Repix Does it Again! Another update and one in the works!

Every morning when I wake up, before I grab my cup o’ Joe, I grab my iPad.  My ritual starts with checking for app updates and I’m always excited to see the little superscript numbers on the blue App Store icon!  This morning when I clicked to see what was new, I literally got an adrenaline rush when I saw the Repix icon in the update list!  I love Repix and it is a major player in my app arsenal.  In fact, the portrait that I recently had featured in the Dive Festival in Barcelona was in part edited with Repix.  If you thought the last update was great, wait till you see this one!

What’s New in Version 1.2?

• New grunge brushes let you make awesome gritty photos
• New pack of super-cool jazzy filters
• Improved + mode brings two styles into one brush.
• Usability improvements and bug fixes

Here’s my first creation with the new update

From what I’ve heard through the grapevine, a new update is in the works and will be released soon – what have they got up their sleeve next?  Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  To be continued…

Mobile Photography Central

Mobile photography is all about community.  And in the spirit of the community that has welcomed me, I would like to recommend the site Mobile Photography Central, the brainchild of Cat Milton, iPhoneographer! 

Be sure to visit the site where you’ll get the latest news, free app alerts, photography tips, tutorials and more! 

Below is a sample tutorial for the popular Wood Camera app.

I’ll be visiting MPC daily and hope you bookmark it and follow along too!

Giveaway Time–Want a Perfect Black and White Photo?

It’s time again for another giveaway.  It’s Perfect B&W from onOne Software.  This newly released app sells for $1.99 in the App Store but you can win a free copy here.

 

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UPDATE – Winner has been chosen by the random number generator – Congrats to Melia!

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Description:  COMING SOON – LARGER SAVED IMAGES: In the next couple of weeks there will be an update that increases the saved image size to 2048 pixels per side. This will be followed by a second update that will save images at their native sizes.

Thanks for your patience, we are working hard to address your feedback.Capture the pure beauty of light and shadow with Perfect B&W. The NEW Perfect B&W for iOS app makes it easy to focus on the essence of your image without the distraction of color to create amazing, classical photographs—all with your iPhone or iPad.

Perfect B&W starts with instant one-touch effects that recreate the timeless look of the black and white masters. With live preview you can browse through the effects while you shoot. Then save and share your images. Advanced users will appreciate the powerful controls that make it easy to create the many moods of black and white photography—from elegant to mysterious and romantic to dramatic. With a simple snap and a few swipes Perfect B&W can make your landscape look like Ansel Adams, or your street images look like Henri Cartier Bresson and more.

From onOne Software, the Perfect B&W iOS app now joins the desktop version as the easiest ways to develop stunning black and white images. They even share the same effects so you can create the same look—wherever you are.

I used the app to edit the same image with the various black and white presets as well as a couple that I customized using the settings in the app.  You can save your own custom presets - once you get a result you like you can repeat it over and over again.  

I’m happy to know that onOne is working toward Perfect B&W being a full resolution app.  My only other suggestion would be a crop function.

For a chance to win, just leave a comment below.  I’ll draw a random winner and will announce the lucky name on Wednesday, May 1st.

Mextures App Coming Soon to iPhone!

Sacha Dohmen–Capturing Street Life in Belgium

It is always a pleasure to introduce another artist here at iART CHRONiCLES.  This week I have the pleasure of presenting the street photography of Sacha Dohmen (@maktub77 on EyeEm).  I applaud Sacha who with the help of his wife has overcome our language barrier to answer my questions in English.  Visit the streets of Belgium through Sacha’s eyes!  (Note, you won’t see Scottish Highland Cows on the streets of Belgium, but I had to include one of Sacha’s fabulous photos of this beautiful creature!)



Geri:  What is your name and where do you live?
Sacha:  My name is Sacha Dohmen, I live in Belgium in a small village in the middle of nowhere between Liège (Belgium), Maastricht (Holland) and Aachen (Germany)
Geri:  When did you get started with mobile photography?
Sacha:  I came to  iPhoneography by accident last year. One day before my annual leave, I broke the viewfinder of my Ricoh GXR, I was so accustomed to hide myself behind my camera that I was not able to take street shots and so I left my camera at home. Already at the airport I was very nervous because I could not photograph, then I remembered my iPhone.  I took thousands of photos within three weeks, most of them not usable but I really loved those were good. Back at home, I found in a library a book about iPhoneography from National Geographic with works of Carlein van der Beek and Richard Koci Hernandez. I was in awe. I had never heard anything about IPhoneography but I knew, that's what I wanted to do.

We Are All Puppets (above)

Geri:  Do you have a traditional photography or art background?
Sacha:  No, I’m self taught.  I bought my first camera, a Nikon D60, 5 years ago to photograph my holiday in Majorca.  I came back with a lot of photos but especially with the knowledge that I had a lot to learn. So I bought a book from Andreas Feininger and one to learn a bit about Photoshop. From then on, there was only photography for me.
Geri:  Who or what inspires you?
Sacha:  There are a lot of people who influence me. I really love the work of Roger Clay, Koci Hernandez and Dilshad Corleone, three of the best street IPhoneographers I know. My all-time favorite street shooter is Bruce Gilden.  Otherwise, of course Berenice Abbot, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Meier, Diane Arbus, Robert Doisneau, last but not least the ironic Elliot Erwitt.

Wait and See (above)

Miles Away (above)

Geri:  Your work is centered around street photography.  Do you find it difficult to approach people?
Sacha:  Yes, 99% of my work are street shots the other 1% Scottish Highland Cows.  My work is hazardous, I earn my daily bread to put me in danger. That made me fearless in the last 10 years.
Geri:  Has anyone ever objected to you photographing them?
Sacha:  Even with the IPhone, your shot doesn’t go unnoticed.  But it never comes to blows and I’ve never deleted a picture. One need only be confident enough.

The Devil in Me (above)

Geri:  Do you plan your shoots or just photograph what you come across in your day to day life?
Sacha:  I don´t think about it when I shoot.  I’m a walker and my iPhone is a part of the walking.  I’m attentive about the people and situations around me.  I capture a fraction of life later build a storyboard for this person.  All I need is a street and my iPhone to make something extraordinary out of the banal, to create a social drama, to awake emotions.  For me, my motivation to document life and take street shots is to capture and awake emotions. Photography is all about emotions.

 



Geri:  Do you use the native camera app or a specialized app like ProCamera or 645 Pro?
Sacha:  I use Hipstamatic a lot, then PureShot and Camera+.
Geri:  What are you favorite apps for creating your edits?
Sacha:  Snapseed  Lo-Mob  Big Lens, BlurFX, Photo FX Ultra, Scratchcam FX, Image Blender, The Amazing Type-Writer, Filterstorm, PhotoForge2, PhotoToaster 

The Torture Never Stops (above)

 

Geri:  Is your editing done on your phone or another mobile device (iPad or other tablet)?  Please share a bit about your editing process. 
Sacha:  I do all my edits on an iPad 3.  For the basics I always start with Snapseed or Filterstorm, then Big Lens or BlurFX to isolate my subject. PhotoToaster  PhotoForge2 and ScratchCam FX and a lot of others for the textures.  Most of the time Lo-Mob for the frame and The Amazing Type-Writer to add text or a title.

I’ve Got the Music in Me (above)

Dead-End Friends (above)

Geri:  Have you ever exhibited your work?

Sacha:  Only online on sites such as P1xels ( a special thanks here to Mr. Knox Bronson). I´m thinking about an exhibition here in  Belgium with other iPhoneographers. This would be a project that I’d like to achieve this year and perhaps a book about Street iPhoneography.  If anyone has interest, let me know!!!
Geri:  Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Sacha:  Yeah, a special thanks to you Geri for the opportunity to answer your questions.  I would also like to thank all the fantastic mobile community for the support and inspiration the last year.  Especially Catherine Restivo, Rosanna Capiello, Lene Basma and JQ Gaines.

Insomnia and the Hole in the Universe (above)

Thank you Sacha for sharing your work and your words!
Find Sacha:  EyeEm / P1xels 
All images in this feature are copyrighted property of Sacha Dohmen published on iART CHRONiCLES with the consent of the artist. 

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Friday Favorites–Week No. 30

Here are a few of my favorite edits since the last time I posted my Friday Favorites.  As always I’ve included the App Recipe. 

App Recipe:  Camera Awesome, Camera+, PS Express, Shockmypic, Sketch Club, FaceTune, Snapseed

 

The Messenger (above)

App Recipe:  Camera Awesome, Snapseed, DeforMe, Repix, Deco Sketch, My Cam, Sketch Club 

Self-Portrait (above)

App Recipe:  Comic Tycoon, FaceTune, Repix, Effexy, Modern Grunge, Distressed FX, Sketch Club, Snapseed 

Ranunculus (above)

App Recipe:  Camera Awesome, Snapseed, iColorama, FaceTune 

Self-Portrait (above)

App Recipe:  KitCam, Snapseed, Tres, TouchRetouch, TapFX, Distressed FX, Repix 

App Recipe:  RealSpyCamera, Snapseed, FaceTune, PhotoWizard, Sketch Club, Simply B&W, PhotoToaster  

Camera Awesome, iColorama, Snapseed, Repix 

Faded Sunflower (above)

App Recipe:  Camera Awesome, Snapseed, Shockmypic, PhotoWizard 

Melancholy Moment (above)

App Recipe:  Camera Awesome, Snapseed, DeforMe, Deco Sketch, Repix, iColorama, Sketch Club, Glaze, FaceTune

Mobile Photography and Storytelling Show–Episode 8

Here’s more of my favorite panel discussing my favorite subject!

Best iPhone Photo Apps for iPhone and iPad Photography?

Have a look at this video…what do you think?  Are these your favorite apps? 

The Cool Cam App

One of the perks of blogging about iPhone photography is getting to try an app for FREE!   I just downloaded The Cool Cam app.  It offers a simple interface. You can either capture an image with the camera or import an existing one from you camera roll.  To experiment with The Cool Cam, I imported this shot of a rose.

There are five filters to choose from





After you choose the filter of choice you select “Use” which takes you to another screen where you can make some more adjustments to either Brightness and Contrast or Saturation on the Remix filter.

I’m partial to the Kali, Luna and Remix filters.  Below are a couple of the finished images.

Using Luna filter (above)

Using Remix filter (above) 
The black and white tones are beautiful – for this alone I may be visiting this app again and again. 
Regardless of the start size, the image is saved at 2048px by 2048px.  The sharing feature includes email, Twitter, Save to Camera Roll, Instagram. 
I like the interface a lot and with a few added features (maybe tilt shift blur, a sharpening slider this app could come in handy!) 

LoFi Mode Features Artist Profile Cecile Edelist

I just discovered this great series over at LoFi Mode.  Not sure how I missed it since I’m a subscriber.  But there are so many great sites and so little time! This video features the work of Cecile Edelist.  To see more in the series, visit LoFi Mode.

Repix Updated and Better Than Ever

The Repix App was recently updated and now it’s better than ever.  In fact, the image below was edited ONLY with Repix – that says a lot for this app, because I almost always use more than one app to complete a piece.  It looks like Repix has been listening to the feedback of its users - this is by far one of the best app updates I’ve come across to date!

 

Want to know what’s new?

- NEW - 8 new filters to apply to images for stunning look or final finish

- NEW - Smooth cropping tool with 6 presets

- NEW - New ‘+ style’ feature for selected brushes. Click + to see a new type of effect

- NEW - ‘Starter’ section with images available for users to start editing

- NEW - Direct access to all albums, streams & Facebook

- NEW - Seamless zero-friction design guarantees smooth experience

Repix features

• Carefully handcrafted selection of 20 brushes include state-of-the art effect, color boosting and artistic styles
• Repix comes with real-time Rebeca^TM processing engine that seamlessly integrates the power of the CPU and GPU enabling insane performance
• Full resolution 4096x4096 support for iPhone5 and iPad3+
• Studio-grade technology alongside a slick and intuitive interface to inspire new levels of creativity; zero-friction design with ability to switch between tools easily
• Share creations with #repix to Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram or Facebook
• Free to use with a selection of brushes, with an option to purchase more brushes

In addition to the new cropping tool, there’s also a cool + feature which gives a variation to several of the included brushes – be sure to experiment with both variations for a different effect. (+ feature on Flares, Glow Smoke, Stars, Posterize, Silk, Dotter, Edger, Legacy, Drips, Charcoal, Daubs, Van Gogh, Hatching Spray and Eraser).  With the + toggle on the Eraser you can now start with a blank black canvas in addition to a blank white one! 

The app also contains “Starters” (photographs you can experiment with).  Below is a quick edit of one of them.  

What do you think of the new update? 

Andrea Koerner, “What is beautiful? The answer might surprise you!”

When you visit the galleries on EyeEm, at the top of the page you will see a “tagline” which gives you a bit of information about the artist.  The tagline for the gallery of @lochthyme reads, “What is beautiful?  The answer might surprise you!”  One thing I know for sure is that the images contained within the gallery of Andrea Koerner are beautiful!  Below is my interview with this creative mobile artist.

What Dreams May Come (above)

Geri:  What is your name and where do you live? 
Andrea:  Andrea Koerner from Rhode Island, USA
Geri:  When did you get started creating mobile art?
Andrea:  Back in 2011, when I got an iPod Touch.  Found the Instagram app and there was no looking back from there.  I have always enjoyed doing something artistic and mobile art was a perfect fit for me with my busy schedule.

Who Am I Now? (above)

Urban Angel (above)

Geri:  Do you have a traditional photography or art background?
Andrea:  I was an Art History major in college. For a while I also designed and made my own jewelry which I sold on a website I had at the time but it was very time consuming and required a lot of materials on hand. One reason I love iPhoneography is the fact that all I need is my phone. I don't have any training in photography.  Everything I have learned I have learned on my own. I would love to someday take some photography courses to learn more about lighting, composition and such.  Right now all that is intuitive for me. If it looks good, I shoot it. lol

Stamens (above)

Absence of Color (above)

Geri:  Who or what inspires you?
Andrea:  I used to make altered books and artist trading cards and that has influenced my photography in that I tend to use lots of layers on my images. Also the vintage style is very popular when making altered art and I do use that style when apping some of my photos.  I'm also influenced by a lot of the other iPhoneographers out there. I find them very inspirational. I do a lot of self-portraits and this came directly from when I first saw the work of Lanie Heller. She is an amazing artist who creates some fantastic self-portraits! When I find myself creatively blocked I will go look at the work of other iPhoneographers to get my mojo back.

Mind Games (above)

Fragmented Humanity (above)

Geri:  I see a lot the variety of subjects in your work - nature, painterly self-portraits, abstracts - is there one subject that you prefer?
Andrea:  My subjects tend to come from my lack of time (4 kids, husband, 2 dogs, hermit crab) to actually go out and take photos.  I love self-portraits because the subject is always available and I don't have to leave the house.  I jokingly call my style of photography drive by photography because I usually don't have time to do photo shoots so a lot of my photos come when I stop the car and take a photo out the window, while my 3-year old is in back looking annoyed.  (I think my kids tend to run now when they see me coming with my phone trying to take their picture.) I also love nature and spring is a wonderful time of year to get some fantastic shots while out walking with my 3 year old. So I try to fit my photo taking into a very busy life. 

Things Fall Apart (above)

Forever Changing (above)

Geri:  Do you plan your shoots with a particular edit in mind or do you get inspired to create after you see your camera roll? 
Andrea:  It's all inspiration after I see what is on my camera roll.  I usually don't know where I’m headed when editing a photo...it's all very intuitive.  And even when I do have an idea on how I want to edit a photo it can end up totally different by the end.
Geri:  Do you use the native camera app or a specialized app like ProCamera or Camera+?
Andrea:  I use the native camera app at least 75 percent of the time.  Recently I have been experimenting more with Hipstamatic. I also use 645 Pro, which I love for its ability to shoot color and black and white and that I can change the size of the photo being taken.  I also love SlowShutter and KitCam on occasion.

Under a Blue Moon (above)

Just a Simple Tree (above)

Geri:  What are you favorite apps for creating your edits?
Andrea:  I have so many.  I'm such an app addict!  Right now some of my favorites are Distressed FX, Scratch Cam FX, Pixlr-o-matic, Jazz!, Glaze, Procreate, FaceTune, Camera Awesome, Decim8, Repix, Alt Photo, Image Blender, Superimpose ShootNZoom, Deco Sketch  and Vintage Scene.  Right now I have 118 apps for editing and I had to delete a ton more to make room on my phone.
Geri:  Is your editing done on your iPhone or another mobile device (iPad or other tablet)? 
Andrea:  The majority is done on my iPhone but some are edited on my iPad.  I find the iPhone the most convenient to edit on because it is always with me. I can edit anywhere.

Sunday Blues (above)

Freedom (above)

Geri:  Please share a bit about your editing process. 
Andrea:  My process is pretty intuitive.  I will just start trying out various apps and effects on my photo until I get something I like, then keep adding more apps/layers. Sometimes I decide to use an app I tend to ignore to see what I can do with it. I like the challenge of doing this...tends to get me out of my comfort zone.
I have recently started using ShootNZoom to get in close on a certain part of an image. I have also recently started using Procreate which is great because it give you so many layers to work with. I really do love layering my images although in the end it is really the image that decides how it wants to be apped.  Sometimes I try all different edits and in the end don't do much editing at all because the photo just works as is. 
My photo “What Dreams May Come” (at top of page) came about because of the photo of a woman I captured in line at Dunkin Donuts. I knew I had to use her in a more fantasy inspired image. I do love the fantasy inspired images of artists such as Melissa Vincent and Ali Jardine.  I have always been a fan of fantasy art and would love to do more images like that as time permits.

The Masks We Wear (above)

Spotted in the Wild (above)

Geri:  Have you ever exhibited your work?  If not, any plans to do so?
Andrea:  I have had some of my work exhibited at L.A. Mobile Arts Festival in 2012.  My photo “Plague” was shown at the MPA premiere at the SOHO GALLERY FOR DIGITAL ART in NYC and I also just recently had 5 of my photos shown in Columbus, Ohio in the EXPOSURE: A Mobile Photography Exhibition at the CS Gallery.  I definitely want to exhibit more but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Plague (above)

Maia (above)

Geri:  Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Andrea:  I do feel iPhoneography is such an amazing art form.  It gives "everyday" people the chance to create art without the heavy cost that traditional photography and other art forms can incur.  All you need is your phone and the willingness to explore your artistic side.

Walk in Silence (above)

Thank you Andrea for sharing your work and your thoughts. 
Find Andrea:  Blog / iphoneart / New Era Museum / EyeEm / Flickr / Instagram
All images in this feature are copyrighted property of Andrea Koerner published on iART CHRONiCLES with the consent of the artist. 

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