Sloma - Art with an iPhone: a photographers guide to creating altered realities

Front cover.Luminous (apps: ProCamera, Pixlr, Afterlight, Image Blender, Distressed FX, AutoPainter II, Snapseed).

Page 1.Triangulate (apps: ProCamera, Snapseed, Image Blender, Decim8, Tangent).

Copyright 2018 by Kat Sloma

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc., P.O. Box 538, Buffalo, N.Y. 14213

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt and Beth Alesse

Acquisitions Editor: Harvey Goldstein

Associate Publisher: Katie Kiss

Editorial Assistance from: Rebecca Rudell, Carey Anne Miller, Jen Sexton

Business Manager: Adam Richards

ISBN-13: 978-1-68203-309-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017949329

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Morning Hike (apps: ProCamera, Stackables).

Awakening (apps: ProCamera, Circular, Alien Sky, Stackables, Snapseed, Image Blender).

Disconnect (apps: ProCamera, iColorama, Snapseed, Stackables).

I f you have an iPhone, you have an amazing creative device in your pocket. Not only is it a convenient and capable camera, it has the tools to transform your photographs into something surprising and unique.

In writing this book, I hope to share the fun and excitement Ive experienced with capturing photographs and creating photography-based art with my iPhone and iPad. My approach is a simple one. When I am out and about, I capture the best photographs I can using only the iPhone and natural light. There is something magical about always having a camera in your pocket. You see the familiar world anew.

Later, when I have time to experiment and play, I use apps to transform the photographs. I have no rules or expectations of outcome when I sit down to work with my photographs. An image may stay looking like a photograph, or it may become something more abstract. Youll see both in this book. The enjoyment is in seeing what appears as I change an image through a combination of apps.

The process I share in this book applies beyond the specifics of the device and apps. As with any book about technology, the specific features of the iPhone and the app screen shots will become outdated. Thats okaythrough multiple Apple devices and iOS revisions, Ive found the apps function similarly and my general approach remains the same. You will be able to apply the concepts in this book regardless of the specific device or version of operating system you currently use.

Now you know where Im coming from. Lets get you started creating your own photographic art on the iPhone.

About the Author

Kat Sloma is a fine art photographer, writer, and instructor who developed her distinct contemplative style when she began using an iPhone to create photographic art. Her iPhone work has received recognition in the United States and internationally. A believer that everyone has the potential to share a unique point of view through art, Kat writes, teaches workshops, and speaks about the iPhone and other creative aspects of photography. She is the author of the popular eBook Digital Photography Basics: Take the First Step Off Full Auto and two editions of Art with an iPhone: A Photographers Guide to Altered Realities. Kat currently lives in Corvallis, Oregon. To see more of Kats work, visit www.kateyestudio.com.

Patchwork (apps: ProCamera, Mextures, iColorama).

T he iPhone adds a new dimension to photography. Unlike previous photographic devices, where the camera was solely a capture device and images were processed later in a darkroom or on a computer, smartphones and tablets integrate both camera and processing capabilities into one device. While this integration provides an incredibly powerful platform for photography, it also creates challenges because these devices are not intended primarily to be cameras. These first few sections will address some housekeeping issues that arise when using an iPhone for photography, before getting into the camera and apps.

Functionality

In creating a mobile device such as an iPhone, hardware manufacturers must trade off the size, space, cost, and functionality of the camera against other requirements, functions, and end-user expectations. Sensor resolution, sensitivity, lens, and other camera specifications change from device to device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), generation to generation (iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and so on), and even front to back within a device. As such, the cameras in mobile devices are simple, small, and vary greatlyeven within Apples lineup of similar devices.

Camera

If you dont know the camera specs for your specific device, look them up. Wikipedia and other online sites are a great source. Knowing the resolution difference between the front and back cameras enables you to make informed trade-offs when you take photographs. If you are debating a purchase, I recommend you look closely at the differences between the camera hardware on the different devices you are considering in order to understand the impact of your choice. These devices look similar on the outside, but the camera you are getting inside may be quite different.