A Day In The Life Of David Hayes – A Banker, Teacher And Now Awesome iPhone Photographer

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ’22’ – Apps Used – ProCamera

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

DH – I like to start off slowly….a quiet breakfast….reading the paper, checking on emails and the like with coffee. Four mornings out of the week I go off to yoga or Pilates practice at a nearby studio. After this it’s onto the agenda of the day…and each day is a little different. Chores, errands and so forth. It’s not really until the afternoon that I can start focusing on my photography.

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Afternoon’ – Apps Used – ScratchCam

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?

DH – Yes and no. I prefer the quiet of the morning if I’m shooting somewhere other than around my house…so if I can, I’ll head out early on. Most times, I just take pics when the opportunity presents itself…which is why I’m loving iPhoneography. My iPhone is always with me….and ready. I don’t have to pack up my Nikons and all the gear that goes with them….too much planning for most days!!!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Ball’ – Apps Used – PhotoToaster

JC – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhone photographer develop? (pardon the pun).

DH – That’s okay…I love puns! One or two might just show up….

I like to tell people that I am a traditionally trained photographer who has gone over to the dark side of iPhoneography. My traditional equipment is stored away, collecting dust….and this includes my digital gear!! It was back in the 70’s, as an undergraduate media arts student, that I first became hooked on photography. We had to use Diana 120 cameras and do our own processing. Ah…the smell of fix in the early morning! (As an aside, it tickles me to see the prices that are being asked today for the “toy cameras”…I think I paid a $1 for mine!) From there, I jumped feet first into black and white photography and eventually color. Life eventually got in the way and I had to put all of this aside. When digital photography started being developed, I was one of the first to jump on this bandwagon because of the ease of creating images…if you could master Photoshop or one of the equivalents. It wasn’t hard to make the change to iPhoneography…I kept hearing about the great camera on the iPhones and all the apps so when it came the time that I was able to switch to an iPhone…I did! And haven’t turned back yet!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Bulldog’ – Apps Used – PhotoForge2

JC – Do you like to download new iPhone photography apps regularly?

DH – YES! Almost everyday I’m picking up a new app…or at least looking for one to try out!! It’s become an addiction…I get real nervous if I haven’t downloaded a new one! Which is why I like to check in with sites like TheAppWhisperer.com for tips on the latest and greatest! Right now I’m waiting for 645 Pro which sounds like a fantastic camera app!

I must have close to 120 different apps on my iPhone and at least that many….if not more on my iPad. I’m sorry to say that there are some I don’t use regularly and will have to go back to them sometime to see why I downloaded them in the first place!! I also make it a habit to weed out ones that I find don’t “fit” my style or duplicate what I already have. Have to keep an eye on my memory, you know! One of the reasons I started my i365 project this year was to force me to at least try out all my apps…and it’s working!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘C.A.M.’ – Apps Used – Streetmate, FX Photo Studio

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

DH – Daily….or at least as often as updates come out. I regularly check the App Store for update info….and particular apps like Hipstamatic who are always issuing limited edition Hipstapaks… I don’t want to miss those!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Chicken Scratch’ – Apps Used – Scratchcam, Instagram

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

DH – I know this is going to sound trite, but I have no favorite place…it’s wherever I’m at the moment. I view my art…and my iPhoneography is part of my art….as my take on life…as I live it. I rarely go somewhere with the only purpose of taking photographs.(In fact, there are times that I’ll be somewhere and not take any pics…just not in the mood!) Now…if given the chance to go to some exciting location for a photo shoot, I wouldn’t pass it up…I keep hoping that Sports Illustrated will want to have an iPhoneographer on board someday for their swimsuit shoots….

JC – Yeah, right David 😉

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘City’ – Apps Used – FX Photo Studio, RainyDaze HD

JC – Do you also use iPhone photography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris?

DH – Now this is an interesting app! This one and several just like it would be great if I really needed to know about the “light” in a certain area….but right now I don’t…so I don’t use them. (They are on my App Store wish list just in case Sports Illustrated does call…)

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Red Light Dancer’ – Apps Used – FX Photo Studio, Flowpaper, Snapseed

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

DH – I upload images daily to my blog, to my Flickr stream, my Tumblr stream, to Instagram, and to Facebook! I also submit to sites like CreateHive, iPhone Art and a couple of other app specific sites that I follow. I like to get my work out there…and to hear back from viewers what they think about my images. The internet is such a great resource for photographers in this regard. I also spend time everyday just checking out other images…I can learn so much from these!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Behind The Eight Ball’ – Apps Used – TypePlay, Phoster, Iris, Scratchcam, Snapseed, FX Photo Studio

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

DH – Life around me. It’s like this…I have a good friend who is a fantastic photographer…not an iPhoneographer, but I’m working on that….who has the opportunity to travel world wide. The images he produces from these locations are incredible…as are the figurative studies he also does. I used to bemoan the fact that since I couldn’t shoot the same subject matter as he did… my photos would never be as good. It took me a long time to realize that I could produce images based on life around me that were just as powerful, if not more so, as my friend’s. It’s not the subject matter as much as how you deal with it.

If I had to pick, I’d have to say that I do get the most excited about old buildings, landscapes, quirky settings and objects…so I do gravitate towards these…

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Trailer Queens’ – Apps Used – Instagram, Color Splash

JC – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography apps?

DH – At the moment….at the moment…I’ve been using Iris, Snapseed, and Touch ReTouch a lot. I like the controls these give you and I’m trying my hand building more complex images.

I just went through a phase where I was using FX Photo Studio…but then I found myself using the same filters over and over…so I’ve decided to stay away from it for awhile. Same thing happened with Hipstamatic which was one of my first apps… I think it maybe time to go back to it.

I’m also having fun learning Photo Toaster, Photo Forge2, and Decim8…which is intriguing! I just picked up Modern GrungeHD and Photo Noir…so I suspect these will be favorites soon.

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘War Department’ – Apps Used – 100 Cameras

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

DH – Not really. I have found it’s a global “happening”. I follow iPhoneographers….and have followers…worldwide which makes the entire conversation very lively and interesting…and 24/7. Sometimes I have to remind myself where the person I’m chatting with is at the moment…the other day I was exchanging tips with a follower in Australia and it wasn’t until she made reference to the “end-of-summer” that I remembered where she lived!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Intersection’ – Apps Used – Streetmate, FX Photo Studio

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone every day?

DH – Pretty much! As I said earlier, it’s always with me when I go somewhere…or close at hand while at home. I’m continually observing life and if something catches my interest, I’ll grab a snap and check it out later. Some of what I consider my best images have started out as a casual snap…I then use my apps to give it perspective.

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Lilacs’ – Apps Used – Iris, Frame Magic

JC – What are you top five tips for iPhone photography?

DH –
1) Don’t over think…just take the snap. If you don’t like it later, you can always delete!
2) If you see an app you find interesting, get it! Try it out…keep it around for a bit. Most apps are cheap…a few aren’t. In any case…still cheaper than CS5!
3) Just because you can, don’t put every image you take up on the internet. Try to be a little selective!
4) Manage your image files! Delete often. Back up often…everyday if you can.
5) Have fun. Enjoy making art!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Blocks’ – Apps Used – FX Photo Studio

JC – Do you edit images on your iPhone or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?

DH – When I first got my iPhone, I always did my editing right on there…after all that what it was all about! Later on, I got an iPad2 and now I do most of my editing on it…I like the larger screen and the power some of the iPad apps provide. The only time I’ll go to my laptop anymore is when I’m dealing with a non-iPhone image or perhaps prepping image size/format for digital submission. I have picked up the Mac apps for Color Splash, FX Photo Shop, and a couple of others…but I still prefer using these on my iPad.

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Still Life #2’ – Apps Used – FX Photo Studio, iWatermark

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

DH – This is my next adventure! I have 6 or 7 of the most popular video/movie apps…and have played around with them a bit. Many of the camera apps also have video capability. I need to learn how to edit using iMovie and other like apps…and then watch out YouTube! (Have you seen the funky video an app like Paper Camera produces? Way too much fun!!!)

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Piped’ – App Used – FX Photo Studio

JC – Where do you see the future of iPhone photography?

DH – I see it becoming a “social media” in itself. I see it becoming an area of fine art photography. There is much discussion today about “photography” vs. “iphoneography”. The discussion shouldn’t be around the technology used…but on how it is used. I’ve been around long enough to remember the discussions about different film sizes and then film vs. digital. iPhoneography is here to stay and it brings much good with it!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Private’ – Apps Used – FX Photo Studio, PicGrunger

JC – What do you think is the most popular area of iPhone photography?

DH – Popular areas? Hmmm….social networking ala Instagram/Facebook postings. After that I see a lot of playing around with the apps…seeing what’s possible. The immediacy and availability of iPhones and apps have opened many possibilities to those who wouldn’t otherwise have used photography as a “voice”. That self-expression is very apparent right now!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Stairs’ – App Used – Camera Bag

JC – What do you hope for in the iPhone 5?

DH – OMG! Let’s see. A brighter display. A longer lasting battery. A more durable case…so I don’t have to use the clunky case I have on mine right now. More protection for the camera lens. Maybe making it so you could replace the lens. I hope they keep Siri but make her better. I don’t really need a “better” camera. More pixels might mean higher resolution…but this means I’ll need more memory! (Maybe adding memory card capability would help!) A better way to manage my photo files…but that’s really an app issue.

JC – How did the teaching side of things come about?

DH – I found that teaching means sharing…and learning at the same time. iPhoneography is still so new that everyone is still learning. Unlike traditional photography, which is so equipment-bound and chemical based, iPhoneography is easy for anyone to use. The internet has made sharing easier as well…so we’re all out there learning as we go and willing to share what we know. When I first took up iPhoneography, I read every book I could find and searched out iPhoneographers on Flickr and other places to find out what apps they were using and how they used them. Each and everyone were more than willing to share. I liked that! Now, I’m finding myself in the position that others are coming to me for tips!! I recently started a feature on my blog entitled, “Dave’s App Recipe Book Project” which is a monthly collaboration where iPhoneographers can share their images and the “recipes” they used to create them. A chance to share and to learn.

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Sunflowers’ – Apps Used – Paper Camera, Instagram

JC – What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

DH – I think they’re wonderful! I love the “day in the life…” interviews…always come away from reading those inspired to take more pics! The tips about apps are priceless…and of course who wouldn’t like the giveaways!! Of course, the mere fact that they are allowing me to do this interview and share my images makes them top of my list!!

Copyright Image – David Hayes – ‘Tattoo’ – Apps Used – Paper Camera, Instagram

Apps Used in this article

ProCamera
ScratchCam
PhotoToaster
Streetmate
FX Photo Studio
Instagram
RainyDaze
Flowpaper
Snapseed
TypePlay
Phoster
Iris
iWatermark
PicGrunger
CameraBag
Paper Camera
Color Splash
100 Cameras

Favorite Apps Of David, not mentioned above

Touch ReTouch
Decim8
Modern GrungeHD
Photo Noir

Contact Details for David

David Hayes
[email protected]
http://www.clearerreflections.com

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