Crop'n'Frame sale this weekend

Just had an e-mail from Tracy fhe developer of Crop'n'Frame....it's 50% off this holiday weekend....and there are some new features in development. If you like custom frames on your iPhone images check it out in the App Store. The image below is an example of what the app can do. The interior frame treatment was customized in PhotoToaster. The image is a Giant Blue Cantanache from my garden, Glazed of course!  If this post looks a little different its my first time trying the Blogger Mobile App. but I wanted to let you know about the Crop'n'Frame special! Happy 4th of July!!!!0

Image Processing ~ Where to begin?? When to stop??

This is the final result I achieved....or where I was satisfied with the "look" of the image.

Lately I have been tutoring a couple photographers on image processing...both on the iPhone and in Photoshop. One of the questions I get repeatedly is: "How do you know what you want to do with an image?" What a great question!!! The answer however is sometimes elusive.....but hopefully this post will give a little more insight into answering the question....at least on this one iPhone image I played with yesterday.

Part of thinking about processing actually begins in the field for me. I spotted my neighbors Datura blooming in the morning and after running some errands I went back to get a few shots...well guess what I was too late. The blooms had wilted and only a few budding blossoms were left. I had the OlloClip with me and as I always do I asked myself what I loved about my subject? Well I loved the curl and folds of the blossom end..so I used the macro lens on the OlloClip, knowing I probably would not get a totally sharp shot because I had to hold the bloom up while making the image. I made several shots and landed on the one below to start my processing. I chose the app 6x6 for its clarity and square format..as well as its ability to delivery a tiff file with a 300 dpi resolution. Once I have a shot I ask myself, "What do I think needs to be done with this image?" My answers were....

I would like to get rid of the green corner in the upper left and I would like to get rid of the brown area in the lower right....I like to take care of spots before I begin any process.
So in iPhone land my go to App for removing or adding in areas of correction is Touch-Retouch. Below is the resulting image after using Touch Retouch to make those initial adjustments, using the brush, lasso and clone stamp I was able to acceptably make those adjustments.

Now I asked myself "What I thought the image needed, to enhance "what I loved" about the subject.
So because my answer was the curls of the bloom, I thought they needed more definition by increasing the depth and light of the curls and maybe a little more color...so I then went to Snapseed and added Ambiance, adjusted White Balance, added a little sharpening and some structure and saved that file. With just a few adjustments it was beginning to fit my "vision" of the image I had in mind when I captured it. I was not sure about the little triangular peek of my blue jeans in the bottom center of the image but I decided to leave it there for the moment.

My next thought was to further define the furls of the blossom by running the image through Tangled FX adjusting the filters there to get the look I wanted to use as a "blend" file with the now adjusted Snapseed-Touch Retouch file. I landed on this image from the App Tangled FX because it maintained the softness and added a glow to the image I wanted to convey. Now it was time to blend this back with the Snapseed-Touch-Retouch adjusted image...so I used ImageBlender to make the blend.

 The result of blending the two images is the image below.

Now I wanted to run it through Glaze to get a painterly effect (did I mention I love painterly effects? and Glaze?)....so I made many iterations in Glaze and several blends in ImageBlender...that stayed true to my intent, to enhance the furls of the blossom..

After making several blends with ImageBlender and Glaze I landed on the result below as my final blend. I also went back into Snapseed and used the Selective adjustment feature to enhance the color and brightness in the center of the blossom, as I thought it needed attention drawn to it...Because when I asked myself in the field what I loved the answer was the blossom folds so I continued to work toward enhancing what I loved about the subject. Now at this point, I knew I did not want to keep that peep of blue in the lower center of the image..so I went back to ImageBlender and used this image twice, arranged and masked out pieces to fill in the blue area as desired.

The last question I asked was how about a little border...so I went into PhotoToaster and added a very subtle border to frame the image and considered it done!

Below is a screen shot of the files I made on my iPhone during the process of getting to the "Final Image."  So what do you think???
My next all day iPhone workshop is July 13, in Chesapeake City, Md at Horizon Photography Workshops...Click here for more info and registration.

Finding a creative place...inspiration...light and subject

Captured Hipstamatic: Jane Lens Blanko Film No Flash: Processed Snapseed. Glaze, ImageBlender Soft Light

When I find myself at the beach, I find more time for creativity and time to explore processes and subjects on my iPhone. When I view other photographer's images I get ideas...that I can interpret in my own way. The hydrangea images were inspired by a fellow photographer Sue. She posted on her FaceBook page a beautiful shot of her hydrangeas in a ball jar that was simple and finely processed. So.... while I was at the beach with a little time on my hands...I gathered a few hydrangeas and put them in a blue vase and began to play...but it was late in the evening and I had no natural light. I was trying to get something out of the Hipstamatic flash even trying to diffuse the light but didn't come up with anything I found acceptable. However the next morning the hydrangea vase was on the breakfast table and as I looked out to the back porch in the soft shade I thought, perfect light! So I took the hydrangea vase out on the table and made a few shots. Then began to process one or two until I came upon an image I liked. What could be more classic in art than flowers in a vase? All the painters had their version~ VanGogh~Sunflowers Renoir~Garden Flowers ~ Cezanne ~ Chagall they all did a vase of flowers....a classic subject. By no means am I saying these images are worthy of that fine group of painters! but I was very happy with the results! Give it a try!

Captured:Hipsamatic Jane Lens and Blanko Film, No flash Processed: Snapseed: Glaze: Mextures: ImageBlender Golden Evening Light

Later that evening the light was bright on the back porch but not direct, it was the golden hour, so I took the vase out once again and made another slightly different composition. The golden light made the frosted glass table glow golden, and I enhanced the glow with a filter from Mextures.

Captured: Hipstamatic Jane Lens and Blanko Film no flash Processed: Snapseed: Tangled FX; Glaze: IimageBlender

While I was making the composition of the hydrangeas in the vase, I noticed how lovely the petals looked in the evening light and composed a shot looking down on the flower heads. Then experimented with different processes to bring out the beauty in the petals.

Koloid ~ New App

Quinn Abbey shot with Hipstamatic Salvador 84 Lens and Inas 1969, Processed in Koloid

When I was in Ireland with Peter Cox on tour with my photo group, Peter suggested a new app Koloid. It had just launched on June 2. I am always up for a new app..so I downloaded it, tried it out and said it had potential, but I would like the app to allow you to import photos from your camera roll instead of having to shoot with the app. I wrote a note to the developer and ...so today it came to be! They still have some work to do...but there are a few options which are cool. Cropping works best with a square format image like Hipstamatic or 6x6 but also works with 6x7. If you shoot a full 2x3 orientation app like Camera Plus be prepared to throw or crop some away. Also it works best with Vertical orientation images instead of landscape. When I first saw the results of the app they reminded me of the images my dad had taken with his camera during WWII. The developer's site says it was..
"Inspired by 19th Century collodian photography." I love this app for the unique look and the fun interactive developing process...Call me crazy. I selected a few images from Ireland to process. I applied no other processing to the images here so you could see the results of what I achieved with the app.

iPhone Visits Bantry, Ireland ~ Glaze ~ Snapseed ~ ImageBlender ~ Hipstamatic

During a quick stop in Bantry in the "pissing" rain, as the Irish say...I had some iPhone fun! With my umbrella in hand I made a quick run through the side streets and harbor front. All these shots were made using the Olloclip, fisheye lens mounted on the iPhone 5. I loved the distortion I could achieve and using the fisheye allowed me to express an element of humor in the images. It was not easy shooting as the rain was quite wind blown and I had to keep wiping the Olloclip lens off with the very handy microfiber sac the clip comes in. It would have been impossible to use a "big camera" in the windblown rain!
The opening image was a happy accident, as I was holding the umbrella with my chin while grabbing a shot, I inadvertently caught my umbrella and arm in the shot. When I posted it on FB asking for opinions, people liked it! So there it is...my view from under the umbrella.

All the images here were captured using Hipstamatic, Jane Lens and Inas 1969 film. The processing was all done with Glaze, Snapseed and Image Blender to add in different iterations, masking and blending to get the final effect. To maximize Glaze processing, I engage the tool feature in the app to come up with really different looks from the standard effects and I have bought all the in app looks which expands the options for different effects. Yes maybe I am a frustrated painter! I wanted to keep this look going and used it through out the trip in different towns and on objects. Join me on August 10 at Union Station in Washington, DC for an iPhone class sponsored by Capital Photography Center. Click here for more info and registration.... Or join me at Horizon Photography Workshsops in Chesapeake City, Maryland for an all day iPhone Class on July 13, Click here for more information and registration.

IPhone visits Portmagee, Ireland ~ Hipstamatic ~ Olloclip ~ Glaze ~ ImageBlender

Capture Hipstamatic Lens Jane Film Inas 69: Process Artista Sketch, Glaze, Snapseed, ImageBlender

My iPhone and I, loved Ireland for its colorful architecture, curving narrow roads, and seaside towns. Portmagee is a small town in the South of Ireland. We stayed there on our photo tour with Irish Landscape photographer, Peter Cox . Portmagee is a jump point to the Great Skellig Island, one of our destination shoots with our big cameras. In between shoots and meals I explored a few streets in town with my iPhone.We had an unbelievable few days of glorious weather, blue skies, mid seventies and always a sea breeze. Join me on my next full day iPhone Photography Workshop in Chesapeake City, Delaware on July 13 Click here for  more info and registration.

Love old bikes! Capture: Hipstamatic Process: Glaze, ImageBlender, Snapseed: Accessory Olloclip fisheye

Capture Hipstamatic: Process Glaze, Snapseed, ImageBlender, PhotoWizard (Pinch/Pull, to achieve distortion in top left and lower right) Accessory: Olloclip (I had a few stray dogs barking at my heels when I captured this one at the end of town.)

Capture Hipstamatic: Process Glaze, Snapseed, ImageBlender, PhotoWizard (Pinch/Pull, to achieve distortion in lower right) Accessory: Olloclip

Capture Hipstamatic: Process Glaze, Snapseed, ImageBlender: Accessory Olloclip

The Lake Hotel Killarney ~ Hipstamatic ~ Glaze ~ Olloclip

Before I left for Ireland I came across a combination of apps and accessories I really liked. It suited my aesthetic. When I  was in The Lake Hotel in Ireland, the process evolved to include the distortion of the Olloclip. My subjects varied from umbrellas at the front door in a stand, seating arrangements, chairs to candelabras on a baby grand piano. I ran around the hotel between meals and shoots, looking for as many interesting chairs in the public spaces as I could find. This hotel is beautiful and the furniture is lovely. So my eye for interior design was on cue.
The process is simple: Shoot Hipstamatic, Inas 1969 and the Jane Lens with the Olloclip fisheye attached. Then open the image in Snapseed for adjustments to tone, saturation, sharpening selective adjustments and structure. Run the Snapseed file into Glaze and make several iterations...then combine with the original image and several of the Glaze iterations in ImageBlender. I landed on the look I liked for that specific image using this process. Join me July 13 at Horizon Photography Workshops in Chesapeake City, Md for a day long adventure in iPhone Photography! For more information Click Here