A Day In The Life Of ...

A Day In The Life Of The Talented Artist And Inspirational Mobile Photographer Carlein van der Beek

Welcome to our very exciting new column on theappwhisperer.com. This section entitled ‘A day in the life of …’ is where we’ll be taking a look at some hugely influential, interesting and accomplished individuals in the mobile photography world. People that we think you will love to learn more about.

This is the thirtieth installment of the series; you can read the others here, if you have missed any so far. Today we are featuring Carlein van der Beek, who was interviewed recently in our in-depth Extension of the I series. Carlein’s biography can be read here along with her Extension of the I interview.

Check out the full interview below…

We have included the app or apps that were used to create the final image, and 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 as well as accessories used.

You can find all the links at the end of this article.

(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…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The One. Apps used – Procamera, Plasticbullet, Superimpose, Photofx.

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

CvdB – I get up, drink coffee, catch up on all the sites I am on, exercise and take a shower. After that breakfast and more coffee.

Magic Hour…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The Shadow Man. Apps used – Slowshuttercam, Pic Grunger, ShakeItphoto, Filterstorm

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

CvdB – No!

Photographer vs Mobile Photographer…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The Sisterhood of Doubt. Apps used – Procamera, Plasticbullet, Pictureshow, Photofx

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

CvdB – I was in a store to buy an iPod and the salesman started to tell about the iPhone as well. He studied graphic design and showed me the work he made on his iPhone. From that moment on I was sold: I had to buy one myself. Luckily my contract with my provider was ending soon and in December 2009 the iPhone 3Gs was mine. The iPhone has literally never left my hands since that day.

New Apps…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The Struggle. Apps used – Cameramatic, Superimpose, Filterstorm, Photofx

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

CvdB – I used to, but less and less [now]. There is a moment [when] you basically [have] got the apps you use most. It has to be a really great app or one that is really inovative, to interest me.

Updates…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – You Might Want to Try to See the World Upside Down. Apps used – Autostitch, Squaready, Noir

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

CvdB – Daily.

Location, Location, Location…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – 2410 Queen Street West Side Story. Apps used – Instant110, Superimpose, Snapseed

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

CvdB- The place I am at that moment.

Tools Of The Trade…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Houston, we have lift-off. Apps used – Instant110, Squaready, Pixlr-o-matic, Superimpose, Halftone, Filterstorm, Awesome

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

CvdB – No, I actually never heard of it and looked it up. I have a background of painting and photography, so learned “the ropes” years and years ago at the art academy.

Favorite Apps…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The Sky is the Limit. Apps used – Lomora2

JC – What are your favorite mobile photography apps currently?

CvdB – To shoot with, I use Lomora2, Cameramatic, Instant110, Slowshuttercam and Procamera mostly. To edit, I use a lot of apps, but mainly: Filterstorm, Superimpose, Photo fx, Pixlr-o-matic and Noir.

Sharing…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – You Can Never Run from your Fears. Apps used – Instant110

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

CvdB – I consider Flickr my “home base”. As I still don’t have a website, I use my Flickr stream as a website where people can see my best work.

Furthermore, I post on iPhoneArt.com and Instagram.

Frequency…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – You Use a Glass Mirror to See your Face: You Use Works of Art to See your Soul. Apps used – Slowshuttercam, Squaready, Scratchcam, Superimpose, Filterstorm

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

CvdB – Well, nearly every day.

Favorite Subjects…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – The Glass Menagerie. Apps used – Instant110

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

CvdB -I try to look around with fresh eyes all the time, so basically "anything goes", but I love shapes, colors, forms, moods, reflections, textures and i look for material to be able to use for my many layered pieces.

Top Five Tips…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Double Double. Apps used – Cameramatic, border in Pixlr-o-matic

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

CvdB – I don’t have five tips, but this one is my main one:

Maybe a cliché: but try to think outside the box. Experiment. Try something else from what you usually do. Try to use the apps in a different way than they are meant for.

Editing…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – High Rise. Apps used – Lomora2, Superimpose

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

CvdB – iPhone of course!!

Videography…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – White-collar Crime. Apps used – Slowshuttercam, Squaready, Dynamic Light, Superimpose

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

CvdB – No, I try to tell stories with one or two images. Videos never appealed to me for using them myself.

The Future Of Mobile Photography…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Infinity. Apps used – Cameramatic

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

CvdB – I think it will exist for some time to come. More and more sites are emerging and still growing, there will be more shows, books and conferences. I can’t predict what might happen a few years from now. We can only guess. Maybe the big brands like Nikon and Canon will incorporate apps in their DSLRs, or the mobile phones [will] get bigger with interchangeable lenses… who knows?

Popularity…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Never Look Back in Regret. Apps used – Cameramatic

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

CvdB – The beauty of iPhoneography is that you see all kinds of areas and that everybody is able to pick her or his favorite area. For me personally, I enjoy the diversity.

Where In The World…?

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Punch-card City. Apps used – Lomora2,  Pixlr-o-matic, Superimpose

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

CvdB – iPhoneography is worldwide. In some European countries you don’t see the iPhone that much, but that has to do with having either no providers supporting or simply less people are able to afford one.

iPhone 5…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – I Never Talk to Strangers. Apps used – Cameramatic, Kingcamera, Labeler, Halftone, Filterstorm

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

CvdB – I’ve owned a 4S for the past 6 months and am more than happy with it. I haven’t given the iPhone 5 much thought yet.

TheAppWhisperer.com…

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Copyright 2012, Carlein van der Beek – Warm Shelter. Apps used – Photofx, border from Pixlr-o-matic

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

CvdB – Joanne, thank you for the opportunity for this interview and it is great to see a lot of iPhoneographers getting featured and talk about their big passion!

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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