Andrew Lucchesi, featured trover coming to SXSW

Austin mobile photographer Andrew Lucchesi wowed the judges with his discoveries at Trover's East Austin Discovery Walk, earning him the event's top prize -- a Platinum Badge to the South by Southwest Festival! Here he shares why he loves to capture street art, his top tip for fellow trovers and how he plans to attack the monster that is SXSW.

Location: Austin, Texas

“Day Job”: I'm an information architect.

What are you working on now that you love? Two things: I'm doing a portrait series with my son, and on weekends I drive around Austin and shoot street art. I use an iPhone for all my photography. My son is four years old, and he loves costumes. On a typical day, he'll change costumes three or four times before lunch. And he mixes up his costumes in creative ways, so he'll be a ghost/pirate/monster or a Frankenstein/Batman/werewolf. I shoot the pictures in his room against a bare wall, for as long as I can get him to stand still, which is usually 30 seconds or less. Then I heavily app the pictures so they look more like a painting than a photograph. When I want to shoot street art, I like to drive around East Austin, usually on 4th and 5th Streets. Or I'll head over to the Project Hope street art site on 10th and Baylor. At that spot, artists can paint legally if they have a permit.

My subject matter inspires me because... My son inspires me because he's really creative, completely unique, and very funny. Street art inspires me because it brings creativity into mundane life. Once you start looking for street art, you see it everywhere--in alleys, on utility boxes, on the backs of street signs. It's like a secret world that begins to reveal itself when you look for it. I like to photograph street art because it often has such a short lifespan. A piece might get buffed over in a day or two and no one will ever see it again. Wheatpastes and stickers crumble and fade. And even legal pieces get tagged over. So it's good to record stuff while it's fresh and share it with the world. Someone risked their freedom to get their art out there. The least I can do is find it, shoot it, and share it.

Trover is... a great way to share discoveries like street art, yard art, or funky architecture. If someone wants to see your discovery in person, the geotagging leads them right to it. Trover is also great to use while you're traveling. Wherever you are, you can open the app and see what cool stuff is right around you, within walking distance.

Trover tip: Share unusual discoveries, things that are hidden or out of the way. Include tips for locating your discoveries if they are hard to find. And check the app periodically when you're out and about. There might be hidden gems near you.

My best discovery ever is: the Niz stencil of Mosh at the Project Hope site. That or the Revolt Vader poster. They're strong images that leave an impression. Definitely worth seeing in person.

My plan of attack at SXSW is ... to immerse myself in as much as I can. Thanks to Trover, I won a platinum SXSW badge! That means I have access to everything: interactive, film, and music. I'm really looking forward to the live graffiti gallery. There'll be lots of talented artists at work for several nights in a row, so I can shoot pieces live as they're going up. I'll also do the Trover East Austin Photowalk. For the films, I'll focus on movies that are less likely to hit it big and get wide distribution. This might be my only chance to see those movies. I have some friends that come to Austin every year for SXSW music. We usually sit down in front of the computer each morning with a cup of coffee, check the schedule, listen to samples, and plan a course through town to hit as many good shows as possible. It pays to do a little planning up front.

Browse all of Andrew Lucchesi's discoveries

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