From time to time I will feature fellow iPhoneographers on this web site. For our first guest post, I’d like to introduce you to Gilles Perroud also known as “thesungazer” on Instagram and iPhoneArt.com. Gilles was a professional photographer in the ’80s in Geneva, Switzerland. He particularly enjoyed monochrome style photography including infrared and sepia tones. Gilles left photography behind to pursue a career in radio and television, and owned his own IT company in the ’90s. Gilles renewed his interest in photography when he discovered Instagram on his iPhone. Gilles has plans in the future to offer his digital photography creations in print format to local businesses. Gilles was recently selected 2nd place for “Artist of the Month” for October on iPhoneArt.com.

Now I turn you over to Gilles for this instructional tutorial on creating asian inspired, artistic style images from your iPhone photos:

Step 1:  Original picture shot with my iPhone 4 with HDR on. I always shoot with the HDR on as it gives 2 pictures with choice on exposure, contrast and details.

Step 2: Reframed with PicFrame adding a thin black border and saved at Normal resolution (1200×1200) to get the right size for Instagram upload.

Step 3:  Simply HDR to add relief as it was rainy and at the end of the day when shot. Use Subtle Grey preset, take the Vignette off, set up HDR strength at about 80% to avoid too visible HDR effect (never nice!), and no grain.

Step 4:  ShockMyPic for adding depth and relief again, but to be used at the minimum strength and maximum resolution to avoid too strong or too identifiable effect.

Step 5:  Dynamic Light for adding light, contrast and some dramatic effect.

Step 5b:  Use sparingly to generate a subtle effect, play with the Light button (about 75% on wheel strength) and light direction as shown in the above image.

Step 6:  Old Photo Pro will bring the Sepia effect and softness. Add some Brightness and take off Paper Edges and Texture effect.

 Step 7:  Use PicGrunger for the grunge and scratched finish. Use the following sequence to get the desired effect, as PicGrunger lets you choose the Strength at each step:

Effect : Creased at 70%
Style : Block Party (to make it clearer as the Wood texture coming next will darken the pic)
Texture : Wood at 30%

Step 8:  Use PhotoForge for the last adjustments :

Brightness : +10
Sharpen : 0.10
Vibrance 0.07

Play with it for warmer gold tones coming from the sepia effect. I saved one warm version and one cold version for two different looks to choose from.

Step 9: For my final version I  used Picfx to add some more dark and grunge effects. I used Plastic Wood in Textures presets at about 30%.

In conclusion the key rule is “the less is more”. It’s okay to add or layer several effects but with a little bit of each and always keep in mind there are other effects to come. It’s a lot like cooking – your receipe will be succesful at the end of the editing process if tones, colors and shapes fit well together. Avoid large dark or bright zones, and always keep in mind that the eye likes to see details, so always head for balancing your picture in terms of colors, tones, shapes, perspective, etc. I could also say that there’s no rule, just follow your instincts while editing. I recommend going quickly and having fun with different app options while editing, make changes, evaluate, keep or delete, or let it rest to come back later with a fresh eye. When starting out, I recommend that you try not to repeat a process, even if you like it, but go for diversity, and try new filters and new effects. Most of all, enjoy!