Posted by Marc Forrest on Oct 17, 2012 in Blog | 0 comments

We have decided to start a series which features some of the best iPhone photographers in South Africa.  So who better to start off with than the winners from the iPhoneographySA JHB exhibition. In 3rd place with her awesome image called “Her feet tell as story”, Liezel Else was a well deserved winner. With a couple of very cool images on display, all the judges commented on how fantastic her work was.
Here are a few questions we asked Liezel about her image & iPhoneography in general.

You can also follow Liezel on instagram at – @li3zel

Story behind the image
I was out visiting the informal settlement, Rhamaphoza on the East-Rand, while I was waiting to walk back to the car, I noticed the little girl.  It was rather chilly and when I looked down, I noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes.  There are no roads in Rhamaphoza, just sand, stones, bricks, nails and broken glass and I was just stunned.  I took the picture of her feet and then showed it to her, she showed no emotion.  I then asked her if I could take a picture of her face, she nodded – and her portrait was one of my other images at the exhibition.  The poverty these children have to endure is just shocking and touched my heart and I think that photo captured the situation in one single frame.

App used for the image
Camera + (it is by far my favourite app on my iPhone)

I made a little tweak to the photo in Camera+ and posted it straight to my Facebook and Instagram on the ride back to the office that very same day.  And used exactly that photo when entering the iPhoneographySA competition.

I think a competition like iPhoneoraphySA is exactly what iPhone-photographers needed, wanted…. to take us serious.  I know just from my experience that everyone in my life was amazed to find out that the pictures on exhibition where all taken with iPhones.  To grow the iPhoneography community… I think it’s already happening – when people see what is possible with an iPhone, it inspires them to take better pictures and they will proudly become part of such a community.  Don’t just pick up your phone and snap, think about it for a little while, capture the emotion.  A photo always needs to show heart.

Using social media is the way this project will keep on growing and as long as Apple keep making the iPhone, I’ll keep on taking pictures.