Mobile Photographer Interview – A Day In The Life Of Maktub Street-Dog – A Fascinating And Talented Street Photographer

‘Head Shot’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Camera+, IBlurFX, Phototoaster, Photocopier, Snapseed

https://www.facebook.com/dohmen.sacha

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maktub77/

http://www.iphoneart.com/users/5044/galleries

EyeEm maktub77

Instagram maktub_street_dog

‘Scream For Your Right’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob

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

I´m up every day at 6:00 am. Then with a cup of coffee and a cigarette I check my Flickr, Eyem and Facebook feeds. After a quick look at what’s new on TheAppWhisperer and mobitog, i´m ready to go work on 7:30.

‘Bad Obsession’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

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

Over 90% of my pictures are street shots and I love it to be really early in a city to see how they awakened. It´s not for the light or so, I just love the mood.

‘Mr. Soul’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, BigLens, PhotoToaster, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob, Type-Writer, Filterstorm

How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop? (pardon the pun)

I bought my first camera, a Nikon D60, 5 years ago to photograph my holiday in Mallorca. I shoot all I see and came back with a lot of photos but especially with the knowledge that I had a lot to learn. So I bought a book from Andreas Feininger and one to learn a bit about Photoshop. From then on, there was only photography for me. Each week in the magazine shop I bought everything there was about photography. I came to iPhoneography by accident last year. One day before my annual leave, i broke the viewfinder from my Ricoh GXR (a fantastic camera), I was so accustomed to hide myself behind my camera that i was not able to take street shots and so I left my camera home.

Already at the airport I was very nervous because I could not photograph anything, then I remembered my iPhone. I took thousands of photos within three weeks, most of them not usable but I really love those shots, they were good. Back at home, I discovered in a library a book from National Geographic about iPhoneography with works of Carlein van der Beek and Richard Koci Hernandez. I was in awe. I had never heard anything about IPhoneography but I knew that´s what I wanted. I couldn’t think that my pictures would be better with any other camera.

‘My Mind Is Dangerous’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, PhotoToaster, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob, Font Art

Do you like to download new mobile photography and/or art apps regularly?

In the first 6 months, I’ve downloaded everything I have found interesting but I always use the same 10-12 apps. So I only buy now if I´m really sure that I need it.

‘Heartache & Misery’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Mextures, Polamatic, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

How often do you update your existing apps?

First I check if I need this update, then I wait a week or two to be sure there is not a bug.

’99 Shades Of Crazy (04)’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – ProShot, Snapseed, Camera+, BlurFx, PhotoCopier, ScratchCam, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

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

I find interesting people in each city of the world, so it doesn’t really matter.

‘You Talkin’ To Me?’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, ScratchCam, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

Do you also use mobile photography tool apps, such as window?

I know this app, but for my type of photography, I don´t need it.

‘Dead End Friends’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, PhotoCopier, PictureShow, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob

What are your favorite, at the moment, mobile photography/art apps and why?

My favorite app to shoot with my iPhone is Hipstamatic, it´s the easiest way to make snapshots. With my Lumia 925 I use ProShot, really crisp and I love the black and white out of phone. For the treatment I use Snapseed on really every single image.

‘I’m Mad As Hell’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, ScratchCam, Snapseed

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

I upload on Flickr, Eyeem, IPA, mobitog, Instagram and Facebook. It´s so simple and a great way to find inspiration.

‘Got To Find A Better Way’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, BigLens, Lo-Mob

Do you take photographs with your mobile device everyday?

No, I leave in a tiny village with perhaps 40 people. There it is not possible to photograph for me. I shoot only on Saturdays and holidays.

‘Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Fairest One Of All?’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Pure, BlurFX, ScratchCam, Snapseed

What are your favorite subjects?

Street portraiture in general, there are so many interesting people.

‘Insomnia And The Hole In The Universe’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Pure, Camera+, BigLens, Snapseed, PhotoCopier

What are you top five tips for mobile photography?

The first one is find your style. I see a lot of amateur photographer (not only mobile) who publish one day a portrait, one day a landscape, then a street shot, then cats or dogs… Not one is really good. Think about what you like and specialize you in this genre.

Search inspiration, buy photography books, visit galleries and exhibition. Always pose the question why do you like or don´t like a picture?

Zoom with your feet.

Learn from other, do not be shy and ask in the community for advice

The last tip is specifically for aspiring street photographers.Treat your look to not attract attention. We do not speak often of it but it´s very important. We cannot become invisible so we have to adjust our look to the surrounding street. Don´t dress flashy and don´t dress too funky. Just dress normally with neutral or dark colors and wear good shoes so you can walk far and run fast.

‘The Untouchables’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Camera+, Camera Awesome, Lo-Mob

Do you edit images on your mobile device or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?

I do everything on my iPad.

‘I Think I Smell A Rat’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Camera+, Polamatic, ScratchCam, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

Do you enjoy videography with your mobile device?

No, I´m really old-school. My iPhone and my Nokia Lumia are simple cameras. I’ll even get angry when someone calls on it. For normal use, I still have an ancient Samsung.

‘Before I Die’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – ProShot, Snapseed

Where do you see the future of mobile photography?

It´s a new step in the photography story. I´m not sure how it is in other countries, here in Belgium or Germany there are still a lot of hardcore purists for which this is not real photography. Therefore it´s always a special pleasure to me to post pictures in German photography forums, and explain later how they are made. Sometimes even the last skeptics will realize the possibilities of mobile photography.

‘Arise And Shine In Necro-City’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – ProShot, Snapseed, Camera+, PhotoCopier

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

I think art in general. You do not necessarily to buy Photoshop for thousands of euros, then a 1000-page book to understand how it works. Now you can buy just the app you need for a buck or two and it works really fine.

’99 Shades Of Crazy (01)’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – ProShot, Snapseed, BlurFX, Camera+, PhotoCopier, Filterstorm, Lo-Mob, Type-Writer

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

I definitively don´t think that. I know talented mobile photographers from anywhere in the world. In some countries more, in some countries a few less.

‘On A Lonesome Road’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, PhotoCopier, Polamatic, Filterstorm, Type-Writer

What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

Definitely one of the biggest sources when I search information and I love to discover always new artists on the site. Something positive for me, it´s not limited to the iPhone and Apple.

‘Just You And Me’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, Snapseed, BlurFX, ScratchCam, Lo-Mob, Type-Writer, Filterstorm

Hipstamatic
Snapseed
ScratchCam
Lo-Mob
Filterstorm
Type-writer
Big Lens
PhotoToaster
Font Art
Mextures
Polamatic
PictureShow
Pure
BlurFX
Camera Awesome
ProShot
Polamatic
ScratchCam

‘Born To Be Wild (colour)’ – ©Sacha Dohmen – Hipstamatic, BlurFX, Snapseed, ScratchCam

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