The theme of the last Mobiography Photo Challenge was ‘Beautiful Portraits’ and from the superb collection of images submitted to the photo challenge, the following selection was curated. The photos in this weeks showcase illustrate how the photographers have all managed to create a compelling portrait by making a strong connection between the subject and viewer. By creating a strong connection like this the images are much more emotive.
Featured photographers this week include: @applewhite67, Steven Biggs, Charles Read, Dina Alfasi, @gerbs62, Isabella G.A. Pereira, Jessica Kaplan, @laz_images, Liana Solis, Mina Juveler, @thepg23, Tommy Wallace, Glyn Evans, Pier Luigi Dodi, Kimberley McComber (@Reefermadness), Samuel Okocha, @Scallieman, Susan Blanda, Joel Worthington, and @Vollygda.
Take part in the next Mobiography photo challenge
The theme for the next challenge will be ‘Nature’. For the challenge think about sharing your best mobile photos that capture the beauty of nature and the natural world. Think about landscapes, trees, animals, flowers or macro photos.
To enter the challenge simple start sharing your best images on the theme of ‘Nature’ that were taken and edited with a smartphone by using the hashtag #mobiography_challenge_43 on Instagram.
The best ones will be featured in the next photo challenge showcase, so get sharing now.
Join the Mobiography Facebook Group
Mobiography has just setup a Facebook Group as a place where the Mobiography community can chat and interact, share your photos, ideas, tips and news. Head over to Facebook and join the group, introduce yourself, share some of your images, and leave some comments on other people’s photos.
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‘Untitled‘ by @applewhite67
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‘Untitled‘ by Steven Biggs
American Dream
‘American Dream‘ by Charles Read – “Teresa, bemused, stands in indirect summer light flooding her Hudson Valley wine shop from north-facing windows. She and her husband Michael had dreamed of opening the shop here, and interest had been high in the few months since they had opened for business. I noticed that the vintage flag had just 48 stars, and thus would have been pre-1959 (the year that Alaska and Hawaii were granted admission to the Union), and post-1912 (when Nevada and Arizona became numbers 47 and 48, respectively) – so I asked her how it had come to hang there. It was a family heirloom, she said, and she and Michael had loved how it filled the wall near the entrance to the shop (itself in a vintage building from the same era). As Michael poured samples for customers in the back, she obliged me with a smile when I asked her to stand in the light, here near the entrance to their own American Dream.
Shot on iPhone 4s and edited in Snapseed.”
Memories
‘Memories‘ by Dina Alfasi
Thoughts make beautiful expressions
‘Thoughts make beautiful expressions‘ by @gerbs62 – “I took this photograph of a good friend, while at dinner. A very candid moment. I love how the photo captures his heart, and kind spirit. I took photo with iPhone 7, while using provoke app. Provoke app is one of my favorite apps for shooting black and white photography.”
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‘Untitled‘ by Isabella G.A. Pereira – “This is my pet dog (dashund Ed Cristino): the photo was taken using an iPhone with Snapseed and Hipstamatic filters.”
Polka dots and more polka dots
‘Polka dots and more polka dots‘ by Jessica Kaplan
Gene
‘Gene‘ by @laz_images – “I noticed Gene hanging around a coffee shop I was in. He grabbed my attention because of his big white beard and head scarf, I approached him and introduced myself and asked him his name and if it was ok to take his picture. Which he agreed was fine. I took a few snaps using my iPhone in portrait mode. I offered to buy him some food for his time but he only wanted a cup of coffee so I did. We chatted a bit about where he was from and that he hoped his daughter would see the picture. I said you never know. I edited the photo in Darkroom app also using Focos app, adjusting bokeh and color. It was a pleasure to chat with him and take a good portrait of him.”
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‘Untitled‘ by Liana Solis – “This portrait was made during my visit to a photographic exhibition. While we discussed the pictures with some friends, this man who also visited the exhibition in the art gallery participated in our conversation. It was so eloquent and interesting that I kindly asked him if he would allow me to make a portrait of him. He agreed very cordially and posed for me with great confidence in himself.
Image made with iPhone 5
Hipstamatic App: Film BlackKeys B + W, lens Loftus”
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‘Untitled‘ by Mina Juveler – “The photo was taken during the workshops on mobile portraits with @jc_artphotography during ‘Yes I’m Mobile’ – Mobile Photography Festival Wrocław 2018. The ring lamp held by one of the participants created a frame around the model’s head. The photo was taken with iPhone 8 plus and edited with Snapseed.”
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‘Untitled‘ by @thepg23 – “This is an ongoing portrait series of my children. Shoot at home in our kitchen with natural light from a huge window with the blinds providing the bold lines. The light is always at its best this time of the year. So we always try and have a few photos in and around the house. I find inspiration from a lot of amazing photographers around the world. And the internet has been such a great space.
Dad
‘Dad‘ by Tommy Wallace – “This photo of my dad was taken when our family was together after laying my middle brother to rest. We had gathered at a small country church shortly after our time at the cemetery. I wanted to get group and individual shots of family members. My dad has certainly been a cattleman for years but I’ve never seen a photo of him in a suit and his hat. I’m glad I asked to take this.
It was shot on the Samsung Galaxy S9 plus and edited with Lightroom CC mobile, Snapseed, and HandyPhoto. ”
The face of Egypt
‘The face of Egypt‘ by Glyn Evans
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‘Untitled‘ by Pier Luigi Dodi – “I’m a vet and visited the dog but then I couldn’t resist: I shot the photo! Phone and Apps used: I shot it with my iPhone 8 Plus and processed in Snapseed.”
My sweet little 8 week old
‘My sweet little 8 week old‘ by Kimberley McComber (@Reefermadness) – “This is a picture of my newest son, Logan. He was 8 weeks old when I posted the picture. I was holding him after being fed and he just looked so angelic wrapped in his blanket, perfectly content. His little face was exactly what I needed to take a picture of after working on a graduate course assignment.
I took the picture with my Galaxy s8, and used snapseed to make a few simple edits.”
Street diary
‘Street diary‘ by Samuel Okocha – “The portrait is of an elderly woman, by the road side, selling some hot street food behind an old shipping container on a sunny afternoon in Lagos. The emotion she evoked while at work inspired me to make the portrait and the old container served as a good natural background.
I had been under her make-shift kiosk, in a queue, waiting to buy my own food when the idea hit me and the opportunity later appeared right in front of me.
The Most Beautiful One
‘The Most Beautiful One‘ by @Scallieman – “The woman in the picture is my wonderful wife Hanna. I always wanted to make a great portrait of her, so i asked for one of her incredible and beautiful smiles. This was the result…
Shot with the iPhone 6S Plus using the Blackie app and very little editing in Snapseed.”
You could feel her contentment from across the park. And the girl in the yellow hat added a little bit of sunshine to this cloudy day.
‘You could feel her contentment from across the park. And the girl in the yellow hat added a little bit of sunshine to this cloudy day.‘ by Susan Blanda @SusanBlanda – “This photo was taken with an iPhone7plus (my current camera) at Point State Park in Pittsburg, PA on a busy Sunday afternoon. Though there were many people out enjoying the park this day, the woman in this portrait sat in quiet reflection. I had to time the shot carefully because there were dozens of kids playing and running around her. I took a single shot of this beautiful stranger and edited it to reflect her amazing presence and grace.
My style of editing is an intuitive process that flows between apps as I build an image. I enjoy taking an ordinary photo into my imagination and back again.
Since there are many steps in my editing process it is impossible to retrace each stage. I look at each edited image as having a unique imprint that is born through the emotion of the moment at capture. And—photo editing is a fabulous creative journey that I cherish.
I do 100% of my image editing on my iphone. My fav apps that I use in almost every image are Snapseed and/or VSCO. I use so many of the creative tools in these apps to tweak tones, saturation, framing, and more. In this photo I also used Snapseed’s healing tool to clear the background of distractions and bring the focus to my subject. Other apps that I use frequently are Mextures and Stackables to add texture or color tones. I also like the Enlight and Darkroom apps.”
New Muse
‘My new muse: our son‘ by Joel Worthington – “This is a picture of our son at about 2 months old. Mom had just finished bathing him and wrapped in an adorable animal towel/robe combo. She was in her own white robe as well, and they were standing together in front of our bedroom window, which was beautifully lighting their faces. It was still pretty novel to be giving him a bath at all, so I was of course ready to take some portraits to capture the moment. I zeroed in on his face while the soft light and textures emphasized his newborn nature and want to be nurtured by Mom. A black and white edit seemed perfect for giving the monochrome image an appropriate amount of nostalgia, which I processed gently in VSCO and Lightroom to make happen.”
Ewa
‘Ewa‘ by @Vollygda
Don’t forget…
The theme for the next challenge will be ‘Nature’. For the challenge think about sharing your best mobile photos that capture the beauty of nature and the natural world. Think about landscapes, trees, animals, flowers or macro photos.
To enter the challenge simple start sharing your best images on the theme of ‘Nature’ that were taken and edited with a smartphone by using the hashtag #mobiography_challenge_43 on Instagram.
The best ones will be featured in the next photo challenge showcase, so get sharing now.
Join the Mobiography Facebook Group
If you haven’t already done so, follow Mobiography on Instagram and hashtag your photos with #mobiography. 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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