‘Brought to Light’ – Mobile Photography / Art Interview with Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes is something of a cultural artist crossing geographic boundaries, one who transforms cultural landscapes. His art is an experience, his portraiture and street work allows for a direct and intimate interaction with the viewer. The meticulous staging of light within his images fills the air with an awareness of living. Hayes’ landscape photography owes its eloquence to its matter-of-fact nature. Everything is observed, Hayes’ images carry the romantic undertow of both myth and mystery. Hayes achieves an engaging style with his art, he not only manages to cross physical borders between countries but I feel, he has a sense of the emotional boundaries between people, his portraiture demonstrates a level of empathy with the subject that brings us into another’s world, another’s pain, another’s joy.
This is our new interview section for mobile photographers and mobile artists and we hope to be filling it very soon with vast explosions of thought and imagery. These questions are designed to explore the artist behind the work, to get to know them a little more intimately.
We recently published our first ‘Brought to Light’ Interview with Andrea Bigiarini, Founder of the New Era Museum and FIPA Florence International Photography Awards as well as writer, author, Imagineer and digital artist, if you missed that, please go here. We then went on to publish an instinctively gifted artist, Ile Mont, if you missed that please go here. Further we published our interview with Roger Guetta, please see here, Rad Drew, please go here to read that and most recently Gianluca Ricoveri (please go here to read that one).
Enjoy…
Sean Hayes
Describe a moment that changed your life.
Settling into my seat for an Aer Lingus flight to Paris from Dublin. It was a moment that changed the direction of my life completely. I was 23 years of age. Like countless Irish people before and after me, I was emigrating. Emigration is often portrayed as a moment of sadness and loss. I couldn’t have been happier or more excited. Adventure awaited me at Charles De Gaulle airport. 33 years later the adventure continues.
‘Doppelgänger’ – ©Sean Hayes
Describe a childhood photographic/art memory.
My Uncle was a fine artist who painted abstracts in his London-based studio. A brilliant draughtsman, but like many fine artists in the last half of the 20th century, he devoted his life to painting surreal and expressionistic canvases. As an 8 year old boy, all I knew was that he was an ‘Artist’, and he was coming to Dublin for a visit. Having recently developed an interest in art myself, I was keen to show him my fledgling attempts at drawing and colouring. When he arrived, I handed him my colouring book: the type of book containing line art where colour is added using crayons, coloured pencils etc. To my utter astonishment, then disappointment, he proceeded to make large sweeping movements of kaleidoscope colours across the page without respecting the black outlines of the drawings. I was crestfallen. What kind of artist was this guy? He didn’t even respect the ‘rules’ of art! I had a lot to learn.
‘Angel Wings’ – ©Sean Hayes
Describe your mobile studio.
Two phones: iOS iPhone6 and Android LGG4. Countless photo apps. Shoulderpod smartphone grip.
‘Waterloo 3’ – ©Sean Hayes
What do you like to think about whilst creating images?
I try not to. I read somewhere recently that the most challenging journey in life is the journey from your head to your heart. We all live in our heads too much. The best art comes from the heart.
‘Tuareg’ – ©Sean Hayes
Share one mobile photography/art tip.
Create art that surprises you. If you can’t surprise yourself, it’s highly unlikely you will surprise anybody else. And if you are not surprising anybody with your art, then frankly, what’s the point?
‘The Joker’ – ©Sean Hayes
What or who ignited your passion for mobile photography/art?
Two people. Knox Bronson – creator and curator of P1xels – for being the first to publish one of my iPhone photos online. Nathaniel ”Nacho” Cordova, a talented contributor of mobile images to iPhoneart.com. Nacho was the first to compliment me on my work and encourage me to continue making mobile images.
‘Ireland 1’ – ©Sean Hayes
What is the most unusual subject you have photographed/painted?
A montage image of British artist Damien Hirst’s Diamond Skull sculpture superimposed on to the face of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. I used an early version of the photo app Image Blender. The resultant image even scared me.
‘Ireland 2’ – ©Sean Hayes
What are your favourite mobile photography accessories?
The Shoulderpod smartphone grip.
‘Ireland 3’- ©Sean Hayes
Who would play you in a film of your life?
Beaker of Muppet Show fame.
‘Ireland 4’ – ©Sean Hayes
Do you have a favourite app?
I keep coming back to the Picfx photo app. It allows for quick and easy experimentation with an interesting array of coloured and creative filters.
‘Ireland’- ©Sean Hayes
Describe your dream mobile photography/art assignment.
There are about 20+ iPhoneographers around the world that have been part of the mobile artists community since the early days. People I have never meet but admire immensely. I would love to be able to visit them individually and shoot a series of portraits, or possibly, a photo essay of their lives and loves.
‘Ireland 5’ – ©Sean Hayes
Contact Details
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.
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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)
4 Comments
Tracy
Lovely – enjoyed the crazy uncle memory.
Sean
Thx Petyr, Tracy. Sorry for delay in replying. One year later. Only revisiting site now. :-/ Appreciate comments.
petyr campos
sean, really like the interview.
Sean
Thx Petyr, Tracy. Sorry for delay in replying. One year later. Only revisiting site now. :-/ Appreciate comments.