A Day In The Life Of Shirley Drevich – The A* Teacher Of iPhone Photography

© Shirley Drevich 2012 ‘White Orchid’ – Apps Used – Bracket Mode, True HDR, ScratchCam, Vintage, Blender

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

SD – I start the day with an espresso mocha frappucino or a simple fruit smoothie. Mangos are in season here now and I am making mango smoothies. Then I am at the computer viewing FB, email, iphoneography links. If I need to be somewhere I’m up and out or before I know it it is not morning anymore.

© Shirley Drevich 2011- ‘Hand’ – Hipstamatic, Dynamic Light, Iris, Perfect Photo

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

SD – Unfortunately not often enough because I don’t wake up early enough to catch that early morning beauty, except when I am traveling or notice something around my house or property. “White Orchid” began coming down the stairs early one morning and was awestruck by the way the sunlight hit the orchid which was sitting on a north facing table. I then went to get my iPhone and captured it. When I am up early, it is a treat.

© Shirley Drevich 2011 – ‘Deteriori’ – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, Dynamic Light, PerfectPhoto, Filterstorm, Iris

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

SD – I did a lot of Photography in college and loved it. I worked with B&W in the darkroom and also shot with color slide film. I never wanted to be a commercial photographer, so I went into Jewelry design which I did full time for about 25 years. I designed a line of jewelry and sold to art museum stores, galleries, and art shows. I always liked photography and was intrigued by the first digital cameras but they weren’t very good. I still had fun with them. Then I got an early Nikon DSLR and enjoyed it but had shoulder and back issues that weren’t compatible with a backpack, lenses and a heavy camera. So, I just shot casually with a P&S while traveling. Then came my first iPhone 3GS and Hipstamatic. With it my life changed and my passion for photography was renewed in a more creative way than I ever could have imagined. All I can say is I am so thrilled this camera is always with me, lightweight, can produce such creative results and shared instantly with social networks and email.

© Shirley Drevich 2011 – ‘Deteriori With Cigarette Butt’ – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, PerfectPhoto, Dynamic Light, Iris, FXPhotostudio

JC – Do you like to download new iPhoneography apps regularly?

SD – At this point, only if it is interesting or gets good reviews from the few blogs I regularly follow and other iPhoneographers. I have way too many apps I haven’t used and probably won’t.

© Shirley Drevich 2011 – ‘Architectonica’ – Apps Used – ProHDR, Autostitch, Artista Haiku, Filterstorm, Iris

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

SD – Usually everyday.

©Shirley Drevich 2011 – ‘Window Realm’ – Apps Used – Bracket Mode, Autostitch, Dynamic Light, Iris, Filterstorm, Dec8

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

SD – Places I have visited, yet to visit and in my “own backyard” are favorites places I like to shoot because wherever you are is where you are and there is always something interesting to “see”. I live in an agricultural area and during the winter planting season I will drive around and look for interesting scenes and equipment to shoot. I am also a member of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and also teach iPhoneography there. The garden is the premier tropical botanic garden in the US and I am grateful to be able shoot there http://www.fairchildgarden.org/aboutfairchild/ .

Even though I am a Miami native I only recently discovered the inherent beauty of the Everglades with a camera and an iPhone because growing up I would prefer to head to the ocean rather than the swamps. I went on my first airboat ride through the Everglades this past winter and loved it. There is also a trail only 40 minutes from where I live in the south entrance of The Everglades National Park that is visited by Anhingas, Herons, Ibis, Spoonbills and other wonderful migrating birds in the winter. There is also the Florida Keys and the Upper Keys which I live 45 minutes from. Miami has grown up a lot in the last 20 years since I came back here from Boston. There is also a thriving arts district called Wynwood in Central Miami which has the most incredible street art on many of its walls and a number of galleries, collections and studios. Its popularity is strongly due to the presence of Art Basel in Miami Beach for the last 11 years. And of course there is South Beach where there is always something interesting to shoot.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Waxing Moon’ – Apps Used – Lomora2, Awesome Camera, ScratchCam

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

SD – Anything that is perceived by me to be interesting or an ah ha moment of perception: It could be the moon, rust, landscape, water, color, light, pattern, birds, people or architecture.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Cannon Ball Flowers’ – Apps Used – ProCamera, Snapseed, Filterstorm

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

SD – I use Facebook, iPhoneart.com and Pixelsatanexhibition.com. I don’t want to spend my whole day on the computer. Facebook is plenty!

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Ruby Glow’ – Apps Used – Bracket Mode, True HDR, Filterstorm, Vintage, Image Blender

JC – Do you also use iPhone photography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris and if so do you use it to plan your shoots?

SD – No, I have way too many apps. I do have a Moon Calendar app and a tide app I use now and again. I use the Moon Calendar if the weather is clear because I love the waxing moon phase when there is still light to capture the moon with. Once it gets full or a day before full, it’s too dark to capture the moon the the way I like to. If the air, clouds, light and timing is right I will plan a late afternoon trip to some of my “favorites”.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Cacti’ – Apps Used – Bracket Mode, True HDR, Moku Hanga, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Blender

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

SD – Hipstamatic is a longtime favorite and recently I started using it more because there are so many film and lens combinations to choose from for some incredible results. The app has matured. I usually app the Hipstamatics, but recently with some combos, I don’t want to. I also use Bracket Mode, True HDR, Snapseed, Blender, Scratchcam, Filterstorm, Iris, Camera+ ProCamera, Dynamic Light and Slow Shutter.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Banana Hannah?’ – Apps Used – Bracket Mode, TrueHDR, FXPhotostudio, PerfectPhoto, Iris

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

SD – Just about. Some days I take many and there are some days I take none. But I always have it with me.

© Shirley Drevich 2011 – ‘Rooster Crossing Fish’ – Apps used – Native iPhone4, PerfectPhoto, Artista Haiku, Dynamic Light, Filterstorm, Iris

JC – How did the teaching side come along?

SD – I started shooting with Hipstamatic in the fall of 2010. I loved it and and began taking lots of photos. I was isolated with my new found form of expression and didn’t know if what I was onto was a new exciting art form or just a fluke. I continued anyway. I googled “iPhone photography” to see what I could find. I joined a FB group and connected with iPhoneographers from around the world which was inspiring. I started adding apps to my camera bag after I took a course with Teri Lou through email. I showed the education coordinator at Fairchild some of my images because I knew she used an iPhone herself and enjoyed the camera. She liked what she saw and considered bringing a class to the Garden but only would if she thought it would bring in students. In May of 2011 I went to Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and took a 2 1/2 day iPhone Artistry intensive with Dan Burkholder after seeing his presentation in West Palm Beach on his work. The greatest confirmation for what I was doing was hearing the new Director of Santa Fe Photographic Workshop introduce the first iPhone photography class ever offered there and how excited he was about this new creative area in photography and its future. What a moment, I was able to trust what I was doing more. I met other people experimenting with iphoneography. I came back home with enthusiasm, commitment, information and shared that with Mary Neustein, the Education Coordinator at Fairchild. I sent her a proposal for a course with images I took in the Garden, and links to blogs & websites on iphoneography in order to inform her what was going on around the world with iphoneography. She got it! She recognized its potential and in the summer of 2011 offered the first iPhoneography course in the Miami area and the Keys. I started teaching our 14th class this summer. I love teaching it because I am so excited about the medium and enjoy sharing it with others.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Turkey Vultures’ – Camera+, Snapseed, Iris, Noir

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

SD –

1, Notice what’s around you
2, Experiment with different apps building your own individual camera bag that help you express your imprint and individual voice
3, Blend
4, If you have never taken a basic photography course or design course, do it
5, Share your images

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Key Largo’ – Apps Used – Camera+, Snapseed, MokuHanga, Filterstorm

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

SD – I edit 99% on the iPhone and the other 1% on an iPad. I never use a desktop or laptop to process, only to store and organize images. I am looking forward to a smaller iPad and a larger iPhone.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘New Year’s Day Work’ – Apps Used – Camera+, Dynamic Light, Artista Haiku, PhotoForge, Filterstorm

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

SD – No, I only document musicians or something very interesting on occasion. I prefer viewing others’ “films”.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Haitian Bean Pickers’ – Apps Used – Camera+, ScratchCam, Dynamic Light, Modern Grunge, Filterstorm

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

SD – I think images that are strong will stand on their own in a fine art, photography or journalistic venue regardless if it was done on a phone. The technology will only get better.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Migrant Tomato Picker’ – Apps Used – Camera+, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Modern Grunge

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

SD – Probably street because an iPhone is more discreet and one has it on them most of the time.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘The Crumbling’ – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, iDarkroom, Noir, Iris

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

SD – I think it is an international phenomena and also dependent on who owns an iPhone.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘The Bride’ – Apps Used – To Follow

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

SD – The larger screen, because I like processing on the iPhone. A larger sensor and better optics would be nice. The iPhone is my camera that I can receive calls on only if I have to.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Herbert’ – Apps Used – To Follow

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

SD – I think Joanne is great! The Blog is informative, laid out well, professional, international and fun. Thank you for doing what you do.

JC – Thank you Shirley for your compliments, thank you also for including TheAppWhisperer.com on your recommended list for the class that you teach, it’s very much appreciated.

© Shirley Drevich 2012 – ‘Nymphaea’ – Apps Used – To Follow

Artista Haiku
Autostitch
Awesome Camera
Bracket Mode
Camera+
Decim8
Dynamic LIght
Filterstorm
FXPhoto Studio
Hipstamatic
iDarkroom
Image Blender
Iris Photo Suite
Lomora2
Modern Grunge
Moku Hanga
Noir
Perfect Photo
ProCamera
ProHDR
ScratchCam
Snapseed
TrueHDR
Vintage