Mobile Photography Interview – A Day in the Life of Rodrigo Vieira from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Let’s start at the beginning of the day, how does your day start?

My day starts with my Labradors. I let their joy spread to my day, always. This gives me all the energy I need for my work and for all day-to-day tasks.

Do you like to head out and take photographs early on?

I shoot every morning. When I’m not photographing for clients (I have a photography studio for social media), I’m photographing in the street : using my iPhone in the streets of S‹o Paulo.

How did the transition from traditional photographer to mobile photographer develop?

In my case, it was the opposite: from mobile photographer to traditional photographer. I think in this case, the change is more natural and easier, too. Became a traditional photographer made me a better mobile photographer.

‘The Speed of Light’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Do you like to download new mobile photography and/or art apps regularly?

Like any mobile photographer, I am pretty obsessed with Apps. But I think I used to get a lot more excited about new apps in the early days. Today this market is much more consolidated: we already know which applications are really good, the news is in the niches that do not interest me – filters, stamps, snapchat style lenses.

‘The Keymaker’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

What is your preferred platform, Apple iOS, Android, Windows?

My preferred platform is Apple iOS. But I do not dislike Android. Speaking in photographic terms: the iOS ecosystem is unparalleled, both in terms of numbers and in terms of quality. I believe that in optical terms, Android devices may even outweigh the iPhone. But in terms of apps there is no comparison.

‘The Human Scale’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Would you consider changing platforms and why?

Why not? I am curious and open-minded. I’d love to see what Androids can do.

‘The HatTrick’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

How often do you update your existing apps?

As soon as possible. I am using an iPhone 7 Plus, so I want to see everything it is capable of – my apps are updated the same day the updates come out and I am always trying to get the most out of it.

‘The Darkness’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

What are your favourite photography/videography apps and why, what features do you look for in a new app?

I am a Big Fan of 645Pro, Camera+ and Hipstamatic. 645 Pro, despite all of its limitations, is the better camera app for the iPhone. With you have an iPhone 7Plus, you can choose between the lenses and set the focus almost perfectly. Camera + because of its RAW format (saved directly in your camera roll). Hipstamatic is a classic. I can honestly say that I entered the mobile photography world because of this app. Although I do not use it regularly nowadays, I always have a special place in my heart for Hipstamatic. I’d love to see the iPhone Native Camera with some manual adjustments and RAW.

‘Street Portrait’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Where’s your favourite place in the world for a shoot and why?

My hometown, S‹o Paulo. I think the city still has many places to photograph. It’s like several small towns within a big city. Very different neighbourhoods – geographically, architecturally and socially as well. S‹o Paulo is so big that I still do not know the whole city. There are many treasures hidden here.

‘ShadowPlay’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Where do you like to upload your photographs to – Flickr, Instagram etc?

Instagram, EyeEm, Facebook, Tumblr, Steller, Twitter and Flickr (because of theappwhisperer). I love Instagram, I really do. I made many friends because of Instagram and I have four different profiles in the app.

‘São Paulo Layers’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Do you use your mobile phone everyday to take images?

Oh yes. Every day for sure. I Shoot everything. When I am not shooting for clients, I am shooting the streets, I am shooting my Dogs… I am always searching for references. I am a visual person, so I Shoot to communicate myself. When I park my car at the mall, I shoot the indications to remind myself where I left the car. I cleaned up my phone three weeks ago, and I have 10.066 photos right now in it.

‘São Paulo Blues’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Do you like to use external hardware products with your mobile device for image and video capturing, such as lenses, tripods, external storage and battery packs?

I’ve tried almost all kinds of lenses with the iPhone. Especially in the iPhone 4 and 4S era. Baby Lens, OlloClip, that infamous Dslr Mount with Nikon lenses, Diana lenses … Nowadays I do not use any of it and I do not even like the result of these external lenses. What I keep using is a tripod and battery packs. If your iPhone is your weapon of choice, a battery pack is indispensable.

Do you edit images on your mobile devices or do you prefer to use a desktop or laptop computer?

I use my iPhone for everything. Now that Snapseed edits RAW, I’m pretty excited with all the possibilities.

‘Ode to Love’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Where do you envisage your mobile photography passion will take you? Have you been involved with exhibitions etc.

My mobile photography is very linked to street photography and documentary photography. My goal has always been to document the different parts of my city. I like this concept of seeing several cities within a big city and that’s what I want to explore. I have plans to photograph some parts of my S‹o Paulo that are very degraded, so I’m getting closer to public agencies and NGOs, that’s what I want to do in 2017.

When I think of photography I think of documenting. Whether this will become a book, an exhibition or whether it will be just another apprenticeship, I can’t say. I always thought that way and works for me.

‘Like a Rolling Stone’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

Where do you see the future of mobile photography?

I think the future of mobile photography is to lose this “mobile” prefix. Everything is photography.

‘Football Fever’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

What do you think is the most popular area of mobile photography?

In Brazil, minimalism and lifestyle. In the world, Street Photography. When someone decides to start shooting, the first impulse is to photograph the landmarks, buildings, facades, tiny people… and the photographer thinks he is doing street photography.

We have a lot of street photography among mobile photographers – which is not to same as saying we have good street photography.

©Rodrigo Vieira

Do you think it is country Specific, are some nations more clued up?

Europe has a photographic culture. I really like the Portugal mobile photographers, for example. I like the way they portray the sea – very different from us, Brazilians. To portugueses, the sea has something poetic and melancholic – the Portuguese photographers translate this beautifully in their mobile photography.

‘Camaleoa’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

If you could select a specification for a smartphone, what features would you select, photographically speaking?

I think an iPhone7Plus, with an 18mm third lens, manual controls and native RAW format would be pretty sweet.

‘Broken Tree Broken Man’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

What do you think of Joanne and theappwhisperer.com?

Joanne Carter is today one of the top authorities on Mobile Photography. And the App Whisperer is the biggest and best site on the subject. I am very honoured to be interviewed for the site and to be a part of it.

‘Bird of Prey’ ©Rodrigo Vieira

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