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Mobile Photography New Year Resolutions From Around The World – Part 1!

At the beginning of the year it’s traditional to make a promise to oneself to improve in some way, this could be to improve finances, improve education, improve mental health, improve physical health and so on. We wanted to speak with mobile photographers, mobile artists, mobile hardware manufacturers and mobile photography app developers to find out what their New Year Resolutions for 2014 are. We have communicated with over 80 people for this article, we would love to include everyone, but we simply can’t, we’d never finish. So please don’t be upset if you’re not in this article, you have not been forgotten, we’re very aware of who you are and will be making a huge effort to include you within our other articles in the near future.

We hope you enjoy this and find it inspiring, we certainly do…

 

View Part 2 here


 

Mel Harrison

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Image -‘Merry Christmas’ – Mel Harrison/MahoganyTurtle

‘What does 2014 hold for me? 2014 is going to be a very creative year for me. It will hopefully see the publishing of my first children’s book ‘The Egliid’, illustrated and written entirely on my iPad. It will definitely see the beginning of my second book!

I can only hope to meet a sea of new characters that evolve from the deepest darkest soul of my muse. Each of them are unveiled to me like a new friend carrying messages that guide me though both happy and sad times.

I definitely look forward to playing with all of the juxtaposer and paintfx new features and the new app okdothis has captured my attention. I think it is an incredibly clever idea, perfect for keeping the creative juices flowing.

I also look forward to contributing in full capacity again to my column here on The Appwhisperer.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and creative 2014′

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Lars Rehm

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Image – Lars Rehm

I test cameras, smartphones and accessories for a living and get to take pictures with many different devices. However, I often have to focus on a specific feature or aspect of image quality rather than the framing and composition of an image and I feel the quality of my photography has been suffering because of that. So my resolution for 2014 is to spend more time focusing on the creative process, without technology in the back of my head, and capture some images that I’ll enjoy looking at for years to come’.

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Allie Astell

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Image – Allie Astell

“My resolution for 2014 is to take a lot more portraits of the people I find interesting in the street or in my life. I’ve realised that telling a story with a single image is one of my favourite things, so I’d like to perfect that technique. Of course this would mean I need to meet a lot more characters, so for me 2014 will be about getting out there and being brave enough to talk to absolutely anyone who appeals to my photographic eye. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.’

Image above: ‘This is a lovely old Bedouin from Dahab, South Sinai and his name is Sheikh Amir. One of my favourite memories of 2013 was when I first met him. He stopped me in the road one morning to ask if I was having a nice day, or a REALLY nice day. He said “The sun is shining and we have our health. So I hope it’s a really nice day!”

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Karen Divine

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Image – ‘Not Your Ordinary Rodeo Girl’ – Karen Divine

Thinking about the New Year is always important. A year from now will I look back on 2014 and smile at what I’ve chosen to engage in, to love, to throw away. How exactly am I spending my time and is it bringing me joy and positive challenges. This is a daily conversation and most certainly reflects in our creative process; are we settling for just “good” when we produce work or are we digging deeper for some new experience and revelation. Our lives are brief and it’s crucial to stay alert, not get lazy and be absolutely true to our desires and who we are as the unique and beautiful individuals that we landed here to be. That is my resolution’.

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Paul Brown

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Image – ‘Cycling along the Foss’ – Paul Brown

Happy New Year and wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2014. My resolutions this year are to simplify and explore different styles. I often record and then blog my workflows and when I look back through 2013 I’m struck by how many apps I use in some workflows. I’m a fan of ‘app-stacking’ because I like my images to have my signature rather than that of an app. This year my 2 goals are (i) to minimise the apps I use in each workflow whilst still maintaining my own style, and (ii) to explore new styles – abstract and macro via the Olloclip 4 in 1 Santa kindly brought me’.

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Vivi Hanson Sacerdote

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Image – ‘Take the Shot’ – Vivi Hanson Sacerdote

One of my iPhoneography resolutions is to capture an amazing sunset in London which still eludes me! I also want to get braver with street photography. Last resolution is to clean up my huge list of apps, remove those that I never use and try to learn the more complicated apps!’

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Mainstream Withexplicitdreams

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Image – ‘Warriors of Hades’ – devine1225aaa

I wish that people realize the power they have in their hands which leads them to transform a mobile phone- an item without a soul – into a means of inspiration,creativity, in other words into a tool of art… I wish health and prosperity for all people…. In particular for the people who work either as amateurs or professionals within mobile photography, I hope that they are motivated by the majestic world of art photography and highly inspired by the hundreds of mobile applications offered in this particular field… All the very best… to all of you..’

Contact details:

Real name: Ioannis Sidiropoulos
Username for Flickr/IG/iPhoneArt – devine1225aaa

Matub Street-Dog

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Image – ‘Where Is My Mr Tender?’ – Matub Street-Dog

1. Stop thinking that I would have done more good pictures with another camera
2. Learn something new: 99% of my shots are street shots but I think everyone needs new tasks otherwise you lose the motivation and fun. I would love to learn how to make portraits, so I will take part of a workshop.
3. Long Term Photo Project: There are a lot of long-term projects in which you can work, the 365 project, 100 strangers,… The project I will finish this year are the „99 Shades Of Crazy“ that I have begun this summer. It´s a candid street shot project of 99 uncommon people which cross my path.
4. One of the fabulous things about mobile photography is the community, always there to support and advise. Next year I will meet in person as many community friends as possible.
5. Simply have fun’

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Marie Matthews

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Image – ‘Selfie’ – Marie Matthews

‘Shoot more and shoot better. Shoot every day. Try to increase my percentage of usable shots by analyzing my raw shots in a disciplined and methodical way. Write down why some shots work and other shots (most shots) don’t work. Is it a problem with light? focus? subject? distractions? composition? Figure out the specific problems and then work out a plan to resolve them one by one.

Become a better story teller. Concentrate more on how the components of my images relate to one another. All to often, I take random images of people and things on the street without any thought to how I am going to string them together during editing. I may explore storyboarding or working with models to plan my shots better.

Re-familiarize myself with my dSLR. I am going to Italy in March, and, because I need to bring back material for painting as well as photography, I don’t feel quite comfortable relying on my iPhone alone. Unfortunately, I realized recently that I haven’t touched my dSLR since January 2011, and I have completely forgotten which buttons and dials do what.

Get social media under control. Return to my roots on IPA and Flicker, and become more active on WeAreJuxt and, of course, The AppWhisperer.com. Let the rest of it go.’

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Armineh Hovanesian

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Image – ‘Elements of Vachag’ – Armineh Hovanesian

New Year Resolution(s) for 2014! Each and every year, we are given the option to work off a clean slate and rebuild! 2014 is a “7” year and the number “7” symbolizes The Seeker. Seek, I shall. My resolution is to learn, explore and become a better mobilephotographer in 2014. I’ve been told that I am going to be the owner of an iPad! A new iPad = new concoctions! Looking forward to exploring the apps I already use on my iPhone on this device. I’ve never worked on a screen larger than the iPhone! Would I be able to handle it? Remains to be seen… Get ready 2014, I’m ready to dive in!’

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Rudy Vogel

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Image – Rudy Vogel

As a Mobile Master and a self-professed critic of my own craft, I resolve in 2014 that I will do better and be even more creative! I absorb the fantastically creative works produced by my colleagues within the iPhoneography Community the world over and I am humbled. I view their works on the web and in real-time at exhibitions and I am mesmerized by their innovation, story-telling through imagery, and innate sense of simply “that which works.” I then view my own pieces and say “Self, you can do much better. My ‘Flower Drum Girl’ could emote even more – why did I end it the way I did? Maybe I could have perfected it even more?” Those I hold in high esteem, my fellow colleagues, I marvel at your work. Too many to name, too little time. In 2014, I will stretch the boundaries; I will app-stack even better; work even harder in perfecting my craft; share more ideas; communicate even better; and most of all, hopefully touch a few more hearts and minds from border to border impressing on them that she or, he can do it too. You the ‘reader of interest’ can express that unique talent and vision that only you possess and leave your own mark on this world by being the best that you can be! May 2014 be the most phenomenal year ever – filled with warmth, happiness, innovation, health, charity, growth, love and peace for all!’

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Natali Prosvetova

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Image – ‘Stop Whispering’ – Natali Prosvetova

Best wishes for the holidays! May this New Year bring many opportunities your way to explore every joy of life!! Hope this New Year brings new hopes, new promises and new reasons to celebrate your presence in your lives! Big hugs from Moscow’.

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Jeanette Vazquez

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Image – ‘Untitled’ – Jeanette Vazquez

My mobile photographs fall into the sub-genre of candid street photography. I love to walk the streets and become submerged in my surroundings and when I spot an image I want captured, out comes my mobile phone! Sure, I love using my dSLR and film cameras, but my phone has become my top choice for street as it’s so inconspicuous! I’m highly influenced by Daido Moriyama which brings me to my love for processing my photographs on my iPad. Apps such as Oggl, Hipstamatic, Afterlight, Mextures, and Camerabag2 are just a few of my favorites, and it’s the apps that make mobile photography an incredibly creative photographic experience. Lastly, through mobile photography communities, I have developed some amazing friendships from all over the world! Thank you again, Joanne!’

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Sean Hayes

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Image – Sean Hayes

‘My 2014 New Year’s resolution is 8 megapixels. I even surprise myself that I have continued to use my rapidly ageing iPhone 3GS to take photographs; squeezing every last pixel from its puny 3MP sensor. It has, at least, proven loyal, consistent and bug free. This is more than can be said for some of iPhone’s subsequent upgrades – if fellow iphoneographer’s reviews are to be believed. But it’s time to move up, as it has become blatantly obvious that Apple and the nifty photo apps that make mobile photography so much fun, will no longer support or develop for such an archaic model as the 3GS in the future. IOS 7 here I come – or maybe not? The new generation of android camera phones look very enticing; rivalling and even surpassing some of the classic point-and-shoot cameras in terms of megapixels and sensor sensitivity. I’m particularly intrigued with the Samsung’s attempt, with the Galaxy S4 Zoom, to meld a smartphone with the zoom functionality of its ordinary cameras. It’s the future; and we iphoneographers know it – the DSLR and smartphone become one. Yet, at the same time, I am reminded that the range, quality and sophistication of android photo apps lags way behind IOS offerings, and will do so for the foreseeable future.

On a more personal note: In 2014, I intend to continue and strengthen my resolution and resolve made in 2013 – namely, less is more. Shoot less, process less, post less, think more. After my initial exuberance of photographing everything and anything and hoping to ‘fix’ it with an app, I’ve attempted to be more contemplative of what I’m shooting and why. Consideration is a powerful stage in the photographic process which can all too easily be forgotten in the ‘shoot-process-post’ instantaneity of the online world. Being a good visual artist is not only about producing quality work, it is also about the courage and capacity to edit your work – sometimes mercilessly. I hope to continue developing as a photographer in 2014 by simplifying everything I do – less reliance on technique, more searching for soul. The photographs that work best convey human emotions or stories that are universal – technique should always be subservient to the idea or feeling conveyed by the photography. At this point, I would like to send my sincerest best wishes for a Happy New Year to Joanne and her team at TheAppWhisperer and to all my fellow iPhoneographers from around the world. The quality of your work never ceases to delight and inspire me. Happy shooting in 2014 everyone.’

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Gianluca Ricoveri

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Image – Gianluca Ricoveri

My purposes for the year 2014:
-Expanding the range of my subjects, looking for those that allow me a more abstract image
-Improving my apping phase,
including in the process some new apps.
-Be more present on Flickr, Eyeem and IPA

Best Wishes Joanne and thanks for all you have done in the last year XOXO’

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Davide Capponi

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Image – ‘Teardrops on a wet weekend’ – Davide Capponi

What do I expect from 2014 ? I want to keep on developing my creativity and achieving higher levels in iPhoneography. How ? I will move outside of my comfort zone, shooting subjects that I never did before, editing with apps that are outside of my standard toolbox; I will work more following a project approach and will publish only the very best of my production: less is more. I am aiming at a breakthrough and this cannot be achieved without some level of violence on yourself. Equipment-wise, I have just upgraded to an iPhone 5s and acquired the new Olloclip lenses, I will upgrade soon to an iPad Air so I will be be able to start using ProCreate.

I wish a creative 2014 to all iPhoneographers, this will be our year!









’

 

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Elodie Hunting

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Image – ‘Gemini’ – Elodie Hunting

For the coming year I would like to add a little more of my other passion in my artwork- astrology and symbolism. I love gods and goddesses, myths and esoteric symbolism. The tell such beautiful and important stories about the patterns we live in, sometimes are imprisoned in and how to free ourselves from suffocating patterns. Because both art and astrology have the same language- images and speak easily to the subconsciousness mind. Art is an universal language and I think that’s why this is such a strong global community. We unite easily and get to know each other through our work. Joanne does a great job as the Great Mother who offers her artistic children a home on her website and Facebook. Thank you for that! I hope that in 2014 some real good and creative apps will be launched. I wish for you all a bright, happy, good, creative and inspiring 2014 with the best constellations! X’

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Pirmin Follmi

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Image – Pirmin Follmi

 

1. I’ll finish my sixth book project. A virtual tour over a wooden bridge in my hometown.
2. Meet people who loves mobile photography (instawalk etc.)
3. Involve myself more into the mobile community which is not always easy because of the language barrier.

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Amy Leibrand

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Image – ‘thirty-seven’ – Amy Leibrand

My list of resolutions for 2014 is short and sweet, so here’s hoping I don’t get overwhelmed! My first resolution is to tackle the classic Hipstamatic — spend at least 10 minutes every day experimenting with different combinations of films and lenses. I am completely overwhelmed by the number of paks Hipstamatic has released and the seemingly endless combinations. I resolve to tackle this beast! I’d also like to learn to shoot a self-portrait using a slow shutter app. I’ve tinkered a bit, but so far my results have been quite unattractive and blobby. Much experimentation is needed in 2014. Also on my list is reconnecting with the mobile community on Flickr. I was largely absent in 2013 and I miss seeing the constant stream of inspiring images from fellow mobile photographers. Definitely a priority for 2014!’

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Roger Guetta

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Image – ‘Peace’ – Roger Guetta

My New Years’s Resolutions for 2014

or

Get It Clean In Two Thousand And Fourteen

Cleaning up my act has been a regular resolution every new year since I realized I possessed an act. You know, a shtick, a thang, a modus operandi. Although I’ve managed to polish up a few attributes throughout the years, my chakras are still terribly misaligned and let’s not get started on the overall condition of my chi.

This year I intend to streamline my mindfulness until its cognitive patina is not only aesthetically appealing but inwardly nurturing. I intend to achieve this state of being by bridging my apping capabilities with a more nutritional diet and exercise. Never more shall I schwing with Snapseed on nothing but an espresso and a cheese croissant. Rather, I now intend to proceed only if I have ingested a wholesome green smoothie and a walnut. When it comes to Image Blender or Juxtaposer, I vow to jump on the stationary bike for 20 minutes before even contemplating a blend. To date I have blended and layered on my bed eating bon bons. Never more.

As for my other ‘go to’ apps, this boy will, from this day forth, respect my body as the temple it is and diddle, dabble and dwaddle in them with the zen-like precision I know I am capable of’.

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Dani Salvadori

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Image – Dani Salvadori

‘Thanks Joanne for including me and what a challenge as I’m not very good at New Year resolutions! I’m aiming to finish my year of weekly stories on Backspaces before the anniversary on 7 Jan. And then I want to finish a half written illustrated story involving my favourite Giant Cherub character based on fabulous cherubs I’ve photographed wherever I spot them, which involves a lot of photocollaging. Then I want to get better at street photography which means getting out there. I’m also hoping to do a few more photo sessions with the London Clickers. All that should keep me busy!’
Greetings from California and happy new year.’

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Giancarlo Beltrame

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Image – Giancarlo Beltrame

What I hope for 2014? That my creativity does not turn off. To continue to see growth of the mobileart in the arts and learn about new talents at the TheAppwhisperer and now that I’ve started to print my images, to do so many exhibits …

Link

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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