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.