Discovering the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival

• Posted By: Robert Lachman
• Posted On: 1:43 p.m. | August 23, 2012

My iPhone photographs need a kick-start. Maybe I just need a few new ideas and inspiration. Or maybe I just need to organize and edit the 5,000 images that are taking up almost 15 gigs of space.

I never thought I would fill up the space on my 32 GB iPhone — those photos, movies, apps and podcasts really add up fast. Archiving, backing up and organizing always seems to be on my “to do” list.

Just this week alone, I have photos of my son’s weekend hockey game, my daughter’s homemade cookies, some scenic views captured while walking the dog, and my coffee cup.

None of this sounds too arty; there are no contest winners here, and they are clogging up my iPhone. I definitely need some artistic inspiration.

With this in mind, I decided to see how my photographs stacked up against the competition by checking out the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival 2012 in Santa Monica.

The show runs through Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Santa Monica Art Studios, located at 3026 Airport Ave.

When I entered the exhibit, the first thing I noticed was the installation created with 40 iPads. Of course, my first thought was 40 times $500 equals one expensive display, but it was very impressive as the photos rotated in random fashion.

The show in the converted airplane hangar is divided into a variety of themed rooms.

The exhibit of art created with mobile devices really puts into perspective how photography has changed over the years thanks to apps that are easier to use and much less expensive to use, compared to, say, a desktop computer.

I noticed that one of the most popular artistic effects used by the photographers was layering — combining multiple images into one. A few years ago, this technique used to be possible only with expensive photographic suites.

It’s hard to believe how cheap these apps for the iPhone and iPad have become. We grumble if we have to pay more than $3 for one.

At the same time, it seems like the end of the era of film and old-school cameras. Though there’s still a place for DSLR, it just seems to be increasingly pushed from the mainstream.

So if you use your phone or iPad to take photographs, then the L.A. Mobile Arts Festival is a must-see. It’s a great way to inspire the artist in all of us.

robert.lachman@latimes.com

Follow Robert Lachman on Twitter and Google+

Read more reviews and photography tips by Robert Lachman