by Sam Smotherman | Mar 14, 2012 | Featured Articles
Fletch’s Introduction
I can’t remember exactly when I first noticed Sam’s pictures on Instagram – but I do remember thinking that they had a distinctive American, or Californian look to them. I’m from Australia and have never set foot in the US, so perhaps I have some stereotypical image floating around my head – but these pictures of Sam’s definitely fitted that image for me. There is a documentary quality to them that doesn’t quite fit the format of Instagram – I think they somehow need to seen as a body rather than the parts. When I spoke to Sam about that, he put it really well in saying that some stories require joining pictures that link one image to the next, but don’t necessarily stand out well on their own, or viewed out of context. He compared them to the joining words in a sentence such as “and”, “is”, and “but” – all very important in forming the story – but not meaning much on their own.
I see Street-photography involving people as the subject split into three categories. Photos that use people as forms in the overall picture, photos that exploit the subject, and photos that give us a little insight into the subject. I place Sam’s images in the last category. You can see that he actually cares about the people he is shooting, and wants to tell their story. This is Sam’s story – read on if you’re interested.
F: Fletch (Jason) S: Sam
F. I know of you as Sam from LA and that’s about as far as it goes. Is there anything more you can tell us about where you hale from, and what you are up to generally?
S. While I wasn’t born in the LA area it’s all I can remember and I’ve been living locally to the house of my childhood since I moved out.
F. So what led you to Instagram in the first place, and how did you find the experience of getting started and establishing a community?
S. I think the first picture I posted on IG was after I had read an article about IG on Twitter, which talked about this app that had some cool features mostly featuring the filters. So I downloaded it and gave it a try but had no clue about the social aspect of IG, and so soon abandoned it until I met another user who enthusiastically re-told me about it, and so that is when I really joined IG but still not fully committed, but committed enough to joining@joshjohnson did his Bunch of Squares (?) tour when he was out in LA. I took my daughter and met some great folks in the rain down in Santa Monica. I met some great people there and still shot with some of them regularly @ampstacy @davidag and @isabellorance (S/P). Meeting folks was a huge key to what IG was about and made it much more exciting and I became much more involved with mobile photography.
F. When I first started following you on IG, I thought you were a pretty talented street photographer with a keen eye for a well composed photo. But looking back at your early work they seem a lot more experimental – as if you were learning your craft. Had you had any previous experience with photography before picking up the iPhone and going on IG?
S. Over the years I have had various cameras but it was mostly for family shots or documenting family events or shooting while out and about but never to go out shooting. On my honeymoon, some local fishermen told my wife that I was going to die as I was leaning over some cliff to get a shot of something or other, so I’ve been drawn to the adventure of photography for a long time. Back then I was using disposable film cameras. Mostly what I was interested in shooting was nature stuff or animals, subjects that I still am interested in and still shoot, but typically now I will shoot animals, mostly birds, with my DSLR. Those photos I did take when I did get a digital point and shoot it was much of the same subjects but they just were uploaded to my computer to die – meaning that they were rarely seen even by my own family. I did become much more interested in the “art” of mobile photography when I had a Treo and started to upload some of them to Flickr. It became a little more of what you might see now with my shots but without people, more abandoned buildings, street art, decay, etc, with social commentary tags along with them, which you will still see on my feed – the social commentary or observation.
F. Another thing that I noticed when I went back through your photos on Instagram is that early on your photos are almost completely devoid of people, and then you slowly begin to introduce them to your stream, and now presently, people are the core focus with your photography. Did you find it hard to take people photography early on, or were you just not that interested?
S. I would say there has been substantial growth in this area. The Picture of the woman asleep on her break at work is one where even though she was sleeping I was very nervous taking. Taking a picture of strangers was difficult from my feet; however, being from the car culture of LA one tends to adapt to their surroundings ::wink wink:: I think this has a lot to do with several facts. One I don’t walk around too much, I drive. Second, I’m from a smaller town and so people I see or shoot I tend to see again which adds to my hesitance to shoot folks from my neighborhood. Third, the most obvious, I hadn’t done it before. That’s why it was so helpful to see @koci and @konstruktivist and others on the photo walk on 1197 and how they would approach people – that helped to open my eyes to the reality of mobile street shooting. I will say that @ampstacy has also shown me just about being a straight forward and in your face photographer. There was one mobile photographer who’s work I was so blown away with that when I heard that @cachafaz was in LA, I had to see how he worked and I’m lucky to have been able to meet up with him and learned from him as well. With the help of these and others others I’m working at getting over the editor in my head.
F. You mentioned that it has taken you around 9 months to grow that distinctive beard of yours – what’s the story behind that? Could it be some kind of guard to hide behind when you are taking street photography; something that almost hides you from the people you are taking photos of?
S. I have been growing it probably longer than 9 months. As far as a guard to hind behind while shoot I would say its a big negative. Some people consider taking pictures of strangers creepy – some people consider men with long beards creepy – but the two together and the combination it isn’t beneficial. I will say that I don’t think it has hurt me any either at least not that I have been able to tell directly. There isn’t a story other than I like it…I don’t think anyway.
F. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of quality shots you have posted up on Instagram, you have obviously found a way to incorporate photography into your daily routine. Do you head out especially to take photos, or do you just happen to grab opportunities as they arise?
S. This has changed over time. Early on I use post a picture or two a day from that day or the previous one having been “grabbed”. I would rarely post anything beyond that. However, there were times when I would be showing pieces that were more of a story and would do batch posts but i tried to keep them small so as not to overwhelm – thinking back to my posts on the closed youth correctional facility. I’ve now started to move those “stories” over to blurb mobile (i hope they fix their UI soon). But in the past few months I’ve been meeting up with other IGers and making a day of it (most notably @ampstacy and the now @streetsniper) pictures from these days will last me a week or two of posts. I’ve also covered events like a MMA fight and a rodeo as well as Occupy LA on a few occasions with the intent on shooting. Others times I take what I happen to come across most notably of these would be anything tagged #noseatbelt. I am working on a couple of projects now that are organized and working with others. I try to have my camera always ready.
F. I’m a big fan of the American documentary photographers Robert Frank and William Eggleston who both come to mind when I look through your stream. Are you influenced by their work or any other photographers?
S. I am embarrassed to say that I had to look those guys up. After doing some research on the two I agree (from what I read) with Robert Frank and enjoy showing the reality of the promise. In his day (50s especially shooting “The Americans” there was a much bigger promise about the American Life and its seems that more folks bought into it – I don’t think that is the case anymore but we are still referred to the America Dream while the nightmare continues. I like to think that I offer a similar critique of reality – one picture for me that really points to a clear example of is Kitty standing Under the Wall Street sign in LA. When most people think of Wall Street they aren’t thinking LA and they aren’t thinking homeless, and for me that is a very powerful both social and visual juxtaposition . That critique is very powerful. Another one that comes to mind is of this art gallery and let me start by saying I did not do a good job documenting who’s art work is in my picture and I do feel bad about that. However, the message jumped to my mind immediately when I saw the shoot, before i took it. The art work was of these jeans that were painted and stitched together to make an image of the American Flag, but sitting in front of it was this older office chair. This struck me as a commentary on the partnership of commerce or business and the nation, of capitalism and nationalism.
F. What about IG photographers, are there any particular people on there who have had an influence on you and your photography?
S. I have mentioned a few already, there are a ton more I could but there is one who stands out in a different way and that’s @debinsf. She’s been one who’s asked me about my photography and made me think more about what I was doing and saying. I With that I”m very appreciative about that. It has helped me see that its more than “just a picture” and that others saw me as having a style and a particular voice – even if I’m still working on that process. Again, being new to the art and science aspect of photography any one who was more experienced i looked too in ways in the framing of a shot, the composition, the crop, the edit, etc. When looking to the edit I look at it as a skill to be learned and I will try to explore or learn how they achieved that look so I can have it in my took box, so to speak. When “copying” I try to make sure that I am adding “me” to the equation and not cloning someone else’s personality – which is what photography is about, the sharing of your vision of the world with others. There have been several key happenings, which have helped to form my burgeoning passion, and they have all been meeting people. The first (maybe I mentioned it before) was Josh Johnson’s tour, where I was to meet the first other IGers – aside from the one who made the reintroduction. The second was 1197 conference in SF.
F. I’ve noticed that you mention photo walks with other IG photographers a fair bit. Are these people you have always known, or have you been hooking up with other IG users? All of the folks on here are new to me since IG
S. All of the folks I’ve mentioned on here are those I’ve met since joining IG with the exception of @team_nas (they are my kids).
F. You seem to have settled on a fairly consistent style with your photos these days; much less obvious editing than those you did early on.
S. Above I said I was new to the study photography, but I think its more fair to say that I’m new to editing, while I have had more experience with camera’s and enjoyed taking pictures I never worked with any editing software beyond iPhoto and I would hardly use that. So what you see is a much more critical effort to refine what is already there, in the photo, to bring out what is in the shadows or so highlight the an key area. Recently the crop has been my biggest editing challenge for me. But going back to my earlier work, I was like a novice in the kitchen who know that spices made things taste good so I would throw in the lot of them – I would raid the spice rack of edits, where now I”m trying to use a few fresh herbs and spices to compliment rather than to dominate the flavor of the picture. I think that is something that I have for sure gotten better with using less. I’ll have to say that I’m am embraced of much of my early work and I wonder why anyone followed me – very thankful they did, but man what were they thinking (smiling while I type that). I do still enjoy the big edits and app stacking but I’m not posting those as much any more I’m still trying to find balance between the two sides of “art” and “journalism” if you will.
F. So where to from here? Are you happy snapping away with your iPhone and posting on IG, or do you intend on getting further into photography?
S. Yes and no. The IG community has been amazing and I have to give props to those who created and designed the space. I have to thank so many people on IG for sparking creativity in me – it’s been a long time since I’ve had any. I hear this a lot about this little app that’s helped awaken the dreams and passions of folks and I’ve benefited from their energy and excitement.
I have a love affair with Blurb Moblie and I think that fits into my style of photography much more than IG. I have a hard time limiting a story to a one shot and the presentation of more than one becomes convoluted and lost on IG. However, the UI of BM not being able to communicate to others in any natural way has stopped me from using it. I have started to use a film camera as well as a DSLR – but you haven’t seen that on IG, as I’m keeping these separated. Currently I have three big projects I’m working on now. Two of which involve others and one is a solo project. The solo project is a lengthy photojournalistic project and so I’m learning my way through it slowly but surely. I want to make sure that I do it correctly as I’m wanting these projects to go further than IG. So yes I am happy with posting pictures on IG but that is not what I want to limit my photographic voice.
F. Do you want to tell us a little bit more about the NYC 24 Hours LA project – what’s that all about?
S. We are still working this out so I’ll tell you bout the idea and how that came about. I follow and love what @aliveinncy shows of NCY and I was suprised to see one day that he was commenting something to the effect that he was getting bored or felt a lack of newness. Something along those lines anyway. I had this project I was going to so by myself but was still working out what exactly how I wanted to approach it, but when I read he was looking for a project I pitched him this: Lets stay up for 24 hours shooting our respective cities picking one picture for each our. I’m sure its been done before but not by me and I’m not sure if @aliveinnyc has – either way on March 24th we are going to start at 12 midnight and shoot around the clock. When that’s done we will select a shot per hour and have 24 hours of LA/NYC. I’m already tired thinking about it. Its a big project trying to show LA in a day and I hope I can do some justice to the idea.
Contact Information:
IG: @whittiersam
Blurb: whittiersam
Flickr: whittiersam
Juxt thanks you both for your art and words.
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About Jason F
He’s a lover, not a fighter
Melbourne Australia based ideas man. In the space of a 1 hour bike ride home from work Jason can be found thinking up a new line of commuter targeted clothing, be working on the opening passages of a yet to be started existentialist novel, imagining himself at the helm of a new start up tech company, and visualising his next photo shoot; only for these ideas to slowly fade away as he settles in for a night of TV and a few glasses of red with his wife and two young kids on the couch.
Currently working on a series of shots titled #lafletcherTV – unfortunately he is stuck between stations at the moment, but promises big things to come…
by Bridgette | Mar 5, 2012 | Bridgette S, Featured Articles
I’m thrilled to introduce Kris, @movax, to all of you decim8 fans!
B: Bridgette K: Kris
B: Hi Kris! So, tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s your line of profession and are you an app developer by trade? Would you consider yourself a very technical person or more of a creative type?
K: I am a professional programmer, working mainly on mobile apps for clients. However I’ve been involved in the creative side of coding for a long time, learning a lot about code through Demoscene, making my own games, and live visuals / artcode installations at music events. For me, making software is one of the best ways to fuse both the creative side and the technical side of your brain. It can be a lot of work but highly rewarding.
B: Tell us about the decim8 app and how it came about? Where did the idea stem from? And how long did it take you to develop and launch?
K: Its kind of funny… I actually had the idea in a dream that I was using an iPhone camera that would keep destroying my photos. In the dream it began as annoying but then I started to think, “this is kinda awesome.” I woke up and began work on it that very day. The first couple of versions were pretty rough, as some of the original users will tell you.
B: Personally, I love Veth, Sigstop, Bunker, Precog1 and Vortron. Which effect is your favorite and do you have a favorite combo?
K: I have a personal spot in my heart for L225… I just love the strange fractal-esque recursion patterns it can create from such simple source material. Interface->Blitbomb can be really cool, and a lot of the new effects can get really crazy.
B: What tips/advice would you give to new decim8 users?
K: Well first I would probably recommend having an open mind and not worrying TOO much about seeking a specific outcome from the app. Part of the concept, at least in my mind is to let the machines do what they are good at – and that includes randomizing in ways you might not have discovered yourself. This is frustrating to some users but is a large part of the joy to others.
B: What other apps do you like to use in combination with decim8? I’m a huge Hipstamatic fan and find it works extremely well together – I love the edge it gives!
K: I do have a few go-to apps for photography, but I’m a little ashamed that I don’t explore the offerings a bit more. Hopefully this year I’ll have more time to look into other apps and techniques. I do use PicFrame to assemble and crop my shots, iMajiCam for some of the strange distortions, SlowShutter for cool light-trails. I love Pano for those epic assembled-panoramas and Tiny Planets for well, making tiny planets. And of course Instagram, the king of them all!
B: What’s new in the recent Version 3.0 update?
K: It’s been a successful launch with only a couple hiccups for some users. New features include:
– Total UI/UX redesign
– 7 New effects
– Create and name custom effect combinations
– Tap-to-focus
– “Torch” mode flash
– Share via twitter
– Send postcards via Postagram
– Effects preview icon and effect info screens
– Add effects one at-a-time
B: How many new effects are there?
K: 7 new effects:
(original image is of my friend doing live visuals in Miami.. why not!)
Brainfeeder : Takes an image and echoes it while superimposing that echo each time over the rest. It’s a feedback effect really. Sometimes feeds back into total white noise but sometimes does really interesting things.
Doctor Ocular : was created by an idea from @docpop who suggested “chromatic distortions” and this was my take on that concept.
XEXOX : Something like a bad copy machine streaking and pulling the image in unnatural ways.
Fold 4 Rap 5 : Fold and wraps.. It’s a recursive mirroring effect.
BitBoy : uses 1-Bit dithering to completely crush your image, sometimes layering that back on top of the original
TI994X : Turns your image into an almost unrecognizable low-res “character display” version of itself. Like a dirty Atari cartridge.
Oirectine : Harmonic color palette remapping, to take the colors into some intense areas.
B: Currently, the #decim8nday has 1,900+ photos in its gallery. @_suzanne_ and @david_baer kick started this back in October 2011. For all those who aren’t familiar with the # decim8nday, it occurs every Monday. The idea is to select one of your last 12 photos in your gallery and run it through the decim8 app. What are your thoughts regarding this gallery?
K: I was impressed and surprised when David and Suzanne came to me with the idea, as I previously thought that Decim8 and its concept were too weird to catch on with a “day” of its own.. But people have been super stoked on the idea. It’s analogous to the program in general: something that seems so niche-y, but I’m finding it speaks to more and more people. Thanks and respect to those two for organizing and maintaining #decim8nday!
B: Are there any other apps you have developed that you’d like for us to check out? Will you work on others?
K: I can tell you that I have some ideas that should see the app store this year. The main one I’ve been concepting is another photo app with a totally different approach. There’s also the possibility of video effects. Lots of ideas these days! Just need to find the time.
B: Anything else you’d like to share about yourself? Are there any other platforms where we can we find you or other decim8 users?
K: Yes, definitely! I recently ported Decim8 to the Windows phone platform, which was a great experience. I think Microsoft has built an excellent platform with the new Mango version. The app looks and performs great and has some features not found on the iPhone version. My opinion is that it’s always smart to get your creations in front of a larger and more diverse audience. Its part of the main idea behind Decim8: Forget preconceptions; people and things can really surprise you when you look from a different perspective.
Kris Collins is a professional programmer, designer and performer of visual software. Bringing an intuitive understanding of complex systems into the creative realm, Kris creates custom software programs to achieve creative goals. His work has been the centerpiece of award-winning digital marketing campaigns as well as rockin’ eyeballs as it visually accompanies live music in arenas and alleyways.
Juxt thanks you for your work, art, and words.
Contact Information: Instagram @movax
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About Bridgette S.
Seattle, WA
Three words that describe me are simple, social and creative – all of which
have played a part in strengthening my passion for iPhoneography. What you see
is my vision of the ordinary and not so ordinary, most of which are captured
whilst I’m out and about with my son. As a mom to a toddler, it’s important I
catch all those milestones and have a record of our daily adventures. Having an
iPhone means I don’t miss a snap and it also means the world gets to see what I
see – at all times. Mobile photography has also given me the chance to meet
like-minded enthusiasts both in person and on the web. It’s truly remarkable to
see the community grow and be amongst those who offer support and inspiration.
It has opened new doors and reawakened my imagination; I embrace it and will
continue to learn in the process.
Instagram: @sippinlattes
Twitter: @sippinlattes
by David Norbut | Mar 3, 2012 | Featured Articles
David’s Introduction
I would just like to say, a sincere thank you to my new friend Elif. You made my first interview with Juxt an inspiring and enjoyable experience.
I hope that you all, the readers, can grasp the passion and kindness of the artist that is Elif Suyabatmaz @fisheyedreams.
D: David E: Elif
D. Elif, please, give us a feel for who you are? Tell us a bit about yourself, your life.
E. My mother is American and my Father is Turkish. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and moved to Turkey when I was four. I traveled back and forth in the summers. I am a graphic designer, but after I gave birth to my second child, I lost most of my clients. So, I am trying renurture my creativity by doing some projects. Right now, I am a housewife (laughs). Before I had kids I was working full time, but I wanted to take care of my children myself so I quit everything, and that changed my life. After four and a half years of just focusing on them, I returned to photography. After my second year of graphic design education in Turkey, the classes became more photography and video oriented. I had great teachers, and I was in love with photography at the time. Because of that, after I graduated, I became a stewardess for a year in order to travel and earn a living. That was a wonderful experience. I traveled to Cuba and Yemen and other places to take photographs. Then I came back to Turkey, so I guess that is where everything originated.
D. Can you tell us a little bit more about your origins in photography?
E. My father is an artist. He had a Pentax, and he’d take photographs. He had a little dark room in the house. I wasn’t interested in taking photos at the time, but him being an artist and taking photographs must have influenced me.
D. I find a magical quality in your work with all the shadows and light. You seem to be consistent with new work, how do you do it? Do you shoot every day? It’s almost like you are roaming the streets of Istanbul constantly taking photographs.
E. During the day I take care of my kids, well my son… my daughter is in school. So every Sunday, I take photos from very early morning until four or five in the evening. And every week I try to choose an area in Istanbul that I have not shot before. Or, if I am obsessed with an area I go there again and again, every week. All day I’ll take photographs, and that week, I will try to post two or three photos a day, depending on what I took on Sunday and if the shoot was productive enough. So generally, I take photos once a week, because that’s my only chance to go out. Sometimes on weekdays I go to the city, but that’s quite rare. For the shadows, I really think shadows are a proof of our existence. They give me that feeling of the actual existence of our body. Generally people don’t give importance to their shadows. But light changes everything everyday. I mean, winter light is so different from summer light, and it is reflected in the shadows. If I take a picture at four in the afternoon as compared to another time,the shadows are very different, so I want to follow up on them. Reflections,for me, too are almost a different kind of reality.
D. Your work has a classic style, where do you draw influence? Are there any specific photographers or painters that may have an impact on your work?
E. That’s difficult for me to answer. I can say I appreciate a lot of photographers,but I think it’s because I grew up in an artist’s house. I was the only child, and my father would put up paintings and call me in and say “OK, now tell me what you think about this work that I did.” And I’d say “Well, I don’t know and this and that,” and he’d start to talk about painters and how modern art should be. He’s a modern artist and he talks about dark and light and color, and all of these experiences, I guess, have become more dominant in me. So when I take a photograph I try to look at the form and the light. I think the main influence is my father (laughs).
D. Well, you’re very lucky in that respect. How old were you when he started to have you critique his work?
E. He was pretty funny. I was 10 or 11, and because the work was abstract I would sit there and look at the shapes, and say “Oh, that looks like a flower” or “That looks like this” and he’d be saying “No, those shapes are not related to objects, just think about it as a feeling.” It was a good experience. This input of shapes and color and form probably came from him.
D. It’s funny that you mention color, because it’s only scattered through the work I have seen of yours. How do you decide if and when you use it? Do you shoot everything in color first?
E. Well, no. I have to tell this story. In my third year of college, I had to do an internship, and I wanted to go to New York. But I didn’t know anyone in New York. I looked through the annual black book of commercial photographers, and I wrote to many photographers in New York about an internship. Two people out of 70 or so letters answered. So I went to Mark Ferri Photography, and I spent 4 or 5 months in New York. But the first problem I had there was that I couldn’t point my camera at anyone. I was so scared. So I got this little camera from Mark. Since I loved grainy film, and loved to take pictures in 3200 ASA, I loaded that kind of film in it. Then I cut out part of a book and put the camera in it. I took pictures by hiding the camera in the book, so I am in New York walking around taking photographs through a book. The problem with the book, is that you can’t look through the viewfinder, so you always have to have it at chest level or a little lower and you’ve got to get the feel for it. It took a lot of film for me to get used to it. But because Manhattan had all these 90 degree buildings, tilting and such motions resulted in some dynamic output. But of course it’s never like looking through a viewfinder.
After I found iPhone, it was wonderful… to take photographs without intimidating people. Because a camera is like a gun, you know? (laughs) Black and white and grainy film is my love. I adore it. So when I found Hipstamatic, I said “OK! Something that simulates old films.” I fell in love with Hipstamatic, so most of my black and whites are taken with Hipstamatic. In a way I am scared of color (laughs). I guess it’s because I like to focus on the form, the shadows and the shapes. When I decide to take a color photo, it is generally when I feel brave enough to, or if that color is really going to bring out an extra story in the photo. Other than that I prefer to use the light, the forms and the shapes, so that’s why I’m kind of a black and white girl (laughs). There are two times when I shoot in color:always with the photos of the birds, I use ProCamera because it’s faster. Also when I try new things, like classic shots, sunsets and such.
D. Do you have a favorite combo on your Hipstamatic?
E. I like simplicity. My favorite is BlacKeys Super Grain. The lenses change from Ben Watts to John S, and I like Claunch Monochrome 72. Other than that I use Snapseed for some editing.
D. Back on influence for a moment. A lot of photographers, especially on IG, are inspired by music or songs, or in some cases go out shooting to music. Is there a musical connection for you? What’s your soundtrack?
E. I do listen to music when I take photos. I put my iPod on. I listen to two or three different albums generally. I love J.J. Cale, Ben Harper and Terra Nova.
D. Can you tell me about the image entitled “One?” It is an unbelievably captivating photograph.
E. David, maybe one day you’ll come here and see for yourself that Istanbul is a very beautiful but crowded city. First of all,its population is close to 15 million. There are certain areas in the city that are very historical, and also places that have very crowded bazaars. There are also many underground passageways, and standing on the stairs I love to stop and watch all the different people go by. Generally everyone is moving in one direction, and there was this guy trying to push his way against this huge crowd of people… so I took the picture.
D. Tell me about your favorite images.
“In a different world”
This is an old one. Istanbul is a city on the Bosphorus strait which divides Asia from Europe. I adore the ferries that that cross the strait. It is a joy to take photographs from the ferries. In this image, I can see the silhouette of Istanbul, with the mosques and other historical buildings. There was this guy leaning, and his head was down and we see the sea in the background, and it’s kind of a sad feeling there. We feel the weight of the city here, because it’s not an easy city to live in. It gives me the feeling that the weight of the city is on his shoulders, but we don’t know who he is. I just love the sea, the city silhouette, the man, and the man’s posture, he’s sad.
“Playing among the shadows”
I enjoy taking my kids’ photos. First, because they are so full of energy and I feel for them. And second they are kind of little people, they are in constant movement and I want to capture them and their shadows. They enjoy playing with their own shadows. So we were in an alley, and they were running around. Generally I don’t ask them to do anything for my photos. Here I just waited for them to come to a spot if they would.
“Not here”
This is a passageway, and the passerby’s shadows were very long. It’s a spot where I like to catch portraits while the subjects are walking. People are kind of in a different world when they on foot and it’s not easy to catch their facial expressions when they are walking. We always think when we are walking, about something.. so that’s why I want to try and catch walkers’ faces and the shadows. So we see the man,thinking, in my opinion.
“Found it!”
I am passionate about the Galata Tower, it’s like a fairy tale tower. It’s been there for 700 years. Because I like that fairy tale look and it’s situated in a historical area with dense architecture and buildings around it, it’s not easy to find the tower’s reflection. I found the whole reflection of the tower when it was raining one Sunday and I was so, so, so happy. That’s why the title of the photo is “Found it!” (laughs)… so it’s the Galata Tower’s reflection with a couple passing by with an umbrella. I think it’s like finding a treasure.
Juxt thanks you for your words and your art.
Contact Information:
Instagram: @fisheyedreams
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About David Norbut
Wilmington, Delaware
David Norbut @dnorphoto is drawn to capturing the raw beauty of the people he meets, and the environments surrounding us
Instagram: @dnorphoto
Website: www.dnorphoto.com
by Brad Puet | Feb 27, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
B: BP M: Michael
B: Tell us who is Michael Bartos and @King_Fisher?
M: My name is Michael Bartos and living in Berlin, in my eyes the most thrilling, inspiring, charming, fast changing and sometimes annoying city in Germany. What I like most here are the regional distinctions of the city districts. “Charlottenburg” is much different to “Prenzlauer Berg” and “Grunewald” is not comparable to “Mitte” – in almost all means: architecture, people, even restaurants. But they all have some things in common: the city is green. There are trees and parks all over. If you arrive by plane and your destination airport is TXL (hurry up, it will be closed in summer this year), you’ll see its beauty.
Edit process: I don’t remember.
This is nothing special, I took it in the stairway of my house, so I see it every day. 🙂
But somehow I like it.
In real life I am a web-developer and -consultant. I create or extend e-commerce systems like online shops and a couple of other projects, for example InstaChallenge, but this could be a different topic. 🙂
I was not that much into photography before I entered Instagram in November 2010. I just had a small digital camera and until now I don’t own a DSLR. I’m fascinated by lo-fi photography. It is the moment, that counts, the perspective, the angle, the idea or the situation, the colors – if any, sometimes the editing, but not (generally) the sharpness, the megapixels or the clarity. And I like everything that’s new to me – especially old things, abandoned places, dark scenes, spectacular locations and I love to explore and to experiment. I love reduction, but I’m not very good in it.
B: Sounds like the city is truly beautiful. Can you go into further detail of the different districts. Their characters, the fasion, the people who live in those neighborhoods.
M: Let me try to describe the districts I lived in. I spent my childhood in the southern part of Berlin/Tempelhof, a very down-to-earthy area called “Marienfelde”. Each time I get back there I’m suprised how different it is compared to the district I live now. It appears as if everything is much slower, everyone is at least ten years older, roads are cleaner and the air is fresher than in “Prenzlauer Berg”. After this I used to live even more south. This subdistrict of “Neukölln” is called “Rudow” and even slower than “Marienfelde”. It was more a suburb, of course not a real suburb, because we had the Wall at this time and I lived only a couple of meters from it. After this real quiet time I moved to “Kreuzberg” to get in touch with civilazation again. After overcoming the cultural shock I enjoyed the streetlife of this district, all the bars and restaurants (they only had italian and chinese cuisine in Rudow). Kreuzberg is multi-cultural, young and open-minded (“Rudow” is exactly the opposite). I love to shoot in Kreuzberg. It has lots of interesting places. After a couple of years I moved to “Charlottenburg” which is a very bohemian district, well known for its theatres, the Kurfürstendamm, the Zoo, the Charlottenburg Palace with its park (great photo spot) and the Europa-Center. I lived close to the Savignyplatz which was and partly still is a great place for bar hopping and street cafes. Charlottenburg is also kind of a business district with lots of hotels and shops. It was the city center before the reunification and now plays only in the second line after “Mitte”. In some way you can see this when watching carefully. After Charlottenburg I moved to my current destination. It felt it is time to checkout a district that belonged to former East-Berlin: “Prenzlauer Berg”. There are still some differences to the western part: street lamps have yellow light here and there are trams on the street, to name only two. Prenzlauer Berg has a very young population, but it is also threatened by gentrification. I live near Schönhauser Allee which is a very busy street with a subway line as an elevated train. You’ll find many pictures of the street in my stream. (I would also suggest my friend @jn who lives in the neigborhood and posts a photo around the subway station “Eberswalder Straße” almost every day.) I guess, I’ll stay here for some more years… 🙂
Taken in June 2011, Hipstamatic Lens: John-S, Film: Claunch 72,
applied “Hefe” filter when posting to Instagram
Oranienstraße is the heart of Kreuzberg/SO36. The flair of this region is very distinctive. There is so much life and creativity in this street. And it is an area of massive cultural interchange. Very inspiring!
B: The beauty of your work lies in the character of the shot/s. What is it that catches your eye specifically before you shoot something? Do you have a specific area/ district that you get totally lost in?
M: A special area? No. As I told you, I’m mostly attracted by everthing new, but of course there are areas where I can find new views every time. One is the “Mauerpark” with its flea market, the “Gleimtunnel” and the area around. I take everyone there who is new to Berlin! When looking for architectural motifs the “Postdamer Platz” is one of my favorites.
Lots of editing, but I don’t remember them exactly. I think it was taken with “Camera+”, then applied its “Clarity” filter, some alignment and corrections with “Filterstorm”, esp. color reduction.
Did I mention my weakness for bridges? The “Bösebrücke” is one reason for that. There is only one railway track for both directions of the Tram and the lanes are quite narrow for two cars on both ways. But most exciting is the history of this bridge: On November 9th, 1989 it was the first checkpoint that opened the way from East to West Berlin when the wall fell. Always a great spot for photoshootings!
B: Who are you’re influences in art? in mobile photography?
M: I really never thought about that. I visited lots of exhibitions and I was mostly impressed by Helmut Newton, but hey, he was an absolute professional. It would be inappropriate to talk of influences.
And there is another problem: I always forget names. There are many artists I admire, but I forgot their names… 🙁
Taken in September 2011, Hipstamatic Lens: John-S, Film: Ina’s 1969,
no further editing
This was taken in Berlin-Kreuzberg, near the former airport Tempelhof. Because I like traveling and urban scenes I have a strong relation to this snapshot. By the way, i took this on a photowalk with @thomas_k, @goldie77 and @chantree last summer.
B: Where in the world would you like to shoot based on the mobile photos that you’ve seen on the various platforms? and why?
M: That’s easy! I love beaches – preferred in equatorial locations. One reason for this is the light. The sun climbs to the azimuth, the weather is much better and life seems to be happier. 🙂
I have been to the caribbean (Jamaica, Yucatan, Key West) and to asia (Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and others) – but I was not into photography at these times. So I should revisit some of these places. Same applies to many cities and regions in the US. I visited a lot of cities in the United States, but without a camera – or without concern. (Just discovered this passion when traveling to Vienna last year and to Norway this year.)
B: Tell the readers a bit more about InstaChallenge. What is the concept behind it? What is your mission and what is the vision here on out for InstaChallenge?
M: As I said, this could be a different story. In short: Last year I wanted to start a challenge, because I have seen this from others. The idea was to produce a photobook from the results. Among the problems that had to be solved was a) how do I manage a jury of 4 or 5 people, b) how do I keep track of submissions and each judges votes, c) how do I present the results and d) how do I get all the images? And because I am a web developer I created I website for this.
Please have a look at www.InstaChallenge.com, if you like! Currently there is a #ic_songpic challenge hosted by @instantvuka running until March, 11th. It is about visualization of songs and you can win prizes! 🙂 — Maybe you’ll host a challenge for JUXT?
Taken in June 2011, Hipstamatic Lens: John-S, Film: Claunch 72,
no further editing
I love bridges, intense contrast and lines. The trainstation “Gesundbrunnen” has lots of them.
B: I just recently found out how much I like to shoot abandoned places. I even want to go find Bigfoot for goodness sake. Tell us more about why you like old things. Can you tell us a story of when you shot an abandoned place and did you find out about the history of the place?
M: Abandoned places have always been fascinating to me. From ghost towns in the wild west to Tschernobyl. In Berlin we have lots of places with an interesting history. The olympic village from 1936, many bunkers from WW2, industrial areas, hospitals, listening stations (like Teufelsberg – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teufelsberg) and many more. Even the former city airport Tempelhof can be seen as an abandoned place now – and it has lots of interesting spots.
It is like a journey through time.
B: I love you’re quote, “It is the moment that counts, the perspective, the angle, the idea or the situration.” Tell us more about your fascination with lo-fi photography. What is it about “big” cameras that may take this away?
M: In some way there is a connection between my love for abandoned places and lo-fi photography. By the time of those places, photography was not that much developed and the look of historical pictures sometimes are quite similar to modern grunge edits; I guess that’s why they created those apps. 🙂
But I would like to repeat that: Especially Mobile Photography is about the moment. And this moment might be gone if you have to select the object lens and install your tripot first. In addition to this I’m sometimes distracted by details of high resolution images. This won’t happen with lo-fi photos. The Instagram resolution of 612×612 is perfect to focus on the overall picture.
Taken in June 2011, Hipstamatic Lens: John-S, Film: Claunch 72,
no further editing
On the way from “S-Bahn” to “U-Bahn” in Berlin-Wedding. There are some elements that represent the multi-cultural way of life in this district.
B: What do you see is the future for mobile photography?
M: In general I think technology will develop further – as seen in the past. Small cameras with better and better lenses, faster processing and more intelligent options will influence the way people use photography in their daily life. Sharing platforms and community functions will continue to get integrated in more and more sophisticated services. And small mobile devices will play a growing role in this game.
B: What do you see is the future for you in mobile photography?
M: Not easy to see. I’ll keep experimenting. Maybe, some day, I’ll find “my” style. Hopefully.
Juxt thanks you for your work and your art.
To contact Michael:
IG: @king_fisher
Twitter: @King_Fisher
Stream: http://king-fisher.me/
Business Blog: bartos-projects
Private Blog: bartos.de
and of course: InstaChallenge.com
by Brad Puet | Feb 20, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
BP’s Introduction
I used to run a youth poetry/literary arts non-profit in Seattle. We used to do slam competitions locally, regionally, and nationally. I’ve been able to get the team to the top 3 in the nation 3 of the 6 years (I was with the organization) we went to compete. The thing about slam poetry is it’s based on a point system. BUT it’s not the point system that makes a great poet. The point system and judging is the gimmick. It’s the pull of the mainstream crowd to be able to hear poetry performed on stage that isn’t typical to the readings in local coffee houses. It’s performance poetry. Message still the same. Very powerful. It’s just really performed and polished, to get points. Well, when you hear a poet spit (recite) on the mic their heart and soul and recieve a low score, the crowd goes wild chanting, “THE POINT IS NOT THE POINT, THE POINT IS THE POETRY.” I liken that a bit to the whole idea of followership and popularity and now, the ridding of ghost or zombie followers.
We’ve all seen it on IG. I have poked around and asked a few Juxters to ask around and to get some quotes for this article. The majority of folks agree that it has helped them feel good about their feed, their IG experience, and at the very least, help them manage their IG feeds. There are those who are still wondering if it truly is something that is worth it. Those in the minority don’t disagree with the fact that IG has turned into a land of monster egos, popularity seekers, Justin Beiber lovers, tasteless self portraits, and stolen pictures. I think they are just wondering if it is possible to really reverse where Instagram is headed (as far as the “old school” folks are concerned).
So before I lead into this article, let me tell you, THE POINT IS NOT THE POPULARITY, THE POINT IS THE COMMUNITY AND THE ART! or better yet, Michael says, “IG is about people, not about numbers.”
B: BP M: Michael
B: Tell us about yourself, where you’re from; what go you into mobile photography/ art.
M: I’m a forty-something living in Sydney, Australia. Been here all my life. I’ve always enjoyed photography, but for most of my life I’ve used it to retain a memory rather than as a medium for art. The mobile side of it started from incredibly mundane beginnings. I remember waiting in a park, with my only recently aquired iphone suddenly realising that this device I had in my hand could capture the beautiful moment. From memory it was a terrible shot that I deleted almost instantly, but it set me on the path.
B: What do you do? What’s you’re daily grind?
M: I’m a programmer in a small, old school, software house. I do a very small amount of web work there, but most of my grind is split between back end server applications and some comms work for handheld devices. I think I’ve been a programmer from the day I touched my first computer – an Apple II back in the 80’s.
There was an ill fated attempt to go into the world of civil engineering, but fortunately I managed to derail myself from that plan and fall into a couple of nice programming jobs that set me right.
B: When did you start getting into Instagram and can you describe the journey for you thus far?
M: I picked up Instagram quite early – October 2010. At the time I was trying various services to find a place for photography and I enjoyed the simplicity and directness of it. I was never really a social network sort of a guy, so I didn’t have a raft of friends to bring with me. I think for my first couple of hundred shots I had no followers at all.
While I’ve always enjoyed ‘taking pictures’, I’ve never thought of myself as a photographer. While I still don’t consider my work ‘good’ in any objective sense, I know I’ve improved over time. Almost all of the photography knowledge I have, I’ve learnt through Instagram. @homework was a big help early on, as were all the lessons I gathered from the people I followed.
B: Tell us about the IG Exocist. What gave you the idea?
M: It was somewhat backwards. I didn’t see the problem and then look for a solution, but rather I saw a solution (the Instagram APIs) and went looking for something to do. A while ago I started collecting stats on my own account, just to play with the interface. At about the same time statigr.am became popular and did most of what I wanted, and far more attractively, so I never thought of progressing it any further.
I collected stats on all the people I was following and who were following me and originally was just using those stats to assist in managing the people I follow, but ultimately I found managing those by hand more than adequate. The problem of ghost followers was in the back of my mind but not something I felt too strongly about, but looking at the data I was surprised to see just how many users there were that seemed to be doing nothing.
So I somewhat fell into it rather than rushing in as a crusader against the ghosts, but once I’d culled my own account and spread the word a little the exorcism concept took off far more than I had expected. For the first few people there was no web page interface, I had to run the scripts semi-manually, but it quickly become obvious that I had to make a service.
B: It has been well received by a lot of IGers. Initially when you started out it was mostly for friends and wasn’t really public. The service is a great idea and is working to help those who really want to have more of a meaningful experience on IG. What do you foresee happening with the Exorcist in the future?
M: I’m incredibly thrilled with how well it has been recieved. Not only are there huge numbers of people using the service, but I get many personal messages of thanks which really make the effort worthwhile. I’m also very grateful for the donations I’ve received – I was happy to cover the costs of running this for a while if needed, but the donations will mean I can continue to run igexorcist without it costing me anything other than sleep.
While there is a fair amount of buzz about it right now, I think it will calm down significantly. People will continue to use regularly, but the excitment of the last few days will probably go away. While there are many IGers highly enthusiastic about it, I think it’s still a fairly niche product, and as you don’t need to cull the ghosts too often (for most of us, this is removing a year or more of ghosts) the return visits won’t be huge.
I do plan to add features in the future. Obviously it needs some work artistically, but also changes such as the ability to ‘whitelist’ users, or the ability to manage those you follow as well as the ghosts. But all of that is well down the path. I’ve also been just starting to look into iOS development and this might be a project that I could develop for use on the iphone directly without the need for a server – but that’s only a seedling of an idea at this point.
B: In an email you provided me with pros and cons for using this service. Can you reiterate those thoughts again?
M: The pros and cons depend heavily on what your goals are in IG. For some the number of followers is an important number, and for those people I can’t say that there is a single positive reason to cull. A ghost user is a user that doesn’t interact with you, and therefore you could argue that, by definition, they don’t affect you, but there are a number of reasons that people may want to remove them.
Finding new people to follow. One of the ways to find new people to follow is to look in your own back yard. The people following you often have many treasures to offer (chances are there are similar tastes in some cases, if they’re following you). Trimming down the number of followers lets you sort the wheat from the chaff.
Truer sense of worth. While it was nice to pretend that my original number of followers were enjoying my work, I certainly know I was lying to myself (or that Instagram was lying to me). Getting rid of the dead wood gives a better idea as to who is actually looking at and enjoying your work. There’s something comforting about knowing the number of followers you have may be an indication of the number of people actually looking.
Don’t like them. These social networks are analogous to our real world interactions. There’s something slightly creepy about someone inserting themselves into your social circle but then ignoring you. Maybe it’s like breaking a social contract. When you interact with people it’s supposed to be give and take. These ghosts are taking but not bringing anything.
Fame is not always a good thing. I find the larger the number of followers someone has, the less likely I am to try to interact with them. If I turn that around, I figure people are more likely to want to interact with me if I don’t have a huge following (not that that’s likely). So by cutting down the ghosts, you not only improve the quality of your existing followers, but hopefully improve the quality of new ones.
B: I know for myself, I have many friends and family members who are using the service who do not have IG etiquette and surpisingly enough engage with me outside of IG on my own work. This is what’s held me back in using the Exorcist. I still also have many questions regarding it. I know a lot of folks have loved the fact that it has deleted many ghost followers on their feed. Why do you attribute this emotion of happiness, sense of lifted burden amongst so many IGers?
M: There are two main types of ghost, I find. The first are the users who joined IG and used it for a while but have now moved on. The second is the mass followers who follow others in the hope they will be followed back. I don’t think the removal of the first group brings any joy, but the second is where the happiness and lifted burden comes in.
I think the broken social contract I mentioned earlier is the most likely reason for this strong emotional response. To me, and I assume to the users using IGExorcist, a real follower is something important. I want to please my followers and I put effort into doing so, not in a ‘selling myself out’ sort of a way, but in a ‘doing the best I can’ way. But to the mass follower ghost, I’m just a number. That person is asking something from me with so little care for me that they barely know they are doing it. I know that sounds terribly dramatic and it’s not like I lie at home at nights weeping, but the hundreds or thousands of little broken promises add up.
At least that’s my armchair psychiatry.
As to the connection with people outside of IG, the small number who view me within IG and are important, I follow to keep in touch with, and to the larger community of people like that, I always push my work out to both flickr and facebook, where I find those sorts of people are more at home. But I would never say this process is for everyone.
B: My biggest worry is that it’ll delete many ghosts from my followers but then it also may attribute to changing the algorithm of getting on popular, THUS leading to even more ghost followers. Recently I think the buzz was that IG had changed their pop algorithm, and it lessened the pressure of my own stuff getting to popular. I was able to get some meaningful dialogue with folks. What do you think about this? Do you think that there is a way to combat this?
M: Whether or not this changes the likelihood of getting on the popular page certainly wasn’t part of my thinking at any point. It does seem likely that the number of followers would factor in to the likelihood of popular, but my gut feeling on how some of the data Instagram has makes me think that having been a follower in the past may also count. It’s all just speculation. I’ve had no anecdotal evidence that it has increased anyones chances of popular.
But I think if users are culling to try to get popular they have missed the point. As you say, the primary take away from achieving popular is a minor influx of new followers who are most likely to become ghosts.
B: EyeEm is another great social photo app sharing program. They have had many very artistic shots make pop as it seems that it isn’t based on “likes and follows” algorithms. What would be your suggestion to IG on a better “popular” algorithm?
M: Ultimately the fact that “popular” and “good” are not synonyms is going to be the downfall of any global popular page. People who want to be popular are going to game the system, whether intentionally or just by trained behaviour (I do X, I get popular, so I’ll keep doing X). The only reason I would (theoretically) go to the popular page now is for discovery of new people to follow, so perhaps what would work is a personalised popular page built similarly to the Following News feed, with just photos that are popular amoungst those only a couple of degrees of separation from you.
But there are smarter minds than mine working on the problem, I’m sure. A top notch popular page is a big draw card to these sorts of networks.
B: Lastly for the service, I love the fact that you’ve created a service that is community related. What other things can we see come from @mykel in the future?
M: I’ve no specific plans at the moment, other than improving the site. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for itches that I can scratch – I’m big on automating tasks (my inherent laziness, I guess) so anywhere larger tasks can be simplified is likely to be where I land. But often it’s the challenge of something different that leads me to these projects.
The last public project before this was more than 10 years ago in a completely different field (visualizers for a now defunct music player), so who knows what will be next. Hopefully a little less of a gap.
B: Tell us about Michael as the mobile photographer. What are your favorite styles of mobile photography? Who are your favorite IGers and why?
M: As mentioned before, I *try* not to limit myself to a favourite style, but time after time I find myself drawn back to moody black and whites and strong greens – graveyards and park benches. I regularly develop a almost debilitating Hipstamatic habit that I have to cure (I think it’s about time again now). I love playing with light in my photography, and because know I have such a long way to go, look forward to that journey.
Favourite IGers is a slippery slope. If I start listing them off I’m going to offend someone when I stop. My favourites are only ever partly to do with the photography – it’s the people behind that I admire. I happen to be fortunate that the beautiful people also happen to be able to take beautiful shots. But rather than completely dodge the question, I’ll offer up @annacox as a favourite. Needless to say her photos are spectacular, but I learnt so much about how to act, how to be a photographer and to have confidence in my work from her.
Bench: Benches are a bit of a thing (thanks to my friend @tephi), and while I visited this one regularly, on this particular overcast day I found it particularly serene. Nothing but a little clarity for the edit.
Muse: Playing with composition. Clarity, maybe twice, and punched up the colour.
Portrait: I love this photo of my neice. Heavily edited. Big Lens for DOF and some serious use of Noir.
Sparkler: My daugher last New Years Eve. Originally taken with Hipstamatic. Big Lens’ed and Photoforge 2 for crop and levels.
TeensyTinyFlower: One of quite a large series of macro flower shots I’ve done with the PhotoJoJo macro lens. This one Hipstamatic then cropped/coloured/leveled in Photoforge 2.
B: Tell us more about your own feed and the messages you would like to come through on your feed.
M: I’m sure I have a photographic voice, but I don’t like to pin myself down. Certainly I’ll trend towards a style in my feed from time to time, but I like to look at what I’m posting and try to push myself out of that comfort zone whenever I can. I don’t think I’ve been doing such a great job of that of late – there’s an element of consistancy creeping in that I’m going to have to do something about shortly.
First and foremost, however, it’s about having fun. I certainly don’t take my photos seriously at all, and I don’t want anyone else to.
B: What inspires you?
M: Some days it seems like everything, and others almost nothing. Always my family. I don’t think I can pin it on anything – sometimes things just pop up, often completely unexpectedly, and give me direction. What a non-answer that is.
Juxt thanks you for your work and your art.
To run the IG Exorcist go to www.igexorcist.com.
Contact Michael at [email protected] or on Instagram: @mykel
Here are some quotes from users who have tried and their experience with removing ghost followers and a couple folks who don’t have plans to use IG Exorcist:
Because creativity isn’t fueled by numbers. It’s influenced by an interactive, supportive community which acts as a source of inspiration and who encourages you to grow by allowing you the opportunity to experiment and scribble outside the lines
IGexorcist… Narcissistic attention whores need not apply. This site will destroy the illusion of you and your great following. You’ll find in fact, that you’re not that “popular” after all. I thank God that Mykel created this site. IG was meant for networking and relationship building; not the bloated, selfish, narcissistic crap that it has become. So take a step in the right direction and get rid of those people following you, that don’t really follow you at all.
IG can be viewed a few different ways. One view is that IG is rich and creative and we use each other to learn and spring board our own creativity. It’s like a 24 hour gallery show and everyone is invited. On the other hand, it’s viewed as a tumblr or other social networking sites: Repost, repin, retweet. It’s all the same. The difference between the two is artistic integrity. Some of us strive to create and explore our world through a lens, others are content copying the images they see around them.
I did it because I’ve put a lot of work building the relationships I have on IG. So yes I’m against people follow a massive amount of people hoping to get a follow back instead of just getting involved with the community. Bottom line is I don’t want anyone following me that doesnt want to build and get involved with the community I’ve come to love. Period.
The total number of followers I have does not affect the way I use Instagram and it doesn’t matter to me if people follow me but don’t interact. I feel that if I used this program and got rid of my followers who don’t interact, they would just come back in the long run so it’s a bit of a vicious circle. I won’t use it but do find the whole process interesting.
If these ghost followers bother you, I’m all for going though with the culling process. It does makes it simpler. If they don’t, keep them. That’s it. I have decided to wait until a more selective way to eliminate some of them from my list after I went though the list and saw some people there that had been kind to me in the beginning of my IG life. Some people are on a break or have something going on on their lives that impede them from being present. Others prefer to just see pictures and not interact, etc…It’s your call. I’m very active on IG. I check every single person that starts to follow me now. If I see a red flag, like they follow too many people or any other suspicion that they may be interested only on numbers, I click the block button and then unblock them after. This way you are removed from their list of FOLLOWING. Me, I follow without “following” a lot of people. I’m present and give encouragement. I’m more interested on the exchange. And after a while if I like their images and I see they are present enough in my feed, I may follow them. It’s about a PERSONAL choice. All choices are valid and only you can determine what’s best for you.
BP Update
So it took me about a week and a half until I finally ghost rode my IG feed. At first i had some hesitancy as stated above. I went as far as even asked some of my trusted IG homies. I exorcised almost 3000 ghosts and found that it was burden lifting. The issue now is do I gatekeep to make sure it doesn’t happen again and do I have the time?!? Michael definitely has given a space for folks to gain control of their feed again and in essence taken control of their artistic expression. I understand it to be about maintenance. Will I be able to maintain it? I don’t necessarily know.
As I ready this for publishing, I’m running it again. I personally have gotten a lot of users with the “follow_everyone” or “shout_out” or “popular_maker”. it’s really disconcerning what has happened. I wonder if IG HQ will address these issues as I foresee a lot of folks wanting to jump ship. It would be unfortunate if this happens.
This is the most commendable thing I’ve seen so far on IG. Sure you have the features a day, the interviews a day, the shots for a day, the shots and groups to make things popular…but this makes it a bit easier to swallow. Instead of trying to control the bull riding and shooting for more time on the clock, Michael has let mobile artists on Instagram feed the bull, groom the bull, and ultimately become better friends. OOOOH you know I had to throw in something like that. This article can’t have me writing it without having a BP analogy that makes no sense. =)
With that, try it out if you’re interested in ridding of dead weight on your followings. Donate to Michael and the program and services he’s giving us. Exorcise those demons. Ghost ride the whip. Holla at ya boy, Let Michael know he’s done a good thing for folks. AND even more importantly and it’s the moral of the story for us – HAVE FUN, LIKE/ COMMENT – ENGAGE! PARTICIPATE! ain’t that really why we are to this point on IG.
**Big thanks to those who provided quotes and especially to Anna Cox for helping in looking through this article. Michael you’re an inspiration. Thank you.
by Brad Puet | Feb 15, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
B: BP F: Felix
B: Tell us who Felix Lim is and what do you do in your day to day. Describe to us what a typical day/week looks like and how often you take shots within your daily routine.
F: I am 25 years old. I’m currently studying Video Games Design here in the bay area. My daily routine is pretty simple, I go to classes on most weekdays and rest or have fun on the weekend. Between my schedules, I always try to make some time to go out and shoot on the streets because it’s what I enjoy doing the most on my free time. I found it relaxing and inspiring at the same time by just walking on the streets to observe things and life around the city. I would say I usually go out to shoot about 3-5 times a week. Oh, I am also as an avid gamer, I play video games on a competitive level by competing in events and tournaments, especially fighting games.
“pillars.and.soul” – decisive moment kind of shot, a reward from being extremely patience
B: You’re originally from Indonesia and now living in San Francisco. Tell us about the 2 environments/ areas and what makes these places interesting from the shooter point of view.
F: I wasn’t exposed to art or photography back then, but looking back from what I know and remember, It was definitely a beautiful country with so many interesting cultures and places. If I ever go back someday, I’m sure I will enjoy shooting those places. On the other hand, San Francisco is definitely what I considered as my playground. The city is full of life and interesting architecture. There is no shortage of subjects to shoot around here, that’s why I’m really grateful to live in this beautiful city
B: You have awesome composure in your shots. Have you been trained/ educated in formal photography? If yes, where and who are your influences. If no, what is it that you look for to create those great shots?
F: Thanks a lot!. I never really been trained formally in photography, I took a basic photography class just for fun a few years ago, I learned about some technical stuff of a digital camera and that’s pretty much it. But it got me interested to know more and so I decided to continue learning it myself by gathering information from the Internet and with just shooting just about everything I see everyday.
My influences are mostly from people I follow on Instagram, there are a lot of talented artists out there and it’s just amazing to be constantly inspired by other people’s works throughout the world with just a device that we carry around everyday.
But if I have to pick one, I would say Henri Cartier-Bresson. His works inspired me to look for shapes, lines, framing and patterns to make an interesting composition for my shots. I didn’t know about him or aware of his works until someone mentioned his name on my photo about a year ago. So I looked him up on the net and I was blown away by his photographs and since then, I’m a big fan of his work.
“a.curious.soul” – portrait of an amish boy, 2nd picture from my trip to chicago. Took this shot in a lobby of train station.
B: If I asked you to present to a photography class – DSLR/ Film – about mobile photography, what would that presentation contain? the reason I ask this is that with you still studying you may have ideas on what to do if given the chance to teach or present on the topic of mobile photography.
F: My topic would be to encourage people to take mobile photography more seriously and to view it as a viable tool to create great images. I think the most common mistake photographers’ make is they worry so much about getting better gears and equipment, they forget to just go out and shoot with what they already have. Since most of us have a mobile phone equipped with a camera, why not use it to create images and learn the important aspects of photography itself such as composition and lighting. After all, no matter what we use to take photos, photography is… well photography.
B: Let’s talk more about the bay area. Tell us some of the spots that you frequent and why and what are your subjects.
F: I usually start my photo walk around the Financial District because I live close by. This neighborhood is always busy on the weekdays; crowds of busy working people are my subjects around here. There are also many buildings with cool structures and unique architectural design, it’s definitely one of my favorite spots to shoot. Embarcadero is another area that I go to frequently, I really like the atmosphere around here and the view along the piers is just amazing. When I can’t decide where to go, I usually like to walk along Market Street in downtown area, there’s always something to spot around here.
“a.father’s.guidance” – picture of a father and child walking down the stairs.
B: Do you have a certain style that you can say you have? If so, what is it and why do you feel this way? If not, how would you define your art and subject matter?
F: I tend to incorporate elements like shapes, lines, patterns and spontaneity in my shots. I also like to frame a walking figure in my composition, it’s becoming my approach of street photography because I always try not to get too close to people and have them noticing me taking their pictures. So with these kinds of shots, I usually look for an interesting background first, then wait for a person to walk by and click at the right moment. I’m a little bit picky when it comes to my subject, so it takes a lot of patience and waiting for me to get the right shot, but it usually pays off most of the time.
B: On your feed you say that you are an iPhone purist. What does this mean? What are the beliefs that stand behind this statement.
F: I only post photos taken with my iPhone on my feed, and I am doing it because I want to challenge myself to keep on shooting with it. Sure, the iPhone has its limitation as a camera, but I feel that it’s up to us to make those limitations into advantages. I feel that with less buttons and settings, it makes us focus more on composition instead of worrying about other things like exposure or white balance.
“umbrella.wars” – one of my earlier work, it was buried under my camera rolls for a long time, glad I found and posted it.
B: Mobile photography and mobile arts is still a very young art form. When did you begin? How did you begin? What inspired you to begin? (if you have your first shot ever, would you email that to me also?…would love to have you walk us through where you started and where you are presently)
F: I found out about mobile photography around 2 years ago when I was trying out some apps on my iPhone 3G, I thought it was a cool idea but I didn’t really feel serious about it back then. And since I downloaded Instagram in January 2011, I began to take more pictures with my iPhone 4, my subjects was pretty random at that time, I shoot almost everything from buildings, landscape, and street scenes.
B: Where do you see yourself within the mobile arts/photography arts in the next 6 months to a year?
F: I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’ll still be shooting with my phone a lot, and since I’m graduating in a few months, it would be really cool if I can get a job revolving mobile arts or photography. Regardless of what’s going to happen in a year, I’m excited to see what others can do to push the limits of mobile arts.
B: You tend to edit into BW. As a BW editor myself, I totally understand. Can you tell the readers why you’re inclined to edit into BW?
F: Sure, I tend to edit in black and white for the simple reason that it works well with my subjects of interest, it just makes lines, shapes and forms look more defined without any distractions from colors. And I love black and white for the minimalism aspect and classical look that it gives on images, colors are great and works better on some image, but there’s something about black and white that makes a photograph look more dramatic, don’t you agree?
“puddle.of.dreams” – a reflection shot, taken at the embarcadero SF.
B: Tell us more about some of your post processes. What are your favorite apps? What do you look for when editing your shots.
F: There’s a few apps that I like to use; ‘Noir’ for black and white conversion, ‘Camera+’ for the clarity effect filter, ‘Qbro’ for the cool lomo filters and ‘Snapseed’ for everything else such as cropping, straightening and sharpening. I used to messed around with lots of different apps in the past because it’s so much fun playing with those apps, but now my editing process is pretty straightforward and usually done within a few minutes.
B: Can you any stories about shooting street? For example, I tend to talk to folks if I’ve gotten caught taking their shot. Most of the time, 99% of the time, it’s all good. The other 1% makes for some cool stories. What are some of your stories?
F: There was this one time, I was trying out to take some portraits of strangers on the street, I saw this interesting looking old man selling flowers on the street, I approached him with my “talking-on-the-phone” method, everything was perfect until I realized my iPhone was not on silent mode. He heard the shutter sound effect and caught me taking his picture. He wasn’t too happy about it and asked me if I took his picture, I panicked and answered him “No, that was my… Ringtone” and then I ran away immediately, hahaha… But yea, It was quite embarrassing but memorable moment of my street shooting experiences.
B: Lastly, can you tell us why your name is @fixelzero. What does it mean if it has any meaning at all.
F: ‘fixel’ is an anagram of my real name, I picked up that name because I like the word ‘pixel’ and for the fact that it has a relation with photography and digital arts. ‘zero’ is another play on word of my last name in Chinese. So basically ‘fixelzero’ is just my name in a modified form 🙂
Juxt thanks you for your art and words.
Contact Felix on Instagram and Twitter @fixelzero and his website www. fixelphoto.com
by Bridgette | Feb 14, 2012 | Bridgette S, Featured Articles
B’s Introduction:
When @bradpuet suggested we interview Aziz, @instamood, I knew right away that I’d totally be up for it. He’s one of the first photographers I followed after joining IG last year and I thoroughly enjoy his gallery. His feed is full of positive energy and gorgeous photos. If you like intense colors, silhouettes and sunsets, then he’s one to follow!
So, here we go…
Aziz in his own words:
I’m in my 30’s, born and raised in an unknown rural area in the northern part of Morocco. A magical location surrounded by beautiful landscapes. My illiterate parents’ priority was finishing my educations. This was a great challenge for me since the only so called school in that area was located about an hour walk and of course there was no such real roads, but tiny paths through the mountains. and there was no electricity but candles and old rusted lanterns. Donkeys and horses were the main mass of transportations and I was lucky enough that my parents had such a lovely Donkey.
My childhood was amazing. My cousins and I had fun creating our own toys cars and playing football (soccer) with soda cans and enjoying the outdoors. Despite this very simple life, I found power and strength in my daily struggle. At the age of 15, I left with my oldest brother to continue my school in the city. After years of studies and moving from one
city to another, I learned so many languages and dialects then I joined the college where I studied the Economics sciences. Then I moved to the States and joined a technical school in Philadelphia. Currently, I’m working in a telecommunication company. Not much to say about work, job is job.
My passion for photography started when my brother used to take a lot of family photos with his Kodak Single Camera and instant camera. In the beginning, I was more obsessed with people and self-portraits with a great background. It wasn’t until after I replaced my HTC with an IPhone4 that I discovered how beautiful the sky looks through this magic apple.
B: Bridgette A: Aziz
B: Aziz, tell us about Instamood and why you chose this username? I recall you having another username at first (which I can’t remember) and then changed it sometime last year. Why did you feel the need to do so and how does Instamood represent the real you?
A: I joined IG in the very beginning as @aziiz and through this username I met some great people in this community. Some of them left, others discontinued to follow me and few of them are still among my best IG friends. I still remember we used to post so many pics and it was so much fun. A basic IG wasn’t good enough to me since it wasn’t offering no control over what others were saying and no option for blocking or deleting negative comments so I decided to leave the community for few weeks. It didn’t take long before IG made a big jump in its history by offering more options to users, which brought me back.
It was a great restart, the community started to expand, a new generation knocked on the door so I thought about being more involved in it. I started with hosting contests without sacrificing my passion to share pics with my great followers. The first one was about Sunset (#sunsetlovers) – the participation was beyond my expectations.
By the end of July 2011,I thought about taking another step by being more public so I replaced @aziiz with @instamood. I lost so many good followers during this transition, it made me sad for an instant, but then I did what I’m always good at: Move on.
@instamood came from my strong believe that most of us share photos according to our emotion and mood. There’s no better way to improve your mood than sharing it with good friends through photos. It’s amazing how a few clicks could make a difference in someone else’s feelings.
B: Do you live near a beach? Is there a special location where you like to watch all the beautiful sunsets?
A: Being in a beautiful location doesn’t make you a better photographer; it’s all about how you interpret what your eyes see. Many of my sunset shots are taken without stepping out of my house. The beauty surrounds us; you can find it in unexpected places. You are pumping gas at the gas station and suddenly you look up and you see a beautiful sunset …the magic apple is right in your hand ready to fuel your passion… tap… tap… et Voila! For an instant, you forget the highly priced gas.
Philadelphia doesn’t have a beach but it surely offers what the beach can’t: diversity! It enhanced my love and passion for photography, watching a sun setting on the river is like living in instadream. I also captured many sunsets during my business visit to areas in DE & MD.
B: You mentioned you use an iPhone and a Canon D60 – which do you use when and why? Have you taken any photography courses?
A: As of now, photography is nothing but an enjoyable hobby. I have spent a good amount of time learning the art of photography and digital world. I’m working on taking a great move in this field. Most of my IG pictures are taken with the iphone4 lens. There are three things you would always find in my pockets: wallet, keys and iPhone …probably few pennies from time to time.
I have recently owned a Canon D60, Lens (EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM), standard lens and I plan to add a macro lens to the collection. To be honest, I haven’t gotten a chance to put my Canon to work but spring is knocking on the door and I expect to have a lot of fun.
I found iPhone is more convenient for every day shooting and a time saver. DSLR is time consuming and very challenging but it’s worth the effort and challenges are what make life worth living.
B: When editing your DSLR pics, do you edit using a computer program such as Photoshop or do you edit on your iPhone?
A: I own Paintshop prox4, but I haven’t practiced on it; not sure how good it is but I will find out soon. As for my DSLR pictures, I usually use the IPhoto software as primary edits then I add final touches using iPhone apps.
B: Speaking of sunsets, how do you get those vibrant, intense colors? What apps do you like to use? Any tricks up your sleeve you’d like to share? 😉
Sunset time is a breathtaking moment, it’s unbelievable when you think about it this way: this powerful sun is setting right in front of your eyes while somewhere else?in the world it’s rising. I prefer my sunset pictures to be powerfully spoken with heavy tones.
In my early time on IG, Procamera was my number one editing app., it had a potential to add great contrast and vibrant colors to any image. Suddenly, two new updates ruined everything in my opinion.
These days, I usually use Snapseed, Camera+, Phototoaster, Filterstorm?and hoping for a new app with better output quality.
I’m far from being perfect, I’m learning new tricks every day. If I have to put out a suggestion then I would say always go with an app that supports high resolution, don’t just go with reviews and stars. Run your pic through different apps until you get what you’re looking for. if you have enough time, try working with masks, it’s very rewarding.
B: Tell us about your tags (such as #instamood, #instabird, etc.). Please list each one and tell us which is most popular?
#instamood: Aren’t you one of the great supporter of this tag? I sure am!
Well, I created it right after I changed my username to @instamood and now, 6 months later; it’s getting closer to having 2,000,000 pictures on it. It’s currently ranked among the top 15. I’m confident it will jump to top 5 by the end of 2012! Keep tagging guys!
#sunsetlovers: the tag I created for my first contest on IG…Still in use by many sunset lovers.
#instasky: mainly for sky photos lovers
#instabird: I m a bird lover, if you like birds then that’s their only warm home.
#instatasty: that’s @instamood’s official kitchen, if you ever go there, please help yourself.
#implus and #Implus_daily are growing very fast.
I also have other minor tags like: #instamirror, #azizflowers and?#instaimagination (ruined by hashtag crashers).
B: You recently formed the implus group. What is the purpose of this group and why did you start it? Can anyone join and how would an IGer go about doing so since it’s private? How does it compare to other groups on IG?
A: I actually posted the initial idea 6 months ago (check #implus_birth for my second post about group guidelines, the initial one deleted). At that time, talking about groups within the IG community was not welcomed. I had so many negative reactions but that didn’t stop me from keeping the dream alive.
Instamood plus or implus was part of my many contributions to enhance the IG community. Formed mainly to gather IG users in a small group to not just share a passion of photography but to interact and build bridges of friendships between members. It’s about making their time on IG more memorable. Did I reach my goal? The answer is NO.
Although I don’t like to look for excuses but I have to admit that I have chosen the hardest way for implus. I could use my powerful community and form a public group to just send members pics to popular page but that’s not what I’m here for. I let other groups handle these things while I m moving slowly to have a great base of great art lovers with the help of my great members & management leaders @lacyrich and @delawer. I plan to boost the team with more members to help move the group forward. More focus on creativity, forums, interviews and less focus on classic challenges which all other groups are doing … I want implus to be a relaxing place for members.
Private group because I only want talented but active members to be part of it. Today’s IG is nothing but an open race to popularity by any means. Creativity is secondary but I’m hoping this view changes as we move forward. We are giving a lot of our daily time to this app – so why waste it on drama?
To join the group, IGers have to apply only at
www.instamood.net. Currently the site is under reconstruction and membership is closed until I get the website running again.
B: I noticed a link to Instamood.net; when is your site expected to go live and what is your focus? Will it be a blog with your photos?
A: I originally created it as a blog for my work and to have some kind of open discussions with my followers. Well, at this moment the time isn’t on my side and I will probably use it more for implus related info and photo features.
B: What do you like to do in your spare time? How do you keep the creative juices flowing?
A: It seems I’m always hanging on IG? But the truth is my time is well measured. I work 4 long days and get 3 days off… enough time to take care of my daily life and my interests. I have so many hobbies including jogging, cooking, collecting watches (slowly moving), watching documentaries, reading tech books, staying updated with what’s going on in today’s world, and going to a movie once in a while.
My iPhone camera is always ready to snap, I take pics every time I see something moving me. I always make room in my daily life to keep the mood alive.
B: What advice would you give to a person just starting out on IG?
A: IG is for fun, don’t make it your first priority, live your real life to the fullest. Use your time here to build understanding bridges through photography and be positive, comment only when you have something nice to say.
B: And lastly, what’s the goal for Instamood?
A: Not sure how long I will be on IG but as for now I would say the possibilities are endless. I sent few suggestions to the IG team and I’m always positive about the future. I recently started two new profiles one to feature sky lovers photos @skysnappers and other personnel for my own negative space photos @lovehub. I will continue to host more challenges as I get offers to sponsor them.
On the other hand I’m thinking about the idea of having other special public profiles like @skysnappers for sky enthusiasts and maybe two other specialty profiles with the help of some loyal IG friends running them. This should help in having great galleries for each category and help others meet new people.
The dreams are big and they only come true when you turn them into reality.
Special thanks to everyone who has supported me! I won’t mention any names to avoid missing some of you, but you guys have helped me a lot to improve my photo sharing experience. I’m thankful for your great friendship and for making @instamood part of this friendly community. Much love to all of you.
Juxt thanks you Aziz for your words and your art.
__________________________________
About Bridgette S.
Seattle, WA
Three words that describe me are simple, social and creative – all of
which have played a part in strengthening my passion for iPhoneography. What you
see is my vision of the ordinary and not so ordinary, most of which are captured
whilst I’m out and about with my son. As a mom to a toddler, it’s important I
catch all those milestones and have a record of our daily adventures. Having an
iPhone means I don’t miss a snap and it also means the world gets to see what I
see – at all times. Mobile photography has also given me the chance to meet
like-minded enthusiasts both in person and on the web. It’s truly remarkable to
see the community grow and be amongst those who offer support and inspiration.
It has opened new doors and reawakened my imagination; I embrace it and will
continue to learn in the process.
Instagram: @sippinlattes
Twitter: @sippinlattes
by Rebecca Cornwell | Feb 10, 2012 | Featured Articles
JUXT Rewind: Originall Posted on February 10, 2012
R: Rebecca D: Deena
R: Deena, you’re a fairly elusive creature. I’ve followed you on instagram practically since I joined and I’ve managed to glean only bit of information about you even though a part of your soul seems to reside in every picture you take. Tell us about yourself. How did you begin taking pictures? How did you discover mobile photography? What do you want us to know about you and your work?
D: Elusive. Not sure I have been called that before but I would imagine from the context of instagram, I can see why that would come to mind. I currently live in upstateNew York, about 1 ½ hours north ofNew York Cityin a town called Rhinebeck.
My father was a photographer, who used to shoot with various cameras from his Pentax K1000 to his plastic Diana camera, all of which I now have and use. Additionally, I have his Graflex medium format camera given to me years later by his friend Ralph, to whom he originally gave the camera. It’s rather remarkable having it come full circle.
My first experience with photography was when I was 6 years old. I remember going out into fields with my father so he could make pictures, coming back to the house and going to the basement with him to watch him develop prints. The amazement and awe I felt when seeing an image of me appear in this tray…I still feel that way today with my own imagery.
My first photography ‘project’ was when I was in 6th grade. I was living in NYC with my mom and siblings. We were planning on moving back upstate and I wanted to remember my friends. I made them all stand in front of a closet in our classroom or outside next to this fence and made portraits of them. I photographed each class in my school and the 8th grade graduation. I still have all of them.
I spent six years living in the Bay Area of California ended up back in NY in my early 20s and decided to take some photography classes I was incredibly lucky to have two amazing teachers running the very small photography department at the community college I was attending. We had two black & white darkrooms and a color processor so I was able to print my own color images. I started interning at Howard Greenberg Gallery in NYC. Two months into the internship I got hired full time and moved to NYC. At my mother’s suggestion, I got in touch with Howard, who started the Woodstock Center for Photography in 1977 with my father, to see if he could help in some way. When I showed up at his gallery, I said, “I know I haven’t seen you since I was 8 but do you have a job or internship?” He was really receptive to the idea. That was the beginning of an amazing time of learning in my life.
I started taking pictures with my first phone that had a camera. I think it was a Sprint PCS thing. For the obvious reasons, I never considered them much of anything. In December 2007, my friend and her husband got the first generation iPhone. She got me one for Christmas and I remember being so excited because I saw the images she was taking with hers. My first photo app was Toy Camera. It was simple and easy to use. At that time, I had a camera stolen from my car and dropped another, so having this small camera that didn’t require a carrying a heavy bag was very much welcomed. I had accumulated 1500 photos on that phone and then upgraded to a 3GS of which I had two of those. I’ve taken thousands of images which I’ve filed away, like my old negatives, to hopefully organize and use in the future.
R: When i look at your work as a whole, themes of solitude and vastness appear again and again regardless of subject or location. Can you talk a bit about these ideas and how they might relate to your images?
D: The feeling of space is a wonderful thing and influences me heavily. After living inNew York City for six years, I moved out to the east end of Long Islandand photography began to take a more full time role in my life again. Living at the ocean for nine years and all the hours I used to spend at the beach year round it was hard to not see everything with a vast perspective. The fall/winter/spring months filled with great moments of solitude on the beach unlike the summer when everyone comes for the vacation destination that it really is. I am finding that space and solitude exists everywhere and it’s just a matter of seeing it within that context. I had a hard time when I first left the ocean and surrounded myself with trees and mountains again.
R: Sometimes your eye appears to look out and sometimes it looks in. Your images feel intimate in both directions. How does the place influence what you “see” and how you shoot it?
D: I find that the images I make during the course of each day always reflect the place/feelings/experiences I am having and therefore that intimacy becomes inevitable. My mother once told me I was a terrible liar. I think I have always tried to be as honest as I can be (at times to a fault as not everyone likes honesty) and I have learned to embrace this and use it to my advantage. I love looking at images that project an honesty and intimacy in some form or fashion. I think that can come in many different formats as that concept is different for everyone.
R: You and I have talked about the virtues of photos without edits versus photos with edits. You do both beautifully. How do you decide when and how to edit and when to keep it raw?
D: When I first started making images with my iPhone, the apps I had were simply just applying colored filters on the images. I don’t think I started editing anything until ten months ago. I started seeing what other people were doing and was so incredibly impressed with all of the different things one could do to manipulate an image on their iPhones. This tool and the apps opened up this whole new world to me. What came out of the “experiment”, was finding a few apps that work for me. I don’t think that major editing is something I am good it. I find myself seeing images singly and there are times that I actually see composites in my head. I have these “notes to self” images that I make hoping I will go back and remember what I was thinking about. A lot of time I can see a few different ideas in my head about how I want the final image to look, but recently have been drawn to images that we all readily see without manipulating it to look like something different. Even in my edited images, I find I am gravitating toward something relatable.
R: I’m interested in how artists go about their process. Is there are place your mind needs to be in order to work? Do you plan to shoot pictures, as in a photo walk, or is it more spontaneous? Would you talk a little but about your process?
D: Hmm. Well I think I probably answered this in the various questions above. I will say that I do have a couple of photographer friends that I get together with once a week (providing our schedules work out) and we go around to different areas to walk, make images, and stop for lunch or coffee. I also attend a photographer’s salon once a month to spend some time looking at other people’s work and hopefully engaging in some thought provoking commentary.
R: Lastly, who or what has influenced your picture taking the most?
D: My father is one person that has influence my picture making process tremendously. He was the one who showed me what it was and how it would change my world and viewed it. The photographer’s work of which I had the great fortune of seeing and meeting when I worked at the gallery; William Klein, Robert Frank, Robert Adams, James Karales, Saul Leiter, Ted Croner, Minor White, Josef Sudek, Kenro Izu, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, amongst many, many others. I also think the experience of seeing how other people document the world around them and being open to it all, good and bad, is an important practice. There are a lot of people on IG that I have found that I admire the imagery they create either with traditional photography or with the editing practices used.
Juxt thanks you both for your art and your words.
View Deena’s work on Instagram: @deena21
by Grryo Community | Feb 1, 2012 | Featured Articles
Brooklyn Theory’s Introduction
There is no shortage of talented mobile photographers out there today. They’re everywhere around the globe. On any given day I can come across an image or a feed that just has me amazed. But what keeps you coming back to someone in particular? What makes you click on a thumbnail or scroll through someone’s feed? What makes you click on that ever elusive follow button?
When I first came across his feed, I wasn’t just struck by a few beautiful images among many. It was an entire collection. With a variety of subject matter and a distinctive changing style. I found myself wondering what Albert would post next. He had me hooked from the beginning. I’d like to introduce you to @Mr._Bearded_One.
B: Brooklyn Theory M: Mr. Bearded One
B: I came across your feed while a on a recent trip to Santa Barbara, CA. I’m used to shooting and seeing a lot of street photography from major cities. Your doing it in good ol’ sunny California. Do you think it’s more difficult shooting people there than lets say New York City?
M: Funny I found you under a Santa Barbara hash tag! Oh man! Well, I cant speak for everyone in California. But as a family man with a 40 hr week job yes it is more difficult in Los Angeles And its surrounding areas, (i live & work in long beach btw). Remember the song “no body walks in L.A.” ? People just don’t walk around as commonly as in other cities. You can find pockets of people of course but i walk out of my house & it could be 15/20 minutes before I see another soul. Lol! I’m sure NY and SF etc. has us beat on that.
B: You have a great mix of street photography, portraits, and landscapes. Do you have a preference shooting any of these? Why?
M: Yes, I prefer Street overall lately. I like the variety and excitement of capturing a “stand out” subject that I come across. I do try to always shoot with a subject as a focal point. Silhouettes are my favorite but I can’t always get those. Although i do like my “posed” shots too… But lately have gotten away from those. Btw any decent shot with a silhouette on IG gets a like from me lol!
B: Do you go out specifically to take pictures or do you find yourself taking pictures while your out and about?
M: Probably 50/50. Most outings with the Fam I’ll purpose to try and capture what I can. Otherwise my gorgeous supporting wife, (@projectbeauty) wink:) lets me have time to myself for any creative endeavors. So I’ll go drive to wherever I can find a lot of activity and start walking around. If I get 2 hours I’m good for a few days.
Ok, ProjectBeauty tell me a little bit about her?
M: We’ve been married over 7 years and she is a make up artists for MAC Cosmetics. We’re madly in love and in each others best friends. She is mos def creative and a knock out to look at! We have 2 kids together and the older 2 are from my practice marriage. Lol!
B: Do you ever ask her opinion on an image before posting?
M: No! Lol! Not because I don’t want it but because I want her to be surprised by it when it gets posted. Specially if she’s in the shot. Lol! Photos from our DSLR get looked at together on our Mac. But I only use iPhone shots on IG – EyeEm
B: Do you guys ever go out shooting together?
M: Lol! I would like to but then we would need day care plus I’m kind of a lone wolf.
B: I really enjoyed seeing your images from LACMA. Who’s one of your favorite artists and why?
M: So LACMA has free admission for kids and one kid can get one adult in free with them. Thanks LACMA! Lol!! So your question… I don’t have 1 But I’m a midcentury modern guy so it has to be Pollock, Warhol, Basquiat, Dali, Picasso. Sorry I didn’t reveal some amazing name no ones heard of lol! Oh you asked why? To all it has to be that they all were punk rock and defied the status quo for their time and contemporaries.
B: Ok I completely understand the rebel artist thing. Do you consider yourself a rebel?
M: You know what, I do. Id like to think I haven’t “sold out” and I feel I’m doing my own thing even though im older than my 80’s Skateboarding days. In fact I’m so punk I’m done with this interview! Lol just kidding! I’m the only cat with forearm tattoos in my office lol!
B: You mentioned punk rock too. Who are you listening to today?
I’m an eclectic soul when it comes to music, such a cop out answer but it’s true… Favorite bands ever? Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Ramones, White Stripes, The Cure, Public Enemy, Smashing Pumpkins, Johnny Cash. See I’m a little old school but not locked in on any one thing. I think that would be a little boring.
B: Who’s your all time favorite?
M: The Smiths I guess, lol!
B: Do you have a background in photography or the arts?
M: I’ve been drawing since forever. Like under-roos days. Lol! There was a time where I did HotRod “art” and had my own t-shirt brand where i screenprinted my stuff and also did art for other people. Does that count? Shrug. I’ve been taking pictures for a long time as well. My first camera was a Disc camera lol! Early 80’s, If your not familiar Google it! My first real camera was a Canon AE1.
B: Ha! Yeah, not only do I remember it, I had one too. I’ve recently gone back and started shooting some film again. Are you still shooting film or are you strictly digital now? Would you say your phone is your primary camera these days?
M: Word up on the Disc! Lol! Just digital. I have my Canon Rebel (film) sitting in a bag and occasionally pick up but end up just putting it back down.
My phone has been my primary camera for the past 8 months. Our point and shoots are gathering dust and our DSLR is starting to get used more thanks to the tips and techniques I’ve learned from using IG and the iPhone. Kind of backwards but it’s all good.
B: Who or what Inspires You?
M: My wife and kids inspire me. BTW I have 4 kids from 18 to 2 years old. Jareth is 18, Gwen’s 13, Zion is 5 and my youngest at two years old is Brooklyn!
B: Word? Wow!
M: Us Hispanic people don’t play! Lol! Otherwise my friends are all mostly artists In some way as well. I also like cinematography. Especially if it involves Los Angeles!
B: Your wife and kids are sometimes your subjects. Do they ever get tired of being photographed? Or do they enjoy it.
M: Nah, the kids have been having their pictures taken their whole lives. The 2 year old is the hardest to shoot! My 5 year old is a child Model for the Ford agency so he better like being photographed! Lol! The 13 year old just wants to post them on Facebook lol!
B: I saw a kid a few days ago, couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7 years old, taking pictures with a camera phone. Thats not something you’d see, say five years ago, it’s definitely a sign of the times. Any of your kids got the photography bug from mobile photography?
M: Yup, my 18 year old is considering photography but needs to take more pictures lol! and my 5 year old got a point and shoot for Christmas and shoots every day now! As it becomes more affordable it will be more accessible to youngsters who then will hopefully grow up to be creative open minded adults. Although photography isn’t always about art it’s also about archiving and journaling (photojournalism) our world.
B: I hear that! Ok bear with me a minute. One of my favorite photographers Martin Parr said “Photography’s central role is to be the absolute medium of the day. It is fantastic that there is no longer any technical intimidation. When I first started learning how to take photographs, you had to spend the first six months figuring out what an f-stop was. Now you just go and take pictures. Nobody thinks about technical issues anymore because cameras or camera phones take care of that automatically. On the other hand, you still have the option of controlling every technical aspect. It’s the most accessible, democratic medium available in the world.” Do you think that by eliminating the need for technical ‘know-how’ in photography today diminishes it as a form of art?
M: Great quote! No way there are a lot of ways to be an artist. Is someone who uses a spray can any less an artist than the oil painter is? No. If you have an itch you’ll find a way to scratch it. I love all mediums of art but the immediacy and accessibility of mobile photography are what attracts me right now. Before Digital and the interweb it would have taken years for the public to see someone’s photos. Plus the expense of film, processing, printing, enlarging… forget bout it!
Well said, I couldn’t agree more.
B: Some of your images are highly edited, others not so much. How do you decide how much editing a picture needs?
M: I’m glad you asked. Lol! Um I’m kinda creatively restless and somedays I feel real artsy or bored and others I feel more straight forward studio style lol! Some shots may have a cool subject but the background drives me nuts. So bam I start getting my filter on! The one thing I’ve tried to remain consistent with is b/w lately. It seems I’m most attracted to bw over color maybe from my drawing days?!?
B: Do you still draw?
M: Not as much as I should and this interview has reminded me of that! Lol!
B: You’ve been killing it on instagram for a while and now recently on eye’em. Do you have a favorite image? Tell me about it.
M: I’ve been wondering about that and it’s funny how all my shots hold a dear place in my heart… Hahaha But seriously a favorite I just reposted is about my California Love and has a Vintage ’64 Ford T-bird in front of a Spanish Contemporary home in my neighborhood. I love how it shows a style gone by for the Golden State. The original post is in a lovely yellow hue Lol! BTW if my photos had to represent anything it would be for Southern California life. I can’t imagine living anywhere else right now.
B: Ok, money is no object, If you could go anywhere in the world just to take pictures where are you going and why?
M: Dang! Like that… No doubt Japan. If I ever make it to Japan I’ll die a happy cat! Lol! Japan has an amazing people and it’s history, culture and metropolitan ism, is that a word?, really appeals to me. No I don’t speak Japanese but I love the food! Lol btw I know they may copy a lot of western styles but I don’t care.
B: Anything you want to add that we haven’t covered?
M: Mobile photography has helped restore faith in myself. Before I really got into IG I was battling a lot of inner demons and it may have been due to a lack of an artistic outlet. So yeah thank God for mobile photography!!!
Btw I hope I was able to rep Cali and hispanic dads in their early 40’s properly! Lol!
A big shout out to all my friends on IG and a special shout out to my homie @nizzy508! Check him out or else! Yo!
B: One last question… Why Mr. Bearded One?
M: Cuz I have a vicious beard! Lol!
Juxt thanks the both of these amazing mobile photographers for their words and art.
Mr. Bearded One has tagged Kate @thestyley. Look out for that upcoming interview.
@mr_bearded_one can be found on Instagram/ EyeEm/ Kik
_________________________________
About Brooklyn Theory
NYC based photographer residing in Brooklyn. Exploring NYC with my cameras on a daily basis.
website: BrooklynTheory.com
email: [email protected]
twitter: @brooklyntheory
kik: BrooklynTheory
by Brad Puet | Jan 20, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
BP’s Introduction
I had the honor of interviewing a very well established mobile artist on Instagram recently. She has blown me away every single time she posts. She was one of them folks on IG who I’d thought, “Hmmm, if I leave a comment, she would never be able to respond because of all the likes she gets or comments she already recieved and my comment would get lost in that mix.” Well after a few interviews on Juxt and a shot in the dark, I sent her a comment asking for Juxt. Luckily for all of us she said, “YES.” Let me tell you why I personally chose June. Her work is amazing. I thought to myself, this work represents the artist. Like if I had a conversation with her in person, she’d be just like some of her photos. She would emote the same personality. Calm and engaging. Open and respectful. Her photos do represent her. Shoot, June is just amazing. Check her out on Instagram: @cryingjune.
B: BP J: June
B: Who is CryingJune? The person. The name. Where you are from?
J: My name is June YunJung John. I’m Korean born and raised and living in Seoul. I was pretty precocious when I was a kid and now I’m getting childish as I grow older.(So to speak, It’s kind of ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ situation. In my case, only the inside.)
I live with my husband and my daughter and Frantz and Margot. Frantz and Margot are figures in Torsten Holtz’s painting, ‘Pink Clouds’. I gave them those names after I bought that painting. They are looking each other in the face tenderly surrounded by pink clouds.
I’m a coffeeholic, a comic book reader, an art lover and definitely an asphalt kid. And I feel myself to a realistic dreamer, a pessimistic optimist and also a clumsy perfectionist.
This is <A Woman>. The day I took this shot was very cold but fine, so I could capture the fantastic blue of sky.
B: Where you are from, how does this influence your art?
J: The density of population in Seoul last year was 16189 persons to a square kilometer. It’s up to eight times more than New York, four times more than Paris, three times more than Tokyo. The streets of Seoul are normally congested with traffic. Everyone seems busy as a bee and everything changes so fast.
Under this circumstances, it’s only natural for me to try to keep things around me simple and to make a blank space in my head and mind. A room for breathing, meditation, imagination… Or sometimes just for a complete blank. I think that’s one reason simplicity is the keynote of my photos and they have a negative space. If I was born somewhere else like an island in the South Pacific, my photos would be different obviously.
Another reason can be said to be an oriental sentiment that I’ve been influenced. Spirits(or invisibles) have been valued more highly than matters(or visibles) in our society from old times. You can see blank space easily in Korean paintings such as landscapes or still-lifes. It is an absolute necessity in Korean paintings and it means it is filled with spirits. Even though I’m not a big fan of those, looking at them sets my mind serene. If my photos make someone tranquil, it’ll be due to the oriental sentiment inside of me.
B: Can you describe more in detail where you are from? The people, the geographical area, the most beautiful parts/ the ugly, desolate parts. What do you love about your area? What do you hate about your area?
J: Seoul is located in the center of the Korean peninsula. It is surrounded by mountains and the Han River crosses the city. People living in Seoul are mostly very dynamic and diligent. We don’t hesitate to adopt new ideas and we support challenging and experimental attempts. Innovation and development have become virtues. Everything moves very quickly and something new takes the place at once.
So it’s hard to get bored with living in Seoul. This is what I love and hate about my area. Because, at the same time, it’s hard to appreciate what we have as well. I feel sad that almost anything can be easily replaceable and not only material things but also emotions can be disposable these days. The good news is that many people in Seoul have been talking about the beauty of slowness. They’re trying to carry it into their daily lives.
B: Describe your art and what you would like to communicate?
J: I take photos and edit them using my iphone 4. It’s because I still don’t have my camera, but it’s really convenient to carry and use. I usually focus on the scene from everyday life in my neighborhood. When I edit, I try to listen to what the picture says to me and make a narrative by taking the simplest elements.
My photo is characterized by negative space. As you know, It’s very useful to emphasize the subject. But in my pictures, it’s not meant to be a helper for the subject. They are equivalent with each other and just have different roles.
Negative space in my photos doesn’t mean that nothing is there. It can be filled with memory, joy, sorrow, longing, emptiness, breeze, melody, words unsaid or anything you can imagine. I leave that space for the viewer to fill it. So my photos depend on viewer’s emotions and imagination. I wish to tell a story with a single picture and I’ll be glad if someone ever listen to it. I believe less is more. My words are ‘imagination’ and ‘you’.
<A Path To the Memory> is one of my favorite. I hope the long and winding road will bring the viewers to their memories.
B: In your IG profile it states, “Create your own style.” Describe your style. What styles do you see around the social networks like Instagram that inspire you? and Why?
J: Leaving a simple element in a negative space would be my style in a word. If earlybird filter is added to it, I can say perfectly it is. I tried this and tried that with my photos and apps to create it. It was such an exciting experiment and I had so much fun.
Style is what my photo is much about. So I’m pleased when people tell me that they can easily recognize my pictures by my style. But these days I can find pictures of the same way with mine occasionally. Something rare and unique is much better than something nice and familiar to me, so I’m thinking how I can develop my style. In a sense, that statement is for myself. I’d like to create my own style again even though I know what’s inside is more important than the package.
Instagram is the only SNS I use, but it’s enough to get inspired. I have a long list of the super- talented IGers. I’ll show you a part of it. Needless to say, @thomas_k is a b&w master and I call @ekalex a b&w genius. @algrega takes b&w shots having a soul, @saturninofarandola reads his philosophical b&w poems. @komeda purifies people’s minds with his photos. @selk has no limit on the subject and the way of expression. @beeoom and @kbasta have a special eye for beauty. @mifjuz and @journeyofnow are two tops of Hipstamatic.
B: Creatively, what else do you do that keeps you passionate? This does not include photography but any other art form.
J: I see an art exhibition. I usually go to the small gallery and see art works by a new artist. And I go to KIAF(Korea International Art Fair) every year. It’s a good chance to see a great number of art pieces and get inspired and read the trend.
Sometimes, I write a short story. It’s interesting to weave a story with a few characters and a happening related to them. I do it for fun, but it’s quite painful to fail to rescue my character from the harsh realities.
B: What is your opinion on mobile artistry? mobile photography? Some say it necessarily isn’t a viable art form. What are your thoughts about this?
J: If someone looks down on mobile photography, I suppose he or she has limited ideas. Mobile photography is a new stream that time has brought to us. I take a shot with a camera, same as other photographers. The only difference is that my camera is in my mobile phone. I take a shot and edit with this one small equipment. Besides, it’s so easy to carry that I can shoot wherever and whenever I want to. The clarity still a bit matters though, I believe It’ll make steady progress. Motive power of the art is a creative idea, not a wonderful gear.
B: How did you get involved with the mobile arts community?
J: It started with my iphone last winter. While searching for interesting apps, I found Instagram. It was not the picture itself that I was interested in at first. Having a conversation with people on the other side of the Earth and taking an imaginary trip into their pictures were much more fun to me. To be honest, I had not been interested in photography before I knew Instagram. I believe that people I had met in this community led me to the fascinating world of photography. (Thank you all!)
B: Describe the mobile arts community. You have been involved with many projects such as “A Room With A View” and “View To a Thrill”. What other projects have you been involved in? Can you describe these projects and why you are involved.
J: For those two books, ‘A Room With a View’ and ‘View To a Thrill’, all the credit goes to Millo @mifjuz. He’s a great photographer and a wonderful friend of mine. He did everything with the book-from gathering people to editing the book. I’ve never seen a man of a passionate drive like him. By taking part in these projects, I’ve come to know many talented photographers. It was a great pleasure for me to be a part of these fabulous compilation books.
And I had chances to be introduced on the website. One is Philobjective, a French website about photography. Carine @nicette06 introduced me as an artist of the month. It was about four months ago, but you can still see it at http://www.philobjective.com. Another one is The App Photo, a wonderful Spanish website. http://www.theappphoto.com/fotografo Luis @lpereira gave me a space of mine on it and held an exhibition in Madrid. It was the first exhibition that I participated, so it meant a lot to me.
This is <Nocturne>, one of ‘The Concert’ series. This series consists of four photos and it was printed in the book, ‘View To a Thrill’.
B: Outside of all this mobile artistry, what does June do for a living? Describe to us, the typical day for @cryingjune.
J: I’m a housewife, so I do the housework. And also I correct someone else’s manuscript as a freelancer at home. I majored in Korean Literature and I was a college newspaper reporter, so this writing job is a pretty good sideline for me. I usually take on the job of rewriting art-related manuscript such as a review or a collection of pictures or a paper on art.
B: What does passion mean to you? What does love mean to you? What does hate mean to you?
J: I can’t say in a word, so let me tell you my associations from those words.
Passion: literature. music. art. photography. environmental movement.
Love: spring. My Chemical Romance. coffee. Georgia O’keefe. peach. gray. spending time alone. Raymond Carver. cinnamon roll. travel.
Hate: interference. rudeness. karaoke. smoking. politician.
B: What does community mean to you?
J: I know it sounds weird, but It’s like a family consisting of friends to me. I feel so close with people in this community that I don’t have time to be alone.
B: Currently you have 52,000 (plus or minus) followers. What would you like to say to them?
J: Thank you for your likes and sweet words always. You’ve been encouraging me and I’m truly grateful for that. I wish to visit all your streams and see your pictures, but it isn’t easy for me as you can imagine. I feel guilty for not returning your kindness and I hope you understand that I’m trying. You and your pictures show me how much the world is beautiful and warm. Big love to you. Let’s enjoy shooting!
This shot was taken at the street of Hong Kong and He was one of the passers-by carrying a plastic bag. His figure in the picture looked like a <Broken-hearted> man, so I erased the bag and put this title.
B: Lastly, if you could tell us you’re plans for 2012 as far as: A. Mobile Arts, B. Life outside of Mobile Arts.
J: A. I’ll keep taking photos and posting them and being inspired looking at other people’s feeds. I’m also planning to make a little book of my photos. I think it will be a nice present for me. B. I’ll try to live happily ever after with my husband and my daughter and Frantz and Margot.
Juxt thanks you June.
June YunJung John Instagram: @cryingjune
by Brad Puet | Jan 9, 2012 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
Da’ Kine, One of Hawaii’s Amazing Mobile Artists: Melveen C. (I affectionately call her Sistah Mel)
BP’s Introduction
Hawaii is paradise. It’s just plain beautiful. I went there with some close friends last year and it was an amazing time full of sunshine, palm trees, beaches, and a rich history. I ate spam musubi, portugese sausage, cornbeef, eggs, rice on the daily. Shoutout to Leonard’s Bakery for the most CRACKINEST malasadas. But it’s not just about the food or the scenery. Ohana (family) is rooted in the cultural identity of the islands. The people, the localz, welcome visitors from all parts of the world to experience not only the surroundings but the lifestyle. The islands are really an escape for a lot of the rest of the world. Imagine, living there. Imagine what life would be like to wake up to local bird calls and streaming waterfalls. Localz may not hear this all the time but as a visitor, it sure is…paradise. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the 808 state has it’s societal woes of poverty, drugs, corporate greed, and crime. AND shit, we can’t forget about the soverignty movment. That needs to get publicity. (Hello, soapbox, getting off of it now, Thanks.) BUT for this, this right here, this article about Mel, its about her giving us a glimpse into the life of the islands to pick us up from our local surroundings, our local daily drab of a day. The images on my Instagram, EyeEm, Path, and Streamzoo (yeah I know way to many freakin’ photo social network apps) that come from HI makes me feel at ease and gets me thru my day. The funny thing is as I write this, I’m listening to Jawaiian music aka Island Reggae aka Hawaiian reggae. I listen to it every day actually. The sounds of the islands via Jawaiian makes me drive nicer, work nicer, and feel…well…you know…da kine…makes me feel IRIE. Some days I wish I spoke pidgin. Ask my family and friends, I try. So how do I compensate? How do I deal? Well I follow my braddahs and sistahs from the 808. CHEEEE! The first and most notable for me…Hawaii’s homegrown local girl, Melveen. So let’s go ahead and talk to Mel and dig into her head a bit. She’s a bit shy and don’t like to talk much but I think I was able to get a good glimpse into her world.
Ho cuz, mahalos yeah fo checking out dis place. Go look down on da lettahz below fo da kine. Shoots den! (and enter serious BP for dis interview)
B: BP M: Mel
B: Peace Sistah Mel. Aloha. BIG thanks for doing this interview. So…Who is @me_lv? What are you all about?
M: I’m a very calm and simple person. I enjoy going to movies or curling up in bed with a good book, visiting with friends, and of course making time to go out and capture life around me. I’m Chinese, Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, and Spanish. I have more of my father’s traits (Chinese, Hawaiian) but also have my mother’s fair skin. Many people are usually shocked to find out I’m born and raised in Hawaii. I work in a hospital as a Registered Nurse, taking care of and helping others is definetly my calling in life. Only recently have I discovered the world of photography to be a hobby and creative outlet for me. I love my family and friends and constantly surround myself with their positive and loving energy. My favorite color is purple and I’m highly addicted to coffee. After joining IG I noticed I look at the world differently. From top to bottom, side to side, all different angles until I find one that fits.
B: Can you tell us about the islands? The “808”? The “HI”? AND how it how has the islands influenced you and your art? And MORE importantly how you’re Ohana (family) has influenced you and your art.
M: I’m born and raised in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Hawaii is known to be a very family oriented State and a melting pot of different ethnicities. Everyone is considered family here on the island. Aunties, uncles, brother’s, sister’s, cousin’s, we all are “Ohana” or family. It’s the Aloha spirit that we all try to live by. My style is very simple and down to earth. Before IG I literally had no life. Time for me was spent either in nursing school, studying, or working full time at the hospital. After graduating from UH this past May with a higher degree in nursing I’m able to freely live and enjoy the simple pleasures around me. If you look back at my feed on IG you’ll see where my captures take a turning point. I start posting more nature shots and beach life. I’ve honestly never really noticed the beauty of a palm tree until I started posting them on IG. I always took them for granted because it’s a part of life here on the island – we are surrounded by palm trees. I’ve also honestly never gotten to really enjoy a sunset until I started posting them on IG. Now I take the time to observe and really be thankful to be surrounded by such beauty with nature. I’m also very fortunate to have been raised by loving parents whom have been married for almost 45 years and honestly you still see the love between these two. They definitely influenced who I am today. They have taught my brother and I to always have respect for one another, and to treat others the way you want to be treated. My parents have given us the best childhood memories! We were always active – at the park, beach, roller skating, movies, parties, family functions. Life was always about fun activities and they were both involved in all of it. I wouldn’t change it for the world!
B: Hawaii is quite often referred to as “paradise.” Shit, I call it paradise and I wish I lived there. How does the island life compare to the mainland? Along with that where else have you visited or have lived, and how does that compare to the island life?
M: One can easily develop a love affair with the beaches here on the island. Aside from the beach life the island life is very laid back. The climate all year long is mid 70’s to 80’s. Shorts, t-shirts, and slippers are your essential’s. Cost of living may be considered high but it’s the price we all pay to live in “paradise.” I’ve only travelled within the US. I’ve travelled to all the outer islands except Kaho’olawe and Ni’ihau. I’ve also travelled to California, Seattle, Oregon, Chicago. I’ve never lived anywhere else but here in Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to move and experience life elsewhere but my heart and my roots are island bound.
B: Can you describe your community on the island in general? What does it comprise of? What is the mobile arts/ photography community like on the islands? Who are some of your favorite mobile artists/ photographers on the islands and why?
M: I live in town so I’m definitely known as a “townie.” I grew up in the Kapahulu area which is so close to Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Kaimuki. City life on the island means more cars, people, buildings, and sometimes too much traffic. But city life is still surrounded by paradise meaning beaches, parks, palm trees and other reminders of why were so lucky to live in Hawaii. I don’t think the mobile arts/photography has really blown up on the island yet. We do have our own little profile with @InstagramHI where many local artists are featured and contests are held for the community. But it’s definitely a growing art here on the island. There’s a lot of good talent on the island. It’s hard to name just a few. What’s neat is although we live on an island and may capture a similar scene, it’s always nice to see it from other peoples perspective.
B: Tell us a bit about how you use your mobile to capture your part of the world.
M: I use my iPhone 4 right now and would love to get the 4S for the camera alone but I talked myself into waiting for the next iPhone. I like it because it’s always with me and it’s very small and convenient. My phone should be an appendage of my body. Pros are small, light, handy, always with me as it’s my cell phone. Some cons would be the clarity is not always the greatest. The quality all depends on the lighting. For me the iPhone 4 is not the greatest in capturing with low light. The pictures become too grainy and distorted. Sometimes the exposure can be a bit too much. If the sunlight is too strong it washes out some objects in the picture. When I do try to get the right exposure by tapping on the screen, it can take too long and I end up missing my shot. I still enjoy using my phone though because the cons just make it more challenging for me. The post processing is very handy as I can do it all on my phone. A few apps, a few adjustments, a few taps and I’m done.
B: In almost all of your photographs, you have a quote or a song reference. All are descriptive of your images. What is your personal philosophy on attaching references to your photographs?
M: I use it as a way to describe the moment captured. Most times the references relate to the picture and other times it may just be a random feeling, thought, or emotion. I do take the time to search and really make it fit, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. At first it was a way to express emotion along with pic. I started getting positive feedback, it was exciting to hear people say, “I look forward to your pictures and quotes, they help brighten up my day.” So I continue to do it because people enjoy them. My mission of putting positive out there is being accomplished!
B: I love the references you use and most in particular, any and all Bob Marley references? What do these references mean to you outside of the photography? Are they a part of how you live your life? A personal belief system?
M: My career involves taking care of people. Most are very sick health wise. With this type of work I’m exposed to many different emotions, most times all at once – happy, sad, good, bad. Life itself already can be too serious, so I like to keep a positive outlook on things. I always try to make it positive no matter what. We all need that little encouragement every now and then, the little reminder that, hey we all are human and your doing the best you can do in life so don’t forget it. You put positive out there – positive comes back to you sometimes triple. Not that I am expecting anything from doing this. It is just my way of sharing good vibes.
B: What is your most inspired quote or song lyric? and why?
M: My all time favorite is from a book I read about 10 times from,”Tuesdays with Morrie.” The quote from Morrie Shwartz reads, “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” Many people feel as if they don’t deserve love or to be loved yet it’s a common emotion we all yearn for, to be loved. Often times I want to use the quote again as I find it fitting with the capture but I try hard not to repeat quotes.
B: Who influences or inspires you as far as your photography? and why?
M: I’ve only recently discovered photography as a hobby. The people I’ve met through IG have become extended family to me. They all play a huge part in my life as far as inspiration goes. They constantly encourage me to keep capturing moments and sharing them.
B: You have an amazing and distinct style in your mobile artistry. Have you experimented or found a style that you would like to try out?
M: I’ve always admired street photography and black and white. Street photography I find intriguing because these are real life moments and emotions captured in a single click of the camera. I find it challenging to hold my cell phone up to someone to make a capture. I need to learn some mobile ninja skills! I do challenge myself when I go to places such as Chinatown. It definitely pushes my creativity and makes me think outside of the box but those captures I just keep to myself. I also find black and white photos to be very moody. It’s actually quite interesting as I see the world in color but I do admire black & white. I find it hard to capture black and white without good light. It’s all a learning process for me.
B: What can we expect from @me_lv in the future as far as the mobile arts?
M: I hope to still be capturing life whether it be on the island or somewhere else and still be able to share it on IG. This really is a hobby and I love the fact that I can travel the world in a few minutes on IG. I’m also teaching myself about different editing styles. I really have no clue what I’m doing and many times it happens through experimenting with different apps. As long as I continue to have fun with it. Perhaps also as I learn and experiment more with editing, my style will change as far as post processing.
B: Lastly, what would you like see in the future for yourself as a mobile artist/photographer? and where do you see this art form going in the future?
M: I’m hoping to still be doing what I do and thats, capture moments, share them with others, meet new people, and just continue to have fun. This art form is already taking off in so many ways. As technology improves I think people will start using camera phones more often due to the quality of the pictures and convenience of always having your cell phone with you. Look at how much IG has grown in a year! In time it will only get better.
Juxt wants to say BIG MAHALOS Mel for her time. Shootz she cherry brah.
Instagram: @me_lv
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About Brad P
BP has been a member of the Instagram community since middle of 2011. By day he is a director of a human services program in Seattle. He also has a long history of organizing many grassroots organizations and is a co-founder of two arts organizations in Seattle, one focused on cultural arts and the other with youth. BP is a member of @AMPt. AMPt, STAND UP!
Instagram/ EyeEm/ Streamzoo/ Trover: @bradpuet
Twitter: @bradpuet
G+: [email protected], BP Juxt
by Brad Puet | Dec 30, 2011 | Chops with BP, Featured Articles
BP Introduction
Why, Hello there. Glad you were able to make it today. Initially I asked Kim to interview Jussi. I knew that they would be perfect together as their personalities are just straight AWESOME. Their art is both unique and amazing and they both have each others mutual respect = GREAT chance for an interview. The first draft came and it TOTALLY seemed like a conversation. So I shot them back an email and asked them if they be interested in an idea i had. Would they be ok if I played around a bit with the interview and also have Kim fill out the same questions that she asked Jussi. They both agreed. I wanted to have fun with it and made sure it was ok. This was also inspired by Ale’s Chloe series.
The scene: Seattle, January 5, 2012 (HAHA shameless plug for the “Darkroom Series v.1” Gallery Opening.) Jussi and Kim are guests at the event as well as an event in collaboration with it, Bumbershoot In The Winter (no such thing, but work with me…Bumbershoot is in the summer). They are sitting on a panel that I put together to talk about Mobile Arts and the BLOW-UP-ABILITY (that’s right…I made that up – enter patent) within the International Arts.
So…enter the “Story of Two Friends: Jussi and Kim in Seattle”
(Winter Day – Seattle/ Café Zeitgeist on 2nd and Jackson)
An iPhone sits on a table next to a very large cup of joe. The drinker of said cup of joe, Jussi from Oulu, Finland who now lives in Helsinki. He is here at Café Zeitgeist meeting for the first time his “imaginary” friend, Kim. Kim is from Switzerland and has been traveling the world. The both of them are photographers who use mobile devices. Enter Kim. Doors blow open, wind blows cold air through the café and everyone notices this bubbly personality. It’s like the café knew she was coming as The Beatles plays in the background.
Kim: “Jussi? Hi, I’m Kim”
Jussi: “Kim? Hello my friend!”
(He is a handsome and imposing figure, magnetic in his personality. Charismatic, yes, but also very mysterious. For some reason, he has a couple of post-its on his face. One reading “Like” and the other reading “comment.)
(She is a happy soul. Beautiful in how she walks through the café. Almost fairy tale like. Her dog follows her with a smile on his face. No one even asks her for her animal service paperwork, because she and her pup looks just so happy, that they too have caught the happiness bug.)
(Jussi signals the café barista for another cup of joe. He’s only been in Seattle for 3 hours and his aura demands respect. The barista brings out a Chai Latte. Jussi reminds everyone of the “World’s Most interesting Man”. He carries his artwork it seems on his sleeves.)
Kim: Jussi, tell me all about yourself?
Jussi: I’m a boy from a far away land called Finland. I live in a small city called Oulu, but right now I’m located in Helsinki. I live every day with passion and an urge to express myself. But you can call me SKWII!
Kim: SKWII? I love it. What does it mean?
Jussi: Ermm… Early nerd times, that nickname was something me and my brother used on online games :Y – one computer, one nick, we’re twins 🙂 …Eh so the meaning… It’s a sound of a hamster squeeking, as it translates to Finnish. Skwiik=squeek
Jussi: And Kim, what can I know about you my friend?
Kim: My name is Kim and my parents chose it cause it was short and hard to make shorter so my friends made it longer to find me a nickname! You have to say it with a French accent, it’s not Kim-O but more like Kim-OOH haha! You can call me Kimou or Mik or Mikmik. I’m from Switzerland. I was born and raised in a village where the population was mostly composed of cows, sheeps, and horses. Soon I’m moving to the land of Goblins, gold pots, and cloverleafs. I shall call Dublin home for at least the next 6 months.
Jussi: That is awesome my friend. (He reaches for his trusty iPhone to snap a picture)
(At that same moment, Kim has done the same. They point the phone slash camera at each other.)
Jussi: I see you have an iPhone too my dear.
Kim: Yes my friend, Skwii. I love it so dearly. I hope that you aren’t offended if I show you what is on my camera roll.
Jussi: Of COURSE not. I was going to do the same.
(The both of them thumb play on their devices. Each of them almost trying to beat the other to their camera rolls. Alas, they both reach their rolls the same time and flash each other their favorite shot in a FBI agent showing their badges.)
Kim/Jussi: Look at what I’ve got.
(They both show them a photograph of the others.) Jussi’s UP, Kim’s Down.
Kim/Jussi: This is my most favorite shot of yours. I have the utmost respect for you. (They look at each other, in awe.) JINX, BUY ME A COKE. (They both must have read online somewhere some of the stupid, crazy games that Americans play. This is a game when 2 or more people say the same thing at the same time, they say JINX, and the first to say it must buy a coke. Again a real stupid game and this narrator must now digress)
(Bumbershoot In The Winter – Seattle Center – Under the shadow of the Space Needle)
(Flash forward to a panel – This panel consists of the two of them that Brad Puet has put together. The panel is a discussion on mobile device artistry and how this has affected/effected the world of photography. Jussi and Kim have gained international accolades for their work as mobile photographers. Jussi is asked the first set of questions.)
Jussi: Esteemed colleagues, ever since touching an iPhone, the photography possibilities were and have been my highest interest. I was so excited about my first paid app TiltShiftGen that I took hundreds of photos and some photo walks even before the Instagram community had adopted it. And yes, I always did every art course project as photographs if I had a chance.
Moderator: What inspires you, Jussi?
Jussi: I love instagram so much. I go there to learn and get inspired. There are many sources of inspiration with the people I follow on Instagram, and more. Street art, Japanese Manga to name a few.
It gives me the feeling of dancing and strange films which also inspire me greatly.
(He looks over and sees Brad dancing a jig. Almost as if they planned it. Looks over to Kim and says, “that is for you my friend, I know you will see some jigs in Dublin.)
Jussi: I’ve said this like a thousand times to anyone asking and I’ll say it again (He bellows a laugh.) I LOVE Juxtaposer- Don’t even wanna start about why this app BLOOOWS MY MIND. Any photo on my stream that looks or feels imaginary has been through Juxtaposer.
(He then looks at Brad. “Brad, this is for you and the rest of the Juxters.” And he gives a raised fist)
Jussi: I create while I go. Sometimes if there’s no inspiration, I take a lot of simplified shots to use later and mix mash and blend. Ideas come as bursts, many at a time and you just have to start creating them as soon as possible. Never doubt even the silliest ideas or the progress will stop. Don’t trust yourself? Then do it sarcastically 😀
(Jussi then passes the microphone to Kim. As the moderator turns her questions towards her)
Kim: Hello everyone! I always been crazy about photography, always has been a great passion for me… I started to do mobile photography with my first iPhone the 3Gs, I actually found out about instagram because of my passion, but it was late in February 2011.. I remember that I could spend whole weekends out in the cities of Switzerland, taking pictures of candid.. I had a passion for shadows and redscale when I started! Now my style evolved and since a week I’m in love with my 4S.
Moderator: You have a very unique style. It’s very vibrant and the miniature vehicles are an added touch. How did this come about?
Kim: I’m quite an hippy in heart kind of person. I need colors in my life, they make me feel alive! It’s quite impossible for me to turn a colored picture into b&w HAHAHA. I’ve received my first miniature vehicle 4 years ago while we were in holidays in Spain. It was the blue hippy minivan! Then one sunny Sunday of April, I was alone at home with my camera. I took all my favorite toys in my room and went outside for taking pictures, since that day I started to put the minivan in every situations I could, took it in holidays with me.. And I started to buy others, even if a lot of them are presents! I received a yellow new yorker taxi for Christmas! Can’t wait to find the perfect situation for him!
Moderator to both Jussi and Kim: How do you picture yourself in 20 years?
Jussi: An hour ago I imagined I’d still be sitting here, trying to write this interview… But then I thought “Whatever, the people I like and love will still not hate me no matter how dull or shockingly I write” and been enjoying it ever since 🙂 … 20 years… Maybe our galaxy has been destroyed by a giant supernova? At least I won’t be a physicist HAHAHA
Kim: Haha in 20 years?!?… That is a long time! I didn’t even live as many years yet HAHAHA! Maybe I’ll have my own photography shop, or maybe I’ll have to live in the forest and eat mushrooms for surviving!
Moderator to both Jussi and Kim: Tell us 3 more random facts about you that you didn’t already say?
Kim:
- I’m not a morning person,
- I can’t spend more then 5 minutes without hearing music,
- and I have a phobia of everything that doesn’t have legs (fish, snakes,…)
Jussi:
- Ginger and garlic are my favourite,
- I have no idea how to pay back everything our parents have done for us,
- Email me at [email protected] if you wanna buy my 3GS with my own background design attached. :)) or just wanna chat
(Flash forward to the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport: Both Kim and Jussi await their flights back to their respective homeland)
Kim: We have a few more moments together my friend. It has been an honor and I look forward to our next mobile device arts conference sponsored by Juxt and this isn’t a shamless plug, I’m just saying that Brad Puet is an awesome man with awesome artwork and is great at being a friend, and on top of that he is funny as hell…”etc etc…blah blah blah, whatever whatever”…
(Kim talks for another 7 minutes about how Brad is really cool as Jussi nods his head in COMPLETE agreement and even a couple times in talking about Brad they HI5’d each other, gave pounds, shed a tear, sighs…and then she asks Jussi)
Kim: What is the most craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Jussi: Tough one. Revisiting memory lane… Beep beep. Filtering family-friendly and socially acceptable solutions… Beep beep…Hmm… How’s eating ice cream out of a public trash can during the summer? Just for the thrill of it, with another crazy friend….Also just laying on the middle of a busy walking street just to see how the crowd reacted. None of this would have never happened if I hadn’t had my friends backing me up though.
Kim: Oh Jussi, you so CRAZY!!! Is your sense of humor a family thing? Or a typical Finnish thing?
Jussi: My father is a very humorous guy so I guess that’s where I’m getting the need for all the meaningless fun blabber. (He smiles) Can’t say this is anything traditional, I’m not that good with any “traditional Finns” or anything. For starters I haven’t met many Finns who’d ever take mobile photography seriously.
(Jussi hears his flight number called but looks to Kim)
Jussi: Now your turn before I leave. What is the most craziest thing you’ve ever done my friend?
Kim: Nothing as crazy as you Jussi! I don’t do craziness on purpose, just like to enjoy life and do whatever makes me feel happy! Just like jump in a boat going I don’t know where even if I’m sick as hell and supposed to go somewhere later.. I finally lost myself in the middle of the lake.. I often lay on the ground for taking pictures, people must think I’m crazy! I’m more clumsy over crazy too…don’t forget we have to try the bungee jumping together someday!!!
(Jussi hears his flight calling for the last time. Kim then hears The Beatles on her iPhone.)
Kim/Jussi: WAIT…what is our last word to each other before we go home? (Again another JINX, BUY ME A COKE MOMENT)
Jussi: SKWIII
Kim: KIM-OOH
(The two of them walk away from each other. One walking away with his Finnish swagger. The other walking away with her pup at her side making airport staff smile. They both look at each other one last time and throw up a big thumbs – EMOJI style, and hand their flight attendants their tickets and disappear into the tarmac)
THE END.
