Mobile Photography – A Picture’s Worth with Margherita Maniscalco
‘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 Margherita Maniscalco to tell us more about her image “Sguardi gemelli”. Maniscalco has detailed her thoughts below, we think you’ll find this invaluable…
“First of all thank you Joanne for your interest in my work. The story behind this image is quite simple and forms two parts, one static original, blended with my deep intuition.
The title of this image is in Italian: “Sguardi gemelli” (where “sguardi” means looks and “gemelli” means twins).
The meaning is like a joke of double entendre: twins in the sense of two and twins because one of the two photos was taken by my twin. In fact, this is a composition of two photographs: a self-portrait and a photograph that my twin brother (who works on the trains) sent to me about his working day.
I usually work only with my own photographs but this is an exception (or maybe this is the start of other possibilities of creating art).
Unlike at other times when I start from a very precise idea or a communicative or/and emotional specific intent (or when I create without knowing where I will arrive), this photograph comes from a simple and immediate intuition.
When I received this beautiful snowy photo taken of a running train by my brother, I immediately figured it. I blended it with a funny and quite absurd self-portrait that I took some days before. I’m accustomed to thinking of images as a result of double or multiple exposure.
I like the possibility to stratify images and realities. It’s like putting together different times and spaces, it is quite magical for me and reminds me of the oneiric world. Thinking by images is our first way of thinking, our “primordial” thinking. The words come after and sometimes not all. Maybe this particular way of thinking does not detail things as well as words, but actually communicates in a more complete and comprehensive way, in my opinion. I think this is one of the reasons why i love photography so much.
I used only two applications to create this image: Image blender to put together the two photos and VSCOcam to apply a filter to enhance both photo details and to “amalgamate” the tone of the two single images.
I love to play with photos, in my experience this aspect is so important, and this image is a simple result and example of that.
I think that’s all”.
“Sguardi gemelli” – ©Margherita Maniscalco
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. As the years passTheAppWhisperer has gained readers and viewers and found new venues for that exchange.
All this work thrives with the support of our community.
Please consider making a donation to TheAppWhisperer as this New Year commences because your support helps protect our independence and it means we can keep delivering the promotion of mobile artists that’s open for everyone around the world. Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable for our future.
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)
