After what has been a slow start to 2018, and one that has been filled with technical issues and headaches, the theme for this week’s showcase was ‘Black and White’. After trawling through the hundred’s of submitted to this showcase challenge, here is just a small selection of the many great images sent in. I’m a big fan of black and white photography. There is something about this medium that enables the photographer to utilise the contrasts between light and dark to create mood and atmosphere. The photos featuerd this week do this perfectly.

Featured photographers this week include: doodlehedz, Carol Haynes, Alon Goldsmith, Leona, Richard Donelan, venkatesulu, Elaine Taylor, Liz Anderson, Sabine Gromek, Mohammed Muslim, Eliza Badoiu, Dina Alfasi, Charles Read, Bartek Parzyszek, Brandon Ellison, Ann Hecht, Joel Worthington, Tommy Wallace, Nima Bank and Laurence Bouchard.

Take part in next week’s showcase challenge

As the weather he in the uk has been somewhat wet and windy, I thought it would be appropriate for the theme of next week’s showcase to be ‘Rainy Days’. For this challenge think reflections in puddles, raindrops on windows or umbrella filled streets So start sharing your best rainy day inspired smartphone photographs by using the #mobiography_challenge_14.

The best ones will be featured in next weeks showcase, so get sharing now.

The shoes that make the moves

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The shoes that make the moves‘ by doodlehedz – “The image is of my friends daughter’s first ballet recital. She was most proud of the ballet shoes. She said that the shoes make her dance like a ballerina. She took extra special care of those shoes and was so proud when she was standing in them preparing to dance.

I always shoot and edit everything on my iphone often using the hashtag #instapurist because I literally HATE the fact that people post SLR pics and pics edited outside the mobile platform on Instagram. I truly believe the platform is mobile and therefore the images and editing should be done the same way. It’s very hard to find inspiration and be challenged by other photographers when the playing field isn’t level. Instagram in my belief should create another platform like INstaSLR or InstagramPro for people that use 20,000 dollar cameras and editing software. I maintain the platform for it’s original purpose MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY.

Generally, I try to find interesting angles which is me on the floor or standing on chairs or hanging over railings. I then edit in snapseed and VSCO and if I want to crop the shot in an interesting way I finish up in squareready.

I’m always inspired by what inspires others. it brings out the natural emotion in them and the photo and it really pushes me to capture something in an interesting way.

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Untitled‘ by Carol Haynes – “I love to head outside to capture snowflakes, especially when the light is good and there is little-to-no wind. It’s like a mini meditation session. You have to concentrate on finding your perfect subject; on not feeling the cold; on not slipping if there’s ice; and, on your breathing. I don’t use a tripod so being aware of how my breathing affects the snowflakes & the focus is important. With that being said, I know you should never zoom in either but rather you should get as close as possible to your subject but I didn’t… I took my chances and zoomed right in, no macro lens. I have a bad memory for past edit details but I do know my original is from 2015 and was in colour. My go-to editing app is SnapSeed and there was probably a final tweak made in EyeEm.”

Noa Lily

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Noa Lily‘ by Alon Goldsmith – “My daughters are a constant inspiration to me. On this occasion, my daughter Noa was wearing a white face mask, and it gave me the idea to use the new Portrait mode on my iPhone 8 Plus. I selected STAGE LIGHT MONO because I wanted to highlight the effect of the mask. This setting can be hard to work with; sometimes important bits of the image get cut away. Luckily, it worked exactly the way I wanted. I then brought the image into Snapseed and tweaked it a little. Worked out exactly as I’d seen it in my mind’s eye. “

Untitled

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Untitled‘ by Leona – “This is a photo of my son wearing his new Star Wars dressing gown and his uncle’s boxing gloves. He was standing against a light blue wall which acted as a white backdrop. This was a great opportunity to test the portrait mode on the iPhone 8 plus.

I took several photos using the different portrait settings but this was my final photo using the Stage Light Mono setting. I then used the iPhones own black and white editing tool to adjust the tone and light.”

Taking flight on a gritty Winter’s afternoon in Dublin

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Taking flight on a gritty Winter’s afternoon in Dublin ‘ by Richard Donelan – “Earlier this year I decided that I would challenge myself to ‘up’ my smartphone photography game. Part of this plan included shooting manually and in RAW. I wanted to shoot in manual mode so that I could start capturing more challenging shots. The decision to shoot in RAW was based on a desire to better understand what benefit (if any) this extra data can offer when shooting with an iPhone.

The most obvious benefits that I’ve unlocked while shooting RAW in manual mode so far have been: 1, The ability to fix the exposure of photos (shot in RAW) during the editing process. 2, The ability to better capture fast moving objects (in manual mode) because I can choose and lock my desired shutter speed before taking a shot. So far I’ve discovered two apps which offer these features: LightRoom (free from Adobe) and ProCam (€5.49 from Samer Azzem).

Testing these apps one freezing afternoon recently in Dublin, I spotted some seagulls on the banks of the River Liffey. I opened up ProCam and quickly dialled in a reasonably fast shutter speed (1/818) to capture this shot. Uploading to Instagram cropped the photo square automatically. From there I used a black and white Instagram filter to make best use of the flat, grey light and colours that day.

I made some additional minimal edits (in Instagram) to further bring out the grittiness of the scene and the weather that day. I was delighted with the end result and am very excited to experiment further with these manual camera apps. I can’t wait to discover what additional creativity they can help unlock!”

En días claros, uno puede ver… su alma

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En días claros, uno puede ver… su alma‘ by venkatesulu – “This is a story of a good-by during last Christmas. It was taken in the Spanish Pyrenees on a frozen morning, during a big snow fall using the Huawei P9, and processed with Snapseed

Billy, Stephen and Charlie on Otley Chevin, Yorkshire UK

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Billy, Stephen and Charlie on Otley Chevin, Yorkshire UK‘ by Elaine Taylor

Meditation

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Meditation‘ by Liz Anderson – “I was sitting in a busy waiting room when this man sat down in front of me and began to meditate. I was struck by the expression of complete calm on his face. I took one shot with an iPhone 7+ which I converted to black and white in the Noir app and used the brush tool in Snapseed to brighten some areas in his hair and face.”

Untitled

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Untitled‘ by Sabine Gromek – “This photo was taken in the Black Forest in the southern part of Germany. I used Hipstamatic and chose a hightcontrast black and white combo to emphasize the trees and the curvy road in the centre between the snow covered foreground and the overcast sky.”

Life is…flying away every second

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Life is…flying away every second‘ by Mohammed Muslim

Clearly untitled issues

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Clearly untitled issues‘ by Eliza Badoiu – “The photo, ‘Clearly untitled issues’ is part of a series I have self shot.  It puts in the center, the main idea of women’s erotic condition regarding intimate approaches versus men and their status and position towards it, though in absence, expressed into the frame. I wasn’t focused on the edit itself but rather on the overall idea of being placed somewhere in-between the ridiculous and encouraging a funny side which is blended with a bit of introspection, in the never ending frame of female psyche.

Apps used: processed in Snapseed , PicsArt and iColorama. “

Standby

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Standby‘ by Dina Alfasi – “This photo was taken as part of a project I am carrying out in my workplace, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa,  Israel. The hospital celebrates 80 years and in honor of the event I pass through the various departments of the hospital and photograph human moments of patients and staff. I photographed this young man in the Orthopedic Surgery Section. It was taken using the iPhone 10 and edited with VSCO.

It‘s anybody‘s guess how many will take to the streets tomorrow – will you be there?

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It‘s anybody‘s guess how many will take to the streets tomorrow – will you be there?‘ by Charles Read

Within the Woods

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Within the Woods‘ by Bartek Parzyszek – “At the weekend, my girlfriend Natalie and I took our sister Ola, for a walk to Zakopane. We picked one of the easiest and the most beautiful tourist routes. Most of the route goes through the forest. I am looking for some sort of inspiration my pictures and here I found it. I like taking pictures in black and white, I like to wait for the rays of sunshine which fall changing the shape of objects and this was the moment that hit me. Glimpses of the sun beautifully pierced through the crowns of the trees that you could not pass this indifferently.”

Black Mountain

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Black Mountain‘ by Brandon Ellison – “I took this photo in December lasy year in the Black Mountain, NC, after a snowstorm dumped 14 inches on our little village. As I took this shot, I was reminded about the storms in our own lives. During the storm, life can seem dangerous and out of control, but when the storm passes there is a calm and stillness that overcomes. Also, the railroad tracks made me think that if we stay the course, no matter the storms we face, we will reach our destination. I took this photo with an IPhone 7 Plus, and I used Snapseed to adjust exposure, highlights, contrast, and added a touch of vignette. “

She wants the stick to be thrown but she can’t bear to let you have it…Sophie

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She wants the stick to be thrown but she can’t bear to let you have it…Sophie‘ by Ann Hecht – “Sophie is obsessed with sticks. She wants it thrown but can’t bear to let you have it. I took this with live photo on the iPhone. I bent over to get the low angle. I started the edit in instagram to change it to black and white. Continued to edit in Snapseed to edit out as much of the backround as possible. I seldom use Instagram filters but I did use Inkwell for this one. It is useful to be able to choose your frame from live photo.”

Our parents came to town

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Our parents came to town’ by Joel Worthington – “While my wife’s parents and my parents were visiting us in Chicago last May, we visited one of the city’s crown jewels: The Art Institute. Having spent many hours here before, I curated a mini-tour on which one of the spots was this magical staircase that I had shot before. Recognizing that they would be beautifully backlit, I suggested they all take a spot on said staircase to commemorate the moment, and they did not fail in striking a pose. Not bad for three sexagenarians and one septuagenarian. I shot this on my trusty iPhone 6s and processed in VSCO and Lightroom.”

Eddie

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Eddie‘ by Tommy Wallace – “This portrait of Eddie is one of my favorite because of how it came about and led to a visit to his home. I was eating breakfast in a local diner one morning with some friends. I noticed Eddie get up from his table close by to go pay his bill. When he came back by my table I stood and held out my hand. We shook hands and I introduced myself and asked if I could take his portrait. He followed me outside telling me his life story on the way.

I shot this with my Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+. I edited with Snapseed and removed much of the distracting street elements reflected in the glass window behind him. I also increased the detail in his beard and eyes.

Eddie thanked me for taking his photo and invited me to his place to meet his mammoth donkey, Nick. I had a wonderful time getting to know this Army veteran and taking many photos of Nick and the rest of his animals.

Boarding Ends 20 Minutes Before Departure…

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Boarding Ends 20 Minutes Before Departure…‘ by Nima Bank

Take a Lap

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Take a Lap‘ by Laurence Bouchard – “I’d seen this street in Shibuya with ‘Take a lap’ graffitied on a wall and a window with bars to nowhere a few times on my way home.  The first time I shot there it was cloudy and I wasn’t happy with the contrast.  A few days later I went back around midday on a sunny day and within minutes this guy wearing a hat and cool boots passed by.  I then made a few edits in Snapseed.  I wasn’t sure what ‘Take a lap’ meant but apparently it means when someone does something stupid, you tell them to ‘take a lap’.  “

Don’t forget…

Remember, the theme of next week’s showcase will be ‘Rainy Days’. For this challenge think reflections in puddles, raindrops on windows or umbrella filled streets. So start sharing your best rainy day inspired smartphone photographs by using the #mobiography_challenge_14.

The best ones will be featured in next weeks showcase, so get sharing now.

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.