The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

It’s been one year since I started shooting, Philadelphian: The Low-Fi Shots Series, with my cellphone. It’s been an amazing project thus far. One of the main reasons is that it’s just not possible to do photography like this with a “normal” camera. People and society have come to “know” what a camera is and react in two ways: hostile or posed. I’m interested in neither. This series has allowed me to crawl into a social space that is worthy of examination: the quotidian existence of us all. Whether it be on a trolley headed home after a long day’s work or going to work early in the morning, still half asleep or comatose, this series shows us “as we are”. The black and white images allow me to peel back any exterior layers and reveal something more intimate. It is amusing when I get responses like, “you shot that on your cellphone? How?” The simple answer is it’s not the camera but rather the subject matter. To be fair, though, the cellphone camera allows me to photograph and yet not be recognized as a photographer. And no, the lens isn’t tack sharp. For me, it is akin to a Holga but I can still make phone calls with it! You simply have to embrace the limitations of the device as if they were advantages.

So stay tuned for more Low-Fi Shots. The series can be viewed here.