Connie Gardner Rosenthal - Hipstamatic Journey Through India
I was very intrigued by the series of photographs from India by iPhone photographer Connie Rosenthal. What a pleasure to learn more about the artist and her experience there. Connie lives only about 45 minutes from me in Southern California and we've never met...yet! Connie credits the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival for sparking her interest in iPhone photography and this was the impetus for my journey as well. I'm guessing when we do meet, we won't run out of things to talk about!
What is your name and where do you live?
CGR: My name is Connie Gardner Rosenthal. I live in Los Angeles.How did you get started in mobile photography? What device do you use?
CGR:
I have no formal art or photography training. I studied some Art History in college and took a few basic photography classes in the 70’s. I am a self-taught jewelry designer. Before discovering the iPhone for photography, I took photos on family vacations. In March 2013, I went to Santa Fe for my first iPhone workshop with Karen Divine, the most intuitive, patient, encouraging teacher anyone would want to study with. I have continued taking workshops with Karen; one in Snowmass, Colorado and I went on an amazing workshop/trip with Karen to India. When not attending workshops, I work with Karen on Skype. This November she is teaching a workshop in San Miguel de Allende which I am excited about attending. As a forever student I enjoy learning from tutorials, books, websites, blogs, etc
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| Goat in old Delhi market |
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| Guard at Mehrangarh Fort |
Who or what inspires you? CGR:
I find the entire mobile photography community inspiring and supportive. I am inspired by Karen Divine, Gina Costa, Eric Rozen, Geri Centonze, Roger Guetta, Lee Atwell, Armineh Hovanesian, Grace Brignolle, Meri Walker just to name a few. The ‘what’ that inspires me are busy places with lots of different people doing lots of different things. I love photographing at the Santa Monica Pier and at Venice Beach in Los Angeles and New York City is one of my favorite places to shoot. I also enjoy interesting architecture and trying to shoot architecture in interesting ways, closeups of flowers and shooting in black and white.
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| Pink turbans in Varanasi |
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| Woman in Narlai |
I'm particularly interested in your series shot in India. Please tell me a bit about the trip. CGR: I was lucky enough to go to India on an iPhone workshop with 4 other women led by the amazing Karen Divine. It is a very colorful and exciting place which offered amazing opportunities to capture people in their homes, schools, shops, etc. In Delhi in the crazy traffic we went to the the spice market, the Sufi temple and some wonderful shopping areas. In Jodphur we went to the Mehrangarh Fort, now a museum, a women’s festival and the open air market. We stayed in safari tents while in Rohet Garh and were guests at an all-male opium party. In Narlai we stayed at Narlai Rawla, the hunting lodge of one of the prime ministers of Rajasthan. It was a very special place as were the people of Narlai. On village walks with the hotel staff, we went into homes, schools, shops and also enjoyed a jeep ride at dusk to photograph the shepherds bringing their flocks home. Varanisi is the main holy city and as intense and crazy as Delhi was, Varanisi was even more so. We went to the Ghats by the Ganges River both before sunrise and at dusk. We went out in boats to see the evening ceremony, the cremations and in the morning, the many people bathing and washing laundry in the river. The Taj Mahal is in Agra and is amazing to see in person. It was quite crowded as it is a popular place for Indians to visit.
CGR: The local people were very welcoming and loved being photographed.
Were all the images shot with Hipstamatic? Did you do any post-editing?
CGR: One of my favorite images is “Bangles and Toes”. The woman whose feet I photographed was sitting out front of a home in Narlai visiting with a friend. She was radiantly beautifully, dressed in brightly colored clothes and full of smiles and welcome. I spotted the rings and bangles on her feet and took one photo with Jane and Blanko Freedom and another with Diego and Uchitel (Hipstamatic Lens and Film combinations). I like how the second shot captures the essence of this woman while leaving a mystery of the colors and details and who she is to the viewer.
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| Bangles and Toes |
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
CGR: I am grateful for the opportunity to be featured on Art of Mob and want to thank Geri for the invitation. I think Art of Mob is one of the best mobile photography sites and I am proud to be part of it.
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| Saris at the Taj Mahal |
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| Water Buffalo in Rohet Garh |
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