In this third instalment of "What's in My Camera Bag", I talk to one of New York's most well known street iPhoneographers, Anton Kawasaki.
Glyn: Hi Anton. Thank you for taking the time out to talk to me, and welcome to "What's in My Camera Bag," the iPhoneography blog’s new feature that takes its readers inside the camera bag of some of the communities most well known iPhoneographers.
Before we delve in, and for those who may not know you, please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your iPhoneography.
Anton: Well I’ve had an unpredictable life trajectory, to say the least. I’m someone who grew up surrounded by the film industry, but then went to work in comic books for a dozen years, and am now making a career around mobile photography. I got hooked on iPhoneography via my husband Sion Fullana several years ago, and now it’s what I seem to live and breathe each day. I had a spinal cord injury half my life ago which has since required me to walk with the aid of forearm crutches -- so I never took the idea of photography that seriously because lugging a camera around seemed like a drag for me. But the iPhone makes it so easy for me now. It’s allowed me to really express myself in a way that I’ve always wanted to before, but never thought I’d have the chance.
I’m now a writer, editor, consultant, social media manager and mobile photographer for hire. But most people probably know me these days for the work that I’ve been doing for the MoPho: Prints & Products app. I’ve been having a blast writing the “Becoming a MoPho” column on their blog, where I’ve been talking about the state of mobile photography today and interviewing some of its brightest stars. I also shoot exclusive photos for them that get shared on their Instagram feed.
Glyn: So Anton, what apps in addition to the iPhones native camera app do you use to shoot with, if any?
Anton: To be honest, I’d say most of my shooting has been done with the native camera app. The kinds of shots that I take are candid, unexpected and never planned. It’s usually when I see an interesting character or a decisive moment happening on the streets, and require the quickest camera possible -- because the “moment” is often gone within a second or two. The regular camera -- especially now with the 5.1 iOS update and the “quick flick” camera access -- is still the fastest to fire up.
However, I’ve been trying to use ProCamera more and more lately. As a camera, it’s way more advanced. It just takes a wee bit longer to load. So if I’m going to use it, it’s only during the times I’m actually “out hunting” for pics, and I leave the app open and the iPhone ready in my hands. (Which isn’t easy when I’m also using crutches, so it’s not that often). I love ProCamera’s ability to split and lock the focus and exposure. Many other shootings apps are now offering this ability, but I love the way ProCamera does it best. My only gripe with the app is that I can’t do a “half-press” shutter release, which would allow me to leave my finger on the screen and only take a shot when I release it.
There are also times I still like to use Hipstamatic. It’s been an app I’ve always had fun with, but never took seriously for street photography. But then I had my solo exhibition at the Haus of Hipstamtic in San Francisco last October, and it was required that they all be Hipsta photos. I was absolutely terrified I wouldn’t be able to capture the same kind of images. Well it turns out I LOVED using it because it forced me to really make sure I was composing an image properly before shooting. I truly believe it helped me to become a better photographer, because I wouldn’t be able to rely on cropping or over-apping to compensate for a weaker image. What you see is what you get, and I love that about the app. Whenever I find myself relying too much on apps, I will break out Hipstamatic again and just have fun. And it’s cool to know that some of my favorite street photogs like Koci Hernandez and Travis Jensen use it all the time...
Glyn: What apps if any do you use most often to edit/process your iPhone photos?
Anton: I really don’t like my photos to look too heavily apped. That said, I sometimes use several of them -- often for just the tiniest, most subtle changes -- and will go through several iterations of the same photo until I get just the right tones I’m looking for.
The first app I tend to use is usually Camera+, which I use for at least cropping. Once there, I might do a little bit of tweaking with their filters. I never use more than 10-25% of any filter (I love the percentage sliders!), and sometimes I’ll apply a certain mix of them for a specific look.
If it’s a color photo, I’ll often use CrossProcess (in “basic” mode only) a lot too. But even that can be too extreme for me, though, and so I’ll often blend an earlier version of the photo with the CrossProcessed one by using Pro HDR to get that perfect balance I’m looking for.
Sometimes that can be it, but many times I’ll use more “pro” apps like Snapseed, Filterstorm, or PhotoForge2 for even more subtle fine-tuning. (And the brilliant TouchRetouch to get rid of any unwanted elements). In the end, I will sometimes be left with a dozen different versions of a photo in my camera roll, and I’ll look at the progression from start to finish and see if I’m going on the right track.
But if it’s a Hipstamatic photo, I won’t touch it afterwards at all.
Glyn: Do you own any accessories for your iPhone that aids your photo taking, and if so what are they, and how/when do you use them?
Anton: I haven’t used many accessories to be honest! I love the idea of them, and have been really impressed with several that I’ve seen (the iPro Lens, the mCAMLITE, etc.), but they don’t make much sense for the kind of shots I take. I need to be super fast, sneaky and discreet. If I did more OTHER kinds of iPhoneography, then I would definitely consider some of these other accessories.
The best and ONLY accessory for me, and one that’s essential for someone who can spend all day shooting sometimes, is a good battery case.
Glyn: Of these accessories, if there was one that you had to recommend, which one would it be?
Anton: I was a big fan of Mophie battery cases, but unfortunately I went through too many of them too fast, and they broke too easily or stopped charging. Greg Schmigel turned me on to NewTrent cases -- they apparently last longer than a MoPhie Plus, and you can get almost three of them for the same cost. They aren’t quite as sexy-looking as a MoPhie, but I could care less about that. I just want something that lasts.
Glyn: Once again Anton, thank you for taking the time to answer these question, and if readers of the iPhoneography blog want to see more of your iPhoneography, where can they find them?
Anton: Well I’ve been posting mostly to Instagram for a while now (mostly out of laziness -- it’s just soooo easy to use!), but I occasionally post some of them to my Flickr account as well when I remember to. I post at least one photo a day to the @mophoapp account on Instagram, whereas on my own personal account (@anton_in_nyc) I post only two or three times a week.
I’m currently exploring other possibilities for sharing photos, because I’m not 100% happy with all of the choices out there. They all have their plusses, but also too many minuses. I’m hoping to discover (or invent) the perfect sharing solution. But until then...Instagram is the best bet for finding my work! You can also find out more about me, and see if I’m currently exhibiting anywhere, by going to my About.me page.
Friday, September 28, 2012 at 10:37PM | 
Starting next Friday (October 5th), Sion Fullana and Anton Kawasaki -- two well known and highly-respected iPhoneographers in the community -- are re-launching their successful series of online Mobile Photo Workshops focusing on "Storytelling."
