Mobile Photography Interview with Helen Breznik ‘ “My photography is a place where there are no limits’…
As many of you will know, among the assortment of hats that I wear, writing for the BBC and Vogue, I am also Contributing Editor to LensCulture. I have a brand new interview in the works, which will be published soon and in the meantime, with kind permission of LensCulture, I will be republishing my work to our beloved TheAppWhisperer website – the most popular mobile photography and art site in the world.
Today, I am publishing ‘Fabulens: Mobile Portraits’ . I hope you enjoy this, Helen Breznik’s work is stunning.
“My photography is a place where there are no limits. A place where I can be fearless, where I can be whomever I like. Where I can escape from the ordinary to an idyllic world. I create characters that are not necessarily “me”, but they are a reflection of what appeals to me.”
—Helen Breznik, in conversation with LensCulture contributing editor Joanne Carter
To read the original article on LensCulture, please go here.
Breznik’s photography leans towards the melancholy—but in Breznik’s hands, this emotion could be defined as ‘sorrow with a purpose.’ She utilizes her sensitivity to conjure up a romantic beauty in her images: images which are self-portraits but have a universal appeal within.
Breznik has always felt comfortable in front of the camera. When she is modeling for her portraits, she does so with music playing, garbed in fabulous vintage clothes. At their best, these sessions transport her to another world, one where her alter-egos can fully emerge. The characters are varied: a Queen will emerge, serene, royal, strong but with vulnerability. Or a figure drawn from the Pre-Raphaelites period, containing tragedy mixed with great passion and beauty.
Although the outward changes seem dramatic, she actually strives to keep make-up to a minimum. Her most dramatic way to change appearance is by sculpting natural light. With care, she is able to create deep shadows, strong lines, vivid contrasts, all of which create natural depth and definition.
Breznik first took up photography 10 years ago after picking up a bunch of old Polaroid cameras. She loved working with Time Zero film, which gave her ample opportunity to manipulate the images. When she heard about new smartphone apps which simulated Polaroid photography, she felt compelled to try them out. From 2010, Breznik began using the iPhone exclusively and her dedication to the boundless possibilities of mobile photography was settled.
Having used a variety of different tools over the course of her photographic career, Breznik concludes, “In the end it doesn’t matter what you shoot with…it’s the final image that matters.”
Joanne Carter
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: [email protected]
