The iPhoneography interview with John Morris publisher of "Taken With An iPhone"
Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 10:00AM | Glyn Evans In the 2nd part of my series of interviews/questions & answers with current leading iPhoneographers, I am pleased to to introduce John Morris from "Taken With An iPhone".
Q - So John where in the world are you based?
A - I am based in Silver Spring, Maryland which is located just inside of the beltway in Washington DC.
Q - When and why did you create the "Taken With An iPhone" website?
A - I had been photoblogging on and off for a couple of years so that when my wife bought an iPhone for me in October 2007 it just seemed the next place to take my blogging. Having said that, my previous phone had a camera but I never thought about blogging its images – must be something about the iPhone.
Q - Is photography a hobby, or does it form part of your day job?
A - Photography is a hobby but I have been lucky enough to sell several images a year for the past few years.
Q - Why did you chose to use the iPhone as your main photo taking tool?
A - I have not a large, but a substantial collection of cameras. I have transitioned from film to digital and from there to the iPhone. I have not abandoned my previous deities but there is something wonderfully spontaneous about the iPhone and the ability to capture something instantly, with little hassle or preparation. I suppose it is this that has captured and tethered my iPhone to my hip.
Q - How would you describe your style of photography?
A - I honestly don't think about my style. I suppose you could classify my work as urban photography. I enjoy cities and the accoutrements that go with them. The things that others find mundane I relish. Typically, though I just point and shoot. I rarely set up shots. I enjoy architecture, man-made objects and nature as it exits within these boundaries.
Q - Who if anyone inspires your photography?
A - I was not formerly trained and so am classified as amateur, but my experience has been built up over 30 years. My inspiration was really an interest nurtured by my father who was a semi-professional photographer. He introduced me…but I have no specific figure or other artist I study and reflect and feel is of particular inspiration. I take pictures because it a completely selfish act. I have been fortunate that I have travelled extensively and that as afforded me the opportunity to engage in other cultures and record what I see. That is the greatest inspiration for me.
Q - How many photo's do you think you have taken to-date with your iPhone?
A - Approximately 4500.
Q - What is your most favorite photo or photo's?
A - This picture of Washington DC Metro. I love all things trains and I was surprised how well this image turned out....
....and this picture of the T-Rex at the Discovery Communications Headquarters in Silver Spring. Not great but I just like this image, and....
....the Discovery Communications Headquarters. One of the first images I created using Pano. I like the contrast between the light and the reflections.
Q - What iPhoneography apps do you use on your iPhone if any?
A - I have three apps that are always on my iPhone - Pano, Camerabag and SteadyCam. While I do try different apps when I see them, none have stood out enough to be added full time.
Q - Do you post process any of your photos on your iPhone, and if so what apps do you use?
A - The only processing I do on my iPhone, if you can call it that, is with Camerabag.
Q - If you do not edit on your iPhone, what do you use to edit with, if anything?
A - I use Photoshop to edit my iPhone images. Mostly this just means resizing before uploading to Flickr. I occasionally do some basic photo editing – contrast, brightness, saturation - but I prefer to post my images as they were taken by my iPhone.
Q - Do you upload images to your website directly from your iPhone? if so with what app? or do you ftp them?
A - I started out emailing my images to Flickr which would automatically post them to my website. As I started to use my iPhone as my main camera the number of images increased and I decided it was easier to download the images to my computer and bulk upload them to Flickr.
Q - What improvements would you like to see Apple making to the camera features of the iPhone?
A - I see my iPhone as a digital version of my plastic Lomo cameras – I don’t expect DSLR results or options. Having said that a couple of extra megapixels and a better lens would be nice.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank John for his time with this interview, and if there are any questions I've missed, or you have anything you would like to ask John, then please post in the comments section below, and I am sure Greg will only to happy to answer them.
Reader Comments (2)
A very nice and informative interview. John obviously is extremely enthused by the iPhone's camera being a means to taking those spontaneous photos we often see with our eyes but never take and which are then lost.
Steve, thanks for the positive feedback. If haven't already read it, check out Greg Schmigel's interview that was posted a couple of days ago www.iphoneography.com/journal/2009/1/2/the-iphoneography-interview-with-greg-schmigel-of-just-what.html
Also check back tomorrow for another iPhoneographers interview.