What Apps Are We Using This Month? with Rosie Karel

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 none other than Award Winning Mobile Artist Rosie Karel.

First, I would like to thank Joanne Carter and TheAppWhisperer for this opportunity. My name is Rosie Karel @rosiekimages and I will be turning 70 next year. I am originally from Chicago but have lived for the last 39 years in North County San Diego in the beach towns of Cardiff by the Sea and Encinitas, where I receive much of my inspiration. I have a daughter and now a grandson who brings me endless joy.

I spent most of my life in the accounting field working with my then-husband in our printing and graphic design business. I have always been creative, although photography was not my main creative expression of choice before getting my first iPhone.

I shoot mainly in the native camera of my 14 Pro Max and edit mostly on my iPhone, but sometimes on my iPad Pro. I will use Camera+ for macro shots and have been experimenting with Slow Shutter Cam recently.

For many years, I took portrait and figure drawing classes using chalk pastels as my preferred medium. I think that is one reason why I always feel the need to have a human element in my images. As I became more interested in photography, I wanted to reflect this layering of colour and texture in my photography, so I enrolled in several online mobile photography courses, which exposed me to the different genres, techniques and ever-expanding apps available.

I am somewhat of an app junkie. I have dozens, but there are some favourites that I use on the majority of my images. One app that I use in almost all of my images is SnapSeed. Besides overall tuning, I use the Selective & Brush Tuning features quite often to enhance a particular part of the image. I sometimes use the Glamour Glow & Perspective features. I also love how you can view and edit your workflow.

My main go-to filter app is Hipstamatic. Since my goal is to evoke a sense of mood and mystery in my images, to go beyond the capture, I always add a filter of some kind, and Hipstamatic offers an endless combination of lenses, film and flash combos that you can fine-tune and many other adjustment features to personalise the effects.

iColorama is an amazingly powerful app that I will use for blending images, toning, adding textures, painterly effects and element overlays.

Distressed FX is also one of the main apps I use for textures and adding sky, bird and tree elements.

I have recently discovered the Humans App, which I will use to add that human element or sky element when the real thing is not available.

Other apps I will use from time to time are Lens Distortions for adding fog & light elements, Carbon for B&W conversion and Reflect for adding a water/reflection feature.

The main advice I would give when using any of these apps is to experiment and play with all the different features and adjustment sliders to fine-tune the filters and overlays until you have the right level applied. I am constantly being pleasantly surprised. The main advice I would give when using any of these apps is to experiment and play with all the different features and adjustment sliders to fine-tune the filters and overlays until you have the right level applied. I am constantly being pleasantly surprised.