A Day In The Life Of Bryan Pahia – A Highly Talented iPhone Photographer

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘A Solitary Moment’ – Apps used Hipstamatic, Snapseed

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

BP – Usually with an ice cold Coke or Pepsi, a quick check of email, and then a perusal of my favorite websites (theAppWhisperer.com included) to make sure I haven’t missed anything over night. Then it’s usually way too brief family time, and then heading out to work. If I’m able, I’ll do a quick photo stop on my way to work.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Against the Tide’ – Apps used 6×6, PerfectlyClear, Squara

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

BP – When I can, absolutely. I love the light I’m able to get early in the day. That’s what weekends are for, right?

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Ansel’s Cactus’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Camera+, TouchRetouch

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

BP – I’ve always been interested in photography, but it was always just taking family photos and such. It wasn’t until I got the iPhone 4, and I discovered Hipstamatic, did I realize what I really had in my hand. I had always thought that to take really good photos, I needed an expensive DSLR. Hipstamatic and a few other camera apps really opened my eyes and made me realize that all I needed was my iPhone. The world of iPhoneography opened, and I haven’t looked back.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Break of Dawn’ – Apps used Camera+

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

BP – I used to. Every time a new app came out that had any sort of buzz, I just had to have it. Whether or not I would use them, that’s the better question. One day, I just realized that I had too many apps I wasn’t using, and I’ve since scaled back and tend to not download any new ones, no matter the buzz they’re getting.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Down by the Tracks’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Snapseed

JC – How often do you update your existing apps?

BP – I have to admit to a bit of OCD when it comes to that, actually. I check pretty regularly for updates, and it drives me nuts when I see that red circle on the App Store icon.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Eyes of a Child’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Snapseed, TouchRetouch

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

BP – There’s a spot in a nature preserve outside of Phoenix that I absolutely love. For me, it’s perfect and I could just spend hours sitting there, taking in everything around me. It’s the perfect place to just think, and get a decent photo or two.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Falling Waters’ – Apps used SlowShutter, PerfectlyClear, Squara, Filterstorm, TouchRetouch

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?

BP – I don’t, no. But now that you’ve mentioned it, I need to check that one out some more!

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Field of Dreams’ – Apps used 6×6, Camera+, ScratchCam

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

BP – Flickr and MobiTog are my main places for uploading. I tried uploading to Instagram, but quickly got lost in the thousands of photos that seemingly get posted every second.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Lakeside’ – Apps used Camera+, Iris, PhotoForge2

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

BP – 6×6, Squara and Snapseed. Without those, I feel like I’d be completely lost.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘New Friends’ – Apps used 6×6, PerfectlyClear, Squara, Snapseed, TouchRetouch

JC – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

BP – Every day, every chance I get, every moment I get.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Reflections’ – Apps Used 6×6, Squara, Snapseed

JC – What are your favorite subjects?

BP – Their names are A.C. & Dane, my two sons. Those two have provided countless photo opps, and the reception to the photos has been remarkable.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Riding With Shadows’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Camera+

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

BP – 1) If you’re taking photos, always make sure you have your camera app ready to go. I still miss the occasional shot every now and then simply because I wasn’t prepared. 2) Learn every rule of photography that you can, just so that you can break those rules when you need to. 3) This may sound simple, but shoot what makes you happy. Don’t take a photo that you think others will like, shoot for yourself. 4) Learn how light and shadows work. Using both can make a good shot great, and a great shot perfect. 5) Be open to new experiences while shooting. Go someplace you wouldn’t normally go. Go up to a stranger and ask to take their picture. You might learn a lot about yourself, and end up having fun in the process!

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Scenes from a Desert Road’ – Apps used Camera+, Snapseed, Dramatic B&W

JC – How did the teaching side come along?

BP – I’d like to think that I’ve taught by example, because I’ve certainly learned from the example of others. There’s been more than one occasion where I’ve seen a fellow iPhoneogaphers photo and thought to myself, “Hey, that’s great! I need to try that!” I can only hope that someone has done the same with one of my photos!

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Sunset Bay’ – Apps used 6×6, Snapseed

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

BP – All my editing is done on the iPhone or on an iPad. I know that I could never do on a computer what I’m able to do on the iPhone or iPad.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Surfacing’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Filterstorm, TouchRetouch

JC – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

BP – I’ll find myself doing the occasional family video on the iPhone, but for me, I’d rather have a photograph of a moment than a video of it.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Sweet’ – Apps used QuickPix, BlurFx, Iris, Photocopier, TouchRetouch

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

BP – I see (hope, really) iPhoneography being taken seriously by the general public. I still get comments from people surprised that I can take such great photos with just an iPhone. These folks usually go on to quickly make a comment about imagining what I could do with a real camera. I’m very quick to point out that it IS a real camera. It would just be nice for others to see that, too.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘The Little Things’ – Apps used 6×6, Squara, Snapseed, TouchRetouch

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

BP – I think the community aspect of it is easily the most popular. iPhoneographers are the friendliest, kindest bunch of folks I’ve ever met. I’ve been able to establish great relationships with folks across the world, and I wouldn’t trade those for anything.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘The Lone Ranger’ – Apps Used 6×7, Snapseed, Scratchcam

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

BP – I think it’s pretty even across the world. There is certainly some amazing talent worldwide.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘The Once Mighty Fleet’ – Apps used QuickPix, Camera+, Photoforge2

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

BP – More megapixels! While the 4 has been good to me, I’ve been jealous of the 8mp camera in the 4S, and I’m extremely anxious to upgrade.

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Three Palms’ – 6×6, Squara, TouchRetouch

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

BP – I think Joanne is great! And I feel that I’m extremely late to the fantastic party that is theappwhisperer.com. But now that I’m here, it’s going to be extremely difficult to get rid of me!

© Bryan Pahia 2012 – ‘Wildflower’ – Apps used ProHDR, PerfectlyClear, TouchRetouch

6×6

6×7

PerfectlyClear

ProHDR

Hipstamatic

Squara

TouchRetouch

Photoforge2

QuickPix

Camera+

Snapseed

ScratchCam

Iris Photo Suite

Photocopier

BlurFX

Quickpix

Filterstorm

Dramatic B&W