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Robin Robertis - Featured iPhone Photographer

Little did I realize when I attended the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival in 2012 that I would end up interviewing some of the featured artists one day for Art of Mob. It was that event and the work of the many talented photographers that pointed me in the direction of mobile photography. I am pleased and honored that Robin Robertis took the time to answer some questions about her life and her work.

What is your name and where do you live?

RR:  My name is Robin Robertis and I live in a wonderful beach town called Encinitas in California.


How did you get started in mobile photography? 

RR:  I was working with Photoshop, my friend and Photoshop guru, Jack Davis brought over the first generation iPhone and said I had to get it...and so I did.


Do you have a traditional photography or art background?

RR:  Nothing traditional about me. I never went to college and just signed up for art classes of all types here and there. My works have included so many different types of media including: encaustic, bronze, oil, and collage. I learned Photoshop before I ever really picked up a camera, because I could collage images and art that I created in a 2 or 3D form. I was never a photographer, but just hung out with them. I wanted to be a painter, but it’s not my strong suit. So I am really enjoying combining what I have learned and using the iPhone and apps to create my finished work.



Who or what inspires you?

RR:
What : People the most, flora, water, and my travels

Who : My my portrait painting teacher Vanessa Lemen. She has had a great deal of influence on my work, inspirationally and I carry over the techniques that she taught me in painting in my photographic work.

My friend Karen Daspit who shoots fine art flora. The most amazing work to me, which I connected with instantly.

I also grew up on the ocean, and was a swimmer and diver in my early years. My father still surfs, so I have a big love of underwater photography and have been experimenting with my iPhone underwater case by Optrix. I'm honored to have a featured shot on their Instagram site a couple of times. My Pinterest page has links to some of my favorites artists.


Do you plan your shoots with an end in mind or do you shoot and decide later as you edit?

RR:  Sometimes if I’m shooting in the pool, but most of the time not. I’m a heavy editor, basically because I shoot fast and I try and cover up a lot for lack of my photographic skills. I'm very ADD, so I’m all over the place.  I shoot with two iPhones. I will shoot the same thing in lots of different apps, and filters and then see what turns outs.



I love your new series of floral images on black backgrounds. Can you share a bit about the shooting and editing process?

RR:  I live in a tree house type flat that is floor to ceiling windows. It's my fire place in the afternoon light, serves as sort of a natural black light box.




What are your favorite apps for editing?

RR:
1.  Snapseed. I do all my basic editing here. I love that they have a paste feature. My workflow is usually Crop, Automatic, Tune, Detail, and Selective Adjust tool (which is my all-time fave!). I also like the HDR feature, and my long-time favorite is Grunge. The Frames are tasteful, though I like PhotoToaster's frames the best.

2.  TouchRetouch. I touch up all the spots and obvious flaws.

3.  I have also been liking AntiCrop, along with Handy Photo's Magic Crop. I often extend the canvas and re-crop for Instagram.

4.  Adobe Photoshop Express is my new favorite app for its presets, replacing PhotoToaster, my former favorite. The sharpen and reduce noise feature rivals that of Noiseware.

5.  Blender and Filterstorm


I first saw your work at the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival in 2012. Has your work been exhibited elsewhere?

RR:  Yes, quite a few places - you can find a Pinterest board here that includes all of my published iPhoneography.


Have you ever sold your work? If not, any plans for the future? 

RR:  Yes, I have. I also do commission work. I was commissioned last year by Emmy Award winner composer Larry Groupe to shoot the cover of his original scores CD using my iPhone and am a signed artist with a book cover publishing company. I was lucky enough to get two covers this year for Mobiography. I currently have some work at The Empty Spaces Project - Putnam, CT. Also, recently I had three pieces in the Pocket Vistas exhibit in Ontario, Canada, the New Era Museum Kansas City as well as New York and Toronto galleries.



What advice would you give mobile photographers just starting out?

RR:  Shoot what you love, your everyday. Experiment...Take that unexpected angle. I’ve been told the best camera is the one you have with you, and it's digital! For those of us who are old enough to remember film, let go of the old instinct of holding back and shoot, shoot, shoot. Connect with iPhoneography groups on Flickr, Instagram and Facebook and share with your fellow artists.



Is there anything else you'd like to add?

RR:  I am so excited to be in this group of new cutting edge artists. It's so exciting to me, and I can’t help but wonder what the artists of the Modernist, Dada and Surrealist movements would have done with this this medium.




Find Robin: Website / Instagram / Flickr / Pinterest / Facebook 

Apps & Equipment Mentioned:
Optrix
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Handy Photo 
AntiCrop
Adobe Photoshop Express
PhotoToaster
Noiseware