2014 Mobile Photography Awards Jury
The jury for the 4th Annual Mobile Photography Awards:
Gallerists James Bacchi and Annette Schutz opened ArtHaus in San Francisco’s historic Nob Hill in 1996. Since then, the gallery has relocated to SOMA and become one of San Francisco’s foremost contemporary fine art venues.
At 411 Brannan Street, Bacchi and Schutz emphasize an intimate presentation of museum-quality works, diverse in subject matter, media and style by noteworthy New York and Bay Area artists. Their passion for the work they represent, and the outstanding service they provide for their following of collectors, curators, corporate art advisors, architectural interior designers and visual merchandisers sets ArtHaus apart from more commercial galleries.
ArtHaus and gallery represented artists continue to capture the attention of publications and electronic media including, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Art in America, New Art Examiner, Metropolitan Home, 7×7, and The Arts & Entertainment Network, ABC-TV News, Charles Schwab ON INVESTING.
Arthaus presented the very first exhibit for the 1st Annual 2011 Mobile Photography Awards in addition to a special exhibit for the 2012 MPA Photo Essay winners. James and Annette have long been art world friends of the mobile photography community. Image by Adza.
After spending his entire photojournalism career in his hometown of Chicago, and nearly 13 years at the Chicago Tribune, Scott Strazzante, 50, recently headed west to join the photojournalism staff at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Strazzante has won many awards, including National Newspaper Photographer of the Year and a Pulitzer Prize as a member of the Chicago Tribune for a series about faulty government regulation of dangerously defective toys, cribs and car seats. Scott has covered the Super Bowl, the World Series and three Olympic Games and is an 11-time Illinois Photographer of the Year, but he is most happy wandering the streets with his iPhone capturing the beauty of daily life.
In early 2004, before Facebook and photo-sharing sites, Evgeny Tchebotarev created an online community for photographers to meet, share photos and trade stories and information. He initially developed this as a LiveJournal blog and then teamed up with Oleg Gutsol and transformed the idea into what became one of the world’s most esteemed photo sharing sites, 500px.com
As co-founder and Chief Photography Officer (CPO), Evgeny is responsible for bringing the 500px vision to life through community engagement and maintaining a strong link between photographers and 500px team. He takes cues from the industry and provides the team with the ideas of where the photo industry is headed in the years ahead, ensuring that 500px is on the technological and innovational path to success.
Richard “Koci” Hernandez is an Assistant Professor for New Media at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley and a national Emmy award winning video and multimedia producer. He worked as a photojournalist at the San Jose Mercury News for 15 years. His work has appeared in Time, Wired, The New York Times, a National Geographic book and international magazines.
“For me, painting with light is about change and acceptance. My daily struggle is learning to embrace the now, to find a clear, quiet signal amidst the noise. Photography allows me a brief instant of the here and now, distilled to the humanity of the moment, presented to the viewer in shades of grey. Photography is my memory, a constant reminder to allow events, people and the circumstance of the moment to influence and change me. In the end, it’s the final artifact that matters, not the tool.” – Richard “Koci” Hernandez
Sharon R. Reaves is the owner and founder of Reaves Gallery and Starting-Artists. She is an independent collector and curator and manages a private contemporary art collection. Sharon is on the Advisory Board of Art Connects New York and the Program Committee of Art Table. While in San Francisco, she served on the Board of Young Audiences and was an active committee member for ArtSpan, The ARC of San Francisco, Art for Aids, The Coalition on Homelessness and Visual Aid. She is a collector and an advocate for emerging artists with emphasis on mixed media and photography. Reaves resides in New York where she offers individualized consulting for artists and tours and lectures for beginning collectors.
The mission statement of the Reaves Gallery provides a glimpse into Sharon’s passion and dedication to helping establish and maintain careers for emerging and mid-career artists, “…We are collectors, art enthusiasts and believers that aesthetics and quality still matter. And though we embrace the market of art, we believe there is reward in creating a new market by being the first to discover. We encourage you to be informed and understand your goals. To buy art not based on the hearsay of the masses but to develop and trust your instincts. To allow yourself to form a connection to the creators’ inspiration and process in a way that is meaningful to you.”
Finn Beales is an award-winning photographer and director based in the Black Mountains of Wales. Well known for his landscape photography to his 400,000 followers on Instagram he also shoots travel, lifestyle and commercial commissions for a variety of global brands who are attracted by his cinematic, contemplative style and the narrative he weaves throughout his work. Recent clients include Adidas, Johnnie Walker, Red Bull, Courvoisier, General Electric and the BBC. Finn is represented by Tinker Street * / Tinker*Mobile.
Please get in touch at Made by Finn if would like to work with with him or just to say hi!
Susan Tuttle is both an iPhoneographer and DSLR photographer from Maine, USA. She is the author of three instruction-based books (published in the US and abroad by F+W Media, North Light Books) on the subject matter of digital art with Photoshop, mobile photography and DSLR photography, and mixed-media art. Her fourth book, Art of Everyday Photography: Move Toward Manual and Make Creative Photos (about DSLR photography and mobile photography) was recently released by North Light Books and has been a best-seller in its category on Amazon.
Susan currently offers two online photography courses — The Art of iPhoneography Self-Portraiture and Co-Lab: Paint, Paper and iPhoneography Magic (co-taught with best-selling author and mixed-media artist Alena Hennessy). Susan is currently the Technical Advisor for Somerset Digital Studio Magazine. You can view more of her work at SusanTuttlePhotography.com
Dirk Dallas first embraced photography in 2008 when he started a 365 project taking a picture every day of the year with his iPhone. Since then, he has fallen in love with photography. Under the name @dirka, he has amassed over 200,000 followers on Instagram and has since done work with Nike, Ford, Toyota and Sea-Doo.
In 2013, Dirk joined NYC based agency Tinker*Mobile. His photography has been featured in art galleries such as the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Southern California, THE NWBLK in San Francisco, One Arts Plaza in Dallas, The MMS Gallery in Philadelphia and on various websites such as CNN.com, USAToday.com, Mashable.com, and HuffingtonPost.com. In his free time you can find him chasing light, exploring new beaches with his family and flying helicopters with his oldest daughter.
Emil Pakarklis is a passionate iPhone photographer and the founder of iPhone Photography School, a website that helps people take and edit better photos with the iPhone. Emil has created one of the world’s largest online resources about iPhone photography, with in-depth photo tutorials, news, reviews, regular updates, interviews, and more. Emil has helped thousands of readers take and edit better iPhone photos with his instructional videos.
Geri Centonze is an iPhone artist and blogger. As a former sci-fi sketch card artist, Geri created over 1300 original hand-drawn pieces that were sold to collectors worldwide. In 2012, she put aside her Copic markers to pursue her new passion, iPhone photography. “Interestingly enough, when I was painting and drawing I strived for realism, and now that I’m editing images I go for a painterly look. I guess, for me, that sweet spot is somewhere between a photograph and a painting.” Quickly smitten with the need to share as much as create, Geri began blogging and now shares featured interviews, tutorials, app reviews and amazing mobile photography from around the globe on Art of Mob.
In addition to blogging at Art of Mob, Geri has written articles for Mobiography Magazine, iPhone Life Magazine, The App Whisperer and Grryo.
Michal Koralewski is a mobile street and fine art photographer based in Poznan, Poland. He is the initiator and co-founder of “Grupa Mobilniˮ – a collective and community of mobile photography enthusiasts from across Poland. His photography has been showcased in exhibitions around the world, including New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Wrocław, Poznan and Krakow. He works as an image reviewer for one of the world’s biggest microstock photo agencies. Michal loves black & white street photography, but he is also fascinated with the most common subjects like landscapes, lonely trees and sunsets. You can see his work on Instagram @michal_koralewski.
Joanne Carter is the Founder and Editorial Director of TheAppWhisperer.com. A Professional Photographer and Associate of the British Industry of Professional Photographers, BIPP, as well as a Professional Journalist, specializing in Photography. Joanne is also a Columnist for Vogue Magazine and is Contributing Editor to LensCulture”.
Stefano Fantoni is the founder and CEO of Picwant, the mobile photography stock agency made by industry professionals.
He started to work in the photography business 20 years ago, first as a photo researcher, photo editor, sales leader, and then general manager for Laura Ronchi, a well known agency in Italy. Prior to founding Picwant, Stefano was the marketing manager for Southern Europe and then country manager in Italy for Getty Images.
He strongly believes that mobile photography is going to play a huge role in the image business and through Picwant – a mobile photo and video stock licensing app, he wants to give anyone, from all around the world, the chance of licensing great content taken with a smartphone.
California-based fine art photographer Roger Clay’s visual instincts were sparked in 2010 when he purchased an iPhone and began using it for photography. With a drive to create images which captivate, Clay’s black and white impressions of the seascape along the California coast are held in a number of private collections throughout the state. But his particular affection is for the hunt that is involved with street photography. Roger’s iPhone images invoke a strong sense of mood, atmosphere and character and have been exhibited in galleries all over the world.
A portion of the short video seen here captures Roger in action on streets of San Jose.
Jen Pollack Bianco is an award-winning travel photographer who runs the multi-media travel diary, My Life’s a Trip, which was recently named one of USA Today’s 10 Best Travel Photography Blogs of 2014. Jen’s mobile photography work has appeared everywhere from Buzzfeed and Mashable to the cover of TIME Magazine.
She is a member of International Food & Wine Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA), and International Association of Professional Online Travel Journalists.
When she is not traveling, Jen resides in Los Angeles with her husband and her dog.
Cedric Blanchon is an artist and photographer from Troyes, France, and the grand prize winner of the 3rd Annual Mobile Photography Awards in 2013. Blanchon’s dexterity as both a traditional photographer and master manipulator of images has won him a dedicated following for his surreal brand of visual storytelling. His strong personal messages are cryptic, disturbing, thought-provoking, and darkly witty.
In Cedric’s words, “…Welcome to my world, surrealism, dark humor, conceptual.” More of Cedric’s remarkable work may seen at CedricBlanchon.com
Grryo is an international collective of mobile and social creatives who have dedicated ourselves to being a resource for the social photography and arts community.
“Griot” simply means storyteller. Grryo simply means storyteller.
Through social photography, Grryo showcases mobile photography & art from every corner of the world in the form of visual imagery – both still and moving pictures, interviews of amazing artists, and tutorials and reviews for a community that continues to grow every day.
We have shared our passion for this art form since December 2011. Our aim is to support this artistic movement through the storytelling aspects of visual technology and the fostering of community.
Anna Cox represents Grryo for the 2014 MPA Jury.
Anna Cox is a multimedia artist and photographer from central Kentucky. She has been a part of social and mobile photography since 2009 and is best known for her role in Grryo (formerly We Are Juxt). Anna has long been a champion for the mobile movement, working behind the scenes to bring the most innovative story tellers to the public.