By Andy Butler

Unai Momoitio is an iPhone photographer from Getxo, Las Arenas in the Básque country of Spain, who has consistently won recognition in various photography competitions such as the Mobile Photography Awards, the IPPAWARDS, and last year’s Mobiography Awards.

Many of Unai’s images feature lone figures set in wide-open spaces. She uses soft, atmospheric lighting conditions and vibrant colors, which help to connect the viewer with her subjects. Unai also shoots a variety of other photographic styles including street photography, portraits, seascapes, and macro images.

I caught up with Unai to learn more about her approach to her smartphone photography work.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography journey.

My beginnings in mobile photography came through a series of changes that took me from drawing/painting to photography with a reflex camera (a Nikon D60) so that I could capture landscapes with it in order to paint them afterward. With the logical progression over the years, my attention began to be drawn to mobile photography since it’s a camera I always have in my pocket, unlike my Nikon.

My first mobile was the iPhone 4s, then the 5, 7 and XS. With the iPhone 4S and Olloclip lenses, I found a specialty that caught my attention – macro photography.

From that moment, I was completely hooked. So much so that I won first prize in the Mobile Photography Awards in the macro category in 2012. Since then, I have had honorable mentions in subsequent years, which boosted my career as a mobile photographer.