Light Impressions Exhibit Shows State of the Art in Mobile Phone Photography

When photographer Colleen Duffley launched a 24-hour New Year’s Eve iPhone photo competition for her Studio b creative venue in 2011, she sensed that the 8-megapixel camera in the new iPhone 4S might empower people worldwide to become photographic artists.

Since then, Colleen has created a remarkable “Light Impressions” traveling exhibit that has been documenting the emergence of mobile phone photography as an art movement.

Colleen considers mobile phone photography a “a pure art form” because “It’s more about the creativity than expensive gear or intricate technique.” The fourth edition of the Light Impressions exhibit is on display until February 22, 2015 at the Wynwood Building in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Art District.

As in previous years, Colleen will be taking the exhibit to sites throughout the U.S. this spring and summer. The Light Impressions installation features 40 iPads mounted on a metal structure made from materials salvaged from some wreckage that Hurricane Opal left on the beach in 1995. Each iPad presents 13 of the best images submitted by a single mobile phone photographer.

As 13 images from each featured artist scrolls across the iPads at different rates, the Light Impressions exhibit makes a powerful statement about how people around the globe are using their mobile phone cameras a means of creative expression. LightImpressionsExhibit Colleen Duffley is a professional photographer who shoots, directs, produces creative concepts for magazines, commercials, and campaigns. She has been shooting people, places, and things around the globe for 25 years.

Colleen devised the concept for Light Impressions four years ago as a way to display the best images submitted to the New Year’s Eve iPhoneography photo challenge. One of her goals with that first iPhoneography challenge was to level the photo-competition playing field and demonstrate that all people could be creative photographers, even if they didn’t have expensive equipment or extensive training.

“The camera phone was the perfect tool to encourage people to be creative because everyone had one,” explains Duffley. “The camera phone gives us the ability and freedom to be creative 24/7.” She says viewing Light Impressions is like watching a fish tank. It’s mesmerizing: “It’s hard to walk away from it.”

“Mobile phone photography is still an emerging art form,” says Duffley. “People are going to be astounded when they see what is being done in this movement. All of the work displayed on the Light Impressions exhibit was done on a mobile phone camera — from the capture of the image to its processing and publishing. It’s really mind-blowing and wonderful.”

Duffley mounted the iPads in aged, weather-beaten metal that she discovered on the beach. As an art installation in itself, Light Impressions illustrates the timeless nature of photography as an art. While photography technology has changed over time, the magic of photography as an art form remains solid. Plus, she says “Mobile phone photography has a ‘found-art’ sensibility to it, and what better way to frame it than on repurposed materials?”

The first three editions of Light Impressions traveled to art fairs, museums, and events nationwide. It has been exhibited twice in Miami during the Art Basel week. In March, the new exhibit will be featured at Duffley’s new Studio b site in Florida and at a photography event in Washington, DC at the end of March.

When curating the 2015 Light Impressions exhibit, Duffley chose portfolios that represented a mix of styles, subject matter, and processing techniques. Some images illustrate the creative use of processing apps. Other images are shown almost exactly as the photographer shot them, with only minor tweaks. You can learn more about the artists, the images, and the apps they used in a special book Duffley produced for this year’s exhibit. LightImpressionsBook

Teaching Mobile Phone Photography

Duffley, who has taught university-level  courses in traditional photography, enjoys teaching classes in mobile phone photography. Within a few hours, students go from knowing very little about photography to being eager to experiment with all of shooting and processing tools that are literally at their fingertips.

One participant in a recent class was the editor of a magazine that publishes some of Duffley’s editorial photography. The editor has since invited Duffley to teach other members of the magazine’s editorial staff how to shoot better pictures with their mobile phones.

For her own iPhone photography work, Duffley prefers composing and shooting great images right in the camera. After spending hours editing the images she captures for editorial and advertising clients, she likens using an iPhone to using a Polaroid camera. When she frames a shot, she thinks about composition, lighting, form, texture, and line — all the things that have always gone into making a great photo, painting, or illustration.

She encourages students to “Take responsibility for what you’re shooting. When you have a good image to start with, you do what you want with it–the app is your oyster.”

Even though Colleen uses a high-end Canon DSLR for her commercial projects, she doesn’t treat her mobile phone camera with any less respect. In fact, some of the images she has shot with her iPhone have been published alongside the images she shoots with her DSLR.

The Resurgence of Studio b

As an editorial photographer, Colleen has traveled around the world, befriended fascinating people, and enjoyed some remarkable adventures. To enable others to experience the same kinds of unique experiences, Duffley founded Studio b in Alys Beach, Florida in 2009. She established it as a creative venue that would bring together the best of the best and the up-and-coming in photography, art, literature, fashion, design, music, and the culinary arts to educate and inspire artists and students. Studio b also hosts and co-sponsors events throughout the U.S. and in Italy, Ireland, and exotic locations around the globe.

Unfortunately, the timing for Studio b’s launch was less than ideal. Just as the economy was slowly starting to recover from the Great Recession of 2008, The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 temporarily decimated the tourism industry on the Gulf Coast.

So Duffley closed Studio b for a while and re-focused her energies on her photography business, Colleen Duffley Productions. Now that the economy and tourism industry are rebounding, she is preparing to re-launch Studio b in a different location on Florida’s Emerald Coast this spring.

On the Run Website

Colleen Duffley is also launching a new website, through which people can order metal prints of some of Colleen’s best iPhone images. When she travels on assignments for commercial projects, she carries her iPhone when she goes for long runs to relax and unwind. “When you run or bike, you get a different perspective on your surroundings,” said Duffley.She is calling her the website “On the Run” because “It’s just me capturing the world on the run.”

The Rising Quality of Mobile Phone Photography

As she curates each Light Impressions exhibit, Colleen Duffley said she is amazed to discover the many different ways people have come to the medium of mobile phone photography and embraced it as a tool of creative expression.

Over the years, the number and quality of entries she receives for the Light Impressions display has steadily risen. While some of that is due to technological advances in smartphone cameras and apps, Colleen says the community of mobile phone photographers is exceptionally collaborative and supportive of one another.

She said the artists featured in the Light Impressions exhibit are doing amazing things with their mobile phone photography: “It’s an amazing art form, and some people are making a good living selling prints of their mobile-phone photographs.”

RELATED POST

Ring in a Creative New Year with Studio b’s Camera Phone Event

LINKS

Studio b: Light Impressions-Profiles of the Featured Artists

Studio b Boutique: The Light Impressions On Tour Book

Colleen Duffley Productions

Facebook: Studio b.the Beach Studio b

New iPhone App Makes It Simple to Monetize Photos

123RFPhotosAttendees at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity were among the first to learn about 123RF On-The-Go, a microstock photography app that lets you tag, upload, and monetize images that you have taken on your iPhone.

The app was developed by the creators of the 123RF.com website, which generates 20 million unique visitors each month. “To date, we have 62,000 verified stock content contributors and 20 million digital assets in our media library,” says Leon Hudson, 123RF.com’s vice president of sales and marketing.

RF123iPhonePhotos

In launching the app, Hudson noted that, “You may not carry a DSLR camera with you at all times but you certainly have your smartphone handy. Now, anyone can capture a moment wherever they are and cash in on their amazing shots. Users can also participate in exciting contests which promises a bounty of $300 each time. There is nothing better than making money from what you enjoy doing. The 123RF On-The-Go iPhone app allows you to do just that!”

When you send your photos to 123RF.com via the 123RF On-The-Go app, your photos will undergo inspection by a team of Image Reviewers. They will inspect your photo to ensure that they meet the site’s content guidelines and requirements. Within 24 hours from the time of acceptance, your image will be made searchable and licensable on the 123RF.com website.

123RF On-The-Go is now available as a free download from the Apple App Store.

Founded in 2005, 123RF.com is a royalty-free microstock library that offers more than 20 million royalty-free content items, including stock photos, illustrations, footage, audio files and logos.

LINKS

123RF On-The-Go Mobile App

123RF.com

YouTube Video: On-The-Go Launch

Adorama Offers iPhone Photography Accessories for Summer Adventures

AdoramaLogoAdorama, one of the world’s largest photography, imaging, video and electronics retailers, has become a leading destination for iPhone photography accessories. Their iPhone Toolshed offers unique and useful accessories for iPhoneography including tripods, cases, lenses and filter kits. In the Adorama Learning Center, you can learn techniques for shooting photos and videos on your smartphone.

Just in time for summer, Adorama is promoting iPhoneography accessories such as waterproof cases, bike mounts and solar chargers. With these accessories, no moment needs to go undocumented, whether you are backpacking on rugged trails, splashing around in the ocean, lounging by the pool, riding a jet ski, or sleeping under the stars.

Adventure-Ready Gear in Adorama’s iPhone Toolshed Includes:

OtterBox Armor Series Waterproof Case for iPhone 5: A reinvention of the wildly popular OtterBox classic, the OtterBox iPhone 5 Armor Series protects against water, dust and crushing force. A strong combination of metal latches, an O-ring seal, port covers and mesh coverings keep water out, making the case completely waterproof while still allowing for full functionality.

GOBlogAdoramaWaterproofSleeveThe Joy Factory BubbleShield Reusable Waterproof Sleeves for Large Smartphones, 5 Pack: These reusable sleeves can keep your phone safe from water, sand, and splatters. The super-strong, magically thin covering enables full touchscreen capabilities, is sound permeable and keeps phones photo-ready. A carabiner loop can help keep your phone safe while on the move.

The Joy Factory aXtion Go Rugged Water-Resistant Case for iPhone 5: This thin, lightweight, shock-resistant case is dust-, oil- and mud-proof and resists spills, bumps and scratches.

Aryca Wave 3 Waterproof Case for iPhone 5: Wave 3 protects against water, sand, dirt and other elements that can damage a phone when on the go. Its hard outer shell also provides shock absorption for extra protection. The transparent silicone membrane gives you full access your favorite features including the iPhone camera.

GOBlogBikeMountKitAryca Bike Mount Kit: This kit provides a way to secure your smartphone onto a bicycle, motorcycle, or jet ski. Bundled with the Wave 3 Waterproof Case and the Aricase Adapter, the iPhone can be snugly mounted and used for anything from capturing action shots to keeping tabs on location using the phone’s GPS.

Aryca Floating Lanyard Wrist Strap: The Aryca Floating Lanyard Wrist Strap is designed for use with the Aryca Wave 3 Waterproof case. It keeps the iPhone from sinking, and is a must-have whether you’re spending a tranquil day floating down the river or going white-water rafting.

LifeProof Fre Case for iPhone 5: This case protects phones against water, dirt and shock. It can be submerged in water up to 2 meters deep for 30 minutes or withstand being dropped from heights up to 2 meters.  With speaker ports designed to provide optimal sound and the perfectly clear optical glass covering over the camera, iPhones perform at prime conditions while remaining safe and sound in even the most rugged situations.

Wagan Tech 2558-5 Solar e Charger™ with Built-in Li-ion Battery: When your adventures take you away from electrical outlets, this device lets you use the sun’s powerful rays to recharge your mobile devices. The built-in Li-ion battery fully recharges in five to eight hours via the sun, and in two to three hours via an AC adapter.

Eton BoostTurbine 2000Eton BoostTurbine 2000: The Eton BoostTurbine 2000 is a durable back-up battery pack with a 2000mAh lithium ion battery and a hand turbine power generator that provides power when it’s needed most. In just one minute the hand turbine power generator can produce enough power for an urgent 30-second call or a few critical texts. BoostTurbine 2000 is made of tough but lightweight aluminum and is compact enough to fit in a pocket.

“With the warm weather rapidly approaching, people are ready to get out of the office and enjoy the sun, and they want to have their phones with them when they do. Luckily, there’s something for everyone in the iPhone Toolshed, so iPhoneographers will never have to miss a photo op this summer,” says Brian Green, vice president of marketing, Adorama. “These products have been carefully selected by Adorama’s expert team of photography and mobile specialists, and are the perfect accessories for all types of summer activities. Users can stay connected, capture awesome action shots and summer memories, and use their phones’ GPS and other apps to enhance the outdoor experience – all while keeping their iPhones safe and sound from the elements.”

LINKS

Adorama

iPhone Toolshed

Adorama Learning Center: iPhoneography

 

New Options for Printing and Exhibiting Phoneography

It’s amazing to see everything that can be done with images captured on a smartphone these days.  Below are just two examples of how camera-phone images are being displayed and printed for exhibition at major events.

Studio b Will Show Works of 40 Phoneographers at Art Basel Miami Beach

Do you have 13 smartphone images that are worthy of display at one of the most prestigious art shows in America? If so, round them up and send to [email protected] by Sunday, November 4.

If your collection of images is judged to be one of the 40 best, your work will be shown on studio b’s “Light Impressions” display that will be shown at Art Basel Miami Beach from December 6-9.  Art Basel is regarded as a cultural and social highlight for the Americas, attracting more than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Studio b’s “Light Impressions” installation consists of 40 iPads mounted on a piece of metal that photographer and studio b owner Colleen Duffley salvaged the wreckage of a Gulf Coast hurricane.  Each of the 40 iPads displays a 13-image slideshow from a featured artist.

“Because the images are always moving, the Light Impressions exhibit itself is always changing,” Colleen says. “No matter how many times you look at it, you see it differently.”  To enter images or request more information about Light Impressions, e-mail: [email protected]

If you are interested in further developing your creative phoneography skills, Duffley will be leading an iPhoneography 101 sailing adventure in Maine aboard the J. and E. Riggin schooner from August 28-31, 2013. The sailing vessel is operated by Maine Windjammer Cruises.

LINKS

About Studio b

iPhoneography 101 Sailing Adventure

iPrints Store Makes Prints for LA Mobile Arts Festival

In August, the first LA Mobile Arts Festival 2012 (LA-MAF) showcased how mobile digital-imaging technology is transforming the arts. The LA-MAF garnered international media attention from organizations such as The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, NBC, NASDAQ news, Daily Mail. During the show’s 8-day run, more than 2000 people came to view the largest exhibition of mobile artistry to date.

The show was organized by iPhoneArt.com (IPA),an online group that enables phoneographers of all levels of expertise to share techniques, evaluate new technologies, and discuss their latest creations.

The organizers of the LA-MAF show believe that the unexpected way the images were presented attracted a lot of attention.

More than 600 images were displayed as different types and sizes of museum-quality prints. Some were mounted on handcrafted bamboo panels; others were printed on specially coated aluminum plates, printed on glass, or on mirrors in vintage Victorian frames.  Some prints were nearly four feet tall

Nate Park, co-founder of iPhoneArt.com said that many people who entered the show asked: “So where’s the work that was done on the iPhone? Little did they know they were already surrounded by it.”

All of the prints displayed at the LA-MAF were produced by IPA’s new iPrints Store, which is now open to the general public.

Through the iPrints Store, phoneographers everywhere can print their iPhone files with the quality necessary to appeal to art buyers and advance their careers. The iPhoneArt team that operates the store are experts in preparing files for output on the types of print surfaces that generated so much buzz at the  LA-MAF.

“The iPrints Store is also a far-reaching sales platform for IPA’s international band of mobile artists,” said Daria Polichetti, co-founder of iPhoneArts.com. “The public gallery is a curated space, so you must submit your portfolio for review.” Once accepted, you will have full control over your works. The iPrints Store will handle tasks such as tracking limited and signed editions, offering file-prep assistance for achieving museum-quality prints, and mounting images on eco-friendly bamboo panels.

“It’s not a quick-print system run through one of the online mega-printers.” says Polichetti. “It is not an instant-anything. Instead, each work is printed with personal attention, hand crafted to order, and shipped worldwide.”

“At iPhoneArt.com, we feed each others’ creativity,” said one iPhoneArt.com artist. “The LA Mobile Arts Festival 2012 was one example of what this mobile art community is capable of. The iPrints Store is another.”

LINKS

LA Mobile Arts Festival

iPrints Store

iPhone Art

RELATED POSTS

Galleries and Print Providers Help Showcase iPhone Photos

Ring in the Creative New Year with Studio b Camera Phone Event

Submit Entry to LA Mobile Arts Festival by July 15

New App Helps You Sell iPhone Images as Stock Photos

A new iPhone app from Pocketstock has opened up the commercial stock photography market to billions of new stock shooters. The app allows you to shoot, then add metadata such as captions, keywords, model and property releases without leaving the app.

“It’s possible for a contributor to shoot an image and have it live on our site for sale within 30 minutes,” says Russell Glenister, CEO of Pocketstock. “When I got into the industry it took three months and for many stock shooters, it still takes a month for their images to go live at other agencies.”

Contributors will earn a minimum of 35% of the royalties Pocketstock makes from their phone images.

Pocketstock clients can either buy their chosen image at the listed price, or submit a bid for what they consider to be a fair price for the image. Clients who submit bids for images will be notified within 24 hours if their bids have been accepted or rejected, and will be given opportunities to justify or reconsider their bids.

If you are interested in becoming a Pocketstock contributor, you can download the Pocketstock app from the Apple app store or from Pocketstock. An Android version of the app is currently being developed.

LINK

Pocketstock App

About Pocketstock

Guidelines for Contributors

 

 

 

Exhibition of Phoneography Art at Rebekah Jacob Gallery

An exhibition exploring the artistic possibilities of smartphone photography is now on display at the Rebekah Jacob Gallery in the Upper King Street district of Charleston, South Carolina. Entitled “Ways of Seeing: Phoneography,” the exhibition is further proof that phoneography is quickly gaining acceptance as a new fine arts medium.

Gallery owner Rebekah Jacob says phoneography exhibitions at galleries in other cities have been wildly popular, thanks to Facebook and other social media  New collectors also appreciate the more modest price points of the prints themselves.

“Stairs” by Nick Moss

As an art lover and experienced curator of fine photography, Rebekah Jacob is “fascinated by the immediacy and intimacy of phoneography, particularly the iPhone’s imaging quality.” She likes the fact that the technology is so accessible and that apps enable photographers to quickly express their vision in interesting ways.

The photographs included in the exhibit were selected by the curatorial staff of Rebekah Jacob Gallery following an open call for entries that closed June 3. The exhibition opened July 1 and runs through July 31.

“Sensation is Already Memory” by Katie Wichlinski

The prints are being sold for a uniform price of $200. If you can’t visit the gallery in Charleston, you can view and buy images from the exhibition at the store on the gallery’s website.

LINKS

Rebekah Jacob Gallery

Exhibition: Ways of Seeing-Phoneography

Store: Rebekah Jacob Gallery

E-book: How to Make Stronger Photos with Camera Phone

Professional photographer Al Smith has published a 45-page PDF e-book that can help you take better camera-phone photographs. Entitled “eyePhone: Making Stronger Photographs with Your Camera Phone,” the e-book features insights, tips, creative considerations, and must-have resources that can help you build a portfolio of camera-phone images you can be proud of.

“Your camera phone is always with you, so whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it only makes sense to know how to use it to your advantage,” says Smith.  

The e-book is available for $5.00 (USD) through Craft & Vision, an online community for amateur and professional photographers seeking high-quality photography education at affordable prices.

Other e-books available from the Craft & Vision library include:

Shoot + Share: Getting Your Photographs Out in the Real World by Stuart Sipahigil

Exposure for Outdoor Photography by Michael Frye

Forget Mugshots: 10 Steps to Better Portraits by David duChemin

LINKS

E-book: eyePhone: Making Stronger Photographs with Your Camera Phone

About Al Smith

About Craft & Vision