A Day In The Life Of ...

A Day In The Life Of The Talented And Inspirational Mobile Photographer Elisa Verdirosi

Welcome to our very exciting new column on theappwhisperer.com. This section entitled ‘A day in the life of …’ is where we’ll be taking a look at some hugely influential, interesting and accomplished individuals in the mobile photography world. People that we think you will love to learn more about.

This is the twenty fourth installment of the series; you can read the others here, if you have missed any so far. Today we are featuring Elisa Verdirosi, a Modern Literature student with a passion for photography. Elisa is originally from Rome, but now lives 70km away in Rieta, in the exact center of Italy. Elisa started with film then bought her first DSLR, a Canon EOS 550D with a 18-55mm kit lens 18 months ago.

After attending a photography course at her local youth center she became somewhat disillusioned with her abilities. ‘I learnt so much in a very short period of time and my skills didn’t seem to match the theory’, she says. But, with determination Elisa researched online articles, watched documentaries and read as many books on the subjects of exposure and composition she could find. ‘Finally, I felt like all that thinking and reading started to make sense and I began taking pictures again’, Elisa adds. It was during that time Elisa came across Lisa Bettany’s blog (the co-creator of Camera+) and was intrigued by the quality of mobile photography and the range and potential of apps. That was just two months ago…

 

Check out the full interview below…

We have included the app or apps that were used to create the final image, and as many of the images were cross processed we have listed the apps in the sequential order they were used in the editing process. We have also provided links for each app to the iTunes App Store, just incase you’re inspired enough to try them out for yourself as well as accessories used.

You can find all the links at the end of this article.

(If you would like to be interviewed for our new ‘A day in the life of …’ section, just send an email to Joanne@theappwhisperer.com, and we’ll get it set up.)

First Things First…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Angel’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, PhotoToaster, CameraDream, ProCamera.

JC – Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?

EV – Coffee and email, that’s my way of waking up. I follow a lot of blogs, mostly about photography, so a quick check of the news can easily take an hour of my time.

Magic Hour…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Bridge’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, ScratchCam

JC – Do you like to head out and take photographs early on?

EV – Oh, no. I’m quite a lazy person, you’ll hardly see me climbing a mountain at 6 am trying to get the perfect shot of the sunrise. If I’m looking for good light conditions, I’ll most likely wait for the sunset.

Photographer vs Mobile Photographer…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Busy Ants’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, ScratchCam

JC – How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop?

EV – While searching the internet for articles and tutorials about photography, I stumbled on an iPhoneographer’s blog and I was shocked by the quality and beauty of her pictures. Then I learnt that I could download apps that would allow me to set the focus, change the exposure and so on… That made me finally decide to get an iPhone and experiment with it.

New Apps…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Cloudy Day’. Apps used – ProHDR, edited with Camera+, ProCamera.

JC – Do you like to download new mobile photography apps regularly?

EV – I love it. I constantly check for new app releases and I have a wide wishlist, although I often end up using the same 5 apps for everything.

Updates…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Different Kinds of Old’. Apps used – Canon EOS 550D – Edited with Camera+ and Lo-Mob.

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

EV – I do it regularly, for now. Perhaps I’ll slow down in the next weeks… I’m still a newbie.

Location, Location, Location…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Drive’. Apps used – Camera+, edited it with Camera+ (Vibrance and So Emo filters), ProCamera

JC – Where’s your favorite place in the world for a shoot?

EV – Whenever I want to shoot seriously with my DSLR I head to the countryside. I’ve always loved nature and the landscapes around my hometown are amazing. Since I started using the iPhone, though, I began to experiment with new subjects and focused on different things. Architecture, people… I’m interested in everything I see. If I had to name a specific place, I’d probably pick Rome. The light there, especially at sunset, is always amazing.

Tools Of The Trade…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Eastern Mood’. Apps used – Camera+, edited it with PhotoToaster

JC – Do you also use mobile photography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris?

EV – I don’t use that specific tool, but I have an app that calculates the magic hour time.

JC – If so, do you use them to plan you shoot?

EV – I do it sometimes.

Favorite Apps…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Forget Me Not’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with Camera+ Snapseed and Scratcham.

JC – What are your favorite mobile photography apps currently?

EV – For shooting I mostly use Camera+, and sometimes Hipstamatic or Pro-HDR. For editing, at the moment I’m in love with Camera+, Magic Hour, Lo-Mob, PhotoToaster and Snapseed.

Sharing…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘French Mood’. Apps used – Camera+ – Edited with Camera+ and CameraDream.

JC – Where do you like to upload your photographs? Flickr, Instagram?

EV – I always upload them on Flickr.

Frequency…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Go’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, Decim8, MagicHour

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

EV – Not everyday, but almost. If nothing catches my attention, I’ll just shoot random objects to experiment with different apps and learn new tricks.

Favorite Subjects…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Kiss From a Rose’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with Camera+ and
MagicHour

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

EV I always had a passion for nature and details. And old-looking things. Show me a rusty fence or a shabby door and I will have to stop and take a picture of it, no matter what.

Top Five Tips…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Lonely’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, Snapseed

JC – What are you top five tips for mobile photography?

EV – Probably the best advise I can give is to feel free and enjoy it. Don’t be afraid to take risks, to ask someone to pose for you, to be judged by people around you. Have fun and keep shooting; always be aware of your limits but also know that you can reach your goals if you really work hard for it. That’s something I have to remind myself almost daily; with photography it’s easy to feel disappointed and think of giving up if your work doesn’t match your ideal.

Editing…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Noir’. Apps used – Camera+ – Edited with Camera+ and Phototoaster

JC – Do you edit images on your iPhone or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?

EV – I always edit on the iPhone the pictures I shoot with the iPhone. For DSLR photos, I use programs such as Photoshop or Lightroom on my laptop.

Videography…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Pidegeons and Crumbs’. Apps used – Camera+ – Edited with Camera+

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

EV – I always thought I would make videos too at some point, but it never happened. I guess that’s just not my thing.

The Future Of Mobile Photography…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Pink Blush’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with MagicHour

JC – Where do you see the future of mobile photography heading?

EV – From what I have seen lately, it might take a different direction from classic photography and become a new form of abstract art. It’s not what I plan to do, but it will be interesting to see where this might lead.

Popularity…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Pink Explosion’. Apps used – Camera+ – and Olloclip – Edited with Camera+ and IrisPhotoSuite

JC – What do you think is the most popular area of mobile photography?

EV – Perhaps there isn’t just one. With an iPhone you can take pictures of anything, anywhere, and consequently the subjects are so various. But of course, one area that thoroughly benefits from its charachteristics is definitely street-photography.

Where In The World…?

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Psyche’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, PhotoToaster

JC – Do you think it’s country specific, are some nations more clued up?

EV – I’ve come across the most amazing photos on Flickr and blogs and they all came from different countries. I think it’s global.

iPhone 5…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Rain’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with Camera+

JC – What do you hope for in the iPhone 5?

EV – I actually just bought my iPhone 4s and I’m going to use it for 2 years, so my hopes are all on the iPhone 7 😉
Trying to keep it realistic, I’d like it if Apple would allow us to set our favourite app as default camera. And, of course, a long lasting battery!

TheAppWhisperer.com…

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Scratched’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+

JC – What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

EV – I discovered Joanne’s site a few weeks ago, when I started downloading apps, and I find it very interesting and full of useful tips. I especially love her interviews, it’s so good to have an insight of other photographers’s work.

Complete Links To All The Apps Used And Mentioned In This Article

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Slaughterhouse – 1’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+ and PhotoToaster

Camera+
Camera Dream
Decim8
Iris Photo Suite
LoMob
Magic Hour
ProHDR
ProCamera
Pixlr’o’matic PLUS
PhotoCopier
PhotoToaster
ScratchCam FX
Snapseed

Additional Images

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Small World’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, Lo-Mob and PhotoToaster

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Soft’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with Camera+, Lo-Mob, PhotoToaster

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Spinning the Wheel’. Apps used – Camera+ and Olloclip, edited with Camera+, Lo-Mob, PhotoToaster

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘Sunny Road’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Pixlr’o’matic, Camera+, PhotoPower

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Copyright Image – Elisa Verdirosi – ‘The River’. Apps used – Camera+, edited with Camera+, MagicHour, Snapseed

Kevin Carter is Head of Technical Hardware for theappwhisperer.com as well as ED of Digital Journal of Photography (DJP). Not one to sit still for long, Kevin is also a Professional Photographer and Technical Editor/Lens Guru for a number of technology and photography titles. These include the British Journal of Photography, Professional Photographer, Digital Photo Pro, DSLR User, Digital Photographer, CNET UK, PhotographyBLOG, MacUser and PC PRO, as well as PC Format and MacFormat, among others. Recently he became the Lead Technical Editor for DxOMark.

5 Comments

  • Kim martino

    Refreshing to see a “newbie”. This should inspire everyone who is considering mobile photography! AWSOME images!

    • Joanne Carter

      Thank you for posting that comment Kim, it’s really important. I know that Elisa was a little ‘worried’ about being featured here as she is so new to iPhone Photography but I wanted her to feel that she could express herself/her work here. I want to help and encourage anyone who is interested in iPhone photography whether they’ve just started and have awesome talent or if they’ve been doing it for a long time and are talented too. Thank you for understanding that concept in what I’m trying to do here.