From Cell Phones To Art Galleries

When Karen Jones got her first iPhone, she enjoyed her newfound ability to browse the Internet or check her email anywhere — but she was initially skeptical about its camera feature. And understandably so. As a food photographer with a background in advertising, Jones was unsure that the phone camera would yield the kind of images she wanted.

But, over time, she began experimenting with the camera and its related apps, and found that she liked the look of the pictures she snapped.

“I find I experiment more, and I notice things more,” Jones explains of shooting with her phone.

“The limitations of the phone camera force, or maybe free, the photographer from worrying too much about the f-stop, exposure, or whether or not the correct lens is being used, and allows focus to be on composition,” she adds.

By 2010, Jones was a phone camera convert, and to showcase the possibilities of camera phone shooting, she launched a Phone Camera Photos exhibit. It’s since become an annual event, and this year’s kicked off earlier this week and runs through Jan. 30 at The ARTS at Marks Garage, with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8.

The theme of the exhibit was open; the only requirement was that all images be shot with a phone. Phone Camera Photos 2016 features a range of works — landscapes, architecture, still life, underwater shots and selfies — from more than 40 amateur and professional photographers.

For Linny Morris, who has been a professional photographer since 1978 and has three images in the exhibit, her phone camera has become her go-to tool.

“My camera phone has become an extension of me,” Morris says, explaining that she takes photos with her phone daily.

“And it is kind of like a meditation for me, where every day, I try to take pictures,” she adds. “They don’t always make it into the public eye, but it’s like my little gift to myself every day to try to make a beautiful image. And for me, the phone camera is by far the most fluid tool to do that with.”

Jones admits that some of the professional photographers were initially hesitant to participate in the exhibit — perhaps, she thinks, because they were nervous to take photos without their usual gear. And even some audience members aren’t sure about the medium.

“We had some people wander in today and say, ‘These (photos) are really nice, they are made with phones, really?'” Jones says.

Jones hopes that the exhibit can get viewers to realize what a powerful tool of expression their phones can be.

Part of the appeal for any photographer to shoot with a phone, undoubtedly, is ease — Morris, for instance, first started shooting regularly with her phone after opting to take it on a trek through the Andes instead of her heavy camera gear. But as Jones sees it, there’s another, larger benefit: It allows the photographer to be present in the moment and forces them to “let go.”

“It is about having fun, it’s about letting go of the expensive technical aspects of it and just going out and seeing what kind of photographs you can make with your camera,” Jones says.

“You can get really great photos, inspiring photos, memorable photos,” she continues. “And it’s all about what you see.”

‘PHONE CAMERA PHOTOS’ WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARISMA INDUSTRIES AND THE ARTS AT MARKS GARAGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT ARTSATMARKS. COM.

FAMILY SUNDAY
HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART
900 S. Beretania St. Phone 532-8700 website honolulumuseum.org

In the Chinese Lunar calendar, 2016 is the Year of the Monkey, and to kick it off, Honolulu Museum hosts its Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 17. The celebration features cultural activities, such as paper crafts, Chinese calligraphy and mah jong, as well as performances, including lion and dragon dances, martial arts and more.

Plus, the day will be filled with art activities, including a chance to make your own monkey headbands or clothespin clips. There’s also a drawing contest open to kids up to age 17.

In conjunction with the event, the museum’s Spalding House in Makiki Heights also has various kid-friendly art activities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A FULL BREAKDOWN OF THE SCHEDULE, VISIT HONOLULUMUSEUM.ORG.

‘CAPTURED FLOW’
WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL
2233 Helumoa Road Phone 921-7272 website waikikiparc.com

It’s almost your last chance to catch glass artist Jonathan Holshue’s exhibit, Captured Flow, at Parc Promenade Gallery inside

Waikiki Parc Hotel. The exhibit, which has been on display at the hotel since Oct. 1, runs through Jan. 21.

“My role is to physically manipulate the molten glass, directly interacting with the medium and acting as the control. I coerce the work, ultimately influencing its evolution,” Holshue stated on the hotel’s website.

The show is part of the Parc’s Artist in Residence program, which features work by various up-and-coming artists in partnership with University of Hawaii Arts Foundation. Holshue recently graduated from University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Department of Art and Art History.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS AND OTHER PARC EXHIBITS, VISIT WAIKIKIPARC.COM.