TheAppWhisperer – Mobile Photography – Portrait of an Artist Interview with Cindy Buske

What are your earliest memories of photography and/or art?

My earliest memories of photography are probably of playing with my mom’s old Kodak camera that had cartridge type film in it and used flash cubes – the photos were pretty bad, but it fascinated me anyway. Polaroids certainly drew me in too, but our family never had one!

‘Blinded by the light’ – ©Cindy Buske

What have you sacrificed for your art?

I can’t say that I’ve really sacrificed anything specific for my art – in many ways, I think it’s quite the opposite – I get so much out of it. Photography brings a wonderful balance to my working world as a nurse, which can be rather tough. Photography is an outlet for me, an artistic counterbalance to the structured world of medicine. It’s possible that with my continuous habit of mobile photography, I’ve sacrificed a bit of socialization – sometimes I do annoy friends with my iPhone.

‘Pere Lachaise’ – ©Cindy Buske

What is it about portraiture that appeals to you?

Portraiture appeals to me because of the human connection involved – I love photographing people above all else. It’s a two-way street, a working relationship that has to be good or the images aren’t. When it works in the best way, it’s amazing. Being able to capture on “film” the stunning, gorgeous personality and features of another, especially so that they can then see it all for themselves, is super cool!!! I believe portrait photography can be therapeutic, and this is why – it can actually be a catalyst for helping people see themselves beautifully, as they should.

‘Poe’s Bride’ – ©Cindy Buske

Why do you think mobile photography and portraiture work so well together?

Mobile photography and portraiture work together well because of the instant-feedback nature of the device, and also because a mobile phone is less invasive and overbearing than a typical “real” camera. Mobile photography offers so much in the way of editing through various apps – it’s an art form so unique in the sense that everything can be done right there, from capturing the image to moulding it into a personalized masterpiece.

‘Autumn’ – ©Cindy Buske

Tell me about awards and recognition you’ve received.

I’ve experienced recognition for my mobile photography here and there – it always feels nice. The Hipstography Awards, this year’s MPA’s, and a few other mobile photography contests. My images have been featured in various publications and blogs as well – iPhoneography Central, Mobiography, GRRYO, and The App Whisperer. Recently I was offered the opportunity to feature some of my work through Lens Culture – showcasing projects there made me think about my images in a more organized way and I loved it!

Untitled – ©Cindy Buske

Which of your own images are you most proud of and why?

As far as recent photography work, I am quite proud of the images I create with my daughter. We work so well together as a team, it’s almost seamless. I especially love a series we created last fall in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris – “Angel of the Mourning”. We planned it out for months, I bought her a flowing vintage dress, and by the time we actually got to shoot, it was a blast. We took the Metro there from our hotel early in the morning and did our thing in beautiful late fall sunlight. To me, the pictures are spellbinding – surreal in a way, like it didn’t really happen.

‘Angel of the Mourning’ – ©Cindy Buske

What have been the high points and low points of your career so far?

I can’t say that I have a career in photography, my work is actually as a nurse. But once again, it’s the wonderful balance that photography offers. I’m not able to stay away from it for long. Before my nursing career, I worked as childbirth educator and birth doula. Over time, I began photographing births, and eventually had a small maternity photography business in Seattle as well. It was always an honor and an intensely wonderful experience to be able to document and share those images with the moms and their families. I did it all before digital – shot everything on my two film cameras, one with color and the other with black & white. I kind of miss it, both the photo business and the cameras with film! I never did get comfortable with digital, though easily caught on in the mobile world.

‘Belinda’ – ©Cindy Buske

What would you say the biggest myth is about mobile photography?

I would say the biggest myths about mobile photography are that it’s not real and it’s not art. Bull! It definitely is, on both counts. When the photography world made that big leap into the digital realm, there was all kinds of rumbling about digitally-enhanced images and how they weren’t “pure”. So what? And now here we are again with this new medium. Yet one of the greatest attributes of photography is its versatility. The options for creating beautiful, moving images are endless. If we define them too distinctly, we’re missing out. That kind of strict definition may have its place in the medical world, but not in the world of artistic photography (I sometimes question the over-zealous medical definitions too, but that’s another story!)

‘Shannan’ – ©Cindy Buske

What/whose work of art would you most like to own?

Work of the past, I’m a huge fan of Sally Mann’s family portraits. She saw her kids through her lenses in such an amazing way – you could see love, intimate knowledge and understanding in the resulting images. She also went through much controversy with strength and grace, due to a culture that just couldn’t grasp her beauty. For these reasons, I deeply admire Sally. Work of the present – Jade Beall. I need to own The Bodies of Mothers, her book of women through the phases of motherhood. Jade’s focus is on empowering other women through therapeutic photography and that is where it’s at, as far as I’m concerned!

‘Joleen’ – ©Cindy Buske

What song would work as the soundtrack to your life?

Oh geez, I don’t know! But I’m pretty sure Annie Lennox sings it. And then there’s Matt Pond, my default music for most any day : )

Thanks for the opportunity to share my mobile photography story!