A Day In The Life Of ...,  News

A Day In The Life Of Geri Centonze – Sci-fi Sketch Card Artist Turned Mobile Photographer

Welcome to our very exciting column on theappwhisperer.com. This section entitled ‘A day in the life of …’ and this is where we take 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 our fifty seventh installment of the series, you can read the others here, if you have missed them so far. Geri is a new comer to iPhone photographer but has found her niche and even runs her own iPhone website.

Read more about Geri in our exclusive interview below…

Each image is titled with the apps used to create it in sequential order. You can find all the links the the apps mentioned 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 Joanne@theappwhisperer.com, and we’ll get it set up).

 

First Things First

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Brothers’ – ProCamera, Snapseed, PS Express

 

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

Geri – Usually with a cup of coffee in my favorite chair checking my iPad for latest app updates, free apps, interesting articles, email.

Magic Hour

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Graffiti and the Guy’ – ProCamera, Sketch Club, iColorama, Jazz

 

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

Geri – My “real” job is helping my husband with his online business so I don’t have a regular photo shoot schedule. Whenever I leave the house I have my iPhone in hand, prepared to start snapping!

Photographer vs Mobile Photographer

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Exiting in N Out’ – ProCamera, Painteresque, Snapseed, Jazz, Glaze, PS Express, Sketch Club

 

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

Geri – I bought my first 35mm film camera with monthly payments at J.C. Penney’s back in 1970 (it took a year to pay it off!). Photography became a hobby but I never pursued it beyond taking family and vacation photos. I got my first iPhone in 2011 when the 4S was released. At that time, I was a full time sci-fi sketch card artist. In July of this year, I happened upon the blog of Karen L. Messick and was intrigued by her artsy iPhoneographic style. That was the start of this all consuming passion! I ended my career as a starving artist to work with my husband, but every free moment I get is dedicated to shooting and editing photos.

New Apps

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Friends’ – ProCamera, Painteresque, PS Express, AHDR, PhotoPower

 

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

Geri – Checking for new apps is something I do daily! If they’re FREE and look interesting I’ll give them a try. I add the paid apps I’d like to my iTunes Wish List and purchase when I need a new toy!

Updates

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Abstract Woman’ – ProCamera, DXP, CameraFlash, PaintFX, iColorama

 

Joanne – How often do you update your existing apps?

Geri – Daily or as needed

Location, Location, Location

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© Geri Centonze – ‘In times of trouble she turned her eyes toward heaven’ – ProCamera, BlurFX, Pixlromatic, Snapseed, Decim8, Sketch Club

 

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

Geri – I live in the suburbs of Southern California where the streets are pretty much vacant, so anytime I’m in a public place where there are lots of people who are oblivious to my lens, I’m a happy camper! When I view my Instagram feed and see the images of bustling cities, I’m always just a wee bit envious.

Tools Of The Trade

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Inked’ – ProCamera, Painteresque, Artist’s Touch, ShockMyPic, PS Express, Iris Photo Suite
Photogene, PicGrunger

 

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?

Geri – Showing my ignorance here…no I don’t! But I do find I like shooting in early morning or late afternoon because of the long shadows.

Favorite Apps

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Love Keeps Giving’ – ProCamera, Dramatic Black & White

 

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

Geri – Glad you said “at the moment” because it changes! Out of my 250 apps (yikes!) my current favorites are ProCamera, Snapseed, NoirPhoto, Dramatic B&W, A-HDR, Simply HDR HD, Artist’s Touch, Painteresque, Iris Photo Suite and PS Express. Although not a photo app, Sketch Club is where I layer and blend images.

Sharing

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Man in Motion’ – ProCamera, QQImageHD, PicShop

 

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

Geri – My blog (iartchronicles.com) and Instagram @gericentonze. The App Whisperer has a Flickr Group. I need to get involved in that, too. So many venues, so little time! Can someone create an app that will upload to all sites at the same time?!

Frequency

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© Geri Centonze – ‘My Shadow Self’ – ProCamera, Foolproof Art Studio, Snapseed, Sketch Club

 

Joanne – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

Geri – That would be ideal, but it averages out to 3-5 times a week. I edit everyday using the saved images on my camera roll.

Favorite Subjects

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Profile of a Man’ – ProCamera, Artist’s Touch, Sketch Club, Snapseed, PS Express

 

Joanne – What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

Geri – Street Photography is number one but I also like experimenting with abstract images and painterly portraits.

Top Five Tips

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Silhouette Collage’ – ProCamera, Snapseed, Pic Grunger, PictureShow, Diptic

 

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

Geri –

Capture what you find interesting.
Experiment with apps.
For street photography you have to be either really bold or really sneaky!
Learn from the pros (there are ebooks, articles and videos available online).
Don’t apologize if you’re not professionally trained we are all artists when we express ourselves creatively.

Editing

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Star Struck’ – ProCamera, Dramatic Black & White, Sketch Club, Process, PS Express, Snapseed

 

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

Geri – All editing is done on my iPad. My eyes just can’t take the small screen of the iPhone!

Videography

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Summer Palms’ – ProCamera, IrisPhotoSuite, AutoPainter2, Sketch Club

 

Joanne – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

Geri – I haven’t experimented with videography yet, but have downloaded a few apps like CineBleach and Video Camera in case I get the bug!

The Future Of Mobile Photography

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Summer Play’ – ProCamera, Painteresque, PS Express, Snapseed, ShockMyPic, Sketch Club, Blur FX, SimplyHDR

 

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

Geri – After attending the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival in Santa Monica, California this year, I see the future as expanding, getting the recognition it deserves and attracting more people to this ever evolving art form!

Popularity

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Sunday Stroll’ – ProCamera, Touch ReTouch, Painteresque, PS Express, Glaze, Snapseed

 

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

Geri – My interpretation of this question is that you’re asking how do most people use their iPhones for photography. The majority of people use it to share images with their friends and family but there are a growing number who exclusively shoot with their iPhones to produce images that have artistic value. As the iPhone camera continues to be updated and improved, more photographers may gravitate to using this very convenient tool.

Worldwide Phenomena?

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© Geri Centonze – ‘The Couple’ – ProCamera, Snapseed

 

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

Geri – If my Instagram feed is any indication, it looks like a worldwide phenomenon.

iPhone 5

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© Geri Centonze – ‘The Pigeon’ – ProCamera, iColorama, PerfectPhoto, PS Express, TouchRetouch

 

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

Geri – Since it’s already out, there are no surprises. I’ll wait to see the reviews once it’s in the hands of buyers to decide whether to upgrade or not.

TheAppWhisperer.com

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© Geri Centonze – ‘Waiting For Her Ride’ – ProCamera, Dramatic Black & White

 

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

Geri – Joanne does an excellent job of bringing all the latest news for those who, like me, are app-dicted! This is one of the first places I stop in the morning. As a blogger to a much smaller audience, I know the amount of work that goes into maintaining a site like this and appreciate all of her hard work!

Joanne – Thanks so much Geri for your support.

art

© Geri Centonze – ‘Young Love’ – ProCamera, IrisPhotoSuite, AutoPainter2, Snapseed, Sketch Club

TheAppWhisperer has always had a dual mission: to promote the most talented mobile artists of the day and to support ambitious, inquisitive viewers the world over.

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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: joanne@theappwhisperer.com

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