Interview with the Winner of the @BananaCameraCo Close Up Contest, @Mr_Darling

Jim Darling has won our second contest with his photo Fountain. We were delighted to be able to ask Jim a few questions regarding his photography and happy to get to know him a little better. Thanks, again, Jim!

Tell us a little about your winning photo.

This was at Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont, MD. I had been sitting out by the lake after hiking to the falls earlier in the day and was walking by the closed up snack shop and this fountain just looking for interesting textures and colors.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m originally from Long Island but have been living in the Washington, DC area since ’92. (In the city proper since ’07). I followed my sister down to Maryland after college but then she and her husband followed our folks to Colorado a few years later. And as much as I love to visit everyone out there, DC has really come to feel like home to me. I call myself a graphic designer first, but mostly because that’s what my resume says I am. But I got back into photography after a long hiatus while the industry was changing from film to digital in 2008, after being laid off from my full-time job. This past year I’m happy to be able to say I’m a freelance photographer & designer. I got my iPhone in August of 2009 and enjoyed the camera right away. But it wasn’t until January of this year, and after my discovery (from a friend) of the ShakeItPhoto app that I realized that it could open up a while new level of photography as art. I had been taking portraits of strangers with my DSLR for about a year an half at this point, but one day I came across a great subject, only armed with my iPhone. So a whole new project emerged that day.

What are your favorite photography apps to use?

Cross Process is hands down my most used app. Photogene and Photoshop Express are great for on the fly editing.

What are your favorite subjects to shoot?

People, first and foremost. But a very close second are images like Fountain that are somewhat abstract but encompass good composition with color and texture. I do more of this kind of photography with my iPhone than with my SLR.

Who are the iPhoneographers (or photographers) that inspire you?

The iPhoneography movement is blowing up! And I frankly couldn’t be happier. And I only recently have become aware of a lot of them doing great things. Sion Fullana from New York is a true artist with the iPhone. And Jennifer Ford (aka Gardenymph of Flickr) is doing beautiful family portraits with hers. Locally I have to mention James Campbell who is curating DC’s first iPhoneographers exhibit (Opening November 18th). In the short time I’ve known him he’s open my eyes to some amazing artists like Jenny Markley, Jon Betts and Diahn Ott. Also, my personal friends, and fellow partners in crime here in DC, Tracy Clayton and Andrew Cohen continued to inspire me to just look at things different, and discover art in places that might seem mundane to the naked eye. And Laura Rotondo from DC for telling me about Cross Process. She really changed the way I look at my iPhone photos.

Do you think that iPhones have changed the way we view photography?

Most definitely. The medium or instrument comes into play so I think that some photos look the way they look BECAUSE they are taken with the iPhone and that’s part of the aesthetic. But on the complete other hand, when you can’t tell, and all you have is a stunning photograph, seems to solidify the argument that the camera doesn’t really matter in the long run and it’s the artist, and what they see through any lens! That is the true reason behind a great photo.

What is your favorite photo that you’ve taken with your iPhone and why?

Morning Serafino, from Mexico, at a Long Island farm stand. This is will be my favorite iPhoto for a long time I think. I think it’s hard to tell where this might be, or how old this picture is because of the old truck; but at the same time his t-shirt (That says, “Can you hear the pulse of excitement?”) is clearly from today.

What do you like about CrossProcess?

Is it enough to say that it just feels right? It turns an ordinary photo into something of interest with the push of a button. What’s not to love?

Thanks for creating such great photos, Jim! It was a pleasure to get to know more about you!

Twitter: @Mr_Darling
Flickr: jim_darling
Posterous: jimdarling.posterous.com

(Take a look at our other entries for the Banana Camera Company Close Up Contest and follow @BananaCameraCo for news and details on the next contest!)