‘Brought to Light’ – Mobile Photography / Art Interview with Lisa Mitchell from England, UK
Our ‘Brought to Light‘ interview section explores the mobile photographers and mobile artists behind their art. Each question has been carefully crafted and is designed to allow us to get to know them a little more intimately. To view others that we have published in this series, please go here.
Today, we are featuring Lisa Mitchell, from England, United Kingdom. Mitchell has experience as a photographer, dating back to childhood when she first picked up a camera as a creative and visionary ten year old. This series of images, particularly the self portraiture elude meaning and atmosphere in an intimate and personal way. Meticulously edited, these portraits evoke Michell’s soul, arousing a virtue of her rectitude. Her character almost feels marooned in her own thoughts, the images are so visceral, committed, altruistic and driven. There’s a tension that exists in these images between the compassionate and ingenuous that draw us in. There is something else at work here: it’s not just the illuminating juxtapositions that draw our eye to a certain kind of epical detail, suggesting the bigger picture, what’s clearly apparent, is that Mitchell is a gifted individual pursing her own creative journey in a singular and surprising way.
To view more of her work, please go here.
This body of work drew us to Lisa Mitchell…
All photos ©Lisa Mitchell
Describe a moment that changed your life
Life has been a rollercoaster ride so far culminating in many life changing moments, not all of which I would hasten to repeat.
Becoming a mother is obviously on my top ten list. Having children is the most amazing and terrifying journey you will ever endeavour to take. I have learnt so much about myself by becoming a mother.
Most of my happiest memories involve my artwork. Being accepted into University was one of those moments. I still remember vividly being at work one Saturday when my mother appeared with a letter. Time stood still when I opened that envelope. A new dawn was awaiting!
Describe a childhood photographic/art memory
Being bought my first camera, a Kodak Ektra 200, with a 110 film.
Ahh the smell when the flash bulb went off!
I always loved Photography, but maybe earlier on in life more on a subconscious level. I used to love photographing the family and pets…..of course you had to be more careful then as you were limited to how many pictures you could take. A 36 exposure film seemed to take an eternity to fill, now today I can take hundreds in a day!
Describe your mobile studio
My mobile studio is basically my Iphone. I sometimes work on my iPad, occasionally use a selfie stick or Olloclip lens or two, but 9/10 it is always my iPhone. I love the immediacy of carrying a camera with me at all times and being able to capture whatever, whenever, of being to edit on the hop instead of having to wait to get home and download everything onto the laptop first.
What do you like to think about whilst you are creating images
I’m not sure I consciously think of anything. I don’t always have a concept or preconceived idea, I just go with the flow. Work often evolves subconsciously and in a surprising way. I like to shoot a range of objects and places and often layer them together to make a finalised image. My textile background is always prevalent.
Share one photo tip
Don’t think, just shoot! Let the creativity flow, and don’t get too bogged down with the logistics of it all or worrying about the finished piece. I love to edit my images and often quite heavily. The first shot is just the start of the process. The journey to the finished image….now that’s where the magic starts!
Who or what ignited your passion for mobile photography
I had always taken lots of photographs, I was always the one in the family, or with freinds that recorded every event with my camera, but my transition into mobile photography came about through a friend. I like everyone by then had a mobile (Android ) phone with a camera, but I was not using it to it’s full capacity. My friend told me of a local group of mobile photographers (among them Paul Brown) who were exhibiting in the area, and so I went along to see the exhibition, and I was blown away, and especially by Paul’s work. I never realised that mobile photography could be so diverse. Paul and I became friends and through him I discovered EyeEm and Instagram and a whole new community of amazing mobile photographers, many of whom are now good friends. I also began experimenting with new apps to create work, using mostly Snapseed and Vignette with my Android phone. When I finally purchased my first Iphone, I was excited by the amount of creative apps with which I could create and further push the boundaries within my images.
What is the most unusual subject you have photographed
Most of my work is not the run of the mill portrait or landscape, it is often emotive and autobiographical, and some say has a darkness about it. I am not afraid to bare my soul. I also love photographing objects and places with a history…the abandoned building, the discarded shoe, the lost doll.
What are your favourite accessories for mobile photography
My favourite accessories have to be my long list of apps. The possibilities are endless these days, but I still have my favourites, which are Snapseed, Pixlr, 645 Pro, Blackie, Hipstamatic, Formulas, Tintype and Distressed FX.
Describe your dream Photography assignment
I’m not sure I have one, other than to travel more and photograph new places and people. I get bored very easily, and so need to be constantly stimulated and adrenalin feed to keep me happy. That said, I wouldn’t say no to a photo shoot with Vivienne Westwood….I love that lady!
What does Mobile Photography /Art mean to you?
It is the freedom of possibilities. To be able to capture and create anywhere. I am totally in love with it and the people I have met through it.
Contact Details
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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]
