A Day In The Life of Talented and Inspirational Mobile Photographer Andrew Proudlove

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – View From Our Window. Apps used – Pro HDR, Moku Hanga, Image Blender, Modern Grunge, Snapseed

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

AP – Usually between 5:30 and 6:00 our eldest Elizabeth (she’s 4 1/2) comes and wakes us up. Usually to the sounds of James (2 1/2) and Charlotte (1) shouting, haven’t had to use an alarm in ages. We tend to spend a few minutes with all the kids in our bed, mainly just enjoying being together before the day starts. Then it’s a mad rush to get the two eldest ready for pre-school and I then drop them off on the way to work.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Morning Sun. Apps used – 645 Pro, Snapseed

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

AP – I would like to but because of the morning rush, there is little opportunity. Our house is located in a semi-rural area though and so there are some nice sunrises and landscapes which I usually hang out of a window to capture. Otherwise I take pictures during my commute and/or lunch breaks. On weekends I tend to take pictures whenever I am outside with the kids or when opportunity arises.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Reflections of Prague. Apps used – Pro HDR, Photo fx, Pixlr-o-matic

JC – How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop?

AP – –I have always been interested in photography but was never able to justify the cost of a decent camera and so most of my early pictures were mainly just of the kids or occasional snaps on holidays, more of an on-again, off-again hobby really. It was only with the advent of the iPhone once it got a decent camera and I realised what it could do, that I started to photograph in earnest. I still don’t consider myself to be a photographer though (although I would love to be), more an iPhone Artist perhaps? I have a big internal debate going on with myself about this right now.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Frantiskanska Gardens. Apps used – Camera+, Dynamic Light, ShockMyPic, Rays

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

AP – Well, I try not to, as I’d like to master and make use of everything that I have got. I do keep an eye on what’s going on though and listen to recommendations being passed around on sites like iPhoneArt, Mobitog and theappwhisperer.com. If enough people I respect recommend it, then I usually break down and end up getting it. I’m trying to narrow it down now though to a more refined “tool-bag” and get rid of the stuff that I don’t use or that reduces the resolution of an image and shows no signs of being updated.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – The Sky is Falling. Apps used – Pro HDR, 3D Photo, Image Blender, SuperImposer, Pic Grunger, Pixlr-o-matic, Lenslight, WaterMyPhoto

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

AP – Most of the time as soon as I see the annoying badge, I am sure that’s why they put it there 🙂 Otherwise, I tend to read what the update does first, especially with my favourite apps as sometimes an update giveth and sometimes taketh away 🙂

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Dejected. Apps used – Pro HDR, Snapseed, Pixlr-o-matic, Image Blender, Rays

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

AP – Anywhere! I dont mind, sometimes I take a photo of something boring and mundane and try to interpret it or show it in a different, better light. I consider it a form of training almost in my ongoing attempt to gain a photographer’s eye. I think I am fortunate to live close to Prague though as there are plenty of things to photograph as well as in the surroundings of the area where I live.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Gateway to the Gardens. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Rays, Pixlr-o-matic

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

AP – I don’t, I’d never even heard of it until you asked the question and had to google it like everyone else. It looks useful though and I quite enjoy landscape photography so it seems like it would be a good app – see what happens? I just invalidated my answer to question 4…

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – A Walk in the Shadows (Corridor of Light). Apps used – Noir, Lenslight

JC – If so, do you use them to plan you shoot?

AP- I rarely plan my shoots, The best laid plans of mice and men after all, rather I just keep my iPhone with me and ready for when I see something. Then I usually shoot the hell out of it, providing that it wasn’t just a fleeting moment of course and time/kids allowing because I know for every 100 pictures perhaps 5 or 10 will be useful at some point. My kids tend to get frustrated when I am taking pictures though and after a couple of minutes I just hear, “Dad, come on”.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – A Child’s Plaything. Apps used – Camera+, Fluid FX, Image Blender, Rays, Pixlr-o-matic

JC – What are your favorite mobile photography apps currently?

AP – My favourites at the moment… tough question, Camera+, 645 Pro and ProHDR for capture, sometimes Apple’s app in a pinch for its lock screen access. I live in Image Blender and Snapseed, with frequent visits to Pixlromatic, Photoforge2, Noir and Photo FX. Those are the main-stays but it depends on what I am working on and the look I want to achieve. Recently, I’ve added Paint FX and iColorama to the kit bag and they have already made it into my favourites.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – The Grass is Greener. Apps used – 645 Pro, Image Blender, Snapseed, Pixlr-o-matic

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

AP – My first ports of call are usually iPhoneArt and Pixels if I’m feeling brave, sometimes I get by and Knox puts something up, other times it’s a no go but one thing I like about Knox is that he gives out constructive criticism. He once told me that I was ‘apping at an 11’ and should tone it down a bit to paraphrase him. Useful advice. Recently I joined Mobitog and have put some things up there and I use Flickr too, more as a kind of backup really.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – No Photographs Please. Apps used – Hipstamatic

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

AP – Pretty much.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Magical Mystery Tour. Apps used – Pixlro–matic, Photo fx, Rays, Rollage, Tiny Worlss, Image Blender, Snapseed, iCollage

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

AP – My kids but they are notoriously difficult to photograph, closely followed by landscapes, the countryside and cityscapes. I dabble in street photography but I’m usually quite nervous when I do it, so I try to take pictures without being noticed or pretend I am shooting something past the person I’m really shooting. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to ask them directly but not today. I’m also partial to a nice collage.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Tree on the Hill. Apps used – Pro HDR, Snapseed, Image Blender, Pixlr-o-matic

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

AP –

1)    Keep your favourite camera app ready, so you can capture whatever you see quickly, sometimes it’s just a moment and if you hesitate it’s gone.
2)    Always take more pictures than you think you need, especially if you think you just got “The shot”, usually it won’t be as good as you hoped and you’ll be glad you took extra pictures as one of those will be useful.
3)    Keep your main camera app on your main screen.
4)    Join a group, such as iPhoneArt or Mobitog and don’t be shy, there are lots of friendly, helpful people out there.
5)    Start simple with editing with something like Camera+ or Hipstamatic and introduce other apps as you get more comfortable or find yourself hitting the limits of what you can do.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Nothing Else Matters. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Snapseed, Pixlro–matic

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

AP – All iPhone, all the time. I would love an iPad for the editing, though, and just to check how things look on a larger screen. I don’t use my laptop for editing but I do offload pictures from my iPhone there periodically to archive so that I can get space back on the iPhone.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Orloj Redux Part 3. Apps used – Pro HDR, Snapseed, Image Blender, Rays, Lenslight, Pixlro–matic

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

AP – I only take videos of the kids or special events, like birthdays, but I don’t really dabble in it to be honest.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Wheels of Time. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Noir, Image Blender, Snapseed, Pixlr-o-matic, Scratchcam

JC – Where do you see the future of mobile photography heading?

AP – It would be great if iPhoneography would be more widely recognised and accepted as a valid form of art and/or photography, a picture is a picture after all and what we are doing on the iPhone now is the same as what we were doing with Photoshop (and still do). So it would be great if it became more accepted and gave more people a creative outlet, we all need more beauty in our lives I think.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Tulips from Amsterdam. Apps used – Camera+, Snapseed, Photo fx, Paint FX, Image Blender, iColorama

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

AP – At the moment I would say self-portraits and street photography, the first because the model is always ready and willing and the second because so many people have a device of some kind in their hands while walking around now, that it’s easy to be discreet and take pictures.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Fallen Idol. Apps used – Pro HDR, Snapseed

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

AP –That’s a hard one for me to answer as it’s limited by my own ignorance, based off the sites I visit and Instagram, it seems that the US, the UK, Indonesia, Japan and some of the other European countries have quite healthy communities whereas in my adopted country (the Czech Republic), it still seems to be quite rare. So for me, yes, I think some nations are definitely more ‘clued up’ for sure.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Full Moon Rising. Apps used – Camera+, Noir Photo, Lenslight, Image Blender, Pixlromatic, Color Lake

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

AP – More storage space! A super-mega zoom lens (only thing I miss on an iPhone – one can dream right? A better sensor for the Camera (for low light) and just more processing power. My iPhone4 feels like it’s struggling sometimes, so I keep force-closing apps to get memory back, even though according to Apple you don’t need to, I still find it helps.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Sleep and Allow the Mind to Wander. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Noir Photo, Image Blender, Snapseed, LensFlare

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

AP – Who? What? Just kidding, I think that you provide a brilliant resource for the iPhone community and it’s an honour for me to be included on your site. So thanks for everything that you’re doing and do and keep up the great work.

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Prague Jungmannova. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Noir, Dramatic Black and White, Image Blender, Pixlr-o-matic

Camera+
Color Lake
Dramatic Black & White
Dynamic Light
Fluid FX
Hipstamatic
iCollage
iColorama S
Image Blender
LensLight
LensFlare
Modern Grunge
645 PRO
3D Photo
Magical Mystery Tour
Moku Hanga
Noir Photo
PhotoForge2
Photo fx
Paint FX
Pic Grunger
Pro HDR
Pixlr-o-matic Plus
Rollage
ScratchCam FX
ShockMyPic
Snapseed
SuperImpose
Tiny World
Rays
WaterMyPhoto

Copyright Image – Andrew Proudlove – Best Friends Forever. Apps used – Apple’s Camera, Photoforge2, Pro HDR, Image Blender, Snapseed, Pic

Blog:
Bits & Bobs

Mobile photography:
www.iphoneart.com/aproudlove
www.instagrid.me/aproudlove/
www.flickr.com/photos/aproudlove/
http://pixelsatanexhibition.com/?s=proudlove
http://the-mpas.com/the-mpa-weekly-showcase-for-april-22-29/
http://the-mpas.com/the-mpa-weekly-showcase-for-may-10-19/
www.iphoneographycentral.com/static/page/link/Apps- Uncovered-May-2012/