Mobile Photographer/Artist Interview – A Day in the Life Wayman Stairs – An Incredible Creative

You can see more of his work here:

Flickr
Eyem
Iphoneart.com
Prints

‘Wait for Us‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Filtermania 2, Scratch Cam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

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

Wayman – Most days are the same for me; I wake up before the sun rises, throw my breakfast and lunch in my backpack and then I ride my bike to the gym. After a good workout ride my bike to work and start my day. If time allows I will check my comments, messages and e-mails before I leave.

‘Childhood Memories‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Paint FX, Juxtaposer, Alien Sky, Glaze

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

Wayman – Typically my mornings are fairly busy and its hard to take pictures most of the time at work. Sometimes when the clouds are exceptional or the lighting is just right I’ll take a quick picture during the day, but this is a rare exception. Most of the pictures I take are on my bike ride home from work in the afternoon/early evening.

‘Bright Ideas Come in 3s‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Fx Photo Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Lens Light

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

Wayman – No, I actually had to google it to see what it was. I never use tools such as this, I am more of a point and shoot kind of guy. Whatever looks good or intrigues me that is what I capture.

‘Clone Rebellion‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Photo Wizard, Scratch Cam, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Glaze, Art Studio

Joanne – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography and art apps?

Wayman – Currently my favorite apps are Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Glaze and Art Rage. I use the first four in almost every one of my pieces.

‘Mass Media‘ ©Wayman Stairs — Apps used: Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Artstudio, Glaze

Joanne – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhone photographer/artist develop? (pardon the pun)

Wayman – I was never really a traditional photographer so I would say the transition was fairly simple for me. My wife was always the one taking pictures and that was to capture moments of life, kids, etc. When I first got my iPhone that was also what it was used for, taking pictures of my kids. Then that transitioned into taking those pictures and creating something with them.

‘Fishin for Trouble‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky

Joanne – Do you like to download new iPhone photography/art apps regularly?

Wayman – Yes, I download apps all the time, especially the free ones. However, my phone is only 16 GB so I do have to be somewhat selective of what I keep around. My app folders are ever changing, although I have a couple folders that I never get rid of.

‘Light, Camera, Action‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Fx Photo Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Paintfx

Joanne – How often do you update your existing apps?

Wayman – I do not like badges on my apps, not sure why, but when I see one I like to get rid of it. Therefore, once I have an update available, I do so right away or as soon as I possibly can.

‘Let the Light Flow‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Decim8, Elasticam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

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

Wayman – I have been to Yosemite, CA on a couple of occasions and each time I go back I see something new. One of my first trips was a midnight hike to the top of Half Dome, which is a Yosemite Icon that is about 5,000 feet above the valley floor and a 16 mile round trip hike. We got to the top just before sunrise, it was amazing being up there and seeing the sun rise over the mountain tops and shine on the valley below. On the way back we actually got to see all of the beautiful scenery as well, which includes a river, waterfalls, animals, and some other amazing sights.

‘Uprooted‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

Joanne – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography apps?

Wayman – Currently my favorite apps are Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Glaze and Art Rage. I use the first four in almost every one of my pieces.

‘Rediscovering One’s Self‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

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

Wayman – Currently I upload my works to Flickr, Eye-Em and iPhoneart.com for now. I used to post stuff on IG, but have since stopped. I am still there as I like to keep up with my friends on there.

‘Off to Dreamland‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Filtermania 2, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, FX Photostudio

Joanne – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

Wayman – There are some weeks when I take pictures with my phone everyday. Then there are some weeks where I won’t take a single picture. Guess it just depends on my mood or schedule. There are times where I wake up before the sun rises and get home after the sun sets.

‘Halt Who Goes There‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

Joanne – What are your favorite subjects?

Wayman – Well I like to take pictures of my kids, if I can get them to be still enough to take pictures of them. I tend to use pictures of my kids in most of my edits. I also really like to take pictures of sunsets, clouds and landscapes so that I can use them later in my creations.

‘Alone to my Thoughts: Pondering Whats Next’ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Elasticam, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky.

Joanne – How did the teaching side come along?

Wayman – Well I am a teacher and coach by profession so I guess that teaching is just in my nature.

‘Lunar Exploration‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: FX Photostudio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Rage

Joanne – What are you top five tips for iPhone photography?

Wayman – There are a couple of things I have taken to heart from my buddy Justin @jflex and they are the rules I work with when it comes to iPhone photography.

Don’t ever let anybody tell you what you can and cannot do.

Don’t let the fear of what others think, stop you from creating what you want.

I think these two are awesome tips that have always stuck with me. Another would be to experiment, its not always going to turn out how you want it, but that’s ok. Also don’t forget to have fun with what your doing. If your not having fun, then what’s the point? Lastly I would say read. There are many different helpful Iphoneography blogs/website such as theappwhisperer.com. They are great resources when it comes to app reviews and tutorials as well as the ability to learn from other iPhone photographers through interviews such as this.

‘Physically Drained‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Space Paint, Art Studio

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

Wayman – Everything I edit is done on either my iPhone 4 or my iPad. I just started using the iPad a couple months ago and it is a lot of fun. I never really use my computer for anything since getting my iPhone.

‘Turn Back the Hand of Time‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Art Studio, Glaze, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

Joanne – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

Wayman – I will take videos of my kids, but that is about it when it comes to videography for me.

‘Lost Lake‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Scratchcam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Colorsplash

Joanne – Where do you see the future of iPhone photography?

Wayman – iPhone photography is evolving all the time and I definitely see it starting to take a foothold as a viable art form, which is great to see.

‘Follow the Leader‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Juxtaposer, Filterstorm

Joanne – What do you think is the most popular area of iPhone photography?

Wayman – Not quite sure what is popular when it comes to iPhone photography.

‘Intergalactic Planetary‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Hipstamatic, Photo Forge 2, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky

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

Wayman – No I do not think it is country specific. Most platforms where I post my work, I see images from all over the world.

‘Surreal Exploration‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Procreate, Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

Joanne – What are your first impressions of the iPhone 5?

Wayman – I have no clue; I still use an iPhone 4.

‘Unplugged‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: FX Photostudio, Scratch Cam, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

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

Wayman – Joanne is great, she does so much for this community and I am really not sure how she keeps up with it all. Thanks so much Joanne for all you do. Your website is a great resource for all those involved in iPhone photography.

‘Tortoise & The Hare‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Snapseed, Filterstorm, Juxtaposer, Procreate

Filter mania 2
ScratchCam
Juxtaposer
Snapseed
Filterstorm
Alien Sky
Glaze
Paint FX
LensLight
FX Photo Studio
Art Studio
Art Rage
Decim8
Photo Wizard
ElastiCam
Space Paint
ColorSplash
Photoforge 2
Procreate
The Photographer’s Ephemeris

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