David Walker
Shawn Rocco
In the summer of 2007, Raleigh, North Carolina
News &
Observer staff photographer Shawn Rocco was on assignment
juggling lights and other gear when he stepped aside to collect his
thoughts, and shot an image with his cell phone camera as a
diversion. Surprised by the results, he started shooting other
images with the phone just to see what he might get.
The experiment has turned into an ongoing project in technical
minimalism that Rocco calls 'Cellular Obscura.' He's been shooting
a variety of found images, including street scenes, landscapes, and
portraits. Rocco uses the limitations of the camera to his
advantage, with surprisingly good results that he posts on his blog
and exhibits in local venues.
In this audio slide show, Rocco explains the project, how he
massages good images from a bad camera, and how he's found himself
creatively liberated by it. "It's really almost no failure if your
expectation aren't that high," he says. "You're at its mercy."
Personal Work: Shawn Rocco's 'Cellular Obscura'
A newspaper photographer finds liberation and inspiration with a "worn out, dented, crappy little cell phone"
Jan 29, 2009
David Walker
In the summer of 2007, Raleigh, North Carolina
News & Observer staff photographer Shawn Rocco was on assignment juggling lights and other gear when he stepped aside to collect his thoughts, and shot an image with his cell phone camera as a diversion. Surprised by the results, he started shooting other images with the phone just to see what he might get.
The experiment has turned into an ongoing project in technical minimalism that Rocco calls 'Cellular Obscura.' He's been shooting a variety of found images, including street scenes, landscapes, and portraits. Rocco uses the limitations of the camera to his advantage, with surprisingly good results that he posts on his blog and exhibits in local venues.
In this audio slide show, Rocco explains the project, how he massages good images from a bad camera, and how he's found himself creatively liberated by it. "It's really almost no failure if your expectation aren't that high," he says. "You're at its mercy."
