In the gallery of Ivana Bucci you will find beautiful landscapes, softly textured portraits, composite whimsical images. It’s clear that Ivana loves to experiment with many styles and processes. Below is my interview with this versatile mobile artist.
The Girl at the Piano (above)
Geri: What is your name and where do you live?
Ivana: My name is Ivana J. Bucci and I’m a native born Italian, living in Switzerland.
Geri: How did you get started with mobile photography?
Ivana: Three years ago my husband bought me an iPhone against my wishes. I was of the opinion, that I didn’t need such a sophisticated cellphone. Immediately afterwards I discovered the photo apps and from then on, everything took its course. Now I’m addicted!
Hospital Alley (above)
Darkman (above)
Geri: What device do you use?
Ivana: Currently iPhone 5
Geri: Do you have a traditional photography or art background?
Ivana: I’m only an amateur abstract painter working in mixed media. I’ve also always been fascinated with photography and Photoshop but I’ve never pursued deepening my knowledge.
Cosmea Bipinnata (above)
Apocalyptic City (above)
Geri: Who or what inspires your work?
Ivana: I'm inspired by whatever I see: my surroundings, my city, the beauty of nature, my friends and my family in my daily life. But I also love to look at the work of the masters. Seeing an amazing photograph taken by someone I admire, inspires me.
Geri: Do you plan your shoots with a specific idea in mind?
Ivana: My photos are a mixture of planned and random shots, but very often the found images come out of a planned excursion for example when I try to catch foggy or misty conditions (see autumn pic)
Autumn (above)
One Tree Hill (above)
Geri: You photograph many subjects - landscapes, people, animals - do you have a favorite?
Ivana: I love to try everything. This is probably also the reason why my photography style is so inconsistent. But I also have some favorite subjects to shoot: I have a great love for nature (landscapes with misty mood) and urban photography – I know, two very contrasting themes. I can spend the entire day admiring all that is around me.
Geri: Do you use the native camera app on your phone or a specialized app like Hipstamatic or ProCamera?
Ivana: At the very beginning when I discovered the first photo apps, I was fascinated by the toy camera apps because of the retro effects. In the course of time I switched to 6x6, Hipstamatic, ProCamera, PureShot and for B&W, I use MPro.
Lago d’inverno (above)
La farfella che non sapeva volare (above)
Geri: What are your favorite editing apps?
Ivana: There are so many: Snapseed, Filterstorm, Photo FX, Image Blender, PhotoWizard, BlurFX, FocalLab, Pic Grunger, Pixlr-o-matic, lo-mob, etc.
Geri: Please share a little bit about your editing process.
Ivana: My editing process is an intuitive one, I never now where the editing phase will lead me. I love playing and experimenting with apps. In this way I can give full scope to my inner child. I usually start a photo project in Snapseed to do basic edits, like cropping, rotating, color correction and exposure fixes. But a simple shot can also end in a collage (see “Robin’s Elephant”)
Robin’s Elephant (above)
Superfish (above)
Geri: Have you ever exhibited your work? If not, any plans to do so?
Ivana: I had the honor of having my work displayed (digital) at the LAMAF and I’m a proud runner-up (category landscapes) at the MPA 2013.
Geri: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Ivana: I would like to thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to share some of my experiences on your blog.
It Happened in the Woods II (above)
Find Ivana: Flickr / iPhoneart / Instagram / EyeEm / Facebook
All images in this feature are copyrighted property of Ivana Bucci published on iART CHRONiCLES with the consent of the artist.
