Katie Teixeira is an passionate iPhone photographer from Rhone Island, Boston, who splits her free time between running, fitness, DSLR photography and iPhone photography.
Her work has been featured on many mobile photography websites and in several exhibitions around the world including; the 2nd Shadow Stories series exhibition in Ontario, Canada, the Photo Independent Fair in Los Angeles, CA and the Impossible Humans, Unexpected Happening Exhibit at the Lancellotti Gallery in Rome Italy. She has also received an honorable mention for a self portrait in the 2015 Mobile Photography Awards.
It is Katie’s self portraiture work that is a common theme in your portfolio. She beautifully combines clever lighting, composition and elements of nature in your images to create wonderful pieces of photographic artwork.
In this interview Katie talks to us about her approach to the photos she takes, what inspires her and how to take a perfect selfie with style.
How were you first introduced to the idea of iPhone photography?
The purchase of my first iPhone, a 4S, about 4 years ago opened my eyes to iPhone photography. The convenience of always having a camera at my finger tips had me constantly shooting anything and everything that caught my eye. Once I discovered the different editing apps my creativity could be put to use at any time.
After building a stock of mobile images in my camera roll, I decided to join Instagram. Sharing my images, getting feedback and forming wonderful friendships with people who share the same passion as me got me hooked to keep shooting with my iPhone and I haven’t looked back since.
How would you describe your style and what has influenced you and this style?
My style… I don’t know that I have a specific style. I focus more on what inspires me. My inspiration comes from things I see or experience throughout my everyday life. It could be lyrics from a song I hear or something I see during my run on the jogger’s path. A stream of sunlight coming through a window.
Nature and self portraiture are common themes in your work. What is it about these subjects that fascinates you?
I love to be outdoors. Nature can be so inspiring. Everywhere you turn, there is beauty. Mother nature has always fascinated me, she always puts on a good show.
Self portraiture has always drawn me in. I love to evoke emotion in my self portraits. To be able to shoot and portray an emotion, a feeling, and have the viewer feel or see that? That is fascinating. I often merge my love for nature and self portraiture together.
Do you have a particular vision for your self-portraits before you get in front of the camera, or do you just try out different poses and ideas to see what works?
Yes and no. Some days I’ll see the perfect stream of light, or perfect shadows dancing on a wall, and I’ll grab my iPhone and just go shoot. I like to take advantage of natural light and shadows when they present themselves. When I do have a vision, I create multiple versions of that vision in my head, get any props (like flowers or article of clothing) that I need, and then decide the best time of day for the best lighting and get to work.
What equipment would you recommend for shooting self-portraits?
I primarily shoot my self portraits with my iPhone 6 and small tripod. They work perfectly for me so I’d recommend those.
What apps do you use and is there a process or methodology that you apply to your post production editing?
I use a number of different apps for editing. I usually start out in the mobile version of Lightroom for my basic editing adjustments. Then I use Mextures to add texture and tones. Depending on the image I then use Union and/or iColorama for any blending or digital art editing.
Are there any photographers or artists that have been a big influence or inspiration to you?
I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to meet so many photographers and artists over the last few years, some meetings have formed lasting friendships. Each and every one of these people has been an inspiration to me in some way or another. There are just too many to list 🙂
One person I will mention is my husband. He supports me and puts up with my “oh honey!! turn around… I have to get a shot of that!!” requests every time. No fuss. Sometimes he’s already planning a turn around before I ask, because he knows it’s coming. His support and encouragement inspires me to keep going and urges me to evolve and grow with my photography.
What advice would you give to people wanting to take better photos and get creative with their iPhone photography?
See the beauty in everything. It’s there. See it, capture it and release your creativity.
Tell us about a three of your favourite photos and the story behind them?
Ribbons n’ Curls
This is my favorite from my latest series. I had a very large amount of red ribbon and with Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to create a series with the ribbon that captured a sense of the fast moving holiday season. The holidays are such a wonderful time of the year, but they go by so fast. The red ribbon and blurred motion in this image is symbolic of that.
Dreams in Color
This self portrait is the one that was displayed in Rome, Italy this past March. This will always be a favorite because of the experience it provided me.
Hands
This is a favorite from a black and white series I did. The series focused on my hands and the shadows. This is one of my favorite series because the lighting and shadow were perfect that day.
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