Simon Mills Photography

POPA

15.02.12

Just after Christmas I upgraded my phone to the iPhone 4S. Previously I had the old 3G, which had sported a rather fetching smashed screen and a glitchy camera for the best part of a year, something that had made any iPhoneography awkward and frustrating to do. To go along with the new phone, and to hopefully encourage me to actually use its camera regularly, I ordered the rather lovely POPA from Beep Industries.

POPA photograph courtesy of Beep Industries

First up, the POPA is no run of the mill, flimsy phone accessory. Everything from the beautiful packaging to the finish on the product itself is first rate. The POPA is made from solid metal with a textured leather grip. It has a great feel to it; solid, just the right weight and grippy enough to give you complete confidence holding it when connected to your phone. And yup, the big red button just begs to be pressed.

POPA photograph courtesy of Beep Industries

Connecting to the iPhone is simple enough. The first time you connect the POPA you will be prompted to download the POPA app - after you've installed it the app will launch automatically each time you connect the POPA. The app itself is clear and simple to use - I love the filmstrip/contact sheet which stores your photos until you want to send them to your photo album (the latest version of the app can be set to automatically save photos to your photo album if you prefer) - and has options for sending and sharing your photos via the usual social media suspects and a few iPhone post processing apps too. Another benefit of the app is its speed - the camera will shoot pictures almost instantly, without waiting for a focus lock like most other iPhone photo apps, and will let you keep shooting with almost no delay between shots. I'm no street photographer but I definitely agree with Greg Schmigel that the time saving here is a massive plus.

The biggest benefit for me has been how much more comfortable and accurate I can be when using the iPhone to take photos. I'm not the most dextrous of people; having already lost one phone to picture taking cackhandedness and finding more and more photo apps requiring multiple digits in every corner of the screen to take a photo, it comes as some relief to just have to think about pressing one (big) button. And whilst the POPA button only works within the POPA app, having the grip attached gives a much greater feel of control and accuracy when using almost every other iPhone photo app.

I'm genuinely loving the POPA, and everyone else who sees it is instantly hooked - if you're interested in getting a hold of one check out the POPA website for more info.

Iceberg

17.01.12

Towards the end of last year architect Des Ewing asked me to shoot the first two residential developments in his Iceberg project. Many of you will know Des from BBC’s House of the Year (which began its third series last week), but he is also one of Northern Ireland’s most progressive and forward thinking architects.

A few favourites below from both the houses.

26 Treasures

13.01.12

Last year I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in the 26 Treasures project at the Ulster Museum. Based on a project by writer’s collective 26 originally held at the V&A museum in London, the idea was extended to include the National Library in Wales, National Museum in Scotland and the Ulster Museum here in Northern Ireland.

26 objects were selected from the museum’s collection and randomly assigned to 26 writers who were then asked to write a 62 word personal response. In the Ulster Museum’s case, each object and writer were also partnered with a visual artist who had to produce a piece of work in response to both the object and the words. I was partnered with the fantastic Shelly Wilson and a slightly depressed basalt column - check out Shelly’s beautiful words and my visual piece below.

The work from all 4 museums is now being collected in a single book, published via the crowd funding publishing site Unbound. If you would like to support the book and make it happen please visit the 26 Treasures Unbound page!

Basalt Column

Once…
I was dense… rich… delicate…
Bone, soil, verdure.

Once…
I grew… I moved… I lived.

Once…
I was consumed, and in turn, devoured the landscape -
A tide of destructive speed and unfathomable heat.

Wrathful, glorious life.
.
.
.
Now…
No longer fearsome,
No longer swift.

Wrenched from antiquity.

You peer and shuffle,

While ever still,
Ever silent,
I sit… and I remember

‘once’.

Home. Craigahulliar Quarry, Portrush

Exhumed. Scrapheap, Craigahulliar Quarry, Portrush

Broken Tide. Scrapheap, Craigahulliar Quarry, Portrush

Landslip. The Skerries Caravan Park, Portrush

Jointing. Royal Portrush Golf Course and the Skerries

Once. Craigahullier Quarry, Portrush

Depot

10.01.12

They’re building a new (I think) rail depot behind my house. It looks a bit like this.

Build. Break. Do. Make.

30.09.11

The brilliant Gavin Strange gave a super inspiring talk last night as part of the build up to this year’s Build Conference. Not content with being extremely talented, someone who throws himself into any creative project (and media) he finds interesting, a hugely enjoyable speaker, and a fixed gear rider, he’s also a true gent too… fantastic evening all round really…

Also check out BÖIKZMÖIND, a 30 minute documentary Gavin directed on the Bristol fixed gear scene. It showed in Belfast as part of the On Your Bike Festival last month, but is travelling round the rest of the UK (and the world) so check out the screenings or you can organise your own!