10 Beautiful Photos Of Lone Figures Taken With An iPhone

The theme of this weeks showcase of mobile photography looks at 10 beautifully shot photos that include a lone figure. Such shots often evoke feelings of isolation which in turn stir an emotion in the person viewing the image.

From Alexandre Lecuyer's seaside flock of seagulls scene to Aco Konikoni's wonderful black and white image that uses the surrounding buildings to frame the figure. All photos in this weeks showcase show how effective this compositional technique can be.

Featured photographers this week include; Ushi Grant, Mark Fearnley, Kapa1966, Alexandre Lecuyer, Geek1956, Aco Konikoni, Manuel Vilaca, Johnny777, and Koopsdk.

Do you have a favourite photo from this week's showcase? Let us know which in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Finally, hashtag your photos with #mobiography for a chance of getting featured in future showcases.

Finding the Light…

'Finding the Light…' by Ushi Grant – "I was drawn to the play of light on the floor when suddenly I saw this figure coming into the space. I loved the way the light caught her face. In these uncertain times, the title I gave it is my hope for the world going forward"

Projected Destiny

'Projected Destiny' by Mark Fearnley – "This image was taken in a disused railway line close to my house. I decided to visit the tunnel for some back lit/silhouetted shots. It had been raining on our way down and I asked my wife to put the umbrella up as we were leaving the tunnel. I edited the image through Snapseed for strong vignetting, and Pics-Art for a motion blur."

Untitled

'Untitled' by Kapa1966 – "I often go nordic walking, and this photo was taken during my walk. This place is an underpass to the Football Stadium Energa in Gdansk, Poland. I walked towards the stadium and saw how the sun casts beautiful human shadows on the wall. The decision was immediate, I took the picture. I converted the photo to black and white in Snapseed using "dramatic" preset and "black and white" in high contrast with a red filter. "

La fille et les mouettes

'La fille et les mouettes' by alexandre.lecuyer – "Most of my pics are done with Hipstamatic app. This picture was shot in March 2016 in Deauville (French Normandie). I saw this group of seagulls and I asked my daughter to walk towards them. I knew that the reaction should be amazing. I shot 2 pics. The second one was great with the reflect of my daughter in the sea and a good balance of seagulls in flight."

Untitled

'Untitled' by Geek1956 – "This photo was taken during my regular early morning walk before work. I was walking around Sydney University which I find is a great place for people and architecture. I decided to stand at the bottom of the stairs and just waited for people to show up. I shot about 13 photos using the Hipstamatic classic camera app and this was the one I liked. The John S lens and Inas's 1982 film is great for silhouette's and for capturing low light and mood. This is a great combo, unfortunately you don't see it posted much these days."

Now, let's go‼︎

'Now, let's go‼︎' by aco.konikoni – "I took this picture at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Japan. The image is the person who goes toward the future and I made it black and white to express that image."

Cosmic Gate

'Cosmic Gate' by Manuel Vilaca

Get higher

'Get higher' by johnny777

Untitled

'Untitled' by Koopsdk

Do you have a favourite from this weeks showcase? Let us know your thoughts on the featured photos in the comments below.

If you haven't already done so, follow Mobiography on Instagram and hashtag your photos with#mobiography for a chance of getting featured in future showcases. Don't forget to sign up to the Mobiography email list to get the latest news and updates direct to your inbox.

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Source: 10 Beautiful Photos Of Lone Figures Taken With An iPhone

Who is the Reigning King of Smartphone Photography?

When was the last time you ever saw someone holding up a mobile phone with a VGA camera to take photos? Nowadays, it is unusual to even see someone owning that kind of mobile phone. When you walk down the streets, you would mostly see people holding smartphones. These smartphones have cameras that can capture megapixels. The higher, the better and more accurate in terms of image resolution.

The camera game has definitely changed. Smartphone brands are constantly upgrading their cameras to challenge professional cameras in the best way that they can. However, to be able to know who the reigning king of smartphone photography is, there is a need to directly compare the capabilities of various smartphone cameras.

Seven participants, comprised of Instagram influencers and photography enthusiasts, have been invited to test out smartphone photography. In respective order, Samsung, Apple and Huawei came out as the top 3 with the most smartphones sold globally during Q2 of 2016. As such, for the challenge, the selected smartphones to be used were the Samsung S7, Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Huawei P9.

Battle of the Smartphone Photography

The Rules of the Challenge

On the battle, each participant was instructed to shoot different subjects using the iPhone 7, Huawei P9 and Samsung Galaxy S7 in same angles. This method is mostly used to easily compare shots, but we've also added more context as they need to shoot in 4 different kinds of categories, vivid, bokeh/depth of field, low light and monochrome/black and white.

The iPhone 7 Plus trumps Samsung Galaxy S7 and Huawei P9 in the lowlight category with 6 voting it to be the best in that segment. It further proves what the brand claims as a mastery to taking photos even at the most unexpected moments.

However, Huawei P9 takes the lead for most of the categories namely the bokeh feature, monochrome and vivid portions with 7, 5 and 4 respondents respectively voting for the brand to have the best in these specifications.

In a similar phone blind test that Vox Pop did, this time with 50 respondents, the results are almost the same. The Samsung Galaxy S7 lags behind the two other brands in all categories, getting only 12%-18% of the respondents' nod. The iPhone 7 Plus ranks in second, getting 30% of the votes for the bokeh category and 34% for the monochrome selection.

Unsurprisingly, the Huawei P9 got the most votes for Bokeh with 29 respondents agreeing it has the best feature in that category. It finished a close second to the iPhone 7 Plus in the Monochrome and Vivid categories, gathering 24 and 22 total votes, respectively. Overall, the participants seem to favor Samsung Galaxy S7 the least and Huawei P9 the most when it comes to three key features: bokeh, monochrome and vivid.

The Result of the Challenge

As this was a blind test for all the respondents, both surveys swing in the same results with the Samsung Galaxy S7 as the least favorite for all of the features suggested. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 Plus gets applauded for its excellent lowlight capacity.

As for the rest of the features tested – bokeh, monochrome and vivid – Huawei P9 proves to be the best and it can be said that the brand's partnership with Leica has turned out to be the most wonderful decision it has made to date.

Do you agree with the result? What's your choice and what would you say works best for you? Find out here.

Sources: Rappler, Hungry Geeks (1) (2), IDC

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Source: Who is the Reigning King of Smartphone Photography?

Stories through frames

After Fanushi-4.0, Calcutta Instagrammers united to hold another exciting event -- India Pictures: Global Meet 2.0 organised by the India Pictures, Zostel and Creative Image Magazine. This is an event where anybody with an urge to capture their surroundings can take part. The pictures are then uploaded on Instagram with the event hastags.

The city witnessed one such photowalk on 6  November which was held across 25 cities of the country. The founder of Calcutta Instagrammers, Sammya Brata Mullick was the curator of the photowalk. The walk criss-crossed through the lanes of North Kolkata beginning from Beadon Street and covered parts of Goa Bagan. Red-bricked houses, the old lanes and the happy faces of the people had it all. The cold November winds, the tea stalls preparing a hot cup of tea, children overjoyed with their on-going football match and everything was beautifully in sync with the theme "Street Photography", which captured the textures of the place. More than 150 photo-enthusiasts of Kolkata were a part of this.

"The second year for the India Pictures Global Meet- Calcutta Chapter received an overwhelming response. During the walk, people were given an hour to shoot photographs using their mobile phones/DSLRs and upload them on Instagram using the pre-decided hashtags to qualify for the contest. The theme was 'Street Photography' and people got a chance to capture the rich patterns and textures of North Calcutta, most importantly to weave stories through their frames. The photography enthusiasts covered in and around Beadon Street, Goa Bagan area, Girish Park and North Calcutta," said Sammya Brata, founder, Calcutta Instagrammers.

There has been an incredible rise in the number of photo-enthusiasts being a part of this endeavour. The on-spot mobile photography contest with the hastags ip meet 2 and ip zostel witnessed a huge number of entries out of which two were selected as the winners. Uber, one of the prime sponsors of the event is holding yet another contest as a part of this project, the theme of which is "view from my uber", and the winner gets 20 uber rides free.

However, the grand prize remains the main attraction. The winner stands a chance to meet the renowned photographer, Padmashree Shree Raghu Rai and receives a DSLR as a winning prize. This all-India contest has got more than 17,000 uploads from across the country within just a span of 24 hours, while more than 270 entries are from Calcutta within the same period of time. With the current generation pouring their hearts out on social media, this is quite a unique way to explore one's one city in ways never seen before.

Source: Stories through frames

Sony kicks off December with cool gadgets, fun activities, and exciting workshops at the Sony Fair

MANILA – Consumers are constantly challenged with choosing products that would best fit their needs, fuel their imagination, and provide a more immersive experience. They often visit stores multiple times before making their pick. In response, Sony Philippines will be holding its first-ever Sony Fair (at Bonifacio High Street, BGC) on December 9-18, 2016 that will showcase all of Sony's key product lineups spanning mobile, digital imaging, home entertainment, personal audio, and gaming.

Sony designs and creates products that will provide consumers the best experience in entertainment, thereby improving their quality of living. Over the years, Sony Philippines has continuously committed to inspire and fulfill their consumers' curiosity and creative potential with their slew of innovative products.

"In celebration of Sony Corporation's 70th Anniversary, we at Sony Philippines are very excited to share our current product line and introduce our new ones during the opening of our Sony Fair. Through this event, we are making our products more accessible to our consumers. Our goal is to give them tools to help them discover their talents and capabilities through our products. And we want them to do that while having fun," said Mr. Nobuyoshi Otake, President and Managing Director, Sony Philippines.

The Sony Fair will be a two-weekend long event that will include interactive displays, community activities and workshops that provide the total Sony experience. Catch various art, dance, and music activities with Sony Personal Audio Ambassador Rammy Bitong as he spins tunes for the crowd and conducts an Extra Bass DJ Workshop and Silent Party.

For those looking for a more in-depth take on music, Sony Personal Audio Ambassador Juno Oebanda will be holding a hi-res clinic that focuses on hi-res audio and the different products that one can choose from. If dancing is your passion, catch UPeepz, UP Diliman's well-awarded dance group who will be performing and conducting a Dance Workshop for consumers. Sony has also prepared more festivities with its Extra Bass "Share Your Passion" activities that include mural painting, Just Dance mini-series, and Design Your Own Headphones.

Sony will likewise set up movie nights every weekend, so if you are big on watching films, the Sony Fair is the best place to be in this December.

For the shutterbugs, Sony will hold several photography workshops both for beginners and those with advanced skills. Mobile photographers will surely learn essential tips on self-portrait and urban art mobile photography. There will also be an Xperia on-the-spot Mobile Photography contest. If you want something more professional, come join a series of photo and video workshops with international photographers Pilar Trigo Bonnin and Paco Guerrero, and wedding studio, Mayad.

Sony will provide workshops on travel, flat lay and fashion photography featuring Kimi Juan, Jelito de Leon, and Charisma Lico. To top it all off and as part of the culminating activity for the two-weekend Sony Fair, Sony will be hosting a Photo Clique get-together where guests will be able to meet and mingle with Sony's Digital Imaging Ambassador Nadine Lustre on December 18. Join this talented star as she shares a few of her favorite tips when it comes to taking great photos using her Sony A5100.

"We're preparing a lot of fun activities and workshops for our consumers and partners to participate in. The two-weekend long Sony Fair is our opportunity to provide different experiences, allowing guests to discover the endless possibilities that our products offer. We're inviting everyone to drop by from December 9 to18 to catch all the activities they want," said Alvin de Vera, Senior Director, Brand & Customer Communications Division, Sony Philippines.

For more information on the upcoming Sony Fair 2016, visit www.sony.com.ph, like facebook.com/SonyPhilippines, or follow twitter.com/SonyPHinc and Instagram.com/sonyPHInc.  

Source: Sony kicks off December with cool gadgets, fun activities, and exciting workshops at the Sony Fair

Canon tags social influencers to spread its photography challenge

By Brielle Jaekel

November 17, 2016

Canon's Instagram challenge

Photography product manufacturer Canon is changing the way the classic game Tag is played by bringing it into the social media space, tapping celebrities to get the game going to promote its latest camera. 

A new version of Tag is being played on Instagram with a focus on photography, promoted by celebrities in which users tag each other in photo challenges. Actress Jamie Chung is kicking off the #TagYoureIt campaign, promoting it to her massive social media following along with other popular photographers who will be challenger each other to take a specific type of picture within 24 hours. 

"I'm honored to kick off the #TagYoureIt campaign as it really resonates with how I challenge myself every day to see the world differently," said Jamie Chung, actress and Canon brad ambassador. "I love to have fun with my looks and no matter what bag I'm wearing, the Canon EOS M5 is a great camera to pack when shooting for my channel since it's lightweight and compact but still powerful." 

Digitizing classic games

Canon is hoping to show off the nimbleness of its new EOS M5 Digital Camera with the new challenge. Ms. Chung will be the first to participate in the game, after Canon tagged her in a post on Instagram prompting her to photograph an outfit that costs less than $5. 

The brand's post read, "The nimble new #EOSM5 lets you be more impulsive than ever. To put it to the test, we're putting your favorite Instagrammers to the test in the #TagYoureIt Challenge. First up is fashionista @jamiejchung – you have 24 hours to snap an outfit costing no more than…$5." Ms. Chung then shared a post herself advertising the challenge and announcing she will be completing it. 

Canon's #TagYoureIt challenge on Instagram

In her challenge completion post, Ms. Chung tags one of the other participants to complete a similar task. Each user tags another to continue on the game. 

Another 12 influencers and photographers will be participating in the challenge, each tagging each other in their posts and passing on the game. Other participants include Natalie Amrossi, Morgan Phillips, Lucy Laucht, Rodrigo Trevino, Cole Younger, Matt Crump, Tiffany Mitchell, New Fork City, Sarah Phillips, Madeline Lu, New Darlings and Emily Ann Gemma. 

Ms. Chung's response to the Canon challenge

Each participant will also share a challenge to their Instagram followers, all of which have sizable following numbers, giving the campaign more reach. 

Instagram ingenuity 

Old Navy similarly diversified its social media content by enabling fashion fans to view an interactive map of Instagram posts depicting influencers' street styles from all 50 states and glean more inspiration for their own wardrobes.

The mass-market retailer's 50 Styles, 50 States campaign, done in collaboration with Collectively, tapped 50 social media creators to display their regional-inspired styles on their Instagram accounts. The influencers' outfits, all of which feature Old Navy apparel and accessories, are available on Instagram as well as on a People microsite (see more). 

Anheuser-Busch's Lime-A-Rita brand and GE were two of the marketers already leveraging Instagram's pinch-and-zoom feature, bringing an added degree of interactivity into otherwise static social media posts.

The photo-sharing application announced that the hotly anticipated pinch-and-zoom feature has made its way onto the iOS platform. A slew of brands, including GE, Ruby Tuesday, Kohl's, Noosa Yoghurt and Lime-A-Rita, have already implemented the new feature into several social media posts, enabling Instagram users to receive close-up glimpses of products and locate hidden surprises, suggesting that this technology could become well-suited to showcasing sneak peeks of new items (see more). 

"The EOS M5 Digital Camera is the perfect creative tool for the spontaneous nature of these photo challenges," said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and chief operating officer at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "We hope that the photographic journey started by these influencers through #TagYoureIt lives on through their fans and followers who we hope are inspired by these photo challenges."

Brielle Jaekel is staff writer on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York. Reach her at brielle@mobilemarketer.com.

Source: Canon tags social influencers to spread its photography challenge

{the last daily pic} Gianluca Ricoveri ~ Landscape 1225

Gianluca Ricoveri ~ Landscape 1225

Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Five years later? Six? It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era—the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . .

History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of "history" it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time—and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.

My central memory of that time seems to hang on one or five or maybe forty nights—or very early mornings—when I left the Fillmore half-crazy and, instead of going home, aimed the big 650 Lightning across the Bay Bridge at a hundred miles an hour wearing L. L. Bean shorts and a Butte sheepherder's jacket . . . booming through the Treasure Island tunnel at the lights of Oakland and Berkeley and Richmond, not quite sure which turn-off to take when I got to the other end (always stalling at the toll-gate, too twisted to find neutral while I fumbled for change) . . . but being absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that. . . .

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .

And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

—Hunter Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971

This is a very appropriate image for our last {daily pic} on this site, pixelsatanexhibition.com, evocative of promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.

I believe in the power of art and music and literature to sustain and guide us in dark times. I have never given on my hopes for a more just world (and for true love).

So maybe it's time for the oceans to rise again. I'm hoping the new P1XELS site will engender a second renaissance in the mobile arts.

The official launch date for the new site will be November 29, the seven-year anniversary of the launch of the very first P1XELS site and the calls for submission for the very first iPhone photography gallery show.

We have published 29,000 images here over the past seven years. It has been an amazing journey. The curated history of mobile photography and the arts. This site will become a permanent and searchable static archive as a sub-domain of P1XELS.com.

I am very excited about the next incarnation of the site as a true social network.

I won't be posting as much here for the next two weeks since there is a lot to do still to get the new site where I want it for when we open it up to the public.

If you want to get in there early & help get the forums going & create your profile & add some galleries to it, write me.

And don't worry, I'll be doing the {daily pic} on the new P1XELS website!

Happy Trails by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Categories: Country Life | Permalink

Source: {the last daily pic} Gianluca Ricoveri ~ Landscape 1225

Three top smartphone cameras take real-world test

Let me begin by saying this: I'm not a professional photographer. I have a slightly better-than-101 understanding of how cameras work and why things such as sensor size and f-stops matter. Looking at tech specs is far from my idea of an engaging read.

As a travel editor, I do love taking pictures, though. And I take tons of them-thousands and thousands on any given trip, almost entirely on smartphones. For years, I've been so dependent on mobile photography that I've committed to carrying around two phones-one, an Android, that's easier to type on, and the other, an iPhone, that has stronger apps and a killer camera.

For the last few weeks, I carried three: Google's Pixel, the iPhone 7 Plus, and the Moto Z, the latest entrants to the mobile photography race. (The Moto has flown largely under the radar, but its key selling point is its compatibility with magnetic "mods" that include a portable speaker and an attachable Hasselblad 4116 True Zoom camera.) We truly are living in the first true golden era of smartphone photography.

Which is best? That answer is a bit complicated. But after five head-to-head layman's tests, where I focused on experience and results (and not hardware specs), I'd be happy with any of them.

I'm probably a lot like you when it comes to my smartphone camera: All I want is for it to take good pictures, quickly, clearly, and without much effort. If I wanted a real camera, I'd get one of these new mirrorless, DSLR, and rugged models. But with my phone, as long as I can compose a decent shot whenever there's a great subject in view, and whatever the given situation is, I'd like to think my phone can meet me the rest of the way.

Here's how each performed against key selling points. All you have to do is determine your top priorities before your next upgrade.

If You Need ... Auto-Focus

The idea of never missing a shot is what really drives mobile photography; it's why every phone has shortcuts for opening the camera app. But that quick-draw image is no good unless it's in focus. My auto-focus tests were conducted both in daylight and at dusk, with both fast-moving and still subjects.

Winner: The iPhone 7 Plus won for crispest images across the board. Even when I was snapping from the window of a moving car, it managed to deliver beautifully defined shots of the Manhattan skyline-one frame after the next.

(Very Close) Runners-up: The Pixel more or less flopped from the moving car window, but take out the fast-moving subject, and man, does that phone shine. In both daylight and low light, the auto-focus performed faster than those of its competitors, never taking more than a second to go from blur to fab.

The Moto Z fell in between. Two out of three frames on the Manhattan bridge came out clearly; everywhere else, I really appreciated the fact that the Hasselblad attachment lets you trigger its autofocus with a halfway press of the shutter button, just as on a real camera. It's way easier than repeatedly touching the screen and makes one-handed shooting a breeze.

If You Need ... Low Light Handling

Luckily for the purposes of my experiment, I was able to head to the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, a spooky pumpkin festival in the Hudson Valley, ahead of the Halloween weekend, with all three phones in tow.

Winner: The Pixel-no contest. It did a commanding job of focusing quickly in low light and offering warm (but accurate) color balance. It had a stronger dynamic range, by far, which is what kept the red foliage in check in the background. You'll also be thankful for these features in dimly lit restaurants.

Runners-up: While the MotoZ offered color that felt truer to life, the iPhone7 offered a sharper low-light image.

If You Need ... a Powerful Zoom

Usually, if I need a great zoom, I'm not relying on my smartphone. But that's starting to change. Both the MotoZ (with its Hasselblad attachment) and the iPhone 7 Plus have a 10x zoom capability, whereas the Pixel is limited to 4x.

Winner: MotoZ, which I was able to use it to get a crisp shot of the third-floor lettering on the side of an Upper East Side Synagogue from across the street. That's because the attachable camera has a proper optical zoom lens that you won't find on any other phone camera-not just a digital zoom that works by tightening the crop of your shot. The difference here was palpable.

Runner-up: The iPhone still has an exceptional zoom capacity-even if its 10x range is purely digital. But pushing it to the edge means you're likely to get a blurry shot. That's still better than the Pixel, whose zoom fell flat by comparison.

If You Need ... Great Portraits

Pets and babies: They're two of the most common subjects for smartphone photographers. So even if you're not getting beautiful street style portraits, this is a feature that you'll use on the regular.

Winner: The iPhone 7 Plus has a portrait mode is designed to deliver flattering depth of field. (Read: Your background is softened while your subject is in clear view.) The result is really as beautiful as they make it sound. Getting there requires a little legwork, but thankfully, the phone will coach you through it: It tells you if you need more light or more distance from your subject. Sometimes you're straight out of luck. But when it works, it really works wonders.

Runners-up: Even though the MotoZ has two dedicated portrait modes (one for night portraits and the other to correct backlighting), I struggled to capture my dog's eyes or to get fully focused shots of her face. The Pixel, meanwhile, has no fancy portrait mode. But remember that excellent auto-correct? It helps deliver lovely portrait shots in a pinch.

If You Need ... Macro Mode

Please forgive me: I took a bit of one cookie before I found my favorite composition. (It was delicious and fresh out of the oven.)

Winner(s): The MotoZ, maybe, by a hair. The three images are almost identical. That's why I conducted a follow-up test, shooting the backside of a coin. I got the tightest shot with the MotoZ, with the iPhone a close second place. The Pixel struggled. Good thing nobody needs photos of a penny, anyway.

Source: Three top smartphone cameras take real-world test