A Day In The Life Of Lene Basma – Another Incredibly Talented iPhone Photographer
Welcome to our exciting new column on theappwhisperer.com, this section is entitled ‘A day in the life of …’ and we’ll be taking a look some hugely influential and interesting people in the mobile app world. Ones that we think you will love to learn more about.
This is our third installment to our new series, we previously published ‘A Day In The Life Of Ernesto Diaz’, if you missed that you can read it here and ‘A Day In The Life Of Veevs’, you can read that here.
Kicking us off today is Lene Basma another iPhone photographer that has caught our attention because of her thrilling and quite brilliant images. Lene lives in Norway, out in the country, 50 KM outside of Oslo with her thirteen year old son and new partner, also a passionate iPhone Photographer, Johnny Ecko aka squarepixel.
Professionally, Lene is an Architecture/Urbanism Major and in the course of her education has lived and studied both in the US and Berlin. Following several years working as a private consultant, Lene is now working on a PhD at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
Lene started her journey with iPhone photography in the fall of 2010, in many ways accidentally, following a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in 2008 and being forced to reduce her workload by 50%. The isolation and distance that this diagnosis meant to her professional and personal life in turn helped her seek creative outlets and she started making composite images in Photoshop, then in 2010 the iPhone became her constant companion.
Lene has been shortlisted in one of the categories of the MPA Competition, reached the Honorable Mention category in IPA’s annual Grant Award, her work has been exhibited in Naples at the first WiAM exhibition and also received attention in Miami for her image ‘Stepping Out Of The Frame".
To Lene and I know she speaks for most of us, she feels that the most important thing that iPhone Photography has brought to her is the people she has met all around the world, that she now calls her friends. In October 2011 Lene and Johnny visited Berlin and went on a photo walk with people they had only ‘met’ through Instagram, they had a ball! These people and experiences have enriched her life in a way that is unique to iPhone Photography, I am sure we all know exactly what Lene means.
We have published some of Lene’s great images below and included exif data, in as much as the app or apps that were used to create the final image. As many of the images were post-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.
Check out the full interview below…
(If you would like to be interviewed for our new ‘A day in the life of …’ section, just send us an email and we’ll get it set up).
First Things First…
Copyright Image ‘Standing Out Amongst The Crowd’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, BlurFX, ScratchCam, Noir
JC – Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?
LB – I wake up, make breakfast for me and my son and drive him to school. After that I sit down with my morning coffee and either work on images, or follow up my accounts, uploading and interacting with iPhone photography friends on IG, Flickr, IPA or Facebook, before I start writing…
Photographer vs iPhone Photographer
Copyright Image ‘Stepping Out Of The Frame**’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, IrisPhotoStudio, PicBlender, PictureShow,
LensLight
** Shown in the Visual Dialogs Show at the LunchBoxGallery in Miami, 7.-11. March 2012
JC – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhone photographer develop? (pardon the pun).
LB – It never did… (laughs), because I have never really taken pictures with anything other than the iPhone. In my case, it is rather the other way around… because my partner is a photographer turned iPhone Photographer we have a Canon 5D Mark II and the last month I have actually tried to shoot with a ‘big’ camera a couple of times… Always apping on the iDevice though…
New Apps…
Copyright Image ‘Moving Prison’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, Blur FX, Blender
JC – Do you like to download new iPhone photography apps regularly?
LB – I have so, so, so many photo apps – over a hundred… In the beginning I downloaded everything, but over the years, I have gotten more particular. I guess my wallet thanks me for that :).
Magic Hour…
Copyright Image ‘The Departure’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, PhotoForge2, WeatherFX, IrisPhotoStudio
JC – When is your favorite part of the day for taking photographs, do you hanker for the magic hour or shoot whenever the opportunity arises?
LB – Because I do not make a living from taking or making images, and/or shoot with the iPhone, my pictures are usually taken when I am on my way to do something else. I take pictures always, at breakfast, stopping when going somewhere, when I am out walking, in cafes etc, etc. Every once in a while though, my partner and I will look out the window, especially on foggy days, or days with other fascinating lighting conditions, and consciously pack our camera equipment to go shoot…
Updates…
Copyright Image ‘Masqued*’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, PhotoForge2, IrisPhotoStudio
* Shown in the first WiAM (World iPhoneArt Movement) exhibition in Naples, 24. – 26. February 2012.
JC – How often do you update your existing apps?
LB – Every time an update is available, unless word from the community is out that it has snags and one should wait.
Location, Location, Location…
Tools…
Copyright Image ‘Fading Beauty’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, InfiniCam
JC – Do you also use iPhone photography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris to help you plan shoots?
LB – No… I only use different camera and post-processing apps.
Sharing Images…
Copyright Image ‘Walking In Squares And Lines’** by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, IrisPhotoStudio, PicBlender, Decim8,
** Shown in the Visual Dialogs Show at the LunchBoxGallery in Miami, 7.-11. March 2012
JC – Where do you like to upload your photographs? Flickr, Instagram?
LB – I have accounts all over the place :), mostly I use Instagram – have been since the beginning -, Facebook and Flickr, but I also have an account at IPA, where I upload my best apped/collage works, and I recently started over with Eyeem, in order to showcase my B&W images.
Favorite Apps…
Copyright Image ‘Just Letting The World Pass By’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, BlurFX, SnapSeed
JC – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography apps?
LB – I have many, currently my favorites are:
Camera Apps: ProCam, Lomora2, Hipstamatic, Slowshutter
Post Processing: Blender, Blur FX, ScratchCam, LoMob, IrisPhotoStudio, PhotoForge2
Favorite Subjects…
Copyright Image ‘Looking For Da ‘Light’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, IrisPhotoStudio, LensLight
JC – What are your favorite subjects that you seek out?
LB – I take pictures of everything, but based on the work I have done so far, I would have to say my son, people and mannequins.
Frequency…
Top Tips For Mobile Photography…
Copyright Image ‘The Days When The World Seemed To Be Turning Their Back At You’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, PhotoForge2, SketchClub, Blender, IrisPhotoStudio
JC – What are you top five tips for iPhone photography?
LB – I guess I only have one tip:
Get out there and get your hands dirty :). It is a very open scene with room and groups for everyone, from someone who “just” wants to take pictures of and share their everyday life, to people (like myself) who wants that, but also has artistic ambitions.
I naively enough, believe that people being creative, regardless of the level, helps make the world a better place, and iPhone photography is a fantastic outlet with a low threshold (´everybody´ has a mobile phone) and there is plenty of room to develop and take it wherever you want.
Editing…
Copyright Image ‘The Inevitable Bitching’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, PhotoForge2, WeatherFX, IrisPhotoStudio
JC – Do you edit images on your iPhone or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?
LB – I always edit on my iPhone or on an iPad.
Videography…
Copyright Image ‘I Would LIke You To Dry My Tears’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, Blender, IrisPhotoStudio, ScratchCam, RainyDaze
JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?
LB – I have just started making short gif´s and animations of my images. Would love to do more of that in the future! So far I have experimented with Giffer and Animoto…
Future Of iPhone Photography?
Copyright Image ‘It’s Ok, You Can Walk Away’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, ProCam, BlurFX, ScratchCam, Blender
JC – Where do you see the future of iPhone photography?
LB – I guess as with all new art forms it will develop and get more professional, but perhaps also more divided into different camps, exposing a greater difference, i.e. between image taking, as in street photography and image making, where one relies more heavily on post-processing and collage techniques. But I do hope it will always be characterized by the same spirit of community and sharing as it is now.
Popularity…
Copyright Image ‘Color Me Beautiful*’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, CropSuey, IrisPhotoStudio, 3DPhoto, PictureShow
* Shown in the first WiAM (World iPhoneArt Movement) exhibition in Naples, 24. – 26. February 2012.
JC – What do you think is the most popular area of iPhone photography?
LB – Hard to say, even though my heart is closest to the rather heavy post processing/collage part of the scene, I work within all areas, street, nature, buildings and lately also appstracts, where we make pure abstract images using apps on an iDevice. My impression is that a lot of people work in the same way. But perhaps the street scene is the largest, I am not quite sure…
Where In The World…?
Copyright Image ‘What If The World Keeps Falling Apart’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, IrisPhotoStudio, Diptic, LoMob
JC – Do you think it’s country specific, are some nations more clued up?
LB – As far as the street scene is concerned, I see some signs of clusters, i.e in Australia and Singapore, but what primarily characterizes the iPhone Photography scene, at least for me, is that it is worldwide, born out of, and feeding on, the idea of sharing and taking images with others (which also is the bearing concept behind both IG and Eyeem).
Public Places…
Copyright Image ‘Urban Shot Asker’ by Lene Basma, apps used and in sequential order, iPhoneCam, CropSuey, Noir, Camera+
JC – Have you ever had any ‘problems’ taking images in public places?
LB – I haven´t been doing that much street photography, but the little I have done, I have never gotten into trouble, am working on being less ‘obvious’ though…
iPhone 5…
TheAppWhisperer.com
JC – What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?
LB – Rather a new acquaintance for me, I started to read it after my iPhone photography friend Ernesto Diaz was featured in “A day in the life of…”, but both the web page and the contact we have had as a result of me being featured here, comes across as extremely professional and knowledgable – personally I regard it as part of a series of fantastic experiences that I have been blessed with since I became involved with the iPhone photography scene a year and a half ago.
JC – Thank you Lene, we couldn’t agree more and the feeling is quite mutual.
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]
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9 Comments
Laurence Zankowski
joanne,
Lene,
This article inspired me enough to get my scanner out of storage and play…
Laurence
Joanne Carter
That’s wonderful to hear Laurence, we’re going to be doing a lot more of these, so prepare to be motivated 😉
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