apps
News,  What Apps Are We Using This Month?

What Apps Are We Using This Month? with Rita Colantonio

2023-04-13 / Comments Off on What Apps Are We Using This Month? with Rita Colantonio

Welcome to TheAppWhisperer’s new section, “what apps are we using this month” series, where we discover which apps you are particularly enjoying. Kicking us off is non-other than Award Winning Mobile Photographer, Rita Colantonio.

Rita Colantonio is represented exclusively by TheAppWhisperer Gallery

My name is Rita Colantonio. I refer to myself as a digital artist and iPhoneographer. I live on Cape Cod in New England, USA. I’m a retired public school art teacher. I am now approaching mid 70’s and I’m about to celebrate my 50th wedding annniversary. My husband and I just returned from a vacation in Belize so much of my art recently has been focused on imagery from that trip. My camera of choice is the iPhone 14 Pro Max and I edit on the iPad Pro. I frequently pre-edit my photographs in the native editing app before I go to the iPad.

My art has been a mix of photography, some of it edited in Hipstamatic, IColorama or Snapseed, and collages or composites. My collage work is primarily created in Procreate, but very often refined either in IColorama or Snapseed. Blending textures in my work is done in procreate or IColorama. I occasionally use distressedfx app for texture. My collages usually consist of photographs, painted in procreate, and snippets of textures, text and parts of images on my camera roll. Procreate allows me to add lines and brushstrokes as well, including brushes that I have made. I sometimes use Metabrush app for painting. This past month I have also used DECIM8 for abstracting an image. As a rule I always use LightBrush for dodging/burning, sharpening (intensify tool) and subtle blurring. It allows me to focus on specific areas of the image. I use Snapseed for vignettes and frames.

 

Following are several images I created inspired by my trip to Belize and the apps I used to create them. 

 

apps
Palm ©Rita Colantonio – This was a macro photograph which I edited in IColorama app.

 

apps
‘Waiting by the window’ ©Rita Colantonio – A street image in Placencia. Blended background texture was from an old boat. IColorama and Snapseed.

 

‘The writing on the wall’ ©Rita Colantonio – This is a composite created from a photograph of a half painted wall. The man was part of a street photo and the graffiti was shot in a different location. The image was composited in procreate and the figure was painted. The toning and water filter were done in IColorama. Final edits in Snapseed including frame
©Rita Colantonio – I posed for this shot and had my husband take the photo. I used Hipstamatic app and Snapseed for frame and vignette

 

‘Floating Hibiscius’ ©Rita Colantonio – This was an iPhone shot of hibiscus flowers arranged in a pool of water. In IColorama I started with water and painterly filters, then in distressedfx app I added the texture. I added the butterfly in Procreate and touched up color and dodging in LightBrush app.

 

‘The banana bread lady’ ©Rita Colantonio – This was a fun collage I created completely in Procreate. The woman was part of a street photo in Placencia. Here she is making change. The porch and truck were parts of other Belize photos. Other colors and graphics, including text, were designed by me. The bananas are clip art.

 

‘Palm leaf abstract’ ©Rita Colantonio – This image started as a macro photograph of palm leaves. In IColorama I used the flat tool and edges to get the tones and abstract quality.
‘Looking for shade’ ©Rita Colantonio – The searing heat in Sein Bight, Belize called for extreme measures. We saw many walking with umbrellas to protect from the sun. This image was edited in IColorama and procreate. The texture applied resembles the pealing street. This was an old stackable texture I still have. I also used a subtle smoke texture from IColorama to imply heat. Color an nd lighting adjustments were made in IColorama.

 

‘Come on in’ ©Rita Colantonio – This is a street image in Placencia. This place is all about color. I used Metabrush app to paint this photograph and IColorama for edges and water filter.

 

 

.I would say that Procreate app is my highest recommendation. For the type of editing I do this app meets all my requirements and more. Even though I use other apps, I could actually do everything I need to do in this one app. Thank you Joanne Carter for inviting me to share my images and techniques!

Please support us

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 pass TheAppWhisperer has gained readers and viewers and found new venues for that exchange.

All this work thrives with the support of our community.

Please consider donating to TheAppWhisperer as this New Year commences because your support helps protect our independence and we can keep delivering the promotion of mobile artists that’s open for everyone around the world. Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable for our future.

click here to help us

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)

You May Also Like

mobile photography

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (1,150) via Instagram

2019-11-15

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (980) via Instagram

2019-01-30

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (1,026) via Instagram

2019-05-13