A Day in the Life of Cedric Blanchon – A Mobile Photographer Who Packs A Punch!
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 eighth installment of the series. If you have missed our previous interviews, please go here.
Today we are featuring Cedric Blanchon, he was born on 12 January 1980, at Troyes in France (about 200 km from Paris). After studying as a painter decorator, he joined his current company, where he still works. He was a Champion of English Amateur Boxing of Champagne Ardennes (the area where he lives) in 2009 and he participated in the championship of France. Then he got his first iPhone and his life changed! (loll) I like to define myself as an autodidact, I contribute to the tribegram site, a site dedicated to iphoneographie, I published an ebook (macadam chroniques) to the tribegram editions and available on iBookstore, I have two children, a wife and an ex-wife but no dog!
You can find all the links to the apps used or 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.)
Cedric Blanchon
© Cedric Blanchon – “My Self Portrait” – Apps: ShakeItPhoto, ColorSplash, PhotoTaster, Lo-Mob
First Things First
© Cedric Blanchon – “Fashion Victim” – Apps: Noir, Blender, Snapseed
Joanne – Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?
Cedric – After visiting the toilet, I make a good coffee, I drink it in front of the tv and I check my mail and my notifications, I also look and see what has happened on Facebook, after that I go to work and that is the hardest part!
Golden Hour
© Cedric Blanchon – “Wake Up” – Apps: Spacepaint, Blender, MagicHour
Joanne – Do you like to head out and take photographs early on?
Cedric – Yes, recently, it was foggy outside, I went out specifically to take pictures in the street, I think i’ve done a very beautiful picture, generally, I like to take photos in the morning because I think people are much more relaxed, not too wake, me too !
Photographer vs Mobile Photographer
© Cedric Blanchon – “Smoking Will Kill Me” – Apps: Hipstamatic (Starmatic filter)
Joanne – How did the transition from traditional photographer to iPhoneographer develop? (pardon the pun)
Cedric – I am a pure iphoneographer since this is really the first camera with which I make pictures, I already had digital cameras just for leisure but let’s say, my regular practice of Photomobile opened my eyes enormously to things that I did not see, a detail, a texture, or pure creation.
New Apps
© Cedric Blanchon – “Chaos of Myself” – Apps: Blender, Snapseed, Flowpaper, Touch/Retouch
Joanne – Do you like to download new iPhoneography apps regularly?
Cedric – I try to keep abreast of any new apps, and if they interest me I download , but I try a lot of things.
Updates
© Cedric Blanchon – “The Strange Smoker” – Apps: Hipstamatic, Noir, Spacepaint, Blender, SquareReady, Snapseed
Joanne – How often do you update your existing apps?
Cedric – oh yes! Once, I forgot to update, and the update brought many great things for the app, since then I do it regularly.
Location, Location, Location
© Cedric Blanchon – “I Tried The Mask” – Apps: Hipstamatic, Snapseed
Joanne – Where’s your favorite place in the world for a shoot?
Cedric – All parts of the world are fantastic to photograph, just open your eyes, but I do not see everything, I would say Paris, I love this town, but if I lived here, I would be a little scared, I found that over the city is great and many people are crazy, but for photography it is very good!
Tools Of The Trade
© Cedric Blanchon – “And We Go Leave In Smoke Our Past Memories” – Apps: Blender, Snapseed, SpacePaint
Joanne – Do you also use iPhoneography tool apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris?
Cedric – I do not know this application but I’ll check it out.
Favorite Apps
© Cedric Blanchon – “Cyber Soul” – Apps: Blender, Spacepaint, Glaze, Tangler, Snapseed
Joanne – What are your favorite, at the moment, iPhone photography apps? My favorite app?
Cedric – Difficult to choose, I give you my trio, Snapseed, noir, blender
Sharing
© Cedric Blanchon – “Poladream” – Apps: ShakeItPhoto, Blender, Colorsplash
Joanne – Where do you like to upload your photographs?
Cedric – Flickr, Instagram? there are many mobile photographer that I admire, I would not offend anyone (haha), so I love to IG David Ingraham, Malcome, Aylin Argun, Ade Santora, Sebgordon, Lee Thatcher, Naprosvet but I could go on and on flickr Roger Clay, Lola Mitchell, Roger Guetta, Jarsharn,Sarah Jarret, Gusbano, asleepundercolumnsolight and plenty of others, hard to choose!
Frequency
© Cedric Blanchon – “Meet the Headlessman” – Apps: Blender, Noir, ShakeItPhoto, ScratchCam
Joanne – Do you take photographs with your iPhone everyday?
Cedric – Yes, everywhere, all the time, I have become an addict, it’s become a sort of reflex, I think I have grafted my iPhone to my hand!
Favorite Subjects
© Cedric Blanchon – “Enter The Darkness” – Apps: Cam+, Noir
Joanne – What are your favorite subjects?
Cedric – My favorite subject? If I had to keep one it would be the people, their lives, all that matters is inexhaustible, that’s why I love Robert Doisneau, his photos are an invaluable source for humanity.
Top Five Tips
© Cedric Blanchon – “Woman Is The Future of Man” – Apps: Hipstamatic, Snapseed, Blender, Picfx
Joanne – What are you top five tips for iPhone photography?
Cedric – The most important thing is to do what you love and follow your instincts, watch what others are doing, do not hesitate to ask for advice, and open your eyes. I am not a specialist but the more we do things and more we acquire a technique, and more if you have the eye or imagination, I think you can do great things.
Editing
© Cedric Blanchon – “Human After All” – Apps: Blender, Snapseed, Glaze, Afterglow
Joanne – Do you edit images on your iPhone or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?
Cedric – I edit mostly on my iPhone and sometime on my iPad , but never on my computer, i have not a logical mind for this!
Videography
© Cedric Blanchon – “I Dream Of Adventure” – Apps: Vfxstudio, Blender, Snapseed, Lenslight
Joanne – Do you enjoy videography with your iPhone?
Cedric – So I started making small videos, I love cut , I think video and picture are the same thing, it is the image after all, Stanley Kubrick made the picture before the movies, but I do not take after him of course!
The Future of Mobile Photography
© Cedric Blanchon – “Black Horse” – Apps: Noir
Joanne – Where do you see the future of mobile photography?
Cedric – I think mobile photography has a bright future ahead of him, this is only the beginning, Europe with eyeem in France with sites like tribegram, it is developing in the right direction, on instagram there are many meetings in France with photowalks, more exposure around it and the success is there, the mobile photography is an art like any other and it is not the camera that makes the photographer.
Popularity
© Cedric Blanchon – “Children’s Game” – Apps: Noir
Joanne – What do you think is the most popular area of mobile photography?
Cedric – Rich countries are unfortunately those who can afford this kind of device, America, Europe, Asia, I see pictures taken in all corners of the world, the Internet and sharing sites photos have made that possible, it is really great to be able to talk to people who live in Russia or in China, iPhoneography pulls together, it is still one of the strengths of this art!
Where In The World?
© Cedric Blanchon – “Macadam Chroniques” – Apps: Noir, Snapseed
Joanne – Do you think it’s country specific, are some nations more clued up?
Cedric – I think America is ahead.
iPhone 5
© Cedric Blanchon – “I See You iPhoneographer” – Apps: vsco, Fingerfocus, Phototoaster, Snapseed
Joanne – What are your first impressions of the iPhone 5?
Cedric – I do not own the iPhone 5, but I have the latest iPad, every year a new iPhone is here, it is the competition of smartphones, it’s good for us with the improvement of photos and the power of the device, but it is not good for our wallets.
The App Whisperer
© Cedric Blanchon – “The New Videodrome, Do Scream janet” – Apps: Blender, Snapseed
Joanne – What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?
Cedric – Haha, I love, sites like yours, it is really good for mobile photography, your selection of photos every week, in the Flickr Group Showcase, is just wonderful. Vive theappwhisperer!
Joanne – Merci, Cedric x
Links To All Apps Used Or Mentioned In This Interview
© Cedric Blanchon – “Autumn” – Apps: Fingerfocus, Filterstorm, Fotor, Snapseed
© Cedric Blanchon – “Don’t Tell Me, My Love” – Apps: FBlender, ColorSplash, Pixlr-o-matic, Iris
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
10 Comments
Aylin Argun
Congrats Cedric,great interview and amazing work !
Lola Mitchell
Great interview. Your work is great. I am very honored to have made your list. Merci!
Davide Capponi
Great Interview, Cedric and Joanne!
Cecily
This is so fascinating and inspiring at the same time!!
Félicitations to you both!!!
Benamon Tame
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Cedric, and great showcase of your work, will be certainly looking out for more.
Tracy Mitchell Griggs
Simply the best. Love the work.
Elodie Hunting
Great interview Cedric and Joanne. I love your work!
Carlos
Expressive and dark sense of portraiture. Very creative.
Lee Thatcher
Brilliant interview, i love Cedric’s work and the iBook as fantastic. Really nice to learn more of the mighty Cedric. I cant believe I got a mention, I nearly fell off my chair!!
Liz Traynor
Love this interview. Well done Cedric. Your work is amazing and inspiring.