Photo app demonstrates iPad’s power for photographers and freelance journalists

We just had a chat with Tina Bauer, a German freelance photo journalist who recently launched her very first iPad photo app.

With Traumhafter Alltag in Island  Tina Bauer opened up a whole new market for herself: “I never thought I could reach people in the US with my photos. But now I know I can.”

Tina, how did you get the idea to do a photo app about Iceland?

I had recently published my first book about living in Iceland in cooperation with Verlag Herder, a renowned German publishing house. However the book did not include any photos. Being a passionate photo journalist I took a lot of pictures during my time in Iceland. And I was looking for a way to publish them as well. My first idea had been a printed photo book – but the production costs are enormous and I did not have the financial backing to do so. Then a friend asked if I had ever thought of bringing the pics to the iPad. This way I could easily publish my pictures as a complement to my Iceland book.

You already published photos about Iceland on your website and blog. Why did you choose the app format for this project?

It opens up fantastic opportunities for freelance journalists and photographers like me. I was looking for a more powerful way to bring my photos to life in a very high quality environment, so I decided to simply go for it. And when I viewed my app for the first time I was thrilled by how brilliant they look on the iPad.

How long did it take to create the app?

It was really a spontaneous thing: Herder planned to launch my book at the International Bookfair in Frankfurt 2011 to coincide with Iceland being this year’s guest of honour. Only two weeks before I had just heard about Mag+ and the possibilities it offered. We very rapidly developed this app for iPad in order to promote the book at the fair. The focus of the app is clearly on the photography. I am now looking forward to doing further apps making use of the possibilities and rich features of this medium, such as multimedia content and the combination of text, video and audio.

So this won’t be your last app?

Definitely not. You see – the Iceland app has had enormous resonance: more than 1,100 downloads in the first month even though Iceland is a niche topic. For me this was amazing, and an eye opener. Most of the downloads came from the US, even though the text of the app is in German. I have learned, there is a global interest in the topic I am so passionate about. This makes me very happy and motivates me to pursue my dream to become my own publisher on Iceland. I already have a lot of ideas.

You mentioned new possibilities especially for freelancers, photographers and small publishers. Where do you see them?

I see a big potential for me as a freelance journalist and photographer creating iPad apps and also iPhone apps that provide quality content to users worldwide.

It has always been my dream to publish my own photo book. But printing is extremely expensive – for publishers and especially for me as freelancer. Don’t get me wrong – I love printed books and magazines and the tactile experience of reading them. However one does not exclude the other. With high quality multimedia photo apps I can make my dream a reality, and I am using the whole multimedia potential.

Get Tina Bauer’s photo App here.  Or why not make one yourself with Mag+?

Tina Bauer’s website.