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

What constitutes low-fi? We hear about hi-fi all the time - music equipment is high fidelity. It usually refers to equipment that is faithfully able to reproduce or capture something with the least amount of corruption. But doesn’t everyone need a little corruption in their lives? I have spent the last eight years and most of my earned income on photography. Always after more elusive ways of capturing the image in its purist state. Sharper lenses. Vacuum-sealed film backs. Professional lens shades that weight more than most house hold pets. The list goes on and on. And while I do think there is a time and place for such perfections, lately I find it is the imperfections that attract my eye. Some images call for some slop, an artifact here, an artifact there. The Low-Fi Shots Series is an experiment in low fidelity craftsmanship. Using the 1.3 mega pixel camera on my cell phone, I am working to see the limits (all mediums have certain limits but what one does after the latent image is limitless) of what the camera can and can’t do and then work with these small files and try to manipulate them into meaningful images. But beyond all the techno mumbo jumbo, Philadelphian is about looking at Philadelphia and what constitutes all relative adjectives to the city, hence Philadelphian became the title for me. These images illustrate what it is like to walk, travel and be a Philadelphian as well as experiencing all things Philly. I look forward to doing a small exhibition in the future of the images that I create through this series. Prints from the series are available for purchase. Just email me, putting Philadelphian in the subject. To view a slide show of the images, click here.