iPhone camera fun

After months and months of having a broken camera phone (among other mobile phone issues that ended up with a replacement) I finally got my smart phone camera-less-ness taken care of. it is tough to be a photographer and without the ability to quickly whip out my device and make some images. I have used a few apps in the past to edit/enhance my smartphone pictures, and have found iPhoneography to be as much about convenience as it is a challenge to create interesting images.

I have recently found and started to have fun with creating triptychs from my iPhone photos. I use the apps Frametastic and PicFrame to create a triptych effect,  Typic+ to add words, and then post to Instagram:

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Do you have any camera phone editing apps that you like to use for unique frames? What do you use to add words/designs for fun photos? Let me know in the comments section!

Close yet so far away

I live really close to the San Fernando Mission. I have even attended Mass there. However, getting there with my camera proves to be impossible. Some visitors from out of town prompted me to go there, and I don't think I have gone there since I dove into photography. I am ashamed to say this not only because it is a gorgeous place to photograph, but it is also an important part of California's history. Basically in my back yard.

Knowing that I would be visiting there, did I bring my SLR? Of course not! It was close to noon, so the lighting would be crap. I had only my iPhone and my mini-me (point and shoot).

Here are a few photos taken with and edited in my iPhone:

Above are a couple of mosaics from a series of along one of the walls of the Mission library. Both photos were edited with the iPhone Photogene app to do some minor color correction.

This is a photo of the main fountain, which is a replica of the original. I edited this photo using the Best Camera app so that I could bring out the texture in the image.

I am making it a goal for 2011 to get back there for a photography outing. I look forward to posting the photos from that outing on my blog.

Thank you for sticking with me into the new year!

When the moment strikes

Boy am I happy that I a) had my iPhone camera with me and that b) I made this image when I did:

Edited in the iPhone 3GS using Photogene and Best Camera apps. Ambient lighting only.

I walked by this image while running some errands one weekend. Something about it spoke to me, and for a split-second I thought, "Oh I'll grab it on the way back to my car." But then I dropped my shopping bag, took out my iPhone --This image screamed best Camera App-- and grabbed a shot or two.

On my way back to my car, the shopping center security guard had two teenage (or tweenage) skateboarders off to the side of the low wall the broken skateboard was sitting on, and my subject --gasp!-- on the ground.

This image reminds me to stop saying, "I'll get that later". There might not be a later, no matter the subject matter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Home reflection

Home reflection, originally uploaded by kej328.

Testing out the ability to blog from my Flickr page.

What better than to test it out with a nice reflection of my favorite place? A different view of home, certainly I never really see it like this.

And taken on the fly with the iPhone, edited with Photogene.

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Leave as is please...

Humans just cannot seem to leave well enough alone. An example of this is Oat Mountain, a mountain in the Santa Monica Mountain range. It is owned by the gas company, and the peak is home to telecommunications, so it has been spoiled.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Oat+Mountain+Mtwy,+Chatsworth,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.819956,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Oat+Mountain+Mtwy,+Chatsworth,+Los+Angeles,+California+91311&ll=34.309808,-118.60838&spn=0.031336,0.077162&z=14&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Aside from that fact, well enough cannot be left alone. I recently went up there for the first time in about 18 months (I have been going there since I was a toddler), and of course brought my camera.

This photo was taken in February 2008, and note the wall on the right of the photo:

I took the following last weekend, July 2010.

Now, Oat Mountain is kind of a hike to the top, and the only way that someone can get to it in a car is by owning a key (which not to many people have access to).

I am sad that someone would travel to the top of the peak, with spray paint, just to deface a wall that very few people will see.

I noticed when looking through my Flickr set of Oat, that the scenery has changed (of course), but so has my eye. In February 2008, I was taking photos like this:

And in July 2010, I took a photo like this:

Now, for those of you that say, "What kind of camera is that? It takes such good pictures!" the first photo was taken with m first SLR, a Canon Rebel XTi. The last photo was taken with my iPhone.

Quite interesting to compare the type of photography and to see my growth as a photographer.

A couple of my favorites from this latest trip up there:

Of course I found the flowers on the otherwise brown mountain.

I'm also experimenting a little bit with some Lightroom presets and customizing:

This aged tone really spoke to me for this photo, because the tree is old, and the surrounding vegetation is brown anyway. I always think warmly of Oat Mountain because it has been part of my life, so this tone reflected my warm fuzzies for it as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Inspiration and the "Best Camera"

I recently posted about how I received Chase Jarvis' book "The Best Camera (is the one that's with you)". Well I have actually been able to take a look through it, and you know what? I got inspired! Now of course, Chase Jarvis is a great photographer, and I'm not trying to mimic or copy him, but it got me thinking about using my iPhone camera. I have been known to use the camera in my phone, but lean toward using my trusty point and shoot (with more megapixles, a zoom feature--why would the iPhone camera do that?--and a FLASH).

Anyhow, I have been giving my iPhone a whirl more than I usually do, and am sort of looking for simplicity. I also purchased the application ("app" for short) that Chase Jarvis developed, Best Camera. I have created a nifty little Flickr set for those photos that I edit with that app.

I am not an iPhone app reviewer by any means, except when an addictive game asks me to rate it repeatedly. However, the Best Camera app is very limited to just a few filters, one border option, and the only option to crop as a square. One can stack these filters, mix them up, etc to create a cool photo. However, it leaves something to be desired as far as color correction and exposure (As much as can be done with a 3 megapixel camera).  I understand Jarvis' idea to work with simplicity to bring out creativity. All I'm saying is when you cannot adjust the exposure in an expensive little POS that camera, it helps to have some control in post-processing.  My workaround is to adjust the exposure, cropping, etc. in another editing application on the phone and then add the creative filters in Best Camera. Or I'll just work directly in Best Camera and have some fun, which is Jarvis' point.

Cloud fun taken with iPhone and edited in Best Camera.

Thanks for stopping by!

Adorama iPhone Contest

Back from a lovely cruise to the Mexican Riveria. I got one photo that I absolutely LOVE, it just needs to be tweaked a bit. Coming soon. Before I left for vacation I found out that I was one of the lucky recipients of Chase Jarvis' "The Best Camera" through Adorama's iPhone contest. Here is the photo I entered for consideration:

Taken with my iPhone and edited it using the Photoshop and Photogene applications for the iPhone.

Some pretty amazing photographers were judges for the contest, so I am honored that they even SAW my photo. To win something cool for entering is even better.

I received the book earlier this week and have renewed my spark to take photos with my iPhone.

Thank you to Adorama for creating this contest, Chase Jarvis for the inspiration, and the talented judges who took the time to even glance at my photo.

And of course, thank you for stopping by.