Mobile Photography – A Picture’s Worth with Jo Sullivan
‘A Picture’s Worth‘… is where we ask mobile photographers that have created powerful mobile photography/art to explain the processes they took. This includes their initial thoughts as to what they wanted to create, why they wanted to create it, how they created it, including all apps used and what they wanted to convey. We also ask these incredible artists to explain their emotions and how the image projects those feelings. We have published a few A Picture’s Worth articles recently, if you have missed those – please go here.
In this A Picture’s Worth today we asked Jo Sullivan to tell us more about her image ‘Self, Conscious’ one that we included in this weeks Flickr Group Showcase. Sullivan has detailed her thoughts below, you’ll find this hugely interesting…
‘Self, Conscious’ ©Jo Sullivan
“As a relatively new artist in the realm of iPhoneography, I’ve only recently gone from simply experimenting with apps to using them to create pieces of which I’m proud. Photography and the arts have intrigued me from a young age and I’ve dabbled in many mediums, but have always returned to the camera. I built my first pinhole camera when in 4th grade, hijacking our tiny family bath as my dark room, so found this new movement using photography as its foundation one filled with opportunities for my artistic expression.
As a ‘synesthete’, I “see” sounds, texture, scents and spans of time in a way others do not and the ‘synesthesia’ informs every choice I make while re-working a photograph. The piece, if I’m true to it, reveals itself as I work. I must often walk away, return when it feels absolutely necessary and continue feeling my way through. There is an actual physical “click” I experience when a piece is complete. I don’t always feel it and have shared work that, regretfully, still requires gestation.
This piece, “Self, Conscious”, began as a way to distract myself from a nasty virus I was suffering. Late into the evening I took several photos of myself, looking horrid, and began searching for a way to express what was lurking under the swollen eyes, reddened nose and haggard expression. My insomniac’s brain was both figuratively and literally feverish and I felt compelled to create something that would relieve the creative tension.
I love iColorama, so went straight there and created a brightly textured abstract canvas. This I distorted, blended and mixed onto the portrait until I was content and felt I could leave it to burble around in my brain until the next step revealed itself.
This next step came to me the following evening. As one who enjoys the comfort of the night, I considered the Luna moth as a fitting representation of my affair with all that is caught with the cycle of the moon. I found a lovely vintage painting of a Luna on an image search and blended it onto the face using Superimpose. Again, all was still very brightly colored, quite glossy and quite unfinished. I took the image back into iColorama and worked in both blend and mixer modes until the image was rougher and more textured. Once that was accomplished I chose Stackables for depth, re-lighting and heavier textures. Stackables allows for self-created formulas and I have many. However, I decided this piece required a new formula and felt, again, that both it and I needed to rest until it felt “right” which came the following evening.
After applying the new formula, I took the piece into Aviary to finish it off with some re-lighting and kept altering it until I felt the “click” allowing me to release her into the ether”.
Apps used with links
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)
One Comment
R. F. Miller
It may have taken over 50 years to be revealed the eyes, mind, heart and soul of Jo, but I am inspired, impressed and blessed to be able to share in the depth of her eyes, mind, heart and soul!