Ash Wednesday

Ok, I'm not actually sure if the Chilean volcano ash cloud is still hanging around, but last night's sunset seemed a little more colourful than we usually get at this time of the year.
No apps were used for this image, although I shot some different exposure settings by tapping on different areas of the screen to bias the exposure from light to dark.

Work THIS out

This Rubiks Cube is hanging near a couple of art galleries in Auckland. A cool and bold sculpture that's about 1 & half metres across.
I gave this image a bit of a treatment with one of the dozen or so photo apps on my phone... but I can't remember which app I used!

Clinging on

The last few remaining leaves are hanging in there on our oak tree. I think they've usually all fallen by now, but we haven't had a windy winter so far.
I haven't used the Instagram app for quite a while, so that was the one I chose for this image. This was treated with the 'lomofi' filter.

Morning clean-up...

 A damp Monday morning in Parnell, Auckland, has a feeling of "goodbye weekend, here's a fresh start to the week".

This was shot with the Hipstamatic app, but it took me about 6 shots to get the framing I wanted - the tiny viewfinder just doesn't correspond to the image captured. Maybe there's an option to fix that... or maybe it's about creating art..?!

Crazy lights

While in town one evening recently, I decided to try out one of those apps that I thought sounded useful, but had tucked away in a folder on the iPhone and not got around to using.
Called Slowshutter, it gives the 'effect' of using a slow shutter speed on a regular camera (something the standard software doesn't do). It seems to work as it should and combined with the rainbow effect from the Adobe Photoshop app it ended up looking pretty much like this...

Early birds

A beautiful morning on the harbour. Seagulls on Seatoun Wharf given a bit of treatment in the multi-faceted image app Fotoforge2.

Cafe cool

There's a great little cafe in Wellington that is just that extra bit cool for using an iPad as their cash register.
As you can see, they haven't changed to an iPad 2 yet - I guess they'd need to also change their stylish mounting bracket. It seems that transactions are being wirelessly transmitted to a server and I suppose they plug in a charging cable occasionally (there's space between the bracket on the right) . Nice.

The round house

Had a great drive through some rolling green countryside and ended up at a classic coastal lighthouse at sunset. This is Cape Palliser lighthouse in the Wairarapa, perched up 250 steps (gasp...) on a cliff above some fairly hostile waters.
This shot was given the 'Lolo' treatment in the app Camerabag.

She's got legs...

While being involved in a TV commercial for pantyhose I grabbed this snap on the iPhone. I liked how incongruous it was to be wearing a bunched-up dressing gown while also wearing a skimpy skirt (it was a cold day).
This shot was treated with 'clarity' and 'magic hour' filters in the app Camera+.

Don't look up

Well, I spent a few hours only looking up... shooting a new sign being put on top of a building.
This camera was locked off to shoot a time-lapse sequence, note the hi-tech gaffer tape blocking light from entering the eyepiece (some cameras have an internal blind to do this).
I used the 'Best Camera' app to crop this iPhone shot and put a dark vignette in the corners.

Mid city art

This stainless steel sculpture in the heart of Wellington's retail sector is quite a visually dramatic piece. I think it relates to braille letters on a grand scale.
I decided to go a bit old-school-arty with it and gave it a monochrome filter/white border treatment with the app Camerabag.

Apt message

Not wanting to promote any sort of religious message here, but I shot this sign while travelling through Taranaki last week.
I'd just spent an emotionally charged evening discussing my opinions on a septum piercing with our teenage daughter, so this notice seemed rather appropriate.
Filtered with 'So Emo' from the Camera+ app (also rather appropriate).

Flying High

Had a very enjoyable buzz around Wellington this week with Helipro. While sitting next to TJ in the front seat with my big camera, this photo was taken with an iPhone from the back seat.

Google Gaiety

Turns out that a simple search on the word Askew (or Tilt) turns up a suitably angled page of results.
This slightly lopsided hilarity happens with an iPhone, and, I presume, an iPod Touch and iPad.... maybe other mobile devices also (can anyone confirm?).

Costa del Welly

A quick photo taken while riding along the waterfront.
Once again I used the app Camera+ on the iPhone to crop the photo, as well as using the new 'Clarity' setting to lighten shadows.

What, no engine!

We've had some lovely calm days in Wellington recently and have been out on a bicycle for the first time in years (it seems I did remember how).
In my tradition of taking pictures while driving/scooting/riding - here's a snap.

Rockin' Roxy

Miramar has been graced with a rather stunning movie theatre - totally revamped from when it last ran flicks about 50 years ago.
The opening tonight was a glittering affair with vintage cars and beautifully dressed guests - so I gave this shot a bit of an olde worlde look with Camera+.

Jeepers Creepers

After huge anticipation the parcel was delivered, labeled simply "black suede/cheetah fur". Oh, yeah, one very happy daughter now walking 2 inches taller.
This shot was given the cartoon treatment with an app called Halftone.

Quatro verde

I haven't used some of the multi-image apps I have on the iPhone for quite a while so I wandered up to the herb garden for a study in green.
This image was shot with the app Molopix. There are options for style of layout, whether it shoots each frame automatically or manually, and whether it puts a white or black border around the images... but that's about all it does.

Playing for real

I spent a very enjoyable day at a shooting range in the Wairarapa on Saturday. There was a competition on for people involved in Cowboy Action Shooting, so I took my 'proper' camera along to try and get an image for my portfolio.
These cowboys and cowgirls dress up in 'wild west' outfits and use firearms of that era in shooting stages that have a feel of a Clint Eastwood movie. The guns are all real .45's or .44-40's etc., but are mostly modern reproductions.
For this image I used Camera+ to lighten the shadows, add a warmth to the colour, crop the shot and put a border around it.

Big moon arisin'

After helping our daughter move in to a tidy wee Newtown flat, I took a moment to capture the scene lit by lunar glow. Apparently the moon was closer to the Earth last night than it has been for decades - rather a nice show.
I resisted the temptation to edit this too heavily, but just cropped it with Photoshop Express.

Early rays

While photographing a racing yacht I ended up being at a local beach, strangely, before breakfast.
A chance to shoot a few pics with the iPhone and then try the new photo sharing app Instagram that all the cool kids are using. It has some good looking preset filters with funky names... but is very geared towards sharing your images with the Instagram community....which I am now part of...

High times

Coincidently I've been working on two assignments recently that have involved cranes. The first was photographing the changing of signage on a very tall building and the second was a round-the-world race yacht having it's broken mast removed.
This was the crane that was used to lift the mast onto dry land - I used a filter called 'Ansel' in Camera+ which converted the shot to black & white, and then I used a slider to put some colour back into the image.

Blue skies

This shot was taken while clambering around some buildings looking for a vantage point to set up my main camera. The simple blue/white/grey colour palette appealed to me, so I just cropped it to a square with Photoshop Express and uploaded it here.

Zen and the art of...

...motorcycle maintenance.
Well, scooter actually - I had a problem - it refused to accelerate at all... it would start and idle, but as soon as I tried to move off, the engine would die.
Not knowing a whole lot about mechanics, but surmising it was a carburettor problem, I started to strip it down to get to the internals. Not an easy task... but finally got all the bits off... and then it was suggested to me that the standard operating procedure for two-stroke engine problems was to rev the guts out of it. Worth a try. It seemed to rev OK without me sitting on it, so I put it on the centrestand and cranked it up. Seemed to clear the problem. Tried riding it... all good. Whew, I don't know why it worked, but any fix is a good fix, so I put it all back together and off round the bays to test it out.

Clinging to summer

Another gorgeous evening around the bay (Karaka Bay, Wellington). The ferry is heading out for a tranquil cruise to the South Island.
I added some detail into the darker areas of this shot with ProHDR.

Gratuitous border

A classic coastal Pohutukawa tree that was photographed on Karaka Bay.
After adding some detail in the shadows with an app called ProHDR I gave it the sunset treatment with Camera+ and added a border called 'offset', which perhaps should be called 'overkill'.

Life in the slow lane

This is a screenshot of what our home internet connection was giving last week. Slow....like dial-up slow...ouch. We had gone over our broadband allowance at home and were throttled right back in speed.
A whole family that lives on the internet had been hit even harder by teenagers being home for the holidays.
With a new broadband billing period and school hols over, it means that our web browsing experience is a lot more pleasant now.

Top hat

A nice piece of graffiti in Newtown, finished off by one of the new hospital buildings. I wonder if this is what the artist had in mind when painting this piece...?
This image was cropped and sharpened with the Photoshop iPhone app.

Racing to the sunset

Another of those 'I should have brought along my big camera... but at least I've got my iPhone with me' moments.
Walking along a ridge in Maupuia, Wellington, as the sun was descending into 'dramatic mode' - cropped and added saturation with Camera+.

Classy ride

Spotted this well-maintained 1960 Puch 50cc scooter parked in Wellington the other day. I somehow doubt that any of the thousands of Asian machines buzzing around town will still be usable in 50 years time.
This shot was given the olde worlde look with Camera+.

Deadly Ice

While others in the world are actually being burdened with really deadly ice, I've been enjoying a Christmas present that creates pistol-shaped ice blocks. Cool... very cool.
I've bumped up the colour saturation and rounded the corners with the app Camera+.

Hot Wheels

OK, I don't think a Morris 1100 would make it to Jeremy Clarkson's 'Cool Wall', but this one was kinda special. From a distance it seemed to be covered in fabric, but someone had stippled the top half of the car with an interesting paint-effect.
I also gave the image an 'effect' with the appropriately named Tail Fins filter in the app Camera+.

Fishing Village

Driving past Island Bay at sunset it's always hard to resist capturing the scene. On this occasion I only had the iPhone with me, so grabbed a few shots and later worked on this one with the app 'Cool FX'.

'twas the day before Christmas

and all through the town there were buskers and shoppers scurrying around. The air was swirling with bright red pohutukawa needles and the sound of ringing cash registers.... aaah, Christmas in the city.

Street Decoration

Yeah, the Kiwi Christmas Tree is really starting to flourish around Wellington. They seem to be flowering a bit later than usual, which is supposed to indicate a short summer... lucky I'm not superstitious.
I used Camera+ on this image (once again) - cropped to a square, black border and a slight colour boost.

'Tis the Season

Things are definitely taking on a Yuletide feel in Middle Earth. This rather grand tree is in a private backyard.... but the private backyard of Peter Jackson's house!
The 'aurora' look has been caused by a manipulation called 'Purple Haze'.

Au Naturel

There's something wonderfully textural and refreshing about back-lit leaves. I tried a few adjustments on this image but decided that it looked better just as the iPhone captured it!

Life's a...

I think we Wellingtonian's have reached the conclusion that summer has arrived. Barbies are being lit, festive decorations are being strung, and beaches are the place to be.
This shot has been given the lens tilt effect with an app called 'Tilt Shift'.

Ancient superhero

This modern Maori carving was photographed during a visit to Te Papa Museum - given the 'So Emo' filter in Camera+

Refreshment

A handle of Tui with a dear old friend visiting Wellington. Used the app Infinicam to give the image a bit of treatment.

Moon, whale, house

Twilight is often pushing the limit of my iPhone's camera, but it's also one of the nicest times to shoot pictures.
No apps were used and no animals were harmed in the making of this picture.

Vantastic

There's something special about the life of a caravan. I guess it's to do with the fact that it's a portable holiday machine, like Dr Who's tardis, it could pop up anywhere.

Sundown

A bit of the old lens flare as that big yellow thing sneaks down behind a Dr. Seuss tree. Loving the long evenings and distant aromas of BBQs.

A capital day

Wandering around Wellington on a sunny Sunday makes it easy to see why Lonely Planet voted this the "coolest little Capital in the world" - and makes me wonder if I can squeeze any more alliteration into this post.

Fright Night

A local home-owner has done well for the big night - I think they can expect a few trick or treaters tonight.
I 'treated' this shot with the very appropriate filter called So Emo.

Precioussss Internet

Blatant Tolkienism in the title at a time of National joy that The Hobbit movies are to be filmed in NZ (well, lots of happy peeps in Miramar, anyway!).
So, our family of 5 has been without broadband for 24hrs now and are all feeling rather disconnected. Have got a 'thin' lifeline in the iPhone's 3G data reception... but it just ain't the same.
Please Mr Telecom Man put the plug back in!
By the way, how are we supposed to know if our service has been restored...? Oh, yeah, try resetting the modem every 10 mins... sigh...

Boy in the Bubble

He seemed happy enough - trapped inside his own little world. I felt that I should have smashed the shell and let him out, but he was doing his cleaning, so I just left him to it.
I think this is one of those action/attractions that keeps people entertained along the waterfront - hire the bubble and 'walk' on the water of the nearby lagoon.

Encroaching

I found this view outside Welly's new hospital and gave it a bit of the Canera+ treatment. The safety dots on the footpath almost look like someone has laid out some pills in the late-afternoon light.

Hot Wheels

This little beauty was parked near a Rolls Royce at The Chocolate Fish recently - I'm not sure which car I preferred....
This shot has been tweaked in the Camera+ app.