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News,  What Apps Are We Using This Month?

What Apps Are We Using This Month? with Karen Axelrad

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 today is non-other than Award Winning Mobile Artist, Karen Axelrad.

My name is Karen Axelrad. I’m an American retired architect living in Berlin, Germany. I have two grown sons and two granddaughters. I use many apps, but I will concentrate on the ones I have been using recently that perhaps others haven’t talked as much about. I shoot with an iPhone 13 Pro and process with the iPad Pro. I use Hipstamatic a lot using the setting that gives me the original photo as well as the processed one. I love taking double-exposures with Hipstamatic when I’m in an art museum, double-exposing a painting with a person.
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‘Mall of Berlin’. Hipstamatic with Mark Lens & BlacKeys Supergrain Film ©Karen Axelrad

 

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‘Guide Double-exposed with Richter Painting’. Hipstamatic with Loftus Lens and Otto Film ©Karen Axelrad

 

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‘Self-portrait Double-exposed with Richter Painting’. Hipstamatic with Tinto 1884 Lens and Hackney Film ©Karen Axelrad

The second app I have been using lately is Reeflex (or sometimes Slow Shutter) to impart a painterly quality by taking long exposures of people. These photos are often sent to iColorama for color and texture editing, and sometimes into a painting app like Brushstroke or Acquarella. Then I might add a bit of texture with Distressedfx sometimes using my own textures. Often, if I have several versions of a photo, I will blend them in SuperimposeX. SuperimposeX is also excellent for masking.

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‘Visitors at an Exhibition’. Long exposure shot with Reeflex and processed with iColorama, Pixlr, and blended in SuperimposeX ©Karen Axelrad

 

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‘Waiting for U-Bahn’. Long exposure shot with Reeflex and processed in Hipstamatic using Anne-Marie Lens and Alfred Infrared Film ©Karen Axelrad

The third app which I have been using lately is You Gotta See This. It’s a free app and is sometimes referred to as David Hockney style.

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‘Arnold Dreyblatt Opening. Shot with YouGottaSeeThis’ Processed in iColorama and DistressedFX apps ©Karen Axelrad

 

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‘Gallery From Above. Shot with YouGottaSeeThis’ Processed in DistressedFX and Mextures apps’ ©Karen Axelrad

When I teach a workshop, I use Snapseed for hands-on sessions because it is free, works on all platforms, and is very versatile. I also frequently use Procreate.

And finally, I am dipping into experimenting with AI. I hope to one day merge my own photos with AI. Wombo Dream is an easy way to start, but I have also tried Midjourney and am Beta-testing Adobe’s Firefly.

To read our other interviews in this series, please go here.

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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)