A Day In The Life Of ...,  INTERVIEWS,  News

Mobile Photographer/Artist Interview – A Day in the Life Wayman Stairs – An Incredible Creative

2013-03-07 / 13 Comments

Welcome to our very exciting column on theappwhisperer.com. This section entitled “A Day in the Life of…” 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 eighty third installment of the series. If you have missed our previous interviews, please go here. Today we are featuring Wayman Stairs. Wayman lives in California and works as a Physical Education teacher and Coach. He is married to his ‘beautiful school sweetheart’ and is also father to two boys, who keep him on is toes and often find their way into his art and edits. Wayman has no formal art training, other than the one year of art he took in high school, which was taught by his football coach. “Those classes mainly consisted of painting ceramics, modeling clay and talking about football”, he jokes. Despite this, his true talent shines throughout his work. To find out more about Wayman please read the following interview and prepare to be inspired by his art, we certainly are.

Links to all apps mentioned in this interview are at the end.

(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.)

 

Wayman Stairs

art

 

You can see more of his work here:

Flickr
Eyem
Iphoneart.com
Prints

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‘Wait for Us‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Filtermania 2, Scratch Cam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – Most days are the same for me; I wake up before the sun rises, throw my breakfast and lunch in my backpack and then I ride my bike to the gym. After a good workout ride my bike to work and start my day. If time allows I will check my comments, messages and e-mails before I leave.

 

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‘Childhood Memories‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Paint FX, Juxtaposer, Alien Sky, Glaze

 

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

Wayman – Typically my mornings are fairly busy and its hard to take pictures most of the time at work. Sometimes when the clouds are exceptional or the lighting is just right I’ll take a quick picture during the day, but this is a rare exception. Most of the pictures I take are on my bike ride home from work in the afternoon/early evening.

 

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‘Bright Ideas Come in 3s‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Fx Photo Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Lens Light

 

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

Wayman – No, I actually had to google it to see what it was. I never use tools such as this, I am more of a point and shoot kind of guy. Whatever looks good or intrigues me that is what I capture.

 

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‘Clone Rebellion‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Photo Wizard, Scratch Cam, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Glaze, Art Studio

 

Joanne – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography and art apps?

Wayman – Currently my favorite apps are Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Glaze and Art Rage. I use the first four in almost every one of my pieces.

 

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‘Mass Media‘ ©Wayman Stairs — Apps used: Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Artstudio, Glaze

 

Joanne – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhone photographer/artist develop? (pardon the pun)

Wayman – I was never really a traditional photographer so I would say the transition was fairly simple for me. My wife was always the one taking pictures and that was to capture moments of life, kids, etc. When I first got my iPhone that was also what it was used for, taking pictures of my kids. Then that transitioned into taking those pictures and creating something with them.

 

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‘Fishin for Trouble‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky

 

Joanne – Do you like to download new iPhone photography/art apps regularly?

Wayman – Yes, I download apps all the time, especially the free ones. However, my phone is only 16 GB so I do have to be somewhat selective of what I keep around. My app folders are ever changing, although I have a couple folders that I never get rid of.

 

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‘Light, Camera, Action‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Fx Photo Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Paintfx

 

Joanne – How often do you update your existing apps?

Wayman – I do not like badges on my apps, not sure why, but when I see one I like to get rid of it. Therefore, once I have an update available, I do so right away or as soon as I possibly can.

 

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‘Let the Light Flow‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Decim8, Elasticam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – I have been to Yosemite, CA on a couple of occasions and each time I go back I see something new. One of my first trips was a midnight hike to the top of Half Dome, which is a Yosemite Icon that is about 5,000 feet above the valley floor and a 16 mile round trip hike. We got to the top just before sunrise, it was amazing being up there and seeing the sun rise over the mountain tops and shine on the valley below. On the way back we actually got to see all of the beautiful scenery as well, which includes a river, waterfalls, animals, and some other amazing sights.

 

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‘Uprooted‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – Currently my favorite apps are Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Glaze and Art Rage. I use the first four in almost every one of my pieces.

 

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‘Rediscovering One’s Self‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – Currently I upload my works to Flickr, Eye-Em and iPhoneart.com for now. I used to post stuff on IG, but have since stopped. I am still there as I like to keep up with my friends on there.

 

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‘Off to Dreamland‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Filtermania 2, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, FX Photostudio

 

Joanne – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?

Wayman – There are some weeks when I take pictures with my phone everyday. Then there are some weeks where I won’t take a single picture. Guess it just depends on my mood or schedule. There are times where I wake up before the sun rises and get home after the sun sets.

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‘Halt Who Goes There‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

Joanne – What are your favorite subjects?

Wayman – Well I like to take pictures of my kids, if I can get them to be still enough to take pictures of them. I tend to use pictures of my kids in most of my edits. I also really like to take pictures of sunsets, clouds and landscapes so that I can use them later in my creations.

 

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‘Alone to my Thoughts: Pondering Whats Next’ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Elasticam, Art Studio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky.

 

Joanne – How did the teaching side come along?

Wayman – Well I am a teacher and coach by profession so I guess that teaching is just in my nature.

 

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‘Lunar Exploration‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: FX Photostudio, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Art Rage

 

 

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

Wayman – There are a couple of things I have taken to heart from my buddy Justin @jflex and they are the rules I work with when it comes to iPhone photography.

Don’t ever let anybody tell you what you can and cannot do.

Don’t let the fear of what others think, stop you from creating what you want.

I think these two are awesome tips that have always stuck with me. Another would be to experiment, its not always going to turn out how you want it, but that’s ok. Also don’t forget to have fun with what your doing. If your not having fun, then what’s the point? Lastly I would say read. There are many different helpful Iphoneography blogs/website such as theappwhisperer.com. They are great resources when it comes to app reviews and tutorials as well as the ability to learn from other iPhone photographers through interviews such as this.

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‘Physically Drained‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Space Paint, Art Studio

 

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

Wayman – Everything I edit is done on either my iPhone 4 or my iPad. I just started using the iPad a couple months ago and it is a lot of fun. I never really use my computer for anything since getting my iPhone.

 

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‘Turn Back the Hand of Time‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Art Studio, Glaze, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

Joanne – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?

Wayman – I will take videos of my kids, but that is about it when it comes to videography for me.

 

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‘Lost Lake‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps used: Scratchcam, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Colorsplash

 

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

Wayman – iPhone photography is evolving all the time and I definitely see it starting to take a foothold as a viable art form, which is great to see.

 

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‘Follow the Leader‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Juxtaposer, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – Not quite sure what is popular when it comes to iPhone photography.

 

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‘Intergalactic Planetary‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Hipstamatic, Photo Forge 2, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm, Alien Sky

 

 

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

Wayman – No I do not think it is country specific. Most platforms where I post my work, I see images from all over the world.

 

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‘Surreal Exploration‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Procreate, Art Rage, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

Joanne – What are your first impressions of the iPhone 5?

Wayman – I have no clue; I still use an iPhone 4.

 

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‘Unplugged‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: FX Photostudio, Scratch Cam, Decim8, Juxtaposer, Snapseed, Filterstorm

 

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

Wayman – Joanne is great, she does so much for this community and I am really not sure how she keeps up with it all. Thanks so much Joanne for all you do. Your website is a great resource for all those involved in iPhone photography.

 

Links To All Apps Used Or Mentioned In This Interview

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‘Tortoise & The Hare‘ ©Wayman Stairs–Apps Used: Snapseed, Filterstorm, Juxtaposer, Procreate

 

Filter mania 2
ScratchCam
Juxtaposer
Snapseed
Filterstorm
Alien Sky
Glaze
Paint FX
LensLight
FX Photo Studio
Art Studio
Art Rage
Decim8
Photo Wizard
ElastiCam
Space Paint
ColorSplash
Photoforge 2
Procreate
The Photographer’s Ephemeris

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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: [email protected]

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13 Comments

  • Janine Graf

    2013-03-07 at 08:05

    Wayman, I am such a huge fan of your work (but you already know that)! I just love the creativity that flows from your mind!

    • Wayman

      2013-03-17 at 23:55

      Thanks so much Janine hit a bit of a slump lately thank you very much I appreciate your kind words

  • Gerry Coe

    2013-03-07 at 09:24

    Amazing images, surreal is the correct word and would not be out of place in the Dali museum or a Magritte exhibition. Very inventive mind. Love them.

  • Catherine

    2013-03-07 at 13:50

    Absolutely blown away by the creativity… LOVE his work! Great interview Joanne!

  • Tracy Mitchell Griggs

    2013-03-09 at 08:16

    LOVE. Wondering if you have a background in art or work in graphic design, and where the inspiration comes from when create your images and if you work spontaneously or map out the image in advance. And would love to be a fly on the wall inside your camera roll. All those “bits”. Cool stuff.

    • Wayman

      2013-03-18 at 00:02

      Thanks Tracy…I have no background in either art or graphic design. Most pieces are spontaneous…just let it flow!! My inspiration comes from my life, everything that surrounds me, artists of the past and current artists that I follow!