Mobile phone photographer wins prize for ‘model-like’ image of Doc Martin’s Port Isaac
A surreal and captivating image of one of Cornwall’s favourite spots – and the setting for the popular TV series Doc Martin – has beaten the competition to win the South West Coast Path Motographer of the Year 2013 competition, designed to capture a moment in time on the UK’s longest National Trail.
The winning shot was taken on a mobile phone by photographer Bob Small, and chosen by the South West Coast Path team from a shortlist of entrants who submitted their images via Social Media. The runner-up prize went to Nikki Theopil for her shot of walkers taking on a steep incline at Lulworth Ranges in Dorset, which was chosen by award leader of BA Photography at Falmouth University, Deborah Baker, who has worked with artists including Mary Ellen Mark and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Bob Small, a professional photographer who is better known for his more traditional landscape photographs of the Coast Path, said: “I took this shot of Port Isaac on my iPhone using the panorama function, then I used a ’tilt shift’ app to give the focus effect that makes the view look model-like. I always take shots with a phone while I’m out and about as it geo-tags the location and it’s also something I can share straight away on social media.”
Mark Owen, South West Coast Path National Trail Officer, says: “The trend for mobile phone photography, or ‘motography’ as it has become known, is becoming more popular as a result of the improved quality of smart phone cameras and the availability of picture orientated social media apps. Mobile devices actually account for 25 per cent of the digital photos taken these days – so we wanted to reflect that and encourage people to get out and about on the Coast Path and capture not just the spectacular view but points of interest along the way. It was hard to pick a winner but this photo immediately caught our eye as it has a quirky, almost surreal quality to it.”
Deborah Baker, from Falmouth University, chose the runner-up for its “different aspect of the Coast Path away from the sea. The hikers appear very determined, stoically climbing what must be a steep incline due to the angle of their bodies. The sky is a strong colour and the clouds are very distinct. I also enjoyed the windswept terrain and thought it was very typical without being overtly romantic.”
This is the first year the competition has run and it complements the prestigious annual South West Coast Path landscape photography competition, which attracts high-quality contributions from both amateurs and professionals alike. It’s not too late to enter as the deadline is 31 December 2013.
To find out more about the South West Coast Path Photo Competition and for details of this year’s judge Ben Osborne’s Wildlife and Nature photography masterclass, visit www.southwestcoastpath.com/photo-competition
Joanne Carter
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: [email protected]
