Denver photographer Michael Rieger traveled the world on assignment for the last 20 years. He documented Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 for FEMA. But it was his iPhone that served as an inspiration for capturing the images of every day life.
From geese marching through a snowy field to street scenes, Rieger shot 365 images for a new book, “Inspiration Exists: A Working Meditation.”
A quote from Pablo Picasso, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working,” sparked the project.
"After 20 years shooting as a pro I needed to fire up my creativity again," Rieger says.
So, in 2013, he gave himself the assignment of shooting one phone a day with his iPhone, editing on the phone and posting it to Facebook and Instagram. The images include western landscapes, abstracts and even whimsical shots of his own dog.
The limitation of using an iPhone instead his professional camera gear was actually freeing.
“It gave me different parameters to work with,” he says. "My creative eye got stronger and stronger... it became a meditation too."
