From iPhoneography to London Gallery Exhibition
An Origin Story of a Wannabe Photograher
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All photographs in this post were taken by me on a mobile phone. All rights reserved.
“The best camera is the one that’s with you” ~ Chase Jarvis
I was so glad I found the above photo. It was printed and framed by my parents. I don’t remember who took it, but it has such a deep and significant history to me.
I remember it was on Mother’s Day and the local kindergarten where my Mom was the Headmistress organised a street parade.
I was 12 in the photo, and my Dad let me use his old camera to take pictures of the event. The camera was a completely manual SLR. I don’t remember the make and model of it, but I remember he showed all the basic settings like how to change the focus, the aperture and the speed.
I had a crash course on basic photography.
It turned out that I wasn’t suck at taking photos. I even made money from selling them to the mothers of those children. 😳
And that marked the start of my journey in the world of Photography.
In the beginning - there is light!
Two years later, my school introduced an elective course in Photography, which I eagerly applied for. In this class, I learned the fundamental theories of photography from a professional teacher. Obviously, we had to put the theory into practice by taking photos - I was still using my Dad’s camera.
The course was complemented by practical labs where we processed negative film and printed photographs using an enlarger. It was all in Black and White. Our school even had a real darkroom, which was an exciting experience.
I thoroughly loved the course, and just like that, photography became my passion.
This enthusiasm continued until the transition from analogue to digital photography began. As this shift occurred, I somehow lost interest in taking photos with my bulky SLR camera. By then, I had already taken thousands of photos with my Canon S50 and EOS 5.
Perhaps life got in the way, or it might have been because I started my first job, leaving me with little time or opportunity to continue shooting.
Rediscovering my passion in a new form
Fortunately, this didn’t last long. I soon rediscovered my passion for photography but in a new form.
My love for mobile photography began when I got my first iPhone, the iPhone 3G.
I must say, it wasn’t my first experience taking photos with a mobile device; before that, I had the Nokia N95, which was arguably the best camera phone of its time.
In fact, the convenience and portability of the N95 were probably the reason I drifted away from using a bulky SLR. With it, the saying "The best camera is the one that’s with you" truly resonated.
The iPhone, however, was on another level. It reignited my creativity in unexpected ways.
Its limitations taught me to focus on the essentials: light, composition, and storytelling, rather than obsessing over gears.
The abundance of photography apps (including Instagram) added to the excitement—I could edit, apply filters, and share my images instantly. After all, what’s the point of capturing moments if they aren’t shared with others? There was a certain feeling of fulfilment in that.
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The Democratization of Photography
The iPhone and Instagram, along with other mobile apps, have evidently democratized photography and digital image editing. We felt it then, we know it now.
No longer does one need an expensive camera setup or advanced Photoshop skills to capture and enhance moments. This accessibility has levelled the playing field once dominated by professional photographers.
We even invented a new category called iPhoneography.
Ironically, with today's high-end iPhones costing over $1500, the notion of affordable photography might seem like a joke. Nevertheless, the principle remains: photography has become more accessible to the masses, allowing anyone with a smartphone to explore their creative potential.
However, it's crucial to note that having the right tools doesn't automatically make one a great photographer. Capturing truly compelling images still requires a solid understanding of photography fundamentals, substantial experience, and perhaps a touch of talent.
The democratization of photography had opened doors, but just like other forms of art, mastery of the craft still demands dedication and skill.
It was not just a hobby, it was a movement!
At that time, the Mobile Photography movement was still in its early stages, but it had already generated considerable interest and attracted a devoted following among traditional photographers and ordinary people. Instagram was a prime example of this trend.
An increasing number of exhibitions focused on Mobile Photography were being held worldwide, while talks and courses on the subject were becoming more prevalent. Most notably, communities of mobile photography enthusiasts were emerging rapidly across the globe, bringing together members ranging from small groups to thousands.
These communities organised offline meetups, photo walks, discussions, and exhibitions, fostering a shared passion for capturing the world through a mobile lens.
I was part of these communities.
I co-founded @InstameetLondon - a bunch of crazy iPhonographers from London, and together with @igerslondon we organised Photowalks and a couple of Instagram Photos Exhibitions.
I became one of the officers for @iphonesia - probably the biggest single Instagram community in the world with over 2000 members - most of them from Indonesia. This community also organised photowalks, competitions, and exhibitions. We even had our own blog, mailing list and photography classes.
I was an Ambassador for EyeEm - a competitor for Instagram now pivoted into Stock Photo business. I used to organise meetups for EyeEm members around London area.
I even had a direct email line to Kevin Systorm - the founder of IG (yes I was a big fan back then 😜). That was before they started to have a big wall around them - A.K.A the support team.
Around the same time, I began to write Moblivious - a blog which focused on, you guessed it, mobile photography (and the tech around it). I started to get sponsorship and partnership deals when my blog took off. I sold it a couple of years back, but you can still access it under the new management.
The Birth of Influencers (though it wasn’t called this originally)
Businesses had also started to recognise the power of these communities, whose members were often influencers (we didn’t call ourselves this, we were just Instagramers).
Brands saw this as a new medium for their marketing and advertising campaigns. Sometimes, a picture did speak louder than words, especially when it was seen by millions of people.
The simplicity and immediacy of sharing were key in this case. Without the ability to share photos instantly with practically anyone, anywhere in the world, images would have been just like old paper photos, gathering dust in a box.
It was a powerful medium for spreading ideas. As you see, this is somewhat of a revolution on its own
Although sadly, today, Instagram has far shifted from just an app to share your cat photos or what you are having for lunch (Ok there are still a lot of those going around, but ..) - into an algorithm-driven commercialised influencers marketplace.
Competitions, Exhibitions and Galleries
As I mentioned, Instagram was full of competition. I often organised my own competitions, which were typically called challenges. The communities also organised many of theirs regularly, and brands and companies were more than happy to sponsor the winning prizes!
That was a fun and exciting time.
There were also international photography awards dedicated specifically to mobile photography organised by some institutions, e.g. Sony.
Our communities also held a gallery exhibition every year where members could exhibit prints of their best photos that year.
One of the biggest achievements I got was winning a challenge run by Jaguar, the UK Automobile company! Here is what I won:
A ride in their latest Jaguar F-Type convertible.
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner in several high-end London restaurants.
1-night stay at Mayfair Hotel all-inclusive for me and my family.
Shopping spree at Harvey Nichols London.
A ticket for two to attend the London Fashion Week Catwalk show!
A truly unforgettable experience.
However, my biggest win was when I was selected as one of the finalists in an art competition run by Zealous Co.
The ultimate prize of being a finalist was an opportunity to exhibit our photos in a London Art Gallery!
It was the 6th of January 2016. It had taken me more than six years from when I first started mobile photography to reach that moment.
It was a testament that mobile photography had been recognised as equal, not only to its ‘bigger brothers’ but also to other works of art.
Hope Square Series
One last thing, but hardly the very least. I want to mention my Hope Square Series photography project, the one on display in that gallery.
The Hope Square was this small area just outside Liverpool Street Station in London where I commuted to every day to work.
If you read the sign (on the wall behind the bench), it had something to do with the WW2 evacuation of children in London.
This particular bench was my source of inspiration for my photography for years.
Every day I used to find some unique moment being played there – people smoking (it’s the closest outdoor place to the station), waiting for somebody, or just simply milling around.
Most of these people were strangers to each other but this bench seemed to bind them together, as if some unseen hands of destiny had put them together in the same space and time.
This project really got me into Street Photography and ultimately a place in the gallery.
Today, I am still passionate about mobile photography although I am not as active as I used to.
I am amazed how mobile phones have gotten 1000x better since my iPhone 3G. Nowadays there is no way I could afford or justify the price of the latest iPhone, but my Android takes very good pictures too. 😉
You can follow my Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mahadewa
I am in the process of setting up my portfolio at the new Instagram killer fotoapp - but it will be still a while until it’s ready.
Prints are available.
