Hipstamatic Oggl ~ Winter at the Beach

Watts Lens and BlacKeys Supergrain Film

This is my last week at the beach before closing the house for the winter. It was very cold last night as a Canadian blast of cold air came through. The beach in winter, and it does feel like winter, is ghost like. People abandon it and return it to the wind, the birds and the sea. As the WWII watch towers now stand guard over the abandoned picnic tables, winter is coming on. All these images were shot using the Hipstamatic Oggl app. The coolest thing about Oggl is the ability to control exposure and then to choose the combination of Lens and Film after the shot is made. It was a bold blue sky day when I made all these images and I like to think in Black and white on those kind of days. Processing all the images here in Oggl I chose several Lens and Film combos to achieve the results.

Watts Lens Blackeys Supergrain Film

 The dune fences give way to the wind and the sand.

Watts Lens and Rock BW-11 Film

Shells are tossed to shore and nestled into windblown sand.

Foxy Lens and BlacKeys Supergrain Film

Beach pines filter the harsh afternoon sun.

 

G2 Lens and BlacKeys Supergrain Film

Beach grass struggles to keep rooted in the shifting windblown sands. The ice lockers are locked and the refreshment stands are shuttered. The bath house benches are empty. Winter is here!

Lucas Lens BlacKeys XF Film

Lucas Lens D-Type Plate Film

Loftus Lens BlacKeys XF Film

Beach Pines~ You can never duplicate the exact image unless you write it all down!

This is an image I posted on Facebook over the weekend. One Facebook friend said they hoped I would write a tutorial on my blog for this processing. Well...... I can tell you what I shot it with and maybe a few steps along the way. However to duplicate the exact same image after the fact, with a process one could share, without writing down the original process, is almost impossible. I am not one to write down my processes with exacting steps. In this tutorial I have tried to recreate the image to some degree here. Hopefully these steps will be a starting point for a creative process you might want to try.

Original Image Capture: Hipstamatic Oggl ~ Lowry Lens Kodot XGrizzled Film
The reason I chose Oggl is because you can control exposure. Using the reticles in Oggl I wanted to open up the deep shady areas of the pines. I didn't care if the sky blew out because it was gray and overcast anyway. I did want a hint of horizon line from the ocean. SO controlling capture is important to me as well as processing. I knew I wanted to add textures to the sky area when I shot this image.

Original Capture

Processing:
A. Open the Hipstamatic image in Mextures then choose
 1. Grunge Filter Painterly
                                           Choose Blend Mode Multiply

Screen shot of Mextures Grunge interface

Then Adjust texture to 50% Check and continue to add filters in Mextures.

Screen shot of Mextures Vintage User interface

   2. Then add new filter in Mextures
       Landscape enhance "Vignette" at 20 %  Blend mode overlay (not shown) Check and continue  to  add filter in Mextures.
   3. Then add new filter in Mextures
          Vintage "Polaroid" at 20% Blend mode Hard Light 
Save file to Photo Library

B. Open the saved Mextures file in AutoPainter and apply Benson filter and save.

AutoPainter file

C. Open the last saved Mextures file (not the AutoPainter file) in Leonardo and apply the Clarity slider as shown in screenshot and save to Photo Library.

Screen shot Leonard Clarity interface

D. Open AutoPainter saved image in Snapseed and add ambience and warmth in the Tune Image Command and save file.

Screen shot Snapseed

E. Open Image Blender and open The last saved Mextures file from Leonardo first, with the last saved AutoPainter file from Snapseed and blend with Lighten mode at about 45% and save.

Screen shot ImageBlender interface

F. Open the saved ImageBlender file in distressed fx and use filters to adjust color save.

Screen shot distressed fx interface

G. Lastly to the saved distressed fx file add a vignette in Mextures and save. This is close but not exact in tone and shading however, I hope the tutorial will give you some ideas for future processing of your images.

Check out my next all day iPhone Sessions in DC on November 24 sponsored by Capital Photography Center (click here for more info) and in Chestertown, Md on November 23 sponsored by The Chestertown River Arts (click here for more info on Chestertown.)

Final image

Beach Color Palettes ~ iOs7 ~ Hipstamatic ~ Glaze ~ Snapseed ~ Leonardo

Dunes: Processed Snapseed, Glaze, ImageBlender, Leonardo, Impression (signature)

This morning I took the big camera out to shoot my last sunrise at the beach for a couple weeks. It was a bland sunrise so to speak, no clouds...or drama in the sky. I had my iPhone with me using it to time the long exposures pre-dawn for the big camera shots. I also made a couple shots with the iPhone after I was done with the big camera. I must admit walking around with the big camera on my back, tripod collapsed and iPhone in hand was a bit more fun! Call me crazy it just is: Something about the flexibility of moving the iPhone any which way you want so easily to get the shot. I am sure if you are an iPhone shooter you can relate!
iOs7~ Is now live and I am waiting for the apps to catch up before updating my iP5 to the new system. A few Apps posted updates this morning. It sure makes an iPhone educators job difficult when Apple updates their iOs and the App developers have to scurry to update...so I wait....instead of risking incompatibility of my favorite shooting and processing Apps. I just issued a note to students who have enrolled in fall courses not to update until the courses are over due to uncertain compatibility! Geez! OK, now back to the fun stuff!
Beach Color Palettes~ Daytime: Turquoise and yellow
I am loving the Square Format right now so I have enjoyed using the Brighton Hipsta Pak which is the Doris lens and Sussex film in bright afternoon and daytime light at the beach. It adds to the yellow blue palette already at the beach with a twist of turquoise and a touch of the nostalgic feel of vintage hand colored postcards.
The three images below and the opening image were made using the Brighton Hipsta Pak.

Surf : Processed Snapseed, Glaze

Beachscape: Processed Snapseed, Glaze

Landscape Color Block : Processed Snapseed, Glaze

Beach Color Palettes: Sunset: Purples, pinks and blues
For this color palette I like Hipstamatic Jane Lens and Inas 1969 film.

Tidepools: Processed Snapseed, Glaze, Leonardp

Sundown Tide Pool: Processed Snapseed,  Glaze, Leonardo

Beach Tide Pool Walker: Processed Snapseed ~ Straighten, and framed, Glaze

Beach Color Palettes: Sunrise: Gold and Blue
I have no idea what I am going to do with all these little beach pictures, but I have had fun making them...and I think thats what it should be about anyway!! 

Sunrise Surf: Processed Snapseed, Glaze, Leonardo

Sunrise Tide pool: Processed Snapseed, Glaze, Leonardo

Image Composites ~ Hipstamatic ~ Glaze ~ Leonardo

Image 1

It's been a beautiful 10 days at the beach and I will soon be missing the wonderful people and color palette of the summer beach. Sometimes as a photographer waiting for that special moment you hope will happen just doesn't so you have to stretch it a bit. I was watching this lovely young family play by the sea the other day. Mom was pregnant and demure in her black swimsuit and large brim black hat. I loved the style she had created and hoped that I could get a shot of her isolated, but after several hours of enjoying the seaside activities, that did not happen, however, I did snap some shots as she watched her family. In my mind I was seeing a different scene. (Her alone isolated and just the sea and sky.) When she raised her hand to her hat brim and looked out to sea I grabbed it regardless of what was around her.
Today I worked my idea or vision, out with the apps, ImageBlender,  Leonardo and Glaze.
First objective was to find another image to work with the one I shot of her.
So here are the two shots I began with. They were both captured the same day just at different times.

Captured: Hipstamatic Lens~ Jane, Film ~ Inas 1969

Captured: Hipstamatic Lens~ Jane, Film ~ Inas 1969

Then I went to work blending the two images in ImageBlender. I just love the easy user interface in ImageBlender for composite work. Heres the result of the blended, masked, arranged image...

Image result of the two blended images, in ImageBlender, masked, arranged, and re-sized overlay image.
Color enhanced in Leonardo.

Not bad...but it certainly wouldn't pass for a perfect image as is...but I didn't care about that because I was going to then "Glaze" the image for an artistic painterly look.
Glaze is a super App for painterly effects with great texture, which allows you to create and save unique looks....here are a few of the images that I saved as possible keepers. Which one do you like best? Or none at all...leave your vote in comments if you like!
I hope you have some fun trying your hand at ImageBlender and Glaze...or join me on November 24 for an all day iPhone workshop and see how I use these apps.
Here's the link for more information and registration click here.

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Now its time to hit the beach to enjoy the last days of summer by the sea!

On the fly at the beach: Hipstamatic and Glaze

Watching the Dredger ~ Captured with Hipstamatic: Doris Lens, Sussex Film Processed: Glaze, Snapseed, Leonardo

I have been asking myself~ "Why am I just shooting images with my iPhone lately?"
and my answers have been~ I guess because I have been busy and its with me....also its very easy to be "stealth" in public places and not feel weird pointing a "Big Camera" at people to catch a candid shot...so there's my answer...why I love image making with my iPhone, it suits my preference of image making right now....and I just love processing images on the fly! I am not tied to my computer for processing.
Hipstamatic has been my go to shooting app lately because its easy to use in public. I like the big screen view finder and a few of the lens - film combos. For some reason I am loving the square format right now.
The week at the beach is just about over and I have enjoyed trying to capture the last images of summer at the beach wherever I went with the family. The beach images below were captured on our last day on the beach while the beach replenishment crews were fast at work.

Watching

 I really enjoy the natural color palette at the beach! When making images on the beach I try to find interesting scenes or people. I watch and when I have a clean back ground, or people isolated from others,  I quickly grab a shot, always cognizant of getting the horizon line as level as possible.

Surf Fun

On the boardwalk one night at dusk I split off from the kids to capture the rides as the sun was setting and the evening sky was still blue..that's the best time to capture images as the lights are on the rides but the sky is not black.

Captured Hipstamatic: Jane Lens, Ina's 1969 Film Processed: Glaze, Leonardo, and Snapseed

Another great Beach Day..Hipstamatic~ Brighton HipstaPak ~ Glaze ~ Snapseed ~ ImageBlender

So maybe you are getting tired of seeing this little beach series??? But I never get tired of watching folks at play on the beach on a summer day! Its just the most fun..not to mention personally being at the beach and enjoying the ocean water too! What a wonderful color palette to work with...Blue skies, yellow sand, punctuated by bright summer clothing and beach gear! Sadly, today is my out day! Renters coming in tomorrow and I have a private photo tutoring session planned for Saturday morning. So I am saying goodbye with a few more pics I captured yesterday from the shore. Glazed them, yes! I admit I am addicted to that app, it really suits my personal aesthetic, if I were a painter this is how I would paint! The "digital art" process saves a lot of money and lugging around paint supplies! Now I gotta' pack it up! :-(
My next iPhone workshop, sponsored by Capital Photography Center, is August 10 in Washington, DC at historic Union Station. For more info and registration click here. Hope to see you there!

A Perfect Beach Day! Beach Walkers ~ Hipstamatic~ Brighton Pak~ Glaze~ Snapseed

Yesterday was a perfect beach day, so shortly after 1:00pm when the sun starts to move to the west, I packed my gear and walked to the beach.
The beach is a great place to people watch and make iPhone pics...although its very hard to see the iPhone display in the sun! I managed to get the horizons pretty straight...with maybe a little lens or earth bow.
I wanted to try out the new Brighton Pak with the Doris Lens and Sussex film, from Hipstamatic as I perceived it to be perfect for beach images. I put my chair and umbrella near the water and far enough away from the tide...to snap some unsuspecting beach walkers. The ocean was flat and the waves barely created any surf...perfect for me just walk right in and swim away...it was hot and not a cloud in the sky!
I watched people as they came toward my space on the beach, looking for interesting attire or relationships. Then of course I processed them with Glaze~ utilizing the custom feature tool. (I have to send the developer a note....I want a save this combo feature!) I had to shift away from the bold combos I had been using for flowers and objects so that I could still maintain some features of the smallish people relative to the beach landscape. I enjoyed the color rendering of the Brighton HipstaPak and for .99 is worth every penny! I never hesitate to buy a new HipstaPak! Like my friend Tony Sweet says,  "Just buy it!"
I tried to capture people as they walked into the scene but that was not always possible based on the direction I was looking when I first saw them, so I snapped anyway if the people were interesting. I never left my chair for any of these as I was really trying to be inconspicuous. I also tried to make shots where there was separation between the walkers. The other compositional idea I tried to achieve consistently was looking straight ahead of me to render the shoreline level. Looks like its going to be another perfect beach day..maybe more images to come!