Whats your Muse? Apps~Hipstamatic ~ Glaze ~ BracketMode ~HDR Pro~ Leonardo ~ Snapseed

Often, I ponder what it is that moves me to see and then create an image......waxing introspectively....
On my recent workshop at The National Gallery of Art, men inspired me, doing what they do in this beautiful environment...as I was working with the group explaining BracketMode and HDR Pro I spotted this gentleman with his camera. I was curious about this older man walking around the gallery putting his camera to his eye and shooting images...at any age photography is a gift and a camera a good companion! I quickly grabbed a BracketMode shot while he stood still looking at the tree with his camera to his face. BracketMode allowed  me to capture the light inside with detail on the wall, as well as the beautiful light falling on the outside building wall. I wondered what image he made....

Captured: BracketMode Processed:HDRPro, Snapseed

After the workshop was over I found him in another section of the gallery and made this image. Waiting until I found just the right composition which allowed me to fit him in between the two paintings hanging on the wall. He was alone with his camera, his thoughts and marvelous art!

Captured: Hipstamatic, Jane lens Inas 1969 film Processed: Glaze, ImageBlender, Leonardo, Impression

The same day one of my young students, who I was terribly impressed with....captured my "Yes" when I saw him holding his iPhone up to capture the condensation of the perpetual condensation display....and once again...the joy of photography came to mind...from the very young with his iPhone to the older gentleman with his DSLR. Amazing....how we see so differently through the lens!!! any lens! and the joy it brings.

Captured: Hipstamatic, Jane Lens Inas 1969 film Processing: None

While showing a workshop student a composition using Hipstamatic, of a man seated, seemingly as part of the stone building structure, an art object himself, we got down low and and made this composition. He never knew we were there.

Captured: Hipstamatic Processed: Glaze, ArtistaSketch, ImageBlender, Snapseed, Leonardo

And after the workshop I strayed into the West wing and captured the Gallery Guard as he was directing traffic and warning people to put their beverage bottles away, again, waiting to catch him in a position separated from the escalator so that he was in a good position to offset his person against the wall in front of him, and waiting for that crossed hand behind the back stance that caught my eye initially.
It is always fun to shoot with the iPhone, then app it up! I have only two spots left for my all day workshop sponsored by Capital Photography Center on May 4th. Hope someone can join me there. For more info Click Here. My next "Getting Started" class is June 1 at the National Portrait Gallery for more info click here.

Captured: Hipsatmatic Jane Lens Inas 1969 film Processed: Glaze, ImageBlender, Snapseed, Leonardo, Impression

A Little Whimsey ~ BracketMode ~ ProHDR ~ Portrait Painter ~ Snapseed~ ImageBlender ~Leonardo

Before the recent snowfalls I wandered around Druid Hill Park one day with my iPhone. It is a fabulous old park in Baltimore with good walking paths, Victorian pavilion structures and magnificent old trees. I made a couple compositions before landing on this one. I just loved how the old trees seemed to embrace the little pavilion in the woods. Below is a series of images with notes on how I arrived at this process. On a humorous note, I was also dubbed a "Master App Stacker", by Gilles Dezeustre of the 11er's by Glaze when he re-tweeted the previous post I made using one of his superb apps Glaze! That gave me a chuckle!! I have been called many things in my lifetime but that's a new title! I guess this post is a good example of App Stacking!! Thanks Gilles! A link to his app can be found here! Glaze... 
Happy to say my Spring 2014 iPhone Photography Class starts tonight at Johns Hopkins and the class is full with a wait list! amazing!! If you are interested in learning more about iPhone photography....Check out the sidebar of this blog for more info on my upcoming iPhone Workshops and classes.
I am also honored to have been invited to Present a Session on iPhone Photography at Nature Visions, in Virgnia this fall. Also happy to have sold a framed iPhone print and a few more ceramic iPhone image magnets at More Than Fine Framing in Baltimore.

Finished processed image copyright added with Impression

BracketMode Image no 1 Captured for highlights

BracketMode Image no 2 Captured for dark areas

Processed image no 3 BracketMode images 1 and 2 in ProHDR

Snapseed image no 4 sharpened and converted to monochrome

Snapseed image no 5 Retrolux Filter

ImageBlender image no 6 : Image no 3 and image no 5 combined

Image no 7 processed image no 6 in Portrait Painter by JixiPix
and enhanced color and saturation in Leonardo

The Hamilton Street Club BracketMode:Hipstamatic

Its been way too long since I posted an iPhone blog! Today I had an opportunity to make a presentation on iPhone Photography at The Hamilton Street Club in Baltimore.  I had never heard about this very interesting club until I was invited to present by one of my past students who is a member. I arrived early and set up; then I had a chance to wander a bit before everyone arrived. Hard to believe this building was once a stable, and even harder to believe this club has been in place since the early 1920's! That's pretty good longevity, but with fabulous lunch menus like the one they had today I can understand! Their line up of speakers for luncheons is also pretty impressive!
I was honored to be invited! The decor is charming and a mix of old and updated...which I loved; so I started making a few images before people arrived. Then a few members came in early and I began to show a few individuals what I had been shooting. I loved this little lamp and settee shot, but it needed a person, so Jeannette was willing and I placed a book in her hand and asked her to just act like she was reading....then I made a quick Hipstamatic shot (Jane Lens and Inas 1969 film) and then I used Snapseed to refine the image, before running it through Glaze.
Here's the shot below without Jeannette....People in images make a huge difference! Maybe you can join me for an iPhone workshop..next one is June 16, Fathers Day in Baltimore...visit the Capital Photography Website to register...click here! Or how about my all day class at Horizons Photography Workshop on July 13? Visit the Horizon Photography Workshop site click here for more info..... and...........I am heading for Ireland on Friday so look for Ireland iPhone images soon.

 I shot a few more images there....

BracketMode:TrueHDR:Snapseed: Glaze

BracketMode:TrueHDR:Snapseed: Glaze

BracketMode:TrueHDR:Snapseed: Glaze

National Portrait Gallery iPhone workshop~ Autostitch ~ BracketMode~ Snapseed

Last weekend, at the National Portrait Gallery, I had a great group of eager to learn iPhone Photographers in my workshop. We worked through setting up and using a few shooting apps and processing apps before we went into the gallery and began making images. As I was working with students helping them to make shots and use apps, the window at the end of the Modern wing caught my eye. I loved the whimsical stools arranged in front of it on the square tile floor, as well as the light in the window that was filtered by translucent blinds. I wanted to capture the whole scene and in order to do that I had to make 38 shots using the BracketMode app which captures two shots rapidly, one capturing the highlights in the scene and one capturing the dark areas in the scene. I then blended the shots together in Autostitch. While I was showing a student the process I began to process the shot in Snapseed and he and I both liked the way the image was developing. The new RetroLuxe filter in Snapseed is great for creating a moody feeling in the image.

 

This scene made me laugh! It was so real you just had to look twice. The artist who created this was so creative.  I used ClassicPan to shoot the vertical image eliminating distracting elements on the left side of the scene. Then I processed the image in Snapseed adding a RetroLuxe filter effect, border and toning.

This is also a 38 shot panorama made with the same process as the opening image, using BracketMode for the capture and Autostitch for the stitch. I just loved this scene with the red sofas, tile floor, green carpet and window. When the stitch was done it was a little short on the left side so I used Anti-Crop to add to the image on the left. It was not a perfect add so I used a little Glaze, after processing the image in Snapseed to obscure the issue.When making stitched images it is always a good idea to begin and end the shooting series well beyond the area of the scene you want and overlap images by twenty percent to get a good stitch.

In this image you can see where Anti-Crop added image area on the left side behind the red sofa, but only in a fair way. If I had not told you would you have noticed? I will be conducting more iPhone workshops with Capital Photography Center in  Baltimore, Washington, DC and Horizon Photography Workshops in Chesapeake City, Md. I hope you can join me for some iPhone fun! Learn about creative apps and make some great images!

Markree Castle, Ireland ~ App ~ Vintage Scene

Capture: Camera+  Processed: Vintage Scene

During my Ireland tour with Peter Cox, John Barclay and Dan Sniffin, I was making iPhone images as well as "Big Girl" camera images. It was really quite fun helping other professional photographers on tour with their iPhones. They were downloading new apps and as we drove from town to town I was demonstrating how to use the apps. After the tour was over I spent ten more days road tripping through Ireland. One of the high lights of my trip was my stay in the Markree Castle. I had intended to do some photography here with the Nikon camera but the rain never stopped for the days I was here. The morning I was leaving I did walk around the grounds in my rain slicker and made a few images with my iPhone. The age of the castle and the rain led me to choose an app that creates a look of old photos, with many options for adjustments, from color to texture and borders. Its not a new app but it is one of my favorite apps.

Capture: 6x7 Processed: Vintage Scene

I loved the architectural details of the windows with climbing roses.

Capture: ClassicPan Processed: Vintage Scene

Capture: BracketMode Processed: ProHDR: Vintage Scene

This is a shot of the bathroom window in my room that overlooked the gardens...it was a great place!
I am offering the same Ireland tour June 2 - June 11, 2013 with Peter Cox of Ireland. To date there are six photographers registered with space for 8 more, so if you are interested in the South-west Ireland tour with myself and Peter Cox: click here for more info and registration.
This fall in Baltimore, in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University Odyssey program I am happy to be offering a six week iPhone class. For more information and registration click here.

Ireland or Bust!...

Sunset: Capture: BracketMode Processed: ProHDR: Autopainter; Snapseed: ImageBlender: Crop'n'Frame

Well it was a good trip, but long...leaving home Friday, June 15 at 12:45 ECT and arriving Ireland Saturday, June 16 at about 11:00am. London, Heathrow was the worst....many checkpoints and great distances between terminals..people were all nice but don't pack your iPad in your briefcase like in the US where we can just pass it through the screening. In the UK you have to also remove your iPad from your briefcase along with your laptop and tub it! But you can leave your shoes on! Who knew, so I got hung up there for a little while waiting for them to empty my briefcase and re-screen, then a mile or so to the final terminal...and one more check point!
The coolest part about the trip so far was the flight from New York's JFK at 7:00 pm...watching the sun set in the west over the wing as we flew north and then a few hours later watching it rise over the wing as we dropped down into London..My window was the dirtiest airplane window I have seen but I didn't care I was just using my iPhone and I figured I could paint it up with AutoPainter3 and I could at least capture the essence of the scene. Looking down on the earth as the light changes in the sky is truly awesome. Pilots have the best views!!!

When I arrived at the Oakwood Arms in Shannon, I was bushed...but wanted to explore a little on foot. So I walked to the local mall had a bite at the Nosh + Coffee and took a leisurely stroll back through a little village. I had noticed a business across from the hotel called tastypizza, doing business in what looked like an old thatched roof cottage with red doors. Since it was fairly commercial on the front side I passed it up as a photo opp, but when walking back through the little village the back side of the tastypizza had an all together different look and there were two Indian children playing on the door steps. So I took a few pictures the children were wonderful and wanted to pose for more. Then I showed them their pictures.As I walked around the front of the building I went in and guess what their dad ( I recognized the family resemblance) was the owner of the shop so I got his e-mail and came back processed a few shots and sent him the pics! Then I came back to the hotel freshened up from the travel and took a nap!!!

Capture: CameraPlus Processed: Snapseed

Heading to dinner around 8:30 I ran into John Barclay, Dan Sniffen and Peter Cox so the gang is here. The tour with them and the group that has signed up should be great.... looking forward to being taken around the south west of Ireland's Ring of Kerry. Looks like Peter has a great itinerary lined up for us. Big camera pics tomorrow...

Murphy's Cottage, Shannon, Co. Clare  (tastypizza)
Capture: BracketMode Processed: ProHDR: AutoPainter3

Random shots and Apps ~ From My Washington DC Workshop

Captured: Camera+ Processed: Modern Grunge: Snapseed: Percolator: Crop'n'Frame

Saturday was a great day with super creative iPhoneographers, just getting going in the art! I was amazed at the images they were creating! I captured a few shots in between helping the participants utilize the apps they were shooting with. Sometimes I process images from a shoot with similar apps for consistency; but there are so many fun apps and different shots I am all over with my processing in this blog. Our first stop was Starbucks for an hour of App Chat~ getting everyone on board with app resolution, options and features for shooting. Next Stop was the Renwick Gallery. We had fun shooting there on the second floor. There are amazing art pieces in the gallery. Our final stop was the DAR building. It was a great day!
I hope you can join me for my next day long creative processing iPhone workshop in Chesapeake City at Horizon Photography Workshops on June 9.

Two Images Blended in ImageBlender: Capture: One shot Camera+ the other shot of the window and drape BracketMode Processing: ImageBlender: Snapseed: Crop'n'Frame

Capture: Camera+ Processed: Percolator:Snapseed: Crop'n'Frame

Captured: BracketMode Processed: ProHDR: ModernGrunge: Snapseed: Crop'n'Frame

Captured: BracketMode  Processed: ProHDR: TinyPlanets: ModernGrunge: Crop'n'Frame

 

Captured: Camera+ Processed: ModernGrunge: TinyPlanets: LensLight: Snapseed: Crop'n'Frame

Battery 519 Cape Henlopen, Delaware~ BracketMode: ProHDR: Snapseed~Vintage: Painteresque: ImageBlender

12 inch Gun

Last week I had the opportunity to visit and tour Battery 519 at Cape Henlopen, Delaware. Supporters of the Battery were conducting WWII reenactments and were in vintage outfits, as well as outfitting the barracks with vintage, furniture, and accessories. A little history on the "Big Gun's"
"In 1940, the Army had planned to place two 16" gun batteries at Fort Miles.  The second was to be just north of Battery Smith, the first 16" battery already under construction, as Delaware was considered high on the defense priority list.  By late 1941, Delaware's priority had dropped substantially, and the planned second 16" battery (Construction #119) was cancelled.  The structure saw new life as Battery 519 when the war department decided to place two 12" guns there that had been pulled from Battery Haslet at Fort Saulsbury.  The battery was completed in March, 1943 and was retained until deleted in May, 1948.  The emplacement still exists and will be the future home of one of the largest coast artillery museums in the country." 
I was shooting with my D4 but also made images with the iPhone when I knew the dynamic range of light might be outside what I could get out of my camera. I used BracketMode to capture the shots with my iPhone, ProHDR to merge the bracketed shots, Painteresque for a Filter effect, that I then blended back with the HDR image and I processed the blended image with Snapseed, applied local adjustments, Vintage looks and a few other tweeks.
If you would like to read more about Fort Miles click here for a link and donation page.
My next full day iPhone workshop is June 9 in Chesapeake City, Md. at Horizon Photograpy Workshops. Hope to see you there for some iPhone Photography fun and education.

Painteresque~ BracketMode~ProHDR~The iPhone shoots Ladew Gardens in the rain..

All images here were captured in BracketMode, Processed with ProHDR, Painteresque, and Blended in ImageBlender, framed with Crop'n'Frame.

Last week I scouted Ladew Gardens as a possible alternative to Sherwood Gardens for my "Big Camera" workshop as the weather had been very warm and I was worried that the Tulips might be spoiled. When I arrived at Ladew it was in the late afternoon and it was gently raining.
I grabbed my umbrella, iPhone, rain jacket and put on my waterproof hike boots. Nothing better than a walk in a beautiful garden on a rainy day for saturated colors.

As it turned out there were not enough accessible tulips to move my shoot to Ladew, but I did make a few iPhone pictures while I was there.

 Ladew does not open most days until 10:00am and on weekends until 10:30am...so it does not lend itself to a "big camera" shoot and would only be good with the iPhone on a cloudy day, too tough to predict and schedule a workshop..but it is always nice to visit!

I have a great iPhone Photography workshop scheduled for Saturday, May 5, in Washington, DC.
Click here to Register
I also have an all day workshop for Sunday, May 6 in Washington, DC.
Click here to Register.
Hope you can join me there!

Tracy, the developer of Crop'n'Frame has added a great feature for saving your favorite style of frames so you can easily access it when you want. The "i" icon once the app is open, will then open a list of instructions for use and for adding your favorite frame design to the preset menu. Its a great new option!