A Day In The Life Of Jeanette Serrat – An Incredibly Talented iPhone Photographer – One Of The Best!
Welcome to our very 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 ninth installment to our new series, you can read the others here, if you have missed them so far. Kicking us off today is Jeanette Serrat. Originally from Sweden, Jeanette moved to the US in 2002 and lives in a South Jersey suburb just outside Philadelphia with her husband, a cat and three(!) SAAB’s.
Jeanette studied graphic design at college, but does not work within the field (as she doesn’t have a degree), but she confides those studies have helped her as an artist. Monday through Friday she spends most of her time stuck in an office doing clerical accounting work, which makes her really look forward to her hobbies.
When she gets some free time Jeanette enjoys being creative, and since she bought an iPhone, her interest in iPhone photography and also DSLR photography, has really increased, especially during the past year. Music has also always been a great interest to Jeanette and she plays ukulele, keyboards and writes her own music. In the past, she has also dabbled with some jewelry making, drawing and painting.
Jeanette does most of her photo editing either on the train to/from work, or in the evening at home with the cat in her lap…she often stays up very late doing this! Very often she then discovers she’s hungry and will most definitely snack on cheese curls. They are a necessity!
Jeanette reminds herself that she should be a bit more physically active and use the elliptical machine she has at home…it’s collecting dust, but she has yet to commit to regular exercise, lol.
Jeanette’s work has been displayed in various exhibits in the US and outside. Currently Jeanette is very excited to have two of her images included in an juried exhibit at an art festival in Oregon this summer.
Check out the full interview below…
We have 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 cross 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.
(If you would like to be interviewed for our new ‘A day in the life of …’ section, just send an email to [email protected], and we’ll get it set up.
First Things First…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Withering Beauty’ – Snapseed, Pixlromatic, Photoforge2, King Camera
JC – Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?
JS – I drag myself out of bed around 7am, usually after the 4th snooze or when my hubby calls “you gotta get up, honey”. He’s the early bird, I’m definitely not! I proceed to the kitchen where I grab my obligatory cup of coffee and sit down in my office/creative space/music studio (yeah, it’s a mess) to read my email and browse FB and maybe iPhoneart.com. I’ll check a horoscope site or two for suggested “colors of the day”, so I can decide what the heck to wear, lol. Then, a quick a shower and it’s off to work. That’s pretty much my routine Monday through Friday.
Magic Hour…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Twentythree’ – Snapseed, Jazz
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?
JS – Since I’m not a morning person, I tend to do most of my shoots at lunch time during the week and late afternoon until dusk on the weekends. I love the early light though, it’s really ideal….I wish I would take advantage of it more often!
Photographer vs iPhone Photographer
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Alternate reality’ – Snapseed, Dynamic Light, Pixlromatic
JC – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhone photographer develop? (pardon the pun).
JS – Puns are all good 🙂 For me, iPhone photography actually became a catalyst for my photography hobby. I’ve always had the interest, but it really took off when I got my iPhone. It’s now my favorite creative tool. It’s always with me and I can do editing on the go…but I also now own a DSLR, so I’m simultaneously exploring both worlds. Trying to comprehend the technical aspects of photography is somewhat overwhelming but worth a shot (here we go..another pun).
New Apps…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Colorful Solo’ – Snapseed, Dynamic Light, Arista, Old Photo Pro
JC – Do you like to download new iPhone photography apps regularly?
JS – So many apps, so little memory! I don’t download new apps as often as I did in the past. My phone is a 16GB iPhone4 and I have over 80 photo apps installed on it. Then there’s all the songs, videos, recording apps etc. Music is also very important to me. I’m looking forward to upgrading to a larger capacity model in the future.
Updates…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Decay City’ – Snapseed, HDR FX, Photowizard
JC – How often do you update your existing apps?
JS – Regularly and as soon as I see the notifications on the App Store app.
Location, Location, Location…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Delicate Beauty’ – 6×6, Pixlromatic
JC – Where’s your favorite place in the world for a shoot?
JS – I have always dreamed of going to Tuscany, Italy….ka-ching! It may remain a fantasy, lol. Puerto Rico is a place I would love to re-visit. There’s so much beauty and diversity…a really exciting location for photography. Last time we were there, my only camera was a point-and-shoot. With new gear comes new experiences! This summer, we’re taking a trip to New Orleans…never been there before so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll probably end up with hundreds, if not thousands of pictures!
Tools Of The Trade…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Feng Shui’ – Snapseed, Modern Grunge, FX Photostudio, Jazz, Photowizard
JC – Do you also use iPhone photography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris?
JS – No, I didn’t even know about that app. I have something called the Blue Hour App, it’s useful for timing evening shots.
Favorite Apps…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘iMoney’ – Touch Retouch, Snapseed, Photowizard
JC – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography apps?
JS – I have a lot of favorites, but I’ll try to narrow it down. Snapseed is probably my number one, because it’s always my go-to app for the initial editing stage. The ambiance setting and the selective tuning are really great features. For shooting, I use Camera +, Classic Pan, Hipstamatic (for B&W shots especially), 6×6 and 6×7. Some of my favorite processing apps are Photo Wizard, King Camera, Pic Grunger, Vintage Scene, Pixlromatic, Modern Grunge, Color Blast, ScratchCam and a more recent one called Jazz.
Sharing…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Junk in trunk’ – Snapseed, King Camera, Photowizard, FX Photostudio
JC – Where do you like to upload your photographs? Flickr, Instagram?
JS – I upload most of my work to iPhoneart.com, but I also use Flickr and FB for that purpose. Even though the Instagram app served as an introduction to iPhoneography for me, I’ve never got involved in the IM community. I only used it to shoot pictures that I later shared on FB. There’s so many sites…it would be a full-time job trying to keep up with them all!
Frequency…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Passage’ – 6×6, Snapseed, Photowizard
JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone every day?
JS – Not necessarily, but I try to do it as often as I can.
Favorite Subjects…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Personally Potted Palm’ – Perfect P.M., Phosphorescence, Hipstamatic,
JC – What are your favorite subjects?
JS – I’m all over the place regarding subjects. The beauty of nature, sunsets, birds, flowers and such is something I treasure, but I’m also very fascinated by ugliness…old buildings, junk cars…things in decay. More recently, I’ve also tried to do some street photography. Being a rather timid person, it kind of scares me. I’m afraid of getting caught! Lol. But it is fun.
Top Five Tips…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Philly scene’ – 6×6
JC – What are you top five tips for iPhone photography?
JS – Try to use apps like Camera + or similar that allow you to control exposure…it’s hard to fix a heavily over or underexposed image. When you’re in a hurry and trying to capture the moment, use 6×6 or 6×7, they are faster than most other shooting apps. Composition is crucial, but don’t think about it for too long, or you might miss the opportunity. Don’t stick to one style experiment! My last tip would be to invest in a couple of inexpensive gadgets that would make life easier: A tripod attachment in low light situations you will most likely need it. A external power pack so you can shoot for hours without worries!
Editing…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Rainy morning at Rittenhouse’ – Snapseed
JC – Do you edit images on your iPhone or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?
JS – I edit all my images on the iPhone. When I want to print my work, I bring it in to Lightroom, where I also can up-size it, if needed.
Videography…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Sorry we’re closed’ – Touch Retouch, Snapseed, Photowizard, Scratchcam
JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?
JS – I haven’t really done any, except for some silly clip of my cat, lol. I like the vintage feel you get from the 8mm and iSuper8 apps, but high definition video can really hog the memory, so I’ll have to wait until I get a new phone before I can really explore videography.
The Future Of iPhone Photography…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘The river was still’ – FX PhotoStudio, King Camera
JC – Where do you see the future of iPhone photography?
JS – It’s a new and exciting movement, and I really hope it will become more and more accepted and appreciated as an art form outside of the iPhoneography community. I’m hoping to see more exhibits and contests, both here in the US and internationally, to help the art reach a wider audience.
Popularity…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘The secret garden’ – Photo Toaster, Pic Grunger
JC – What do you think is the most popular area of iPhone photography?
JS – I see a lot of collages, “selfies” and street photography.
Where In The World…?
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Three in flight’ – Snapseed, Photo Wizard, Foto Muse
JC – Do you think it’s country specific, are some nations more clued up?
JS – Aside from the US, there’s a lot of great iPhoneography work coming from Europe.
iPhone 5…
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Until spring dawns’ – Snapseed, Artista Haiku, King Camera, Photo Toaster, Pic Grunger, Pixlromatic
JC – What do you hope for in the iPhone 5?
JS – An improved camera with a better lens and more megapixels. Something else I would love to see…don’t know if it’s possible but..if there was a way to assign the quick access button on the lock screen to any camera app of your choice…Now that would be awesome!
TheAppWhisperer.com
Copyright Image, Jeanette Serrat – ‘Watching’ – Snapseed, Percolator
JC – What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?
JS -Great site for everything mobile app related…I’m glad I discovered it. Thanks so much Joanne for this opportunity, it was a great joy and I’m really honored to be included in this line-up of such talented iPhoneographers!
7 Comments
Rich...!
Hey there,
I really love this feature, thanks. Please consider including, where relevant, the photographer’s Instagram username. I would dig to follow a lot of these peeps.
Janine Graf
It was really wonderful to learn more about Jeanette! I had no idea she was so multi-talented! A truly well-rounded artist and a wonderful person to boot!
Jeanette Serrat
Janine, thanks for your sweet comment! Rich, glad you liked it…I’m not on Instagram though, but I do have a flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeanette_serrat/
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Tracy Mitchell Griggs
Just catching up on older columns, guess I missed this first time around. Nice work, and enjoyed your web site galleries as well.
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