a surreal experience being in that place, it was like when you see those models of a nuclear town. It was so quiet, but when the wind would blow you could hear things like rusty sheet metal moving from the breeze. Everything was rotten and contaminated from flood waters.
A: In your self portraits. I am always struck by the amount of ink you have. As I have tattoos myself I am always curious about the meaning behind them.
M: Growing up, I was always around people who had tattoos. My dad was mostly covered, my mom had a lot, her back, upper arms and some on her legs. Most of their friends had them also so for me being 5 years old I never saw it as a big deal, and this was back in the 80’s when it wasn’t as accepted and mainstream. Now there’s a tattoo shop on every corner and reality shows about it… ridiculous. So for me it came as natural as someone getting their hair dyed or piercing their ear, I just thought that’s how people were supposed to look. I started getting them when I was 15, and have continued consistently, I’m 33 now. Some of them have meaning, most don’t. Some are just meant to be a joke, I don’t care, you’re only young once right? People used to ask me how all that’s going look when I’m older, my answer was nothings going look right when I’m old anyway! Haha. Maybe I won’t look like all the other old boring dudes.
A: Where do you see your mobile photography going in the next five years?
M: All the way to the top! haha no, I’m kidding… That would be cool, though. I don’t really know, I guess we’ll just have to see where mobile photography goes as a whole. Right now I’m having fun with it, but who wouldn’t want to be successful doing something they love? I’ve seen mobile photography, even in the short time I’ve been involved, make a few big moves. Things like the MPA (Mobile Photography Awards) and last years IPA (iPhoneArt.com) grant, books being put out from all kinds of different places and more blogs and websites popping up all the time. All are a big help to promote it as a legitimate art form. I still consider myself a novice, but I’ve had a few things in galleries, exhibitions, etc. and would love to get more involved with stuff like that. I don’t see myself getting tired of it anytime soon, I mean, when I look at things now, I start to think what apps I could use to do this or that. It’s consuming. So I’ll be around in the game for while, and we will just see what happens. Short answer: Still around.
Website: michaelhillphotography.com
Flickr
Email: [email protected]
IG @frankensinatra
IPA gallery
google+ profile
Juxt thanks you for your words and your art.
by Rebecca Cornwell | May 22, 2012 | Featured Articles
John Lujan: Creator of #HorrorClub and Storyteller by Rebecca C.
Rebecca’s Introduction
Many months ago I noticed some of my favorite artists tagging their more sinister photos #horrorclub. I will just tell you up front, I’m afraid of my own shadow. I can’t watch a scary movie and I see creepy in things most people don’t. I also live in a big old creaky house with and equally wimpy dog. It can be spooky. A few people have told me that they’ve seen ghosts there, but I digress. Let me just say it took some courage to even look at the tag. There were a few times I actually wished I hadn’t some of the images were so terrifying. At the same time some of the images were so elegant in their horror that I became fascinated with what horror meant to the different artists who participated. I also began to toy with the idea of how I might create a horror image. I tried a few times, flops, or rather, just not scary. Then bingo! I hit upon one that worked. It was selected as a feature image and I was hooked! It was here that I found the master John Lujan. Not only are the images he creates in the genre completely compelling but also his other work has a gentle narrative quality that is a joy to view. Here’s a little bit about the very talented and interesting John. Enjoy!
R: Rebecca J: John
R: As always, let’s start with the basics. Who is John? Where are you from? And what do you do outside of mobile photography?
J: Sometimes, the most straightforward question can be the most difficult to answer. I am a son of Bolivian immigrants, a husband to a loving wife, and the eldest brother to two young men. I call Virginia, Maryland, and DC my home. I travel through all three continuously and fluidly. To me, these streets, alleys, back roads, and highways that connect all three are parts of the whole. As cliché as it may sound, this region is a part of who I am. I am a son of this region.
I am also a former law student. So outside of mobile photography, I am studying for the Virginia Bar. Unfortunately, because of the time demands of that exam that is pretty much all I do. But I do have interests outside of mobile photography. Whenever I see a record, as in vinyl, of an artist I like, I must add it to my collection. I collect vinyl records and am, in general, a creature of music. I also love all things vintage. Photos, books, movies, etc. I see the history in a dusty book or crippled photo and smile.
R: I’m always fascinated to know how people discover and get into mobile photography. Would you share your story?
J: I discovered mobile photography the way most folks do, I think. My iPhone was surprisingly powerful, not just in its ability to capture an image, but, and perhaps more importantly, in its ability to alter the image. I have always loved photography, and this was enhanced when I was able to take a picture and edit it on the spot. Instant gratification, I suppose. A few years ago, I would take a picture and have to wait till I got home and upload it to my computer to finally edit it. Once apps like Snapseed or Camera+ showed me that I could edit it in ways I could not believe, my computer began to collect dust. It is now full of dust.
But this is only half of my story. Of course, once I found Instagram a year ago, I found like-minded folks that loved mobile photography. The feedback, motivation, and inspiration from these individuals made me try harder. I would see images that folks would upload, and it instantly made me want to improve.
R: I linked to your feed through Horror Club, more on this later, many weeks ago and I’m struck by the evolution in your work? Would you describe your style and can you talk about this evolution and who or what has influenced you?
J: I think what has changed for me is the focus on the initial picture as opposed to the focus on the edit after the picture is taken. Obviously, the edit is important, but I take greater care in the initial picture now. I feel a great challenge in capturing the image on my iPhone. Some of my favorite artists such as @_jenbeezy_ and @mineowneye are edit-heavy artists, but, and for whatever reason, I have drifted away from this. Without a doubt, @mrevidence and @tahaphoto have influenced me, and made me up my game when it came to this. To see the initial photo in geometric terms is now a source of entertainment and challenge. Also I try to tell stories with my images. Sometimes this works, other times I fail dramatically (ha!), but I enjoy that. @tahaphoto has also been an inspiration in this, but initially @lafletcher, whom I admire, made me realize the potential of the caption. The caption can change the entire perception of the photo. I love that.
R: Do you have favorite apps and tools for editing?
J: I always take the photo in the native app. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t shake the feeling that if I take the photo within another app, it will degrade the quality! Haha… I may be completely wrong, but this just makes me take the photo within the native app. From there I always go to what I feel are standard apps for most folks. Snapseed, Camera+, Picfx, etc. But If I decide to go to a black and white image, I will always go to Noir after the initial correction of saturation and contrast. I haven’t found an app that adds as much drama as Noir. @divasantanica666 really showed me the advantage of this app. Sometimes I will edit on the iPad, and when I do, I have used Laminar as well as those noted.
R: I have my favorites in your stream, but would you share a few of your works that you are most proud of and tell us about them?
J: One of my favorites is the one I took of metro trains in Washington, DC. My wife and I were running late for the Nationals baseball game. The DC metro system is dark and the iPhone generally takes very pixilated photos in the tunnels. We were running across the bridge over the metro cars when I saw the photo. The cars were standing still and the light above was, to me, awesome. So I stood right in the middle and framed it as best I could. I edited it really quickly in Snapseed and uploaded a few minutes later. Even though you can see some grain, I really enjoy that photo.
Another one of my favorites is from the previous Horror Club challenge. My boy @frankensinatra (who ended up winning the challenge, as chosen by guest judge @djbabuforeal) posted a killer edit. I loved his details and how clean the photo was. To get his photos is to appreciate the details. Horror Club challenges are straightforward. I find a base photo that I love. Generally this means from an IGer I admire. @djbabuforeal posted a photo that blew me away. He was cool with using it for the challenge. I did one edit for the challenge that I was happy with. Obviously, mine edits are not to win since I organized it. It was mostly to get the word out, but also because I love the competition of it. And so, when Mike posted his, I went back to the drawing board. I have a strange fascination with masks. I have seen how IGers use masks effectively, notably @jr_el_nota, and I think using these props in photos add to the drama of it. My wife would put on the Plague Doctor mask and walk around DC. With it on, with people staring, and with me snapping pictures. Its how we do. So I incorporated one of these photos into the base image for the challenge. Its definitely one of my favorite photos.
This last one is one of my favorites because of the negative space used. I really enjoy leaving much of the photo completely empty. I don’t do it often, but when I do, I generally enjoy it. These trees are actually in the process of being removed for the construction of houses. Before, everything here was a forest. Now, it is just empty, and I wanted my photo to reflect that. The picture itself was dull to me. Using Noir and Laminar, I created the foggy look with the dramatic lighting. I like how my mother could not recognize this, even though it was behind her house.
R: You are the creator and administrator for the amazing and completely terrifying @horrorclub. Would you tell us about the creation and ideas behind this wonderful gallery? How do you define horror in the context of mobile photography? And what makes a great horror image?
J: Actually, I am a huge horror fan. There is a thin line between an effective horror image and one that enters the realm of cheesiness. I find that line and those that become effective in horror images to be amazing. Back in December, I randomly turned myself into a zombie. It just happened. I was using Path at the time, and I posted the image to Path. Soon, my friends on Path such as @songkitty7 had interest in being turned into a zombie. So I decided to put together four IGer zombies that would have an accompanying story. When I posted, I realized there was no accompanying tag that fit. Tags are an important way for people to connect on IG, and I found none for horror. The generic #horror tag didn’t work for me. I wanted something specific. Something that people would find interesting. So I initially created the tag #horrorclub. Soon after I started the account to highlight folks that tagged their pictures. My friend @chattyowl helped me during the initial stages, finding crazy images and awesome edits. Quickly, I realized the amount of incredible artists on IG producing effective horror images. I found @tonydetroit, @jr_el_nota, @blaquira , @plague_doctor, @mineowneye and @_jenbeezy_ all artists that shared the same love of horror as I do.
I think the turning point for @horrorclub was the first challenge I put together. @_nazgul and @mrevidence agreed to judge an edit challenge. From there, it just kept growing. Part of it was the focus on the artists. To me, Horror Club is nothing more than the showcase for talented artists. The genre of horror is broad and it can encompass many facets of the human experience. From pain, to grief, to fear, to death, horror is a powerful medium for transmitting emotion and shock.
Now the tag has almost eight thousand photos and is continuing to grow. It has been fun. I look forward to seeing the tag and the account continue to grow.
Photo Credit: @__malcome on Instagram
Photo Credit: @frankensinatra on Instagram/ EyeEm
Photo Credit: @Noah_Fentz on Instagram
R: What’s in the future for John and do you have anything else you’d like to share?
J: The future for me in mobile photography is to upgrade my iPhone 4 (ha!). I am excited about the growth and the strides one takes in a craft such as this. I see creativity at the center of this art form, but I also see the work one puts in towards mastering a craft. I find that exciting. The limitations of the iPhone create opportunities to overcome, and I find these opportunities riveting.
We Are Juxt thanks you for your words and your art.
Contact John:
Instagram: @jlujan
Email: [email protected]
__________________________________
About Rebecca Cornwell
Houston,TX
I’m a single mother of 3 incredible daughters. A former painter whose creativity has been resuscitated by the discovery of iPhoneography. Fascinated by the possibilities within a machine we hold in our hands. Eyes wide, we march into this exciting new and ever evolving world of mobile art.
IG @repinsk
Email [email protected]
by Rachel White | Apr 24, 2012 | Featured Articles
Tyson Wheatley Through the Eyes of His Kids by Rachel S.
Rachel’s Introduction
Like so many of us here at Juxt, I have the lucky pleasure of interviewing someone I admire. Tyson Wheatley is a gifted iPhoneographer; seemingly able to translate the soul of the city he lives in – through his photographs. Hong Kong speaks to us in whispers and chatter as he explores the city’s peaceful suburban trails and crowded city streets.
Tyson’s reputation as an iPhoneographer on Instagram has grown exponentially this past year. While he’s known for his photos and his work at CNN, he’s also a partner in another fast-paced, high-stakes business: Raising a family.
I’m pretty sure that Tyson is one of those cool dads that the other kids want to hang out with. I mean, take a look at this family: they are having some serious good times! I was super stoked when Tyson agreed to this interview because I had grown so fond of his family photos and stories, I felt like any interview I proposed absolutely had to include his kids. I know firsthand how much fun it can be to share photography with my family, so I wanted to learn more about how the Wheatleys interact and what role iPhoneography plays in their daily lives.
Needless to say, I am thrilled to share this interview with you all. So let’s juxt get on with meeting… the Wheatleys.
Wheatley Family Portrait
R: Rachel T: Tyson K: Kaya J: Jacinda H: Huck
R: Tyson, tell us a bit about your kids. What are some things they’ve done recently that make you laugh out loud?
T: We’ve been blessed with three outstanding kids. Each is quite different than the other – but they’re all pretty hilarious.
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Kaya holding two fruit bats
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Looking Out. Photo by Kaya
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Kaya, 9, is fiercely independent and stubborn. She’s loud and fearless and very entertaining. The other day she asked me “Dad, why do I have to go to school when all I want to do is dance?”
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Jacinda bowling
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 Kaya’s Birthday Cake. Photo by Jacinda |
Jacinda, 6, is much quieter than her big sister. She is kind and thoughtful and super smart. Jacinda is really perceptive and makes interesting observations about people – especially adults. She totally called me out the other day for telling her to turn off her Nintendo DS to come to the dinner table while I was checking email on my iPhone.
 Huck at school |
 Tyson. Photo by Huck |
Huck is 4. He is a boy, but sometimes is mistaken as a girl. His wild, curly blond hair grabs a lot of attention in our neighborhood. Huck goes to a local kindergarten where they teach half of the day in Cantonese and the other in English. The school makes the kids wear ridiculously colorful uniforms – in marine green, bright yellow and red and brown plaid. Huck kinda hates wearing them. Whenever I try to take a picture of him before school he usually runs in the opposite direction!
R: Tell us a little about yourself; who is Tyson Wheatley?
T: I’m an American news editor, dad, and trail-runner living in Hong Kong. I started using Instagram when I first moved here a little more than a year ago. My wife and I are raising three little ones in North Point – a residential neighborhood on Hong Kong Island full of crowded markets and bustling butcher shops and very few families that look like ours.
Serious Selfie
R: How would you describe your dad, and what does he do at his job?
K: Weird. Funny. Scary sometimes. He writes the things that people have to say on the news.
J: A nice guy. He works at CNN and writes, or something.
H: He is smaller than a building. Don’t work, just play.
R: What is your dad’s favorite toy?
T: Does my iPhone4S count as a toy? It does? Then, yeah, my Phone.
K: He bought mom an iPad, but he plays with it more
J: His phone
H: iPhone
Wheatleys Looking Out; one of Tyson’s favorite family portraits
R: What do you love most about Hong Kong?
T: I love the people of Hong Kong. I find that most are very kind, well educated, sharp dressed and independent. I also love the food – all of Asia is well represented in HK, but there’s nothing like a Cantonese-style kitchen. And lastly, I love the architecture – the towering skyscrapers perched on lush islands that jut out of the sea. Hong Kong is extremely photogenic.
K: Noodles.
J: Food, like sweet and sour fish
H: Boats, rivers.
R: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve eaten since you moved to Hong Kong?
T: Coagulated pig’s blood. I’ve had frog too. Ostrich stir-fry as well. That was actually quite good.
K: Spicy chicken
J: Dried octopus
H: Dim sum
Huck Watching Boats
R: What is your favorite family fun activity in Hong Kong?
T: Taking the ferry to Lamma Island for the beach and seafood.
K: Going to the beach
J: HK Instayays
H: Going to the park
Jacinda at an HKInstayay photowalk
R: Have each of the kids participated in an HKInstayay at some point?
T: All three kids went to our third Instayay – to Peng Chau. It was very hot and humid and poor little Huck kinda was miserable, so that was his last one.
Both the girls went with me to HK Instayay 5 “The Peak”‘ – which was super fun, but Kaya basically complained the whole time and kept asking people to carry her. To be fair, she did have a bit of a fever. Anyway, that was her last one.
Jacinda’s been to three! She’s such a trooper. And a good little photographer. She had an active Instagram account for a few months before breaking her iTouch at HK Instayay 8 – Shanghai Street.
Caption: Jacinda Instagraming (RIP iTouch)
R: How many HK Instayay meetups have there been to-date?
T: Well, we’ve had 11 official Instayays, a handful of mini-yays (smaller gatherings, like at a bar) – and one 12-hour “Tram Yay” – a photowalk that took place overnight and included a private HK tram. Oh, and we just had our first exhibit. We get together for big events once a month.
Our FB page has a great timeline of the history
https://www.facebook.com/#!/HK.InstaYay
R: How have these meetups enhanced your time in Hong Kong?
T: It’s not something that can be measured really. For me, HK Instayay has helped shape my experience moving to a new city. It introduced me to so many new friends – many of whom are local Hong Kongers. They opened up their hearts and really welcomed me and my family. Together, we’ve explored places I probably wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise – and I’ve made real, lasting friendships. It’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced and it just keeps getting better.
R: Why do you love making pictures, and how much of your day is spent doing so?
T: It’s kinda crazy, I didn’t realize I had a passion for photography until Instagram. It unlocked something inside I think. Or perhaps just leveled the playing field. I’m not a “photographer” – I mean, no one’s ever paid me to take pictures of anything and I have very little formal training. (As for time)… Well, you know the saying – the best camera is one you have. I carry my iPhone everywhere I go – even when I’m running. (I’ll wrap it in plastic sandwich bags when it rains.) Basically I’ll stop and take a picture when something catches my eye – which happens a lot in Hong Kong.
Girls at Pool
R: Why do you think your dad likes taking photographs so much?
K: Because he likes Instagram and is very inspired by things, like a family of jellyfish.
J: Because he lives in a cool place to take photographs.
H: Because he is always taking pictures, of everything. Like boats, buildings, pictures, everything.
R: What do you think makes a good picture?
T: Anything that evokes emotion.
K: A goth person
J: Shade and color
H: A zombie
R: What is your favorite iPhone app?
T: You mean besides Instagram? Probably Snapseed.
K: Angry birds
J: Instagram and Angry Birds
H: Star Walk
Kaya in Hallway
R: How do you like to make pictures, and how much time in your day is spent making pictures?
K: I love to draw. 4 hours? Maybe 5 on Saturday
J: By drawing. I don’t know. About 1 hour
H: Draw. I draw a lot of pictures.
R: Every good hero has a theme song. If you were a superhero, what would your theme song be?
K: Beat It, by Michael Jackson
J: The Amazing World of Gumball
H: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
T: This question is totally absurd – and I love it. My initial pick was “Eye of the Tiger” by that’s already taken by Rocky Balboa. Too bad. Tigers are by far my favorite animal. I’m a huge baseball fan. Growing up I dreamed of playing for the Atlanta Braves. When I went to games, I always imagined coming up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the Ninth. I’d stroll slowly from the dugout to the plate as “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who starts blaring – right around the 7:22 mark in the song. By the time I reach the plate the “Yeeeeaaaahhh!” kicks in – the crowd goes wild. So, yeah.
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Tyson, Kaya, Jacinda & Huck… thank you so much for sharing, for being super nice and for genuinely having an awesome sense of humor. I loved learning more about you and your family’s adventures in Hong Kong. You’re all juxt lovely folks. – Rachel
More photos by Tyson:
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Kaya at Photowalk
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Huck at Airport
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Jacinda at Library
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Juxt thanks the Wheatley Family for the words and their art!
About Rachel Marie:
iPhoneographer • Hipstaholic • Mamabear • Community Advocate • Makin’ it happen in the City of Music® one initiative at a time • Self-taught and powered by a mild case of OCD, I’m inspired by inanimate objects and everyday life. I don’t mind when O.G. film photographers call me a “phoney-ographer.” Rather, I embrace the sentiment as a challenge to continue experimenting and championing mobile photography as the art form evolves.
by Anna Cox | Apr 20, 2012 | Anna Cox, Featured Articles
Anna’s Introduction
Over a year ago, I stumbled upon @agentluke’s feed on Instagram. I was immediately drawn to his strong sense of composition. The majority of his feed at that time was architecture from around Chicago. I adored the easy way he shot such detail, his strong sense of line, and the balance he always found in the shots. While staying true to his unique sense of composition, in recent months he has branched out into shooting more than just facades. Luke’s current series of abandoned locations blows me away. As a lover of the forgotten, the tenderness in which he shoots these locations touches a deep place within me. Anyone can shoot a broken down house but only a few can make it speak. Luke is one of the few I have run across that can give a place a voice and help tell its story. Overall, Luke is one of my favorites on instagram and I am so pleased to be able to introduce him to you all.
A: Anna L: Luke
A: I’ve been following you for a year now. Your feed has evolved in that time. How do you see the progression of your craft?
L: In the sense of it all, I think I’ve come a full circle. But before that I really want to thank you for your attention and am humbled that it is so. I’ve really let myself go when the mobile photography genre started getting traction. I was on few other platforms featuring traditional photography as well as digital and canvas artwork, but I never really put myself out there as much. It might have been due in part because I never owned a dslr or maybe that my street art career* called for anonymity. In any case, the ability to shoot and manipulate anywhere, with what I already have, gave me the opportunity I need to really put the focus back onto what I truly felt that I want to do. Create, inspire and share who I am and where I come from.
A: Where do you find the most inspiration?
L: At the beginning my main shooting objective was Chicago architecture. Not really the famous and glamorous parts of town but the everyday grid as seen by just another famous nobody. Which to me, is an ordinary citizen with extraordinary love for the city. I’ll admit that at times I’ll get consumed by the skyline and shoot from a common perspective, but hey, can you blame me? I live in the the most architecturally significant city in the world as far as I’m concerned.
Bricks, arches, and ornaments?. Fire stations, municipal buildings and courtyards. And everyday Chicagoans. That is where I feel my language comes from. That is where I find inspiration.
A: Tell us about your website. I love the idea behind it.
L: If you speak of Urban Lithograph then I’ll tell you it is an idea lab open to the public. My projects reflect the direction it follows so if you visit regularly you know it changes quite often. The main piece that holds it together though is that all the ventures there are bound together by a need to advance and standardize the art of mobile photography, mobile graphic design and mobile art in general. I feel that an Urban Lithograph is as unique as the moment in which the idea or image was conceived in. And the instant connection of today allows me to really push that belief. Thus here we are, creating, sharing and inspiring each other.
My latest project is an art exhibit entitled ArchitecturalBreakDown. Architectural Interiors and Exteriors of places man has forgotten, but time has not. Opening reception is Saturday, April 14th at 7pm, in Chicago.
A: IG has grown by leaps and bounds since we started. I find myself overwhelmed at times with the contests, photos, followers ect. How do you deal with the changes? Have you changed the way you look at IG?
L: Well, I’ll admit that I’ve backed away from IG in the last few weeks. And now, that Facebook is the new owner I think I’ll focus more on other web platforms and events. Keeping in contact with all these amazing individuals that I’ve met over the years is my priority. IG isn’t really the best way to continue or to have an extensive exchange of ideas, so I am very grateful for blogs such as wearejuxt.com.
I think IG has become a gateway of sort for many artists and amateur photographers. It has awakened a sense of purpose within many who never had an outlet and an oudience they can receive feedback from.
But as with all things, progression calls for constant migration of thought and style. So as we enter a new chapter it’s only natural to embrace change and construct future upon it.
Thank you Luke! If you would like to see more of Luke’s amazing work check him out at his website http://urbanlithograph.com or on IG @agentluke.
Check out more of the amazing photographs from Luke.
Juxt thanks the both of you for your art, words, and contributions to the mobile community.
About Anna Cox
Anna Cox lives in Nicholasville, Kentucky where she is raising her two sons. She is a mixed media artist who uses photography as a stepping stone for her paintings. She is also involved with anti-human trafficking and helping women within the adult entertainment industry.
Instagram: @annacox
by Brad Puet | Apr 16, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
BP’s Introduction
Hey everyone. I am honored to not only get this out there but to be honest introduce ya’ll to a homie here in the Pacific Northwest who is an amazing and dope artist. I’ve actually met him through my nephew who is part of the Class Project. You may have heard of them. They were the crew that Juxt challenged to shoot the “Darkroom Series” Gallery with just mobile devices.
Tony Sosa aka @taylorswiftgang on Instagram and EyeEm, has some great imagery on his feed. I featured him on my Sunday Shoutouts quite awhile back. This interview was going to happen either way, but he also won runner-up to the Canvas Pop/ FX PhotoStudio/ Juxt “Where I’m From” Contest recently. I posed to him if instead of just an interview about him but if we could also highlight the project that he was currently working on.
I believe he was fairly new to Hipstamatic but he wanted to utilize the app to work on a project for Trayvon Martin and his family. He had already decided to get his community, the Seattle Hip Hop community, involved in this project. Portraits of artists who stand united against racism and in support for Trayvon Martin and his family.
Sosa, you know I got mad respect for you and the crew and am honored to have you and them on the Juxt site. Let’s GO!
Artists for Trayvon Statements
“I felt compelled to be a part of the project because I’ve been similarly profiled & attacked. Being part of the project means adding a voice to the collective asking to be heard” – DJ DV One (Rock Steady Crew)
“I wanted to be a part of this project because I am no different from this young man. I am black. I wear hoodies on a regular basis and live in a predominantly white city. Should I be feared? To me this project was about making it clear that no matter what background you come from, we can all identify with this man.” – Kellen H. (The Good Sin)
“I’m involved with Anthony’s project as a friend, and because I believe in the work, which is simple, potent, and as relevant to Seattle youth as it is to anyone that’s walked outside and felt unwarranted judgment from others” – Roger H. (10.4 Rog)
BP: BP T: Tony Sosa
BP: What made you want to do this project?
T: I think it was combination of different events throughout my community that sparked my ambition for this project. I live in South Seattle, which is known to have its fair share of neighborhood crimes, and in the recent past, amongst young children & teens. This incident with Trayvon Martin was the tipping point for me, regardless of where it happened.
BP: What is the message you are portraying in the project?
T: There is a bit more to the “I am Trayvon Martin” aspect in this particular piece. I display all the photos in Black & White with the hopes of giving the viewer that feeling of being colorblind. The artists involved are clearly people of different backgrounds, but displayed in black & white, it’s hard for the viewer to differentiate the race. There in lies the ultimate message, we’re all the same, regardless of color.
BP: How has the Trayvon incident affected you personally?
T: I’m the proud uncle of a 2 & 13 year old girl that currently live with me. To think that they could be a random act of violence scares me. Hate doesn’t recognize innocence, so if this incident hasn’t hit my family or I directly, we still sympathize because we know what it’s like to raise children. I also know the feeling of losing someone at a very young age because of a violent act.
BP: As a mobile photographer and a cinematographer, what is the vision of this project and what are your hopes for the project and future projects such as the Artists for Trayvon project?
T: As far as this project goes, I’m taking it one step at a time. Right now it’s just a display piece for Instagram. Aside from only displaying on IG, I was intending on printing the pictures onto canvas pieces using some prize money I won from another photo contest. Once that happens, if I can find a venue in the Seattle area, willing to let me display the photos for public viewing, that’s another great step! As far as future projects go, I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I tend to work in the moment, and right now, I’m focusing on completing this piece, in hopes to keep the awareness going. Whatever the outcome of the Trayvon Martin case, we’ll need to remain active and ensure that our youth stay safe.
BP: Tell us about yourself, loves likes, dislikes, inspirations, artist background.
T: Since I LOVE talking about myself so much, I guess I can tell you a bit about moi. I tend to try my hand at many crafts, but I’m pretty sure I have A.D.D. so I also tend to stop pursuing them pretty quickly for new hobbies. DJing has always been an art I’ve admired. I was probably about 9 or 10 the first time I witnessed DJ DV One. He was doing an in store set at my friend Valentines Barber Shop back in 95-96, and I was blown away. I knew one day I would be doing that! My friend had a setup in middle school that we’d used to play around on, mix records & try to scratch by taking notes from Q-Bert videos. I started taking the craft more to heart when I was about 19, luckily with a good mentor & amazing DJ, BlesOne, showing me some tips and tricks. He had me spin some low key b-boy battles when I first started, after that it was just practicing as much as I could with my crew. I feel like there will always be room for improvement with my DJing. Plus, I love it too much to drop it like another hobby.
Same idea goes for our photography/cinematography. There are no limitations when it comes to these arts. There is always a concept or an envelope waiting to be pushed, so my crew (Class Project) and I are always taking positive steps to help accomplish whatever is presented for us. We have a Vimeo website that showcases small pieces of work we’ve done. That URL is http://www.vimeo.com/classproject for those who are interested in viewing. My friends & business partners of Class Project, Joseph & Roger, are currently working on a piece commissioned by Wing Luke Museum in Seattle that will run till the end of May, I believe. As far as work I’ve done, my most prized piece was for Make A Wish Foundation, which can also be found on our Vimeo page. I have a few other projects that are currently under wraps at the moment, one of which is a clothing line my girlfriend and I are working on, but you won’t get much more info than that ;). Keep an eye out on my IG feed for info pertaining to that particular project. Hopefully we’ll have it up and running by the beginning of June.
If I can, I’d like to thank all of those who made themselves available for my project, and to those who I still have left to capture. Special thanks to my crew, Class Project, and my girlfriend Reina. Also, thanks to everyone on IG showing support, you guys are truly an awesome community. Plus, my mom was happy I was doing this, so special I love you to Mom & Dad!
Juxt thanks Sosa and all the artists for their contribution and dedication.
Contact Info:
Sosa: [email protected] / Twitter: meestersosa
Roger (10.4 Rog): [email protected] / http://104rog.bandcamp.com/
Kellen (The Good Sin): [email protected] / http://TheGoodSin.bandcamp.com
Mike G. (Clockwork): [email protected]
DJ Supreme La Rock / http://supremelarock.blogspot.com /
http://www.supremelarock.com
Isabella Du Graf (Jazz & R&B Songstress): http://thesoundsismusic.blogspot.com
Malice & Mario Sweet (R&B Singers): http://www.mariosweet.com /
http://malicemariosweet.bandcamp.com
by Brad Puet | Apr 12, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
Little Red already looked nice on the street. I like when pictures tell stories or ask questions. What kind of urban wolf may threaten this modern Little Red?
Canvas Pop, FX PhotoStudios, and We Are Juxt held a joint contest entitled “Where I’m From”. The submissions were all beautiful and this is an opportunity to share with you all the works from the winner of the contest, Damien Giard. Trust us when we tell you, the work from Damien is beautiful, amazing, and inspirational.
BP: BP =) D: Damien Giard
BP: Please tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? Describe to us who the person behind the images is.
D: I’m a french guy who travel a lot 😉 I’m a little workaholic because I always get passionate with everything I do, including my job. I’m a producer at a publishing company. We focus on educational and interactive programs for kids such as www.bayam.fr
BP: Please describe to us more in detail about where you live. What is the culture? What are the demographics? What are the geographics?
D: Part time in Paris, part time in Toulouse, more and more in Montreal, where I’ll be permanently settled in June.
Toulouse. The “pink city” of the south west of France. The ancient brick walls are actually pink and red, orange, terracotta… It is an awesome area with its Garonne river, the Pyrenees mountains and beautiful landscapes.
Paris. Wherever you look there is history, culture, past time glory… Beyond the perfect settings I like grabbing pictures of everyday people in the city of arts and love.
Montreal. A friendly and multicultural city. I like the mix of american and european influence, the architecture, the graffiti artists… Definitely a great place for street photography.
I’m a commuter. Plane, taxi, train and plane again… I spend a lot of time in airports, waiting peacefully, watching the planes take off. The unreal atmosphere of these transit zones. A piano playing smoothly in the background. As we switch from waiting lounge to boarding zone and into the airplane, the music keeps playing the same elevator tunes, endlessly.
BP: Tell us more about your mobile photography and mobile artistry. How did you get started in the world of mobile photography? What are the main subjects of your work? What catches your eye?
D: My experience of iphoneography started with the iPhone 4. My photos are a visual flow of everyday urban life. People and spaces and transportations. I enjoy my trips to capture unusual moments, snapshots of life, play with pictures, tell stories …
Music is also very important. Like images, music create powerful emotional memories for the moments in life. I wish I was able to create visual music! Meanwhile, music inspires many of my photos (#lifetomusic) like this one http://statigr.am/p/138832741095682150_1273307 (“The blue bus is callin’ us” from The End – The Doors)
BP: What apps do you use and why?
D: Most of the times I use 3 apps: snapseed, noir and camera+
I generally use filters to deliver my mood and express my feeling of the moment. Digital filters are like developing baths and camera lenses in traditional photography, it helps to enhance the rough natural image to recreate a full atmosphere.
The lost gravel beach at the end of the world (actually Dungeness, UK). A lunar place with haunted fishermen houses. There was this girl playing hopscotch on an abandoned railway…
BP: Have you printed out your work? Were you happy with the outcome?
D: I have printed a small book and I was quite happy with the result.
I would like to print large images, but I will have to wait for the evolution of the IG in HD 😉
First print exhibition in Paris (April) and another in Toulouse (May)
http://www.tribegram.com/component/content/article/29-the-cms/18-joomla-features
Soho Gallery for digital art in NY : iPhoneography FX Photo Studio exhibit (dec.2011)
http://sohodigart.com/Previous-Events.html
Some of my images have been used for an advocate cabinet (http://gate-avocats.com/)
BP: Who are your influences in your work and who are your favorite mobile photographers/ artists and why?
My influences come from many sides: pop culture, music and movies covers, tv series, artists… I like candid and streetphotography, but I don’t follow guidelines, only my feeling of the moment.
There are many talented iPhotographers. After a heartbreaking selection, here is my short list:
@osqui @clok_moitie @eros_sana @brooklyntheory @magneticart @seb_gordon @vutheara @knitterbird @ekalex @janske
special mention goes to @cachafaz work with the homeless
There were flocks of starling birds flowing from tree to tree. I was completely against the light, hence the rendering, like a shadow theatre. This one has been selected by the FXStudio for the iphoneography exhibit at the Soho Gallery for digital art in NY 🙂
BP: Describe for us your experiences thus far in the world of mobile photography. How long have you been on IG? What have you learned and what would you like to pass down to new folks just joining in?
D: I’ve been on IG for one year now. I wasn’t really a photographer before.
I used to practice photography when i was a kid, with an old Pentax of the 70s. The iPhone gave me the occasion to get back to my former hobby.
At the beginning it was only a basic lifestream: food, pets, home… All boring stuff! We need to get to the next level. Now I want my photos to convey an atmosphere, express emotional states, and most of all tell stories.
I had the chance to be a speaker at the iPhoneography conference during the Social Media Week in february (http://m.socialmediaweek.org/imps/smw/event.html?event_id=1917&rnd=7033089) with @vutheara and @iphotographe and we talked about the revolution of iPhotography. I will share my slides in the next days 😉
BP: What is your favorite quote and how does it sum you up as a person/artist in a nutshell?
“Almost every new technology is an amplification of our body, Computers, the internet, social networks expand everything. The most important thing they expand is our imaginations and our brains.” Will Wright (creator of the Sims)
D: This quote fits perfectly the mobile photography movement. The swiss-knife-phone is a handy
camera that comes as an extension of your eye and helps to capture sights, moods, moments…
“The photographer must have and keep in him something of the receptiveness of the child who sees the world for the first time or the traveler who enters a strange country” Bill Brandt
This quote totally reflects my vision of photography: think as a child so that life still surprises us every day.
Fall tree eye crying the last leaves.
I look for poetry in pictures. Sometimes poetry comes out from the most unexpected places. Coincidentally the French poet Stephane Bataillon created 24 “Instapoems”, like haikus based on my photos http://www.stephanebataillon.com/instapoems/
BP: Any last thoughts you would like to share?
D: I just would like to thanks you again for choosing me and giving me the opportunity to explain more my works, loves and feelings 🙂
And thank you for the brilliant work with WeAreJuxt 😉
Juxt thanks you for your art and your words.
Contact Damien Giard
IG: MrFreakZ
http://mrfreakz.tumblr.com
by Brad Puet | Apr 12, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
Recently We Are Juxt teamed up withPostalPix for the Best of Winter Contest. Meredith Winn submitted a beautiful image, one that garnished the community’s approval for the win. We Are Juxt and PostalPix presents to you, Meredith Winn.
BP: BP =) MW: Meredith Winn
BP: Please tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? Describe to us who the person behind the images is.
MW: Hi, I’m Meredith Winn. I’m a freelance photographer and writer. I am a Shutter Sister, a contributing photography to Getty Images, a contributor to Taproot Magazine, and co-founder of Now You Workshops. I weave stories from truth and optical illusions from images. I’m from anywhere on any given day. I grew up on the East coast with salt water in my veins but most of my adult life was spent out West. I relocated to New England last year. My words and images are the result of a life that dances between childhood and motherhood, always on the cusp of transition. I’m drawn to the story of an image and how something so personal can, at the same time, feel so universally human.
I live here now, after years of pining, after years of knowing that my world was larger than what Austin, Texas could provide. After years of working towards a goal a career a passion, after years of watching relationships grow and bloom behind art and photography… after knowing my place, the place that called to me from a deep sleep. I live here now and I doubt it will ever cease to blow my mind. This was taken in the early evening with a wicked good sky full of moody pre-sunset clouds. Because of the low tide, I was able to walk out and shoot this pier straight on, really embracing that negative space. I feel that gathering up sky into frame really helps tell the story of the image. I boosted the color a bit in camera+ to really let the buildings pop and then added some tilt shift to soften out the clouds.
BP: Please describe to us more in detail about where you live. What is the culture? What are the demographics? What are the geographics?
MW: After living in Austin, Texas for nearly a decade, I followed my heart back to my family’s roots. I call the western Maine foothills home, where I live off-grid in a yurt with my sweetheart and a trio of boys. The earth is moist and soft here, it’s alive with love and family and laughter and barefoot children (treeforts, fairyland… sunny days, dewy mornings… big red barns and the happy souls that live in them.)
This is home to me. Rural country roads tucked into the woods at the edge of snowy mountains. Far enough for peace and solitude to invoke creativity, yet still close enough to smell the salt air of Maine’s rocky coastline.
“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird and when we find someone who’s weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
Life intersects and intertwines, and with it family’s grow. People’s presence gains importance until you look around one day and wonder if there was ever a time when you did not wake to see their face each morning. I love headcovers for the way they can make a normal situation feel surreal and strangely out of place. This is my sweetheart’s (sketched) self portrait used as a headcover. I asked him to jump up on that chair to get closer to the windows, the light in his studio required minimal processing to help set the mood of this shot. It was processed through Instagram’s filters.
BP: Tell us more about your mobile photography and mobile artistry. How did you get started in the world of mobile photography? What are the main subjects of your work? What catches your eye?
MW: I’m fairly new to mobile photography. Although I cheered from the sidelines as I watched my peers pioneer the industry (Stephanie Roberts, a fellow Shutter Sister, wrote The Art of iPhoneography) I was a late bloomer. I didn’t get my first iphone until March 2011. I was drawn to the simplicity of it all: the convenience and humble attributes that come from creating art with a phone in a non-intrusive way. In my freelance work, I am drawn to nature and portraits. I find images more interesting if there are people to aid in the storytelling. Everyday moments are what I seek with my iphone: the walk to the bus stop, the body language of children, the reflections in puddles, the texture that comes from our environment.
BP: What apps do you use and why?
MW: Well, I started out with an iphone 3G and mainly used camera+ as my go-to processing app. Since upgrading to an iphone 4, I shoot in my native camera and send most everything to camera+ before anything else (old habits die hard!) I also use Iris Photo Suite, tilt shift generator, and cross process. I’ve recently begun dabbling with Snapseed and I really like what I see with that app.
I’m not always certain what I’m seeking, sometimes I just go looking for something to help me feel connected. A visual image that helps me tie these threads of past and present and future. It makes me giddy to be at the sea, especially the empty coast of winter in Maine. The novelty of snow on sand conjures up good memories from childhood and good dreams of the future I see before us. It didn’t take much to process this naturally monochromatic image. I tweaked the exposure a bit by using the “night” filter in camera+ then running it through a hint of cross processing to bring out the contrast of beachcombers. A bit of tilt shift softened out the edges where sand and sky and snow and sea all blur into one.
BP: Have you printed out your work? Were you happy with the outcome?
MW: I am a big fan of printed images. As a child, heaven for me was digging through the photograph drawer in my mother’s office. I want to leave these treasures for my family as well, so I’ve always found it important to print photographs. With digital photography, one has to be more mindful of follow through and actually printing images so they don’t get lost forever on hard drives. When I began collecting iphone images, Postal Pix was a fairly new company and I was thrilled at their accessibility. I’ve been with them ever since! I love their work and their customer service is fantastic. It’s been fun to watch them grow and bloom as a company.
BP: Who are your influences in your work and who are your favorite mobile photographers/ artists and why?
MW: My photographic influences are many: Harry Callahan is a major inspiration for his minimalist portraits and landscapes. I have an appreciation and a desire for Lothar Wolleh’s symmetry in composition. His power is in placement (self and environment) and his resulting portraits truly reveal a person’s inner essence. I am always on the search for new artists as well. I am intrigued by Julie Blackmon and her depiction of struggle for self in a child-centered society. This is perhaps why I have a large collection self-portraits in my portfolio of motherhood. My list of favorite mobile photographers is always growing: I find joy in the simplicity and creativity of Paul Octavious (@pauloctavious) His ingenuity of new projects is compelling. Stephanie Roberts (@littlepurplecow) has a way with documenting real life that really draws me into the scene and keeps me there. Stephen Pullan (@artfarmer) is brilliant in his composition and how he creates abstract art from his every day environment. Erica Bartel (@ericabartel) is pure magic with light and dreaminess. Andrea Corrona Jenkins (@hulaseventy) makes my heart flutter with all things vintage and color.
This was my first adult winter in New England. I found myself approaching it with a giddiness and certain childlike innocence that bordered on naive. What I had forgotten from the winters of my youth was how the winter world is able to create a sense of freedom from all that vast whiteness. I love nothing more than to feel humbled my nature, to put people into scenes to help set perspective. This shot is the epitome of what I crave from nature. This was just a simple moment on a sledding hill. But for me, the moment became something more than just an aesthetically pleasing composition, it became the storyline for their adventure: these boys, this life, this great big beautiful (sometimes scary) world. Processed in camera+ with a hint of HDR to bring out the clarity of the clouds then run through Instagram’s filters for cool blues.
BP: Describe for us your experiences thus far in the world of mobile photography. How long have you been on IG? What have you learned and what would you like to pass down to new folks just joining in?
MW: After getting my iphone in March 2011, the first app I got was Instagram. It felt like such a small community to me (a welcome change to the online existence I have elsewhere for my work.) I kept my circles very small at first, wanting to use IG as a cozy friendly place for conversation and shared images with friends. I’m never about numbers, and I’m not searching for comments or followers or tips on how to make it to the popular page. I mostly just do my own thing and share my art with friends, so I’m not sure I have much advice for new folks just joining in. I know that if you want to broaden your circle, hashtags is the way to do it. See who inspires your favorite photographers. Following people who inspire you is the best tip I could give. There’s nothing more satisfying than a full feed of photographic inspiration to get your creative juices flowing!
BP: What is your favorite quote and how does it sum you up as a person/artist in a nutshell?
MW: “Almost every new technology is an amplification of our body, Computers, the internet, social networks expand everything. The most important thing they expand is our imaginations and our brains.” Will Wright (creator of the Sims)
“To be a photographer, one must photograph. No amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters.” – Harry Callahan
I learn by doing. Photography itself is the life project. It catches the space between.
(silhouettes) Home is a place we leave and come back to again and again. Home is a place of creation; where we come to be ourselves, where we come to find ourselves. Home is home no matter where you live. This photo embraces togetherness as we see it happen in a simple afternoon walk. As they approached this rock wall, I got down on the grass to shoot up at them and create this moment in silhouette. I shot it in camera+ which gave me maximum control over exposure. A hint of cross process gave the sky that rich turquoise that I crave in my everyday reality.
BP: Any last thoughts you would like to share?
MW: Shoot something new everyday. Thanks for the interview!
Juxt thanks you for your art and your work!
Contact Meredith
Website and Blog: www.meredithwinn.wordpress.com
Instagram and Twitter: @camerashymomma
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MeredithWinnPhotography
by Sam Smotherman | Apr 9, 2012 | 24HRProject, Featured Articles
This is the last article for the We Are Juxt coverage of the stories from the amazing 24 Hour Project that Renzo @aliveinnyc and Sam @whittiersam organized on March 24, 2012. We Are Juxt has a few photographers who participated and in celebration of such a worldwide event, wanted to give you summaries of their 24 hours in their respective cities. To see some more of the work of over 65 photographers, in 35 countries, and 5 continents, visit @24hourproject.
24 Hour Project: Singapore
24 Hour Project: Seattle
24 Hour Project: New York City
24 Hour Project: Sao Paul, Brazil
24 Hour Project: Leeds, England
24 Hour Project: Berlin, Germany
My 24 Hours: Los Angeles, California
Before I start with the write up of the events of the 24th I have to confess that I lied about this project. When the invitations to the participants went out I wrote that “I hate sleep” – I was lying.
The concept of this project was initially just a personal project. I was planning on shooting my city or LA but had not set a date or personally committed to it. It was still just an idea and not a plan. When I read a post of @aliveinnyc – Renzo – about him being open to project ideas I thought this 24 hour project would be perfect for the two of us. We both are very interested in street photography, an approach which allows the subjects to tell the story of their city through their actions. We emailed and talked to clarify the project and I’m glad it became a true collaboration as the project became more defined, creative and bold. It grew from a plan of two guys, into a world wide event with over 60 participants. I’m still amazed at the list of participants and honored that so many talented photographers agreed to join in.
When I got home from work it was near 10PM Friday the 23rd of March. It was a long day made longer by little sleep the night before. I was up several times through out the night thinking about the project and how it was going to turn out and what exactly my game plan was going to be. I still did not have a route planned of where I was going to be at any specific time and that worried me. I tried to take a nap before I left and was able sleep for about 20 minutes but woke up again excited and nervous about what I was about to do. I left home with a kiss from my wife and a brown bag lunch she made for me and started to drive.
I took the long way into LA taking side streets looking for stories, starting to warm up my shooter’s eye. I will admit the night scene in Downtown LA is not something I had been personally involved with in recent years. When I had been there before it was different – more dark and less lively. Now as DTLA (Downtown LA) is going through a revival, I walked around for about 2 hours while the bars were still open and folks were in abundance. This shooting was easy. There was enough light, enough people and plenty of energy, but I couldn’t stay here all night so I headed out, driving somewhere to try to catch some folks for my 2 AM shots. I made a few wrong choices for locations and came upon empty streets and finally somewhere in Hollywood pulled into a 24 Hour convenience store. I was starting to get tired and as the shots weren’t coming quickly enough or with much quality. I was getting a little discouraged so I headed to a famous all night diner not too far from where I was to get some food and some shots of post-bar people as bars in LA close at 2AM.
Now the hard part 4AM – 6AM. This was the least productive and again the most discouraging hours. I wanted to get my sunrise shot at the ocean with SCUBA divers exiting the water – this was one of my few planned shots. Having dove at this location I was betting that there would be some night divers ending near sunrise but this meant I had to drive quite a ways. I rushed my 4 AM shot of men unloading a truck at a famous Southern California hamburger joint. The two workers did not take kindly to me snapping pictures of them at work and gave me conflicting information as one stood behind my car taking down my license plate number and the other one telling me to leave. I told him I would as soon as his friend was done standing behind my car so I could safely back out. This caused more discouragement and the need for sleep was becoming very apparent. I passed a few all night places and gas stations and found a parking lot near the dive spot debating with myself if I could pull off this idea of mine and finish the project. I slept for a while. I woke up and found an open restaurant – a great post dive eatery where I had been several times before. Then it was off to find the divers but when I pulled up to what seemed an empty lot and locked bathrooms I was very bummed until I payed a little closer attention to the water. I started to see two lights bobbing around near the surface. I was happy to see the lights getting closer and closer to shore and finally two body’s emerging from the calm water. I noticed one of their cylinders was lose and he plopped down a few feet away from me while his buddy fixed it.
Now it was off to meet a someone who agreed to spend some time with me – my nephew @dev24. It was a great time to talk with him about photography as we had never had a chance to go shooting together before that day. It was great to have someone with me. 7AM – 9AM was some of my best shooting of the day. Around 10AM we took a break near USC but when we went to walk around we found the streets to be rather empty. Again I would have to settle for this. By this time I was ready for another nap. I set my alarm for 45 mins and woke up in terror thinking I had over slept again – I bolted up and looking at my clock realized I had only slept 15 minutes. When we headed out again I was rushed for my shot as we headed up to a Jewish neighborhood. Drive time stole opportunities but that is also a big part of the story of LA – the drive, the commute, the car culture. While I do not live in LA proper and much of what I shoot would be outside of “Los Angeles”-the part of the city that makes Los Angeles Los Angeles. It is made up of many LA’s. Where other city’s are broken up by neighborhoods LA is broken up and understood by cities, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Venice Beach, large generalities of West LA, The Valley, South Central LA and East LA
It was hit and miss from 11 AM till about 2 PM with only a few minutes of excellent shots. It was time to drop off my nephew and meet another IGer, @dayzdandconfuzd . By the time I met up with him, exhaustion had settled in and stringing together a sentence was becoming difficult for me which Dave noted right way. We were in an area of town we had shot together in before and there was a lot of foot traffic at this time. We had a very productive 3 hours walking around DTLA. It was good to have someone to offer suggestions and walk with – which was becoming physically painful. The shots seemed to come in waves of extremely prolific shot’s then periods of nothing. This is where the challenge of selecting one per hour would prove to be very difficult. As the light was fading we walked around looking for patches of light. We were ending up where I had started almost 24 hours before coming full circle but rather than walk around alone I took the train with @dayzdandconfuzd as he headed home. This was a great opportunity to rest my feet and to get some train shots. When off of the train I was on my own again looking to complete the last 3 hours – the end was in sight but the view was painful. I lasted about another hour on the streets of DTLA then decided to head home and get my last shot in my city – where I knew of a birthday party being held. I will admit my last photo – and some in between – was more of a limping stagger to the finish line rather than a chest out head high arms back, breaking the tape at the finish.
I was proud of the day. It was difficult, very difficult, with wide sweeps of emotion, focus and opportunities. It was great at times to read the emails coming in from around the world talking about how they were holding up or were finished. Some did hurt though especially as I was on the last time zone and bringing up the rear and they were excited about being done or close to it – I would check my watch and count the hours and the pain would worsen. There was conflict in reading these, they didn’t just hurt, but it also allowed me to see others had done it and I could too. What was also encouraging was to see the IG feed @24hourproject live and what folks were shooting. A big thanks to Renzo’s wife @gothamkitty who filled in the hours to keep the feed live! This was an amazing experience made much more so with the addition of all of the participants and folks just joining in. The end project as it stands now has totally exceeded and blown away my initial vision. I will say the editing has proved to be very difficult for me, sticking to the parameters of the project – the process of telling a story of a city and not just selecting the “best picture. I hope I have put together a good story of LA – There are more to be told and I’m excited to find them.
I can’t wait for the next 24 Hour Project…it’s coming so stay tuned!
