A Day In The Life Of Brendan Ó Sé – A University Teacher With A Passion For Mobile Photography

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘A new week’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – My day usually starts with the sound of either laughter or crying. I have two little children a five-year old girl and a two-year old boy. Once the sun is up, they are up, and once they are up, they want us to be up. Each day, I try to post one DSLR and one iPhone photograph to my Flickr accounts and catch up with my contacts’ posts. I like the discipline of trying to post each day to Flickr. My day job is teaching at university. As such, I don’t follow a strict 9 -5 day. It allows me flexibility. I am lucky.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Always the future’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – Very rarely. If on holiday, I may do so. But usually, I am too lazy.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Arousal’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – I guess it was my last trip to Asia that I really got into using the iPhone as a camera. For street shots, as it is not singularly recognizable as a camera, the iPhone allows you get shots that may be very difficult to get with a normal camera. Since then, I have been using it more and more. On a recent trip to Barcelona, I had the DSLR with me all the time, but I rarely used it, preferring to use the iPhone. I can see this becoming the norm in the future, especially as the technology improves.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Barcelona’ – 100 Cameras in 1

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

Brendan – Not so much anymore. In the past I used to, but now I like to simplify things. Instagram is a one-stop shop for me at the moment.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Certainty is never fun’ – Instagram

Joanne – How often do you update your existing apps?

Brendan – Whenever an update appears, I update.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Committed to the future’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – Of the places I have visited I would have to say Tokyo. It has everything. The iPhone is perfect for street photography, and I cannot imagine a better place than Tokyo for street photography. One other place I keep coming back to is a corridor in my workplace. It has a wonderful, long, curved pink-painted wall, and when the sun streams in through the windows, the light and colors are magical.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Committing to a red future’ – Instagram

Joanne – 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?

Brendan – No. I had to check that app out. It looks interesting, but I am not sure if I would actually use it.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Descent into Busan’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – Instagram! On my iPhone I have AutoStitch, Toon Camera, Slow Shutter, TiltShiftGen, Cross Process and 100 cameras in One. But the one app I use is Instagram. I find editing on the iPhone to be tedious. I used to use Cross Process and liked it, but I dislike the frames it puts on images. I have used 100 Cameras in One and have liked some of the results, but 100 cameras! As I always say – too many choices makes life difficult, and 100 is far too many.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Diversions’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – Flickr, Instagram? Flickr. I’ve been on Flickr for five years and it has been a wonderful experience for me. I have made friends with some very cool people and I have learnt so much from them. I am on 500px too, but I dislike the “I don’t like this photo” button. Utterly unnecessary, in my opinion. I upload to Instagram and interact with the handful of contacts I have on there.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Forfeit’ – Instagram

Joanne – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

Brendan – Yes. I am framing shots as I go, mentally constructing compositions and if time permits I whip out the iPhone and shoot.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Healing’ – Instagram

Joanne – What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

Brendan – I like abstract things. I like lines, colors, curves, shapes. In big cities, I love street photography. I love taking photographs of my two children, but I respect their privacy and do not post photographs of their faces online.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Keeping dry in Tokyo’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – 1. Remember you have a camera with you if you have your phone with you. 2. Take photos. 3. Look at others’ photos study them. This is how I have learnt. 4. Experiment, take risks, make mistakes. Most of the best things in life are the results of mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others! 5. Photograph the things that interest you and work towards developing your own style. And enjoy it! (is that more than 5?)

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Leaving the past behind’ – Instagram

Joanne – How did the teaching side come along?

Brendan – I am still a learner, but probably am on the innovate stage of the ‘imitate, assimilate, innovate’ spectrum.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘My Little Angels’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – All iPhone photos go through Instagram. I may be a purist in this sense, but I will very rarely reprocess an iPhone photograph on my Mac. I use Lightroom for all DSLR photos.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘One Day My Ship Will Leave’ – 100 Cameras In 1′

Joanne – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

Brendan – Yes, mainly for family stuff, though. I have used the Toon Camera app, that my friend Seiya put me on to, for some iPhone video work and it is great fun for that.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Radiator – Wall – Window sill – Blinds’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – I think it is brilliant that photography is something that more and more people are engaging with. It is an exciting time. As the quality of the iPhone camera (and other mobile cameras) improves and more and more ‘regular’ photographers come on board I can see it becoming more mainstream and the quality of the art work getting better and better.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘River Lee Reflections’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – The immediacy of it, in that you can see what you have taken and share it instantly if you want. That and the myriad of ways to process what you shoot. And, of course, the fact that wherever you go we take our iPhone with you. Those days when you wished you had a camera with you; they are gone. You always have it with you now.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘So!’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – In the developed world it is pretty much the same, but there is the cost and availability factor. iPhones are not cheap. I cannot imagine iPhoneography being popular in North Korea, to name one country.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Stay In The Light’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – On the photography side of things, I would like to see higher resolution, a better zoom and a larger screen. Other improvements – I would love to see improved sound quality. This is an area that Apple has neglected.

Joanne – Hope you’re pleased with the results Brendan 😉

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘The Truth Does Not Matter Anymore…’ – Instagram

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

Brendan – I am honored and very grateful to be have been chosen. The work she is doing is admirable and inspiring. Onward and upwards! Thanks Joanne!

Joanne – Pleasure is all mine Brendan.

© Brendan Ó Sé – ‘Trying To See What Can Be Seen’ – Instagram

Instagram
AutoStitch
Toon Camera
Slow Shutter
TiltShift Generator
Cross Process
100 Cameras In 1

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