City Snapshots

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When he got his first cell phone in July 2009, he went for the big shebang: an iPhone. Now, it’s a year later and Adrian Mihai has edited and published over 1000 photos with his mobile device. Not only does he have 17 Facebook albums of his iArt to date (although he’s not a self-proclaimed “artist”), but he’s been making news left and right.  That’s because Adrian memorializes things that New Yorkers look at every day but don’t actually see.

None of the photos are posed and the subjects are oblivious to their momentary role as artist muse.  “The iPhone allows you to penetrate a different space,” he said.  This is why the seasoned photographer enjoys the iPhone when compared to his “real” cameras (the dusty DSLR that sits on a shelf at home, for instance).  “People are aware of a camera,” he told me. “With an iPhone, people don’t even know you’re taking a picture.”

Having lived in New York since 1987, the videographer and NYU professor has gotten overwhelmingly positive response from colleagues and Facebook friends.  His students have even started hanging his work in their dorm rooms.

In regards to his photographs, Adrian says that being in New York is everything.  The routine, the surroundings, the people. “When I take a picture, I’m rarely looking through the iPhone; I’m looking at the person.”  Enough said.