A Co Down man has become the first person in the world to achieve a fellowship from an elite photographic society using only pictures taken on his iPhone. Brendan Hughes reports
WHEN Gerry Coe swapped his expensive professional camera equipment for a simple smartphone little did he know he was about to capture a series of award-winning photographs.
The 65-year-old professional photographer uses only down-loadable applications - or apps - available on his iPhone to create artistic renderings of rolling fields, urban streets and landmarks across the north.
The Bangor man has been awarded a fellowship from the British Institute of Professional Photographers and is the first person in the world to receive the honour for iPhone pictures.
Mr Coe also won the prestigious Peter Grugeon Award from the institute for his cameraphone work after previously winning the accolade years earlier.
More than 40 of his stunning iPhone pictures are to be showcased in an exhibition next week.
Mr Coe, who has been a portrait photographer for more than 50 years, said that if people experimented with their phones they would soon be able to achieve great results.
"I wanted to prove that you don't need a big camera to do something that gets accepted by one of the professional organisations," he said.
"If you have got an eye to see a picture it doesn't matter what camera you have."
Mr Coe began experimenting with photography on his iPhone four years ago after being inspired by a friend's work. The father-of-one said it "reawakened" his love of photography.
"I found with the iPhone I can do so much. To me it's the immediacy of it and there are so many different apps out there where you can put your own stamp and style on a picture," he said.
Mr Coe, who now uses an iPhone 5S after originally using an iPhone 4, said it was a "steep learning curve" but he had enjoyed experimenting with the devices.
He said he was "over the moon" when he achieved the British Institute of Professional Photographers fellowship last year for his cameraphone work.
"I'm still using my bigger camera. I will do occasional jobs for customers," he said.
"But I am thoroughly enjoying my time and what I'm doing now, and the iPhone is great."
* Phone-Art: An Exhibition of the Art of Mobile Photography by Gerry Coe will be held at Bangor Carnegie Library from April 4 to 30.