As the practice of iPhone Photography becomes more and more prevalent--with vintage and simulated artistic effects dominating the scene, it's a wonder where the integrity of authentic composition has gone? These days everyone and their significant other is either keeping a diary of their iPhone images on-line or proactively taking measures into their own hands--automatically delivering live photo updates on Twitter, Facebook, and or Flickr. With photo logging, it's easy to record everything we do nowadays--since most of us carry a handy phone that just so happens to have a camera, and that also happens to be connected to the web. And so the question remains: is our society beginning to suffer from ingesting and digesting a fake reflection of the environment?
As a result: our photographs have become more of a photographer and audience centric trend--often leading to the relationship between the photo-taker and its subject or scenery to get lost in the translation. Photos are exploited and reduced to, "look how cool my pictures are"--exhibitionism at best, and hyperactive uploads at worst. Little do we realize that Photoshop techniques, cropping and digital zoom apps, as well as applications that dictate atmosphere effects, inevitably reduce the authenticity of our vision and in turn, distort our original perspective on what's happened.
Erez Abittan the Founder of Squeezed Orange, looks back to the likes of Henry Cartier Bresson to inspire him in creating ComposePix: "Like most legends from the golden age of photojournalism, Bresson took pride in showcasing his compositions which were bolstered by the liseré noir," (the black framing around the photos). Back then, it was still all about the framework and the timing, which revealed ones talent as a serious photographer. When asked what the difference is between the iPhone Camera and ComposePix, the photographer in the developer answered, "The iPhone Camera is great, but I think its screen lacks the composition guides that we find in SLR cameras, this may seem like a minute detail, but framing a picture is at the heart of photogaphy."
Below are some examples of Cartier Bresson's famous compositions captured on film:
ComposePix also has the "swipe to preview" feature so you can review the composition with one swipe.
Abittan originally developed the application for himself to use as his own photo app tool--with the motivation to preserve photography standards for his own collection. But in the process, he decided to make it available to the public so more people could have the option to have more of an authentic stamp within their image layout. "I am always thrilled when users reach me to offer comments and feedbacks because I built this app for them as much as I built it for myself."
Squeezed Orange offers ComposePix for a free download: Go HERE. You may also reach Erez Abittan at ComposePix (at) Squeezed Orange.com for any inquiries about his current and upcomming projects.
Erez Abittan is also a photo and video contributor at NewsGallery.
