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

Mobile Photographer Interview – A Day In The Life Of Connie Rosenthal – A Very Intuitive Artist

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 ninety third installment of the series. If you have missed our previous interviews, please go here.

Today we are featuring Connie Rosenthal a mobile photographer who has enthralled us with her mobile images and art and one that we have featured many times within our weekly Flickr Group Showcases (which represents the very best of mobile photography from around the world each week – see here) as well as within our Streets Ahead Column (which focuses on Women’s Street Photography, see here).

Connie was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, PA and was lucky enough to grow up in a culturally rich environment. Her parents enjoyed cooking, entertaining and traveling with friends, collecting art and antiques, creating art, attending theater and concerts, reading, and volunteering. She received a BA degree (English) from the University of Pittsburgh and a MA in elementary education from New York University. Connie lived in Manhattan for 15 years and loved every minute of it. She taught school for 8 years during which time she took photography classes. After leaving teaching, she managed a commercial photography studio for 3 years. When that ended, she went back to school to learn professional cooking and catering; she then worked as a corporate chef and caterer for 10 years, both in New York City and Los Angeles.

In the fall of 1981 she met her husband while visiting a friend in Los Angeles, and in the spring of ’82, she moved there. She continued to cater for several years, then taught school again until her son was born. Connie was a stay-at-home mom and in 1999 took a class in jewelry making. Since then, she has been designing jewelry, selling her work in Sundance Catalog and various boutiques in Los Angeles and beyond.

Up until discovering the iPhone camera and all it’s possibilities, she has been a family-fun, vacation photographer. She enjoys cooking, traveling, gardening, visiting museums and galleries, attending concerts and theater, reading, and spending time with my family and friends. Through photography, cooking and designing jewelry, Connie continues to enjoy experimenting with color, shapes, texture, design, composition, and learning about herself.

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 [email protected], and we’ll get it set up.)

 

Connie Rosenthal

mobile

 

Flickr link (Congarose) to Connie’s images – click here

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‘Beauty In The Bathtub’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Hipstamatic

 

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

I begin my day by reading email and then going to TheAppWhisperer to see what’s new (really!). I then take care of morning chores around the house and go to the gym.

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‘Cantaloupe’ –© Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Camera+

 

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

I would probably like to head out to take photographs early in the day, but it isn’t usually an option.

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‘Cowboy Boot’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Hipstamatic and Snapseed

 

How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop? (pardon the pun)

After attending the LA Mobile Festival last summer, I was inspired to take photos with my iPhone and tried experimenting with some of the apps. I loved the convenience of the iPhone and how much fun playing with the apps was. I’ve been hooked ever since. Up until then, I was mainly a “point and shoot” vacation picture taker.

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‘Graffiti In Le Marais’ © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Camera+ and Snapseed

 

Do you like to download new mobile photography and/or art apps regularly?

I do, and I especially like taking advantage when apps have price drops or become free. It may take some time before I get to experiment with some of the apps I acquire; some prove quite worthwhile, offering surprising results; others don’t end up interesting me and I delete them after I discover that.

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‘Luxembourg Station’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Camera+, Snapseed, Image Blender, TouchRetouch

 

How often do you update your existing apps?

I generally update as soon as I receive update notifications.

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‘Man against the wall’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Hipstamatic, Snapseed

 

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

My favorite place is wherever someone or something catches my eye. I especially like to go to new places, capturing people, what’s happening on the streets, the colors, shapes, textures that are unique to that place’s essence.

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‘Man in the white shirt’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, Snapseed

 

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

I haven’t used mobile photography tool apps. I like deciding what I want to shoot, often making those decisions spontaneously. The only time I’ve followed someone else’s guidelines is when I’m taking a workshop.

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‘Mannequin’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Oggl, Snapseed

 

What are your favorite, at the moment, mobile photography/art apps and why?

Camera+ for it’s exposure and focus control

Oggl because of the unlimited film and lens combinations you can shoot with and/or choose to use in editing

Snapseed because it offers so many comprehensive tools for initial and final adjustments, including brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, drama, and more. I especially like the selective adjust tool, and use it often.

Image Blender for its blending options

Juxtaposer for its masking and arranging tools and because it allows you to make reusable stamps

ScratchCam because with its scratches, textures and color options, you can easily add grunge and dimension to a photograph

TouchRetouch because it easily allows you to take out unwanted things in a photo

PhotoSync because it allows you to select and transfer photos between devices and the computer

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‘Mannequin in the window’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Hipstamatic, Scratchcam, Snapseed

 

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

I upload my photographs on Flickr, some Facebook groups and sometimes on Instagram.

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‘Many Dancers’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, Image Blender

 

Do you take photographs with your mobile device everyday?

I don’t usually have a chance to go out and take photographs every day, though since my iPhone is always with me, if someone or something catches my eye, I will definitely take photos.

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‘Marble’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App used – Hipstamatic

 

What are your favorite subjects?

As I mentioned, I like using my camera to explore busy streets, colorful people, interesting architecture, the colors, shapes, and textures particular to a certain location. Lately I have been intrigued by mannequins in store windows as surfaces that offer interesting reflections.

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‘Old Cabin Colarado’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Camera+

 

How did the teaching side come along?

Though I have a lot of teaching experience, as far as mobile photography goes, I still see myself as a student. I take workshops as often as possible, having recently returned from my second workshop week with the amazing Karen Divine. Perhaps someday I will decide to share what I have learned and start teaching, but for now, I’m happy being a student.

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‘One Love’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Hipstamatic, Snapseed

What are you top five tips for mobile photography?

-Shoot as often as you can;

-Play around with shooting the same object from different points of view, experiment with light, composition, distance, the Olloclip, etc;

-Experiment with different ways to use the processing apps, try editing an image in as many different ways as possible;

-Look at others’ photographs, whether fine art or mobile, in museums and galleries, books, online;

-Keep reviewing your photographs; I find that the more I learn, the more I find different things to do with my photographs, whether they are recent or older shots;

 

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‘Osaka’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Hipstamatic

 

Do you edit images on your mobile device or do you prefer to do that on a desktop/laptop?

I shoot with my iPhone and transfer the images to my iPad where I do all my editing.

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‘Paris Rooftops’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Camera+, Snapseed, Glaze

 

Do you enjoy videography with your mobile device?

I haven’t really used the iPhone for videos. I really enjoy taking stills and don’t have an interest in making videos.

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‘Pirate Man’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Oggl, Snapseed

 

Where do you see the future of mobile photography?

I believe that mobile photography is becoming more appreciated and accepted. I am hopeful that fine art photographers will begin to respect and embrace the amazing work mobile photographers are creating.

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‘Rainy Day in Osaka’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Hipstamatic

 

What do you think is the most popular area of mobile photography?

I think nature and street photography are the most popular areas of mobile photography.

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‘Reflections’ – © Connie Rosenthal App Used – Hipstamatic

 

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

I think mobile photography was probably country specific when the first iPhones came out based on where they were available. But now, I think that’s changed, as can be seen on all the social media sites (Flickr, Facebook, Instagram, etc) where you can find beautiful, creative photographs posted from all over the world.

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‘Seeing Double’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps used – Hipstamatic, Image Blender

 

What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

Since discovering Theappwhisperer, I have been impressed with Joanne and all the hard work she puts into making it such a comprehensive mobile photography site. Through the interviews, I was introduced to my “mentor” Karen Divine and my Los Angeles iPhone friend, Elaina Wilcox. I have learned about many apps through the reviews, tutorials and the fabulous giveaways. I enjoy reading the various columnists who share their personal experiences and points-of-view covering many relevant topics. What can I say? Joanne and Theappwhisperer have been a guiding light for me as I explore and experiment with iphoneography.

 

Links To All Apps Mentioned

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‘Table at Los Luceros’ – © Connie Rosenthal – App Used – Hipstamatic

 

Hipstamatic
Oggl
Camera+
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Image Blender
Glaze
ScratchCam
PhotoSync

 

Additional Wonderful Images

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‘The Grotto’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Hipstamatic, TouchRetouch

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‘The man in the trees in the window’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps used – Hipstamatic, Snapseed

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‘Train Man’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Oggl

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‘Under the Eiffel Tower’ – © Connie Rosenthal – Apps Used – Camera+, Image Blender, Snapseed

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: [email protected]

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