Mobile Photographer Interview – A Day In The Life Of Davide Capponi – A Passionate And Talented Photographer

©Davide Capponi

http://rubicorno.com
http://facebook.com/rubicorno

‘Back to earth’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, Decim8, Image Blender, VintageScene and PhotoToaster – ©David Capponi

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

Well, the alarm of my iPhone rings and while my metabolism slowly boots up, I check for updates and comments on the many social networks that I follow for photography: EyeEm , Facebook, Flickr, IPA, Pixels, Instagram…then I get ready and drive to work.

While driving I am always ready for a shot to be taken, I have a busy life and any moment is good for shooting a photo; if I’m caught in a traffic queue or at traffic lights I might be doing some editing.

‘Can’t you see’ – The app used to shot the image was ProCamera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Glaze, DecoSketch and ImageBlender – ©Davide Capponi

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

I love the early morning light, but it’s very hard for me to wake up at dawn so you’ll seldom see photos of mine taken with that light.

‘Charlotte’s dream’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using VintageScene – ©David Capponi

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

I bought my first iPhone, a 3GS, in November 2009 but I seldom used the camera. In the second half of 2010 I tried Hipstamatic, and this was the moment that I discovered the potential of an iPhone to be a tool for creative photography: at the time I had a business trip in Kazakhstan and had my first iPhoneografic reportage.

A few months later, in March 2011, I registered on Instagram and my iPhoneographic journey truly began: a few months later my Canon DSLR was a device used less and less.

Aside from the facts, photography has always been a passion, even though I don’t have a formal training in art or photography. When I was a kid my very first camera was a glorious Diana F; later I put my hands on a Olympus OM2 reflex and learned analog photography techniques on my own, mainly through books.

In time though I shot less and less and lost interest, maybe because I had no way to share my works; I recently learned that sharing my photos and receiving feedback is essential to me.

Another key factor that makes mobile photography for me more important that traditional photography ever was is the level of creativity that is implied in the mobile photography “language”.

‘Country Malaise’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, VintageScene, Image Blender, Modern Grunge and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

Certainly, I am a photography app addict and I’m always looking and trying new ones; I have currently about 30 folders packed of photography apps on my iPhone.

‘Dizzy street’ – The app used to shot the image was ProCamera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using iColorama, Filterstorm, Repix and Glaze – ©Davide Capponi

How often do you update your existing apps?

I update my apps daily, I am always looking for new features, and I don’t like apps that are not developed on a regular basis.

‘Empty is the window to my soul’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro Camera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using iColorama, Modern Grunge and ImageBlender – ©Davide Capponi

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

I am particularly fond of cemeteries for shooting, so give a me an old weathered cemetery and I’m happy. My dream is having a kind of TripAdvisor app for cemeteries: aside from big and known cemeteries there are plenty of unknown country cemeteries full of treasures to be captured.

‘Eternal flame’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro Camera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Modern Grunge, iColorama, Repix and ImageBlender – ©Davide Capponi

Do you also use mobile photography tool apps, such as The Photographers Ephemeris?

I know The Photographers Ephemeris, but honestly the only info I need are the sunrise and sunset times in the place where I’m going to shoot, and you can find those on any meteo app or website.

‘Every heaven hides a hell’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro Camera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Mextures, Scratchcam, Decim8, Image Blender, Phototoaster and Filterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

If so, do you use them to plan you shoot?

When I’m going to shoot in an area I try to plan keeping in mind sunrise or sunset.

‘Eye in the sky’ – The app used to shot the image was ProCamera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Pic Grunger, Mextures, TwistCam, Repix, Phototoaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

Depending on the objectives of editing at the moment I use a number of alternative or complementary app:
•    Snapseed for cropping and initial tuning of the shot
•    Glaze and Repix for painterly effects
•    Modern Grunge and Vintage Scene for the grunge effects
•    Decim8, Deco Sketch and Tangent for geometric effects
•    Image Blender and Filterstorm for blending and layering of images
•    Noir and SimplyB&W for black and white
•    iColorama for some specific effects such as Warp and Glass
•    FocalLab and BlurFX for blur effects

‘Garden of forsaken dreams’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Glaze, Vintage Scene, Image Blender, ElastiCam and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

Too many places! My iPhoneography blog http://rubicorno.com , my Facebook page http://facebook.com/rubicorno, EyeEm, Flickr, iPhoneArt, Pixels, Mobitog, many Facebook groups, Instagram and other less important. I like that every social has a different mood and community and I try to keep up to date on all of them, obviously failing.

‘Imagine’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, VintageScene, Image Blender, Modern Grunge and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

Do you take photographs with your mobile device everyday?

I would say yes, I take any occasion to shoot, even though many will be never published. I live a busy life and have to literally stretch my time to allow for creativity. I shoot when I see something that catches my attention in between my daily activities, and allow myself a dedicated shooting session only from time to time, maybe once a month.

The same goes for editing, where I feel I express most of my creativity: I do it in every idle moment I can get, at traffic lights, while having lunch, waiting for a meeting to start.

‘Imperfect postcard 3’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Decim8, Modern Grunge, ImageBlender – ©Davide Capponi

What are your favorite subjects?

The architectural theme is possibly the one that inspires me more: I am lucky to be born in a city (Torino) that has a rich architectural heritage, ranging from medieval to baroque and art nouveau, and I always spent time looking up at the facades of the old houses, maybe in a way I was taking pictures at them with my mind.

So city scenery and architecture has always been a preferred subject of my photography, be it traditional or mobile photography.

Buildings, especially old, and even more if they are abandoned or derelict, have a story to tell, and I like to be a medium for it.

As said before I have a special love for shooting cemeteries, and everything inside them; I love in cemeteries the feeling of strong but restrained emotions that is expressed by funerary art and by the writings on the tombs.

Landscapes are recently emerging more and more in my choice of shots, I love the sense of immensity and mystery you can find in the land.

I am also doing my own style of street photography in the series “The waiting”, an occasion to see people and architecture together.

‘Mirkwood’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, Decim8, Image Blender, VintageScene and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

What are you top five tips for mobile photography?

1.    Connect with other Mobile photographers, the choice of networks is vast: EyeEm, dedicated Facebook groups, GooglePlus, Flickr, Instagram ….
2.    Learn from top mobile photographers when they talk about their process of shooting and editing, providing valuable tutorials that can be found on an excellent blog such as TheAppWhisperer
3.    Shoot, shoot and shoot again and then publish the best to get feedback
4.    Let your instincts take control both while shooting and editing, this is the best way to find your own voice
5.    Learn from feedbacks but be selective in finding among your followers your best critics: it’s not just a matter of “likes”

‘Portico’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, Glaze, Image Blender and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

I strictly do all my editing on iOS devices and mostly on my iPhone. I feel there is much more freedom and diversity mixing the number of mobile apps available than in using PC behemoth packages such as Photoshop

‘Snow shuffle’ – The app used to shot the image was ProCamera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Repix and Filterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

Do you enjoy videography with your mobile device?

Not much, I see video as a different language than photography and I prefer to stick to my current passion.

‘Strange beauty 8’ – The app used to shot the image was ProCamera, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Decim8, DecoSketch and ImageBlender – ©Davide Cappoini

Where do you see the future of mobile photography?

Mobile photography is moving from a pioneers era to a mass phenomenon. It seems to me that the gap between photo bloggers and creative photographers is now widening, Instagram itself after the acquisition from Facebook is focusing more and more on social and less on artistic value. So there is a migration to more selective networks such as iPhoneart.com and EyeEm or to communities such as We Are Juxt, AMPT and The New Era Museum. I think that this trend will evolve more and more in the future.

From another point of view there is a path of technological convergence between the world of “classic” digital photography and what we see in the Samsung Galaxy Camera (a connected point-and-shoot with a sim and Android features); as always the market will shape the future of these products and this will have a clear impact on what Mobile photography will become.

‘Strings’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, Pic Grunger, BlurFX and Phototoaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

Street photography is definitely the most popular area: it’s easy to start for anyone and it provides emotional content, easy for anyone to understand. The con of street photography is that it is even harder than other genres, so many useless street shots are poured on socials every day.

‘The howling mill’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, VintageScene, Image Blender, iColorama and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

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

I see works from mobile photographers from any place, I think the only reason why some nations are less represented is that mobile phone are not readily available or too expensive. I have always considered mobile photography a global phenomenon.

‘The inner courtyard’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Glaze, Repix, iColorama and Filterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

TheAppWhisperer is my favourite mobile photography blog, I like the way Joanne is running it creating an “editorial community” where the most influentials artists take an active role delivering content and ideas.

Thank you so much Davide for this wonderful interview as well as the compliments.

‘The quiet zone’ – The app used to shot the image was Pro HDR, cropping and adjustments were done using Snapseed, further editing was done using Dynamic Light, Decim8, Image Blender, Modern Grunge and PhotoToaster – ©Davide Capponi

Pro HDR
Decim8
Image Blender
Vintage Scene
PhotoToaster
Snapseed
Dynamic Light
DecoSketch
VintageScene
Repix
Glaze
ProCamera
Filterstorm
Elasticam
Phototoaster
Modern Grunge
BlurFX
iColorama
Fast Camera
DistressedFX
Mextures
SlowShutterCAM
PicGrunger
TwistCam
Hipstamatic
Noir
Focallab
Simply B&W
Tangent

‘The waiting – 17’ – FastCamera, Snapseed, Glaze, Repix, Filterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

‘The Voice of the land’ – ProCamera, Snapseed, Glaze, Tintype, Mextures, DistressedFX, Filterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

‘Night Ride 5′ – SlowShutterCAM, Snapseed, Glaze, Mextures, DistressedFX – ©Davide Capponi

‘Playing on the beach 2’ – SlowShutterCAM, Snapseed, Glaze, Mextures, DistressedFX, FIlterstorm – ©Davide Capponi

‘Les necropolis – 2’ – ProCamera, Snapseed, Tintype – ©Davide Capponi

‘Imperfect Postcard 7’ – ProCamera, Snapseed, DistressedFX, Glaze, Decim8, Modern Grunge – ©Davide Capponi

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