Indigo Biggins, a lively and garrulous 4-year-old boy, runs around a small intimate photo gallery capturing people looking at photos on display or friends and family snacking on refreshments and enjoying each others company. As Biggins reviews the pictures that had just been taken with his childproof digital camera, a smile quietly appears because he knows he can look back at these moments from the 2013 Phone Camera Photos event any time he wishes.
Phone Camera Photos is a photo gallery event in which all photo’s entered are taken with only camera phones. Karen Jones, one of the coordinators of Phone Camera Photos, confesses that she didn’t appreciate the camera quality on phones when they were first introduced. Now with the growth of technology, Jones eventually discovered the magic of photo applications of the smart phones, thus leading to her inspiration creating this annual gallery event.
This was the third year of the Phone Camera Photo’s gallery and the night of Feb. 1, its opening reception. The frame shop, known as South Street Gallery, is doubling as a photo gallery until Friday. Filled with incredibly supporting family and friends of the photographers, Jones, Chaminade University of Honolulu’s graphic design professor, admits this was one of the biggest turnouts that she seen for an opening reception. One of the supports of course was Indigo Biggins, supporting his mother, Hawkins Biggins, one of the photo entries.
“I visually record the world around me, but my message is what I believe strongly, which is hiking, being outside, getting into nature, eating healthy, growing your own food,” said Biggins, a freelance photographer in Honolulu.
One of Biggins’ photos on display is a vividly vibrant photo of someone holding what looks like fresh beets pulled straight from soil. She later admits that she felt that it was “kind of a self-portrait.”
Although Biggins photos are based around active living, many of the photographers reached the same idea of taking pictures of family members including her other photo.
Displayed, which was a picture of Biggins’ son’s shadow while he was climbing a fence. Other photographers entered photos of their child candidly posing, a close-up of their kid sticking their tongue, or their daughters Barbie dolls using different camera application filters.
Family and friends weren’t only inspirations for many of the photographers but vital supporters as well. To Jones, family appeared especially important. Even though, she was vastly engaged with the traffic coming in and out of the studio, Jones found the time to introduce her newborn granddaughter to everyone Jones came across of.
Even though Indigo Biggins may not be old enough to own a smart phone that comes equip with the latest photo applications and social media, he is in a perfect start to become the next greatest photographer.