What is Utata Goes Mobile?
Utata Goes Mobile is the BIG PROJECT for Summer 2014. Past BIG PROJECTS have included Utata Pays Homage, Just One Thing, Musical Notes, and A Conversation.
Mobile phones are arguably the biggest thing to hit photography in decades. If I can quote some completely made-up statistics, there are now more photographs of adolescents pulling duckfaces into mirrors than there are photographs of the entire 19th century. Almost everybody has a cell phone. Almost every cell phone has a camera. And almost every cell phone camera has taken some actually OK pictures. And some genuinely terrible ones.
This summer's Utata BIG PROJECT takes on the mobile phone camera.
But I don't have a whizzy smartphone because I hate them.
Even if you have an unsmart phone with an ancient and dusty old camera on it, there is room in this project for you.
What about my glorious shiny tablet?
If you are comfortable taking pictures with something the size and shape of a coffee-table book then that's OK with us. The distinction between smartphones and tablets is so blurred that we're not drawing a line.
Do you want any words? Because I hate typing on a smartphone.
No. This Big Project is all about the photographs. You need add nothing more than a title or a short description.
Do I process the images on my smartphonetablet?
You can if you like … there are an abundance of image processing applications around. Or if you prefer to upload to a more conventional computer and polish them in Photoshop that's OK too.
Are there any categories?
Why yes there are. And, in the usual manner, each category will have a machine tag to organise the project.
  • Portraits (including self-portraits)
  • Landscape
  • Street
  • Abstract
  • Narrative
  • Ironic
The first four categories ought to be self-explanatory.
By narrative we mean a coherent series of shots that create a narrative structure. Pictures that tell a story. Since rumor has it that words are also handy in story-telling, feel free to add some.
By ironic we mean … you know … ironic. Mobile photography is often derided for its clichés and tweeness. Shots of your lunch. Self-portraits in bathroom mirrors. A blurred nightclub shot of drunken, gurning friends. The images that make up 98% of Instagram and Hipstamatic. The sort of thing that any self-respecting photography snob would sneer at.
But Utata is not one for snobbish sneering. We want you to embrace those clichés. You can be as arch and knowing as you like. Reimagine the duckface selfie.
How many images?
You may submit up to 6 in each category up to a total of 36 if you partake in every category.
Can I use archival photographs or do they all have to be new?
No. Utata Big Projects are a stimulus for new work. Be stimulated.
Can I use someone else's photographs?
No, please only submit photos which you took and for which you have full copyright. Model releases may be necessary.
Will collaborative works be accepted?
No. Utata Big Projects are solo endeavours.
Will submissions be edited or published as is?
Whatever you submit, that's what we use.
What size will images be displayed?
Images will be displayed using Flickr's default large size, with a maximum width of 1024 pixels wide. If your photograph is portrait or square orientation, it will retain its aspect ratio.
What tags do I use?
In order for us to pull your photos from Flickr and display them on the Utata project page, you'll need to tag your photos properly. All submissions must use one of the following tags to indicate the category to which it belongs:
  • utata:project=phoneportraits
  • utata:project=phonelandscape
  • utata:project=phonestreet
  • utata:project=phoneabstract
  • utata:project=phonenarrative
  • utata:project=phoneironic
Within each of these categories, you can order your photographs using the tags utata:entry=1, utata:entry=2, … utata:entry=6.
N.B.
These should be applied per category, e.g. if you submit three tagged phonenarrative and two tagged phoneportraits they should be numbered entry=1, entry=2, entry=3 for each narrative photo, respectively, and then entry=1, entry=2, for each portrait photo, respectively. Every photo intended for the project must have an entry tag or it will not show up in the project.
Can I use other formatting tags?
As for previous Big Projects, tags can mark which part of a description of a photo is seen by Utata: utata:startdesc=[marker] and utata:enddesc=[marker]replacing [marker] with whatever characters you choose as your marker.
Can my photos be marked private?
In order for your photos to appear on Utata project pages, they must be public, not private.
Can I opt out of Flickr's API permissions?
No, in order for us to access your photographs using tags, you must opt-in to Flickr's API permission. If you don't know whether you are opted in or not, go here and check. You must have the "Hide your photostream from searches on 3rd party sites that use the API?" unchecked in order to participate.
Do I have to be a member of Utata?
Yes, you must be a member of Utata and you must have a Utata.org member page, if you don't already. We will be using the name you have indicated on your member page, if you wish your name to be different for the project, you will need to change your member page details.
What is Utata's policy on nudity?
Utata.org only publishes Flickr photos marked "safe" in accordance with Flickr community guidelines. See the following from the Flickr FAQ on Content Filters:
What is the deadline for this exciting project?
All submissions must be completed and appropriately tagged before the end of August 31st.