description
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
— Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (via myserendipities)
If you’re ever lying on a beach with 80 billion grains of sand beneath you, 700 thousand ocean waves before you, 60 million stars stretched out above you, and you’re still not impressed, I want you to think about this. The light you see reflected from the stars is over one million years old. But then just before you start to feel like a mere blip in the gigantic scheme of things, please remember this. Yes you’re small, but you’re also irreplaceable and invaluable and miraculous.
Those stars don’t have anything on you.
honey sugar sweetheart baby
I left my womanhood out to dry,
still dripping with the lifeblood
men assume we are cursed with.
But, you know,
we carry this world safe between our legs,
like we did all of history’s greatest men,
like we will any future great men,
only to watch sexism
pick apart equality like little girls
pick apart the taunts little boys throw their way,
deluding ourselves into thinking we are looking
for badly communicated affection
when maybe we are just looking
at well communicated cruelty.
So is it any wonder then that little girls
turn into big girls,
looking for tenderness,
lost somewhere between
the ring around her finger
and the ring around her eye?
But we can’t blame the men
for everything, ladies,
not this time.
For example:
can someone explain to me
the wave of apathy sweeping through this generation
as if inequality is the hottest new commodity?
Since when did objectification
come into fashion?
Maybe I’m only chasing ideals here
but I can’t imagine that
being any worse than chasing skirts.
You know, I hope that the next time a man
undresses a woman with his eyes,
he sees the weight our collarbones still bear,
our breasts hanging heavy
with not only gravity
but male supremacy as well.
So take a good look inside a woman’s mouth,
any woman – a mother, a sister,
a daughter, a wife, a girlfriend,
the next time she is on her knees,
and tell me you don’t see the sun,
shining like women are the answer
to the world’s last love song.
One of my favorite photos of vintage New York City. This is Times Square, circa 1950.
(source unknown)
Fiona ConradiPhography: What got you into iPhography?
Fiona: Before owning an iPhone, I enjoyed snapping pictures with my very basic point-and-shoot camera. I initially got an iPhone for my job (as I work for an iPhone games publisher). What I hooked immediately was the connectivity - most of my family and friends live in France, so being able to instantly share with them random moments of my life, despite the distance and time difference - that hooked me. Then I started playing around with various photo apps, which really stimulated my creativity. I love the unique way the iPhone camera captures light and colours. I found that the camera’s limitations - the lack of zoom for example - has actually pushed me be more to be more creative and improved my eye for composition. When I started sharing my pictures to a larger audience through twitter, the feedback I got from other iPhographers was unexpected and very stimulating, especially coming from professional photographers.
iPhography: What is it that you are trying to achieve with your iPhography?
Fiona: I don’t have any training in photography or art in general. iPhography to me is an amazing way to express my creativity, document my life in NY and share it with my family & friends back home. Right now I’m just looking to have fun and keep sharing my photos with more people.
iPhography: A lot of street iPhographers tend to focus on the gritty slightly seedy or depressing side of things, but I have noticed with your shots there seems to be a sense of joy & humour to them. What inspires you & how do you decide on your subject matter?
Fiona: A friend recently told me that my photos are “little snacks for the happy parts of your brain: lots of little goodies to enjoy slowly” - I like that :) I look for atmospheres and people that inspire me… Most people don’t suspect that the device has a built-in camera, so it’s great for candid shots on the streets. I love composing with shapes, colours, lights… I never run out of inspiration on the streets of NYC. When I feel creative, the urban landscape becomes a playground for my eyes. My mother is a textile designer, so I think I got her eye for textures, patterns and composition - as well as her joyful outlook on life :)
iPhography: What is your average shooting day like, what accessories or apps do you use? Do you use desktop apps & if so, can you tell us a bit about your process?
Fiona: There’s no process, just a feeling :) I simply capture moments wherever I am. My favourite photo apps are CameraBag, Lomo, Polarize, Photogene, ShakeItPhoto.
iPhography: There has been a few changes with the latest iPhone 3GS, but what would you wish for in a future iPhone?
Fiona: I would love to make higher res images to get better quality prints.
iPhography: What do you like most & least about the iPhone you are using & what model do you have?
Fiona: I love my iPhone 3G but I’d like to try the features on the 3GS camera.
iPhography: What do you see in the future of the iPhography movement?
Fiona: I am sure it will keep growing. I’m amazed and inspired by the community that has developed around iPhography. I would love to see an iPhography exhibit here in NYC, featuring the work of various iPhographers - it would be a great way to feature individual artists as well as the community that grew around it. Hopefully I could be a part of it :)[Editor] - hint hint, keep your eye out for a future iPhography exhibition… I say no more :)
iPhography: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
Fiona: Keep shooting, sharing and having fun! If you like these photos, feel free to check out my picasa gallery, Twitter, & I also recently joined posterous and flickrThanks to Fiona for taking the time to share with us her iPhography.
If an of you know of other iPhographers that we should feature, feel free to contact us
