A Picture's Worth...,  Interviews,  News

A Picture’s Worth – With Cara Gallardo Weil

A Picture’s Worth… is where we ask mobile photographers that have taken or made, as the case may be, powerful mobile art to explain the processes they took. This includes their initial thoughts as to what they wanted to create, why they wanted to create it, how they created it, including all apps used and what they wanted to convey. We also ask these incredible artists to explain their emotions and how the image projects those feelings. We have published a few A Picture’s Worth articles recently, if you have missed those – please go here.

In this A Picture’s Worth today, Cara Gallardo Weil discusses the passion she feels for her absolutely spectacular image ‘Above the Clouds’ and also her capture technique.

If you would like to contribute to this section or if you have seen an image that you would like to learn more about, just email Joanne@theappwhisperer.com and we will get it all set up).

Over to you Cara… (foreword by Joanne Carter).

 

 

“I shot this image of my husband David when we were in Big Sur in California earlier this year. For those of you who are not familiar with the area it is an amazing part of Highway 1 that follows the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles. On a clear day, the views over the pacific are spectacular.
While we were there, the weather was a mixture of sunshine, rain and fog. On this particular day, the clouds were sitting very low and we were above the cloud line. It was late afternoon and I had just sunken myself into the bath when I noticed the sunlight and the silhouette of my husband in the deckchair. Knowing that the light would not be the same for long, I got out of the bath and dripped my way into the room to find my iPhone, rushed back in to the bathroom, fiddled around to get the windows open and hurriedly took some photos. The setting sun gave the clouds a rather dramatic feel, resulting in quite an ethereal image.

As with most of my photos, I used Hipstamatic to shoot the original image (Foxy lens with Sugar film and no flash). I then imported the image in to Snapseed to straighten the horizon and crop the image a little. I used XnViewFX to enhance the drama of the photo, using the ‘Tint’ filter under ‘Image’ (I used pumpkin). And lastly, because he was actually writing an email on his iPhone at the time, and the original image showed a little bit of the phone sticking out – I used TouchRetouch to edit this out in order to give the silhouette a clean line.

I feel that the image has an element of the unexpected. On a clear day, one would be sitting against of the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and the sky. The clouds make the image look a bit unreal, and if you didn’t know, you probably wouldn’t expect there to be an ocean underneath the clouds. I also like that it conveys a feeling of being on the edge of the world. For me it also evokes a sense of serenity, a happy place ‘above the clouds’”.

 

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‘Above the Clouds’ – ©Cara Gallardo Weil

Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: joanne@theappwhisperer.com

17 Comments

  • Tracy Mitchell Griggs

    Lovely image. Anyone who has never taken PCH up the coast of CA is missing one of the best drives on the planet. I took that drive many times during my 15 years in CA,

    • Cara Gallardo Weil

      Thanks Tracy! I love Big Sur – you’re right – absolutely one of the best drives on the planet! xo

  • JQ Gaines

    Cara, this is a FABULOUS image!!!… and it’s really great to learn how it came about 🙂

    • Cara Gallardo Weil

      Thank you so much JQ! I’m usually quite rubbish at remembering the steps… luckily there are not too many with this one! 😉

  • Roger Guetta

    I just want to know one thing….Is he wearing a plaid shirt? 🙂

    ….It’s a beaut, Cara!! 🙂

    • Cara Gallardo Weil

      Thanks Roger! Oh haha about the shirt 🙂 …. can’t you tell? 🙂

  • Janine Graf

    Oh Cara, this is so wonderful!! I had a good giggle too at the thought of you “dripping” your way over to grab your phone. 😀 xoxo

    • Cara Gallardo Weil

      Oh yeah… I thought you might find the ‘drip’ scene amusing 🙂 I’m sure you’ve done it too 🙂 Oh wait… you’re smart and have the phone WITH you in the bath! 🙂

      And thanks! Glad you liked it! <3

  • Maryjane Sarvis

    Wonderful Cara! I adore Big Sur and your image is a perfect depiction of not only the intense beauty but the feeling of being in the clouds. Relaxed. Breathing in the Pacific air. Love it!