Sunday, February 28, 2010

What is it?






I have no idea, but there were a bin of them on clearance at REI. A casual iPhone shot tuned up a tad with PhotoForge.

Domestic






Shopping is one of those domestic tasks--represented by carts outside Stew Leonard's. This iPhone photo was almost monotone as it was, but I used MonoPhix Lite to render it entirely into B&W.

Luscious




These red peppers on sale at Stew Leonard's are just luscious. A few adjustments were made to this iPhone photo with PhotoForge.

Sky




This afternoon, the sun tried to break through lowering clouds. PhotoForge helped play up the lights and darks.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Dreaded Mall





Sierra took me to the Dreaded Mall (which was actually meant to get me away while everyone else was home setting up my surprise birthday party.) I pumped up this iPhone shot with Mill Color to play up the garish plastic nature of the mall. It was framed in PhotoGene.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Oddity




The weather has been so unrelentingly grim that I couldn't bear another monochrome scene--so I used the iPhone and PhotoStudio to create a fantasy tree of the maple across the street.

Self Portrait

I've kept a journal since I was 17. Any real self-portrait would be found there.

I was given my first camera--the kind you looked down into--when I was five. I fell in love with photography then, and it's has been a passion ever since. The arrival of consumer level photo editing software galvanized my interest, because now I could make the pictures look just like what my eye saw or my imagination envisioned when I clicked the shutter.

The picture of the journal was taken with my Kodak Z915; the one of myself with the iPhone using the Self Image app (which I downloaded just today for this project!) They were assembled in Elements.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Rainy Evening

The security guard stands under a huge umbrella outside our office building as a cold rain falls. I used Camera Bag's Helga filter on this iPhone shot after making a few basic adjustments in PhotoForge.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Cold, Wet & Nasty






Someone left a newspaper on the counter by a window that overlooks the parking lot. The news reflects the weather beyond the window. Basic processing for this iPhone shot was done in PhotoForge, then focus emphasis applied with Tilt Shift Generator.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Orchard in the Snow




In today's sullen snow, the red barn relieved the eye with a touch of color. All processing was done to this iPhone photo in PhotoForge.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Philodendron




This is the philodendron in my cubicle at work. The picture was taken with the iPhone with the Ancient Canvas effect applied in PhotoStudio.

Geometric

At the Hartford Flower Show, there' a vendor who sells butterflies This one was resting on the glass of the display case. It has dramatic geometric patterns on its wings. The photo was taken with my little Kodak Z915. I darkened the background and brightened the butterfly a bit with Elements.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sage Pond





Today it was sunny and relatively warm, so John and I went geocaching at a local park. This picture was taken with the IPhone. I applied the Silver effect in Camera Bag, then made adjustments in PhotoForge & PhotoGene.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

White




These lovely amarillis were on display at the Hartford Flower Show. Processing was done to this iPhone shot using PhotoForge and Mill Colour.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Simplicity




These IKEA vases have sleek simle lines. In them we have sleek simple stalks of lucky bamboo. I used PhotoForge to make a few simple adjustments to brighten this iPhone shot.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Industrial Evening






As I was driving home from work this evening, the light was just spectacular. It gave even the industrial section of Hartford its own kind of beauty. The photo was taken with the ProHDR app and touched up a bit in Touchup.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Children's Toys




Aidan creates the Best Track Ever with these classic wooden trains. Every time we go to IKEA, we pick up a few more sections of track. Like all good toys, these are low on tech and high on imagination. The picture was taken with the iPhone, then had the Magazine effect applied in Camera Bag.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Snow on the Magnolia




Today we're having a classic New England snowfall. It's clinging to the branches, outlining them against the nearly white sky. The pattern they make with the magnolia has an Asian quality to it. This photo was taken with the iPhone and sharpened a bit in PhotoForge.

White

I hadn't wanted to do a snow scene for "White," but it's finally snowing here in Connecticut, and it looks so lovely. No one had even walked near Lisa's bench at Paper Goods Pond. The snow was falling silently in big, fat flakes like the ones you see in movies set in New England. With all that, I couldn't resist. I took the picture with my Kodak Z915. I used Elements to convert it to B&W (which made the picture more crisp and resolved the blue tone the snow had before) and to add the frame.

Monday, February 15, 2010

IKEA




The bright colors and bold shapes of the IKEA store in New Haven stand out even at night. Only a few basic adjustments were needed in PhotoForge for this iPhone image.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Coffee




The coffee area at Barnes & Noble. It only needed a few basic adjustments in PhotoForge.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Big and Small

Big dude and small dude: Aidan with his Uncle Chris. I tuned up this iPhone photo a bit in PhotoForge, then applied the PhotoBag's Helga filter.

Five

Aidan is five! Taken with my Kodak Z915, the photos was just tuned up a bit and framed in Elements.

Sierra and Craig




Our grandson, Craig, cuddles up with his delighted Aunt Sierra. After a few basic adjusents in PhotoForge, I used TiltShift Generator to soften the edges.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Dry leaves




We found these dry leaves clinging to a small tree when we were hiking today. The processing was done in PhotoForge.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Petunias




The petunias in the AeroGarden at my office have bloomed. The processing was all done in PhotoForge.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Garden Bench




Snow frosts the bench in our Secret Garden. Not much was done to this iPhone photo-just a basic tune up in PhotoForge.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Orchard waiting




The orchard waits quietly under the gathering cloud that herald the nor'easter to come. I used MillColour to make some basic adjustments to this iPhone shot.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Alone




The security guard at our office stands alone in the bitter cold looking out over the parking lot. I took the picture from a 3rd floor with my iPhone. Processing was done with first with the BestCamera app; then I used TouchUp to heighten the lights and darks.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Feminine


When I have a photo shoot with my daughter, Sierra, the deal is that she gets to choose the one that gets posted. This was her favorite today. Taken with the iPhone, it was converted into B&W in MonoPhix Lite. The framing was done with PhotoGene.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Glass




These glasses were arrayed on a table at the hotel today. All I had was my iPhone, and the light was low. A filter in Format 126 saved the photo by contrasting the lines of the glasses against the deep red of the tablecloth.

Photo Session




John & I stayed last night at a local hotel attending a workshop for a program at the high school for which we volunteer. The hotel was also hosting a conference for professional photographers. They apparently had a lesson on shooting weddings staged by the pool. I caught a few shots with the iPhone from different angles; somehow I liked this one with the table & umbrella in the foreground best--maybe because it hints at the idea that the activity behind it actully isn't reality. I used CameraBag to help shift the focus to the umbrella and to make the lighting just a bit more intense and not quite real.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Sullen sun





A sullen sun sags down the sky at Paper Goods Pond. I made only a few adjustments to this iPhone photo using PhotoForge.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Transformation




This old factory building is being transformed into classy condos. It's a stunning building, made of the brick for which our town was once famous. As usual, I made basic adjustments to this iPhone shot with PhotoForge. After that, I warmed and brightened it in FX Photo Studio. The latter is on sale right now in the App Store for 99 cents. It has quite a number of very cool filters as well as a few dippy frames.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

February snow





Snow contrasts with the red of our garage. This iPhone photo was edited with PhotoForge, then brightened with FXPhoto. The frame was applied in PhotoGene.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Cemetary




Just today I discovered this small old cemetary up on a hill. I took this picture with the iPhone, adjusting it a bit in PhotoForge. Then I used PhotoGene to add
a subtle sepia tone and soft border to give it an aged look.

Mini-assignment: Leading lines


The crack in the ice in the top photo leads right to the odd brick building, directing the eye across the surface towards it and its reflection in the water. The Rule of Thirds also applies here, giving two reasons for the top picture to be more effective.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Still life




This was the centerpiece at a table with light refreshments at Prayerful Yoga. I used the Watercolor filter in PhotoForge to soften it and give it a bit of the look of a painting.

Universalist church

I'd thought I liked this image as it was; but in an idle moment, I ran it through CameraBag using the Helga filter. I think I like it a lot bettter. What do you think?