Take Photo

What is your name and where do you live?

LR:  My name is Luis Rodríguez, and I live in Madrid, Spain.


How did you get started in mobile photography? What device do you use?

LR:  I started thanks to a double coincidence: I bought my first iPhone 3GS in February 2010 and 8 months later Instagram showed up. I had always been self-employed and happened to suffer the worldwide crisis and had almost no work at all. So, instead of using my energies on finding a job, I started to shoot and edit the pics on my iPhone and got hooked to mobile photography.





Do you have a traditional photography or art background?

LR:  Well, my father is an architect, but also a great traditional photographer. I grew up printing my father’s black and white pictures on Fridays, closed up in the bathroom, with the red bulb on, and smelling the strong smell of those liquids. It is something that I remember very well even though it was a long time ago. It is a memory I love.



Who or what inspires you?

LR:  Nothing but the streets, the cities and the people. I’m not interested in landscapes, sunsets, flowers, and so on (even though I shoot sometimes portraits, landscapes and sunsets). What I love most is to observe what goes around me, what I call "the life of the streets", watch the people, spot an interesting expression on somebody’s face, a look, a hand. I also love to see these things on reflected images. We are surrounded by reflections, and it is very interesting to capture them, because those reflections are not usually the same as the image in a mirror. Instead, they are always distorted. It is a different way to observe the world, a way that I find more interesting than the "straight" way our eyes see it.



I love the stories your photos create - please share how you select a scene to shoot?

LR:  I have always thought that a good photograph must be somehow beautiful. But more important than that, a good photograph must tell a story. It must make the observer think about it, keep it in his mind, remember it. The way I shoot is something very intuitive. I couldn't say exactly how I select a scene to shoot. There must be something that catches my eye. What I know is that, for the past five years, I wander around the street in a different way as I used to, always watching and with the camera of my iPhone ready to shoot. I come upon lots of different scenes, but very few interest me. It can be a face full of wrinkles, a striking coat, a couple kissing, an angry face, a lovely look. I don't know... there has to be something special... What I do know is that I am now a "voyeur" of the streets, and that's something I love. I used to be blind, now I enjoy everything that goes around me, because I’m aware of it.



Does being an architect influence your photography?

LR:  I think so, yes. In fact, before starting on "street photography" (it’s something I didn't do right from the beginning), people used to tell me that viewing my pics one could guess they had been shot by an architect. I pay attention to composition, lines, percentage of "mass" and "void". On the other hand, I think that architecture and photography are very much connected. Both are about light, composition, space - different jobs, but connected somehow. I love being an architect that has developed into a photographer.



You do a lot of work that captures reflections. Any tips for someone who would like to try their hand at this?

LR:  The most important tip is that, to capture a good reflection, the surface it is reflected on must be in the shade, and the reflected image must be lit by the sun. Those are the best conditions to me. On the other hand, if one watches carefully my reflection shots, one will see that I always try to avoid elements, objects, that reveal it is a reflection. For example, when I capture something reflected on a car’s front window, I avoid showing the lateral mirrors or the door handle. I want the observer to concentrate on the image reflected, even wonder if it is a reflection, because there’s something weird in the image.

Here’s the link to an article I wrote about reflection photography for a great German blog about mobile photography.



Do you plan your shoots or do you just capture what you see during your day to day life?

LR:  All my shots are spontaneous; I never plan anything. As I've just said, I wander with my iPhone's camera ready to shoot, and my eyes alert to everything around me. All my streets shots are what we call in Spanish "stolen" shots. That is to say, I "steal" people’s moments. In order to do that, they must not be aware that I’m capturing them. I never know what they will do next, how they will react, so I must be quick. On the other hand, I’m not a patient person at all. I’m very nervous and don’t have the patience to wait at a certain place for the right person to pass along and shoot. I should learn to do so, but I can’t. I must even admit that I never stop when I shoot candid pics, I just slow down, but almost never stop. 

Most of my street shots are taken around my place, on my way to my daughter’s school. I live right in the center of Madrid where it's always crowded, so there are always lots of things going on. I just need to open my eyes and shoot...



Do you use the native camera or another specialty camera app to shoot your images?

LR:  Well, right now I’m using Hipstamatic for my street shots. I hate square images, but I love the black and white, or colors I get with the combos I use. I don’t need to edit these pics. For any other kind of photography, I always use the native camera. I know Camera+ or ProCamera are great apps for shooting, but I must say I’m too "lazy" for that... Unlocking the native camera is so quick, that I don’t use anything else.


What are your favorite Hipstamatic Lens/Film combos?

LR:  Well, I've got four favorite combos:

For B&W I use

• Jane Lens +BlacKeys SuperGrain if there's not much contrast. That is to say, if I'm shooting something or someone that is in the shade, or if the sky is cloudy.
• JohnS + Blackeys SuperGrain if the light conditions are the opposite: strong light and strong shadow. I always use it if the weather is sunny and bright.

For Color pictures:

• Jane + Blanko. No reason at all, I just love the colors and the tones this combo gets.
• Tinto1984 + C-Type Plate. I love the mood this combo gets. You never know what's going to be in focus and what out of focus. It's so mysterious.

Is there a lot of editing done to your images? What are your favorite apps?

LR:  There’s almost no editing at all, just a few adjustments of light, color contrast and sharpness. I admit that on my last pics posted on my Instagram main account, I have edited my pics more than usual, but that's just because I’m experimenting. I may be wrong, I admit, but I have always thought that "heavy editing" is like putting on make-up. In my opinion, make-up doesn't make anyone more beautiful than without it. That's happens also with photography (at least, in my opinion). A good original image will surely be better after editing, but a bad original image will never be a good one even if you edit it.

There’s no editing on my street pics. As I've just said, I don’t need to because I use Hipstamatic just for that reason. The only thing I do is to crop the frame, which is something I don’t like, and maybe correct some lines, if the pic is not straight. Nothing else, nothing more.



I enjoyed watching the tutorials on your website - do you plan to do more? (Great explanation of FrontView which I also use as my preferred perspective correcting app)





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

LR:  I have already held five individual exhibitions of my work. Never at art galleries (I’m afraid mobile photography doesn't interest galleries in Spain yet), but on the walls on a very nice pub in the same street I live on. Some of them have been very successful. And yes, I have sold some pictures. And I have really nice stories behind those sales, like a German woman who was passing by, saw the pics from the outside and decided to buy two the same day she was returning to Germany. Or that I have three pics in the house of a famous interior designer in L.A... Anyway, I must say that I don’t hold exhibitions to earn money (In fact, what I earn is to pay the printings, frames and stuff for the opening day), but to share and let people know my work, especially on social networks. And one more reason, a pic printed on paper is always much more beautiful than on the screen of a computer or mobile device. I’m always touched when I see for the first time my pics printed on paper, even though I know them by heart.



Do you have any advice to give aspiring mobile photographers?

LR:  Yes, one: thanks to mobile photography I have learned to watch the world in a different way than I used to. I am now an observer, a voyeur, I pay attention to things I had never paid attention to before. Of course, one doesn’t need a mobile device to observe the world, but it is true that, in my case, it’s been thanks to my iPhone that I see things in a different way now.

So, I would encourage aspiring mobile photographers to have their mobile device always ready to shoot. You never know when a "possible" good photograph will show up, so be ready. Don’t be afraid to shoot. One learns from other people, so view as many good photographs as possible. The mobile device is a marvelous "thing" that has come to our lives in the last years. It is so handy, light and easy to use. Use it and shoot, shoot, shoot, that’s the only way to learn. And don’t be afraid to get hooked on mobile photography, it’s wonderful.


Is there anything else you'd like to add?

LR:  Not much. Just something I’ve just said. Mobile photography has changed my life and the way I watch the world. I’m grateful for it.


Find Luis: Instagram / Instagram-Street / Website / Flickr 

Apps Mentioned:
Hipstamatic

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

What is your name and where do you live?

VR:  My name is Vassilis Rogakos. I was born and live in Athens, Greece.


How did you get started in mobile photography? What device do you use?

VR:  I resisted getting a cell phone for a very long time, but I was introduced to Instagram through my good friend (@blackbirdtales) and he set up an account for me about one year ago. Then I bought my first iPhone 5S in August 2014 and I am still using it. Its simplicity was a relief. I was amazed how easy taking and editing my photos on my iPhone turned out to be. That’s how I got hooked on mobile photography.

Midnight in China Town

Spiral

Do you have a traditional photography or art background?

VR:  No, none at all. I had music lessons for six years in my childhood, but I studied chemistry and I am a chemist by profession. So photography and generally all forms of artistic expression is a way to activate the other parts of my brain more than I do in my daily work. Photography and mobile editing is mostly self-taught, although I do have a lot of help from my friends who are very talented and wonderful artists and photographers.

Mr. Gasoline

Steam

Who or what inspires you?

VR:  Mainly the people and secondly cities and landscapes. I like to watch people on the streets and try to imagine their emotions and feelings. There are many stories we could see if we just opened our eyes.

When I feel I start to lose inspiration I open photography books and consume imagery from world-class photographers such as Francesca Woodman, Diane Arbus, Duane Michals, Andre Kertesz. There are so many great artists that it would be hard to list them all. I love to spend a day in an art museum or in galleries and exploring all it has to offer.

In addition, there are dozens of contemporary mobile photographers that I am constantly inspired by and I am hesitant to start a list, but I would like to mention at least Tony Nahra (@tonyinseattle) for his imaginary landscapes, Valeria Cammareri (@_soulkitchen_) for her artistic vision of everyday life and of course Richard Koci Hernandez (@koci) for his urban melancholy.

The Suitcase

Deep Listening

With the exception of one color photo that I found while looking through your Instagram gallery, all of your images are in black and white. Why black and white?

VR:  It’s very difficult for me to handle color in photography, so black and white was the only choice. My first photographs were so dark with high contrast, so that it was an easy step. Of course my cultural background (film noir, B&W masters of photography) also played a role.

Time Stood Still

Family Affair

Do you shoot in black and white with a camera app or do you make the conversion afterwards in the editing process?

VR:  I have experimented with some B&W apps (Hipstamatic, Hueless, Provoke), but I prefer to shoot in color and convert to B&W as part of the editing process. I believe that this method gives me a lot of flexibility over tonal values when converting to B&W.

When I Grow Up...

Shadows at Sunnyside

A lot of your images contain a solitary figure. Are these composite images where you add the figure afterwards?

VR:  It depends on how lucky I am to capture the right moment. Sometimes it just happens in front of my eyes, but often it takes time to find the right location and wait for someone to appear in the scenery. 

In about 30% of my images I add the figures afterwards. Usually I photograph interesting silhouettes late in the afternoon or early in the morning. The protagonist is always a human being.

I've Seen it Before

Monkey on His back

I would characterize your images as dramatic and moody. Any tips for composing an image for a dramatic effect?

VR:  This is a great compliment for me. I am not even sure what to call my style but I believe absence of color, clean backgrounds, great light and the solitude of the figures create this dramatic atmosphere.

Street Scenery

Endless Summer

Describe a typical workflow for your editing process including your favorite apps.

VR:  I always shoot with ProCamera or Camera+. For post-processing (using an iPad) I start with Snapseed for the basics and from then on it depends on the image. I love using Mextures and Stackables for texture and tones. For sophisticated editing I use Filterstorm Neue or Enlight and for top quality film filters I use VSCO Cam.


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

VR:  No I haven’t yet, but there is discussion with a local bar-gallery which wants to do a show with my work. Let’s see what happens.

Lost at Richard Serra Sculptures

Decay

What is the best advice you ever received regarding either mobile photography or photography in general?

VR:  Go out and start visiting locations and shoot!! Capture anything that moves you and tells a story...

Smell of Fear

Real Life

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

VR:  As a big fan of Art of Mob, Geri, this has been an incredible honor. Thank you so much for this interview. Your site is always an inspiration. I am grateful.

Strange Times

Find Vassilis: Instagram 

Apps Mentioned:
Hipstamatic
Hueless
Provoke Camera
ProCamera 8 + HDR
Camera+
Snapseed
Mextures
Stackables
Filterstorm Neue
Enlight
VSCO Cam