Mobile Photography and Art – A Picture’s Worth with Debara Splendorio from North Carolina, USA
‘A Picture’s Worth‘… is where we ask mobile photographers that have created powerful mobile photography/art to explain the processes they took. This includes their initial thoughts as to what they wanted to create, why they wanted to create it, how they created it, including all apps used and what they wanted to convey. We also ask these incredible artists to explain their emotions and how the image projects those feelings. We have published a few A Picture’s Worth articles recently, if you have missed those – please go here.
In this ‘A Picture’s Worth’ today we asked Debara Splendorio to tell us more about her image featured, ‘The Amish Girl’, featured here. Splendorio has detailed her thoughts below, we think you’ll find this invaluable…
“I live in a small rural town in North Carolina. There is a New Order Amish community that lives nearby. Their authentic simple lifestyle holds a special fascination for me and I have always wanted to photograph the women, who value being ordinary. Recently, I attended a horse auction at the fairgrounds near my home. Amish women and their daughters were selling homemade bread, jams, jellies and pies. Being very private people, and not knowing if taking photographs where someone is recognisable would be disturbing, I was discreet. My hope was to capture an image that would convey the quality of being plain and ordinary. As I was leaving, I followed this young girl and snapped off the shot as she was walking into a barn.
“The Amish Girl” is exactly what I was hoping for…a horizontal shot where she is facing away from the camera and her placement isn’t front and center. She is wearing a plain modest dress made from solid-coloured fabric with long sleeves, an apron is tied around her waist and her hair is worn in a bun and covered with a bonnet. The simplicity of the image seemed best served with a cyan textured look to reflect timelessness.
The photograph was taken on my iPhone 6S with the Camera + app. I used Snapseed to add cyan finish, grain and scratches. Distressed FX was used for texture”.
‘The Amish Girl’ ©Debara Splendorio
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Joanne Carter
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)
