iPhone Photography – Yves Timmermans by Greg Schmigel

Jul 15, 2010

Greg Schmigel is a well respected iphone street photographer who’s iphone photography work is showcased at ‘Just what I see’ (JWIS). Greg’s work inspired me to go out and take some shots of what I see and since then I’ve been hooked!

In this guest article at Appertunity blog Greg takes a look at the beautiful iphone photography work of Yves Timmermans of Barakstad (Antwerp) in Belgium…

iPhone Photography Artist Spotlight – Yves Timmermans by Greg Schmigel

“My fathers uncle told me … look through the viewfinder, push the button and shake the photo that comes out. That was a magical moment.”

- Yves Timmermans on using a camera for the first time as a child.

From 1987 to 1988, I had the opportunity to live in the small village town of Hamont-Achel, one of the northern-most sections of Flemish-speaking Belgium. I studied and learned the Flemish language, live amongst the locals and experienced their warm, welcoming culture. Instantly I fell in love with just about everything that this little country has to offer.

Fast forward to today – nearly 23 years later – I meet an iPhone photographer from Barakstad (Antwerp), Belgium by the name of Yves Timmermans. After taking a quick look at Yves’ work, I was transported directly back to the country I had come to love so much.

Yves creates stunning black and white images with his iPhone – in an almost effortless manner – that bring to life the same culture and view of daily life that I remember all too well of Belgium.

Now, I must admit …I have a soft spot for the land of frites, moules, rainy days and Stella Artois. But to be honest, I think one particular aspect of Belgium has taken a new front seat over the rest.

It is a pleasure to introduce you to Yves Timmermans – a friend and fellow iPhone photographer.

An Interview with Yves Timmermans:

Just What I See: Tell me a bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you call home? Where have you been in between?

Yves Timmermans: My name is Yves Timmermans, I am 39 years old. I was born and raised in Maaseik, Limburg, Belgium — a true “Maaslander”. I moved to Barakstad (Antwerp) in 1997 after finding work in Limburg at the Ford Motor Company. After 3 years working on the automotive assembly line, I began to feel like Charlie Chaplin’s character in the film, Modern Times. In Barakstad, I found a new job for a leasing company – ING Car Lease Belgium — where I work in the Short Term Rental Services department. Now, I feel more like Harvey Pekar … who passed away this week.

JWIS: What (or who) got you interested in photography in general?

YT: I remember a holiday trip to ‘nowhereland’ with a friend and his parents. It was quite a boring trip for a 12 year old at the time. The location was somewhere in Spain, the name I cannot seem to recall. My friend’s parents gave me a camera and some rolls of film to play with. Needless to say, the trip soon became the best holiday ever. Following that vacation, I decided I wanted to study photography. I found a school in Genk where photography was offered as a course for young people — age 15 and up. But my very first experience with a camera was at the age of 6, in 1977. My fathers uncle wanted me to take a picture of him and my father, who was in a hospital. He told me, “look through the viewfinder, push the button and shake the photo that comes out.” That was a magical moment!

JWIS: Why have you taken up the iPhone as a tool for photography?

YT: Before the iPhone I took all my photo’s with a Lomo LCA+, a very nice little camera. It was so small that you could take it with you anytime, anywhere, without people really noticing you. Unfortunatey, film, developing and printing photos from the Lomo is so damned expensive. I’ve had never been attracted to the big DSLR’s. But then came the iPhone, and well, it’s my Lomo LCA+ in digital format. So thank you Apple, for this gift!

JWIS: What apps/processes do you use — if any — when shooting with the iPhone?

YT: I use the iPhone’s native camera and occasionally Hipstamatic. For processing color photographs, I useCrossProcess and PictureShow. For converting my images to black and white, I use a plugin for aperture from Silver Efex Pro which gives me much more control over the black and white tones. Otherwise, I use PictureShow andPhotoshop Mobile app for the conversion process.