Polka won the main prize in the Mobile Photography Awards competition

Polish mobile photography has just achieved great success. The main prize in the Mobile Photography Awards competition was won by Dominika Koszowska. We talk to her about photos, mobile applications and travels.

Mobile Photography Awards is a prestigious international competition of mobile photography that has been held continuously since 2011. This year, over 7,000. applications from 65 countries divided into 19 categories, the jury awarded the main prize of Dominice Koszowska , photographed using Sony Xperia smartphones.

We talk about the photographs and the role of mobile photography in the contemporary world with the winner of the Grand Prize Mobile Photography Awards, Dominika Koszowska.

Marcin Połowianiuk: You are a photographer with rich experience. You have won awards and distinctions in many photo contests. In interviews you mention that you still remember the smell of the fixer in the darkroom. How does this experience bag translate into mobile photography? Helps, can it bother you?

Dominika Koszowska: I think that this magic, which I was able to get to know - or analogue photography - absolutely does not bother me, and it helps me a lot on my photographic path.

Is there any element of analog photography that you translate into today's reality?

The film had only 36 frames and was quite expensive, so before the picture was taken, you had to choose the best frame and choose the appropriate parameters. It was only when you were absolutely sure that the shutter was pressed. Thanks to this, using today's smartphone is much easier because I have the habit of paying attention to the frames and parameters of photography.

Many professional photographers treat their smartphones without even knowing that the most popular camera in the world today is the iPhone. At the same time, the market for dedicated cameras is shrinking from year to year. How would you rate these changes?

Indeed, many professional photographers treat smartphone after neglect, but I noticed that it has changed for some time. Both photographers and editors note that this is equipment that is also suitable for taking good photos. An example of this is the cover session of the TIME magazine with twelve variants, where the portraits were made with iPhones.

Will such sessions ever completely replace traditional cameras?

I do not think that in the near future smartphones will replace traditional cameras, but in a dozen or so years - who knows? When I was a child, it did not occur to me that one day I would be taking pictures with my phone. The phone itself without a cable was something completely unrealistic.

If you were to go on a trip around the world, would you take a dedicated camera or just a smartphone with you?

For me, when traveling, the most important thing is comfort and the wearing of heavy equipment - a camera and several lenses - greatly exacerbates the comfort of the trip. I would decide to take a smartphone, or maybe two, so that I can shoot movies, timelaps and take photos simultaneously.

If you go to an interesting place and count on good photos, are you preparing for such a trip, for example, by following the hashtags on Instagram?

When preparing for the trip, I do not look at photos from a given area. First of all, I want my pictures to be mine. I want to show the world the way I see it, with my eyes, and not copying what has already been done and reproduced in thousands of shots on Instagram.

So you are completely relying on your eye and the ability to catch moments?

I just love to catch moments that are beautiful to me to keep them as memories for later. Ever since my grandfather introduced me to the basics of photography, I learned to look at the world with ready-made human resources. As if I were cutting pictures from the reality that surrounds me.

What is the key to a good mobile photo?

Good observation, catching a fleeting moment and, above all, getting to know the camera's capabilities in your phone.

Do you use additional accessories for your smartphone, eg tripods or additional lenses?

I use a tripod when you need to take night shots and the exposure time is longer. I never used mini-lenses - I did not need it.

Which shooting modes do you use? Do you put on automation, do you choose the parameters of the exhibition by hand?

First of all, I focus on manual settings, I do not use automation. Thanks to the fact that I took the first steps in photography on analogs, I have everything under control and do not have to rely on the algorithms written in the program. I can decide for the final result of the photo alone.

Do you use the option of registering your RAW photos with your smartphone?

My phone does not have the ability to shoot in RAW format, but today I do not miss that - I am very happy with the results that I can achieve using the camera application on my phone.

Which photo editing apps do you use?

Photographs taken with a smartphone are most often used in the Snapseed application. I think that it is a great and in addition completely free application with the possibilities of editing on many levels. Sometimes I also use Photoshop Express and VSCO filters.

Or maybe mobile applications alone are not enough? Do you sometimes edit photos from a smartphone on your computer?

I rarely edit on a computer - I prefer on the phone. It's just so much faster and more convenient, and the results are very satisfying.

What do you recommend to young mobile photographers? Focus on photographing with a smartphone or investing in a camera?

Here I will answer a bit perversely. I recommend, at the very beginning, to familiarize yourself with the history of photography and photographs of classics, such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn Cecil Beaton or Henri Cartier-Bresson. Photography is a very specific medium which, in my opinion, is able to show the beauty of the world - both from this beautiful and uglier side. Only then let's choose the equipment. The camera is just a tool, and it's not the equipment that defines the photograph.

In that case, do we live in a time when a smartphone can compete with a DSLR?

My photos taken with a smartphone have often competed with photographs taken with DSLRs and they got to the finals, and they also won prizes in international competitions, overcoming photographs taken just with SLR cameras. That's why I advise you to get to know the advantages and disadvantages of your equipment, learn how to use them in practice and learn as much as possible. As Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote: "Your first 10,000 photos are probably the worst." Today, when we can take innumerable photographs without incurring any costs except buying the camera itself and devoting time, making this 10 001 photo is within everyone's reach.

Dominika Koszowska - a graduate of the University of Information Technology and PhD student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice in the multimedia studio at dr hab. Piotr Mushalik. She was born in Silesia, she grew up here and lives to this day. Her passion is drawing, painting, graphics and photography. As she writes about herself: I love to read and travel, it is best with my husband to travel around Europe with a motorcycle. I have a son who wants to become a world champion at UFC.

Polka won the main prize in the Mobile Photography Awards competition