JuxtDroid With Brad Lewis

Android Photography of Brad Lewis by Nakeva

Nakeva’s Introduction

Mobile photographers have unique style and perspective. The serious artist shoots with a purpose or creates a masterpiece from a “happy accident.” Brad Lewis uses his Android mobile device to setup a scene and take you on a pixel ride like a scene from a movie. His images are natural surrealism, vintage tones and creative self portraits that are certain not to send you in a snooze fest. Let’s meet Brad and see what goes on behind the scenes of his art.

N: Nakeva B: Brad

N: Jumping right in, just who is this @f_ckyeahbrad guy? Stand out user handle!

B: My name is Brad Lewis. I’m 21, and I was born and raised in California. I joined Instagram when it was released for Android, and have been obsessed ever since. I started in San Antonio, which had great settings and beautiful landscapes and now that I’m back in California, I’ve been a little more challenged to find some interesting areas to take photos in. I enjoy what I do, and I love taking photos. What I really appreciate is that my editing skills have gotten a 100x better. Practice makes perfect, eh?

N: Your style of photography is unique and consistent. I see elements of surrealism, nature and what I call lifeography. How would you describe your android mobile photography?

B: When I first started, it was all pretty much landscape and sky pictures, but I grew tired of the sameness and predictability of my work, so naturally I extended beyond my comfort zone into Surrealism, where right now I feel at home. I chose Surrealism because I want to take others on a journey, somewhere beyond of what most people are used to. I want people to look at my photos and do a double take. I want them to think when they look at my photos. I’ve always been a huge fan of Salvador Dali and Vladimir Kush, some really great surrealism artists.

N: I certainly did a double take when I looked through your gallery! The fact you can create a digital visionary statement that projects the viewer into the scene is phenomenal. How much planning is involved with creating your images?

B: There are some photos that I just really wing it with. I have a general idea of what I want, then I go from there. There are a few photos however that I do take a considerable amount of planning in, since my photography consists of mostly self portraits, I used to have to come up with really creative ways to set up my camera, but now since I have my Gorillapod, things have gotten a little more simplistic. Some pictures require me to be in a very uncomfortable position, or I’ll be precariously on top of something, but it’s all worth it in the end when I get the perfect photo.

N: The self portrait is something quite a few photographers struggle with for various reasons. Your unique style to include full body, scenic views and movement within layers makes me think of a movie producer. I love it, very inspiring! Speaking of inspiration, tell us about a few photographers or artists that inspire your style.

B: First and foremost @bozerboy has really inspired me, and so has @barnel02 and his two other accounts @purpleunicorn and @barnel_. These two are like the Surrealism kings, I draw a lot of inspiration from the both of them. Also I used to never show my face in my photography, always careful to keep it hidden. (Kinda like @brittneypanda, who is an amazing artist) but I feel that the works of @carly_ and @tedcraig brought me out in front of the camera more. Instagram is full of so much talent. I can probably list like 20 more.

N: Awesome list of talented photographers on Instagram! Your work has progressed and I see you are becoming more comfortable sharing the total “you” in your images. Mobile photography is a wonderful medium to learn differences between happy accidents and personal creative growth. What are your thoughts on the world of  mobile photography and how Android photography fits in the scene?

B: Mobile photography is rising in notoriety in my opinion. It’s a whole new art form, doing what you can with the materials you have. You don’t need a DSLR to take amazing pictures, now that we can have a whole photo studio in our phones now. Instagram really brought mobile photography to life, and now people can take it more seriously.   As an Android user, I remember first starting out and how much animosity I got from the IG community. It was strictly iPhone, and it was difficult getting a firm footing in the community, but things have changed, and it has gotten way more accepting. Android has it’s own arsenal of powerful photo editors, and I can do anything an iPhone user can. Though I do wish that Art Studio would make it’s way over to Android. :/

N: Like most Android artists, having more robust applications for editing and creativity would jolt the possibilities in mobile artistic expression. In my observations I believe the art begins in the eyes and heart of the person taking the image rather than the gear or the digital tools. I see this in your work. Anything you would like to add about a favorite camera or editing application on the Android?

B: My most favorite photo editing application is PicSay Pro, I use it for every picture. The pro version costs maybe three dollars but it is so worth it. The editor can do amazing things if utilized correctly. I definitely recommend it to anyone who finds fascination in editing as I do.

Let’s get into the visual mind of @f_ckyeahbrad and discuss Brad Lewis imagery!

Image 1: This photo is three different photos. I went out with a kitchen chair, gripped my gorillapod to the top of the chair and took three separate pictures in different poses. Then I blended them together in PicsayPro, and made sure to make it look as natural as possible.

Image 2: This is 5 photos blended together. Inspired by @bozerboy, but incorporates my style.

Image 3: I love situations where I can use the lighting to my advantage. In this photo it has a duality to it, one side of the photo is dark, and the other is light. Kinda like your good/bad conscience.

Image 4: This one took a bit of work. I had maybe 20 retakes of this photo. I’m actually on top of a punching bag, but it’s edited out and I put a chair there instead. Levitation photography is my favorite branch of surrealism I do, and the results are fantastic.

Image 5: This was taken after a rainy day and I was dying to use the reflections to my advantage. In my opinion, I could have probably done a little more with this photo, but it’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve done.

Image 6: I took this photo as a precursor to a levitation shot I was gonna do. It didn’t turn out the way I want but I still wanted to use the photo. I noticed some rays in the photograph and used a mirror effect so there was a ray of light between the two “me’s”. I’m satisfied with the end result.

Image 7: In the beginning, I really had no idea where I was going with this picture. All I knew is that I wanted to utilize the shadow. So I used my fold-able stool, stood on top of it, and edited it out. Than finished it off with one of Merik Davis’s Mextures. I really like the end result, and I look forward to more experimentation.

Thank you! After seeing this creative set of photography it makes me want to say, “F_ck Yeah, Brad!” Thank you for sharing time with Juxt and our avid mobile photography community.

Where to find Brad Lewis: Instagram as @f_ckyeahbrad