Through the round window...

On a crossing of the Cook Strait this shot was taken after entering the Marlborough Sounds through a large 'porthole' window.
Another Instagram image.

Go go gadget

This is our daughter's cool wee gadget bag/purse - sitting on a table at El Matador (the location of yesterday's blog post).
A good subject for the Instagram treatment.

Indoor Outdoor Flow

One of Cuba Street's recent hospitality arrivals has set up this funky outdoor seating area for their customers.
This was shot on a lovely Saturday morning and the image hasn't been retouched.

Shadow Play

Pinot Gris in the sunlight - slightly modified with the Camera+ 'clarity' filter.

Where there's muck there's brass...

A local scrap metal dealer has been collecting junked musical instruments for quite a few years - seemed ripe for some Instagram treatment.

Mexi-combo

Guacamole and a margarita - it doesn't get much more Mexican around here... except maybe when I add a 'More Cowbell' filter to the photo (courtesy of Camera Awesome... and La Boca Loca).

The Bat Scooter

The motorbike parks around town are usually full of all types of scooters - this one has a certain appeal. 

I used one of my favourite filters from Camera+: So Emo.

Homely

This is one of Wellington's older bus stops, and one that's had a bit of media coverage lately. Before Christmas it had a random makeover to give it a few homely touches - there was even a decorated tree set up in December. It seems the bus company is quite happy to leave the furniture and decor touches in place.

The image was shot with the HDR setting on and then given a few adjustments with Snapseed to bring out some detail and knock back some saturation.

Tunnel Vision

Another camera test to see how it performs in difficult lighting situations. This was taken at about 9.00pm, 320 ISO 1/20th sec shutter speed. There are a few apps that dig out the metadata from photos on the iPhone - the screenshot is from app called Lab.

Sign of Summer

Today is certainly not one that could conceivably be considered as a summers day.... but through the magic of scrolling through my camera album... I decided to chose a classic harbour-side summer scene.

Cropped and filtered with one of the earliest popular photo editing apps around - Best Camera (endorsed/promoted by top photographer Chase Jarvis).

From the garden

Scallopini fresh from the garden and ready for a tasty stir-fry.

I used that old iPhone standby, Instagram, to process this shot.

Photography with Flare

Shooting towards the sun is often a good test of a lens (or how clean a lens is) and the 5 certainly handles the extremes rather well, with good contrast away from the flare. 

There's been a lot of talk of purple flare with the new iPhone camera, and although there's certainly evidence of it happening, it doesn't seem a major issue at all. 

Witness For The Defence

Grabbing a park in town is often a tricky affair. This time I was in a zone just outside a timed bus clearway... but the electronic meter wouldn't accept any money and seemed to have been programmed for the wrong zone. Luckily there was a helpful warden nearby who agreed that he'd be a witness (luckily I didn't get towed).

Another instance where always having a camera with you can be a big timesaver.

I used the Photo fx app to pixelate the warden's face and number.

More than a Zephyr

Wellington (and the country) has been buffeted by pretty severe winds over the last few days. This kinetic sculpture, titled 'Zephyrometer', sways in the slightest breeze but it rarely gets pushed this far.
I imported this image into Photo fx and added a grey grad to the blank sky, got rid of some background haze and cooled down the colour temperature.

First Job

A few days ago I needed a few images to post online of items to sell... so of course it was time to reach for the iPhone 5 (fitting for this classic piece of Apple hardware and the iBook under it).
Due to the odd angle I had the camera at, the gyroscope was fooled and the image displayed upside down, so I used the native photo app editing tools to rotate the image, save it, and then send it to the auction site and this blog.

Twilight Sailing

This driftwood structure made an interesting frame to the Interislander Ferry leaving Wellington harbour.
I increased the saturation of this shot slightly using Snapseed.

Show time

The foyer of Embassy Theatre just before another screening of a little movie called The Hobbit.
Cropped and given the retro look with an app called Retrogram.

Security Ports

Loving the overall speed improvements of the '5' over the iPhone 4. It may have been that my 4 had been 'clogged' with dozens of apps that I hardly ever used, or that it had been Jailbroken and had quite a few tweaks applied (I do miss them...), but I guess it's mostly the faster processor and more RAM that means the '5' is able to access the camera quicker and apply changes to images almost instantly.
This image was worked on in Camera+.

Gelato Weather

Wellington's waterfront was teaming with tourists and locals enjoying the sunshine today... they say you can't beat Wellington on a good day, and today was a very good day.
This shot was taken in a busy gelato shop and filtered with the first iPhone photo app (I think) that I used on an iPhone 3G - CameraBag. Nice to see it still provides a good edit and works really quickly on the '5'.

Afternoon Rosé

A difficult decision today - do I post a photograph of my coffee or my glass of wine?
This shot was treated with a filter called 'Brownie - Dark' in the app Ttv PS.

Beach collage

A quick wander around the beach with the new iPhone - the camera manages to capture great dynamic range and good colour depth.
These few quick snaps were put together in the Mixel app.

Urban Panorama

I've used numerous panorama apps for my earlier generations of iPhones - some have been simpler than others But the new panorama function of the iPhone 5 is just so easy it's tempting to use it all the time.
Most of these types of images are made of static landscape views, which it's most suited to. You can see some visual anomalies that can happen with moving subjects, as I'm panning the camera while people are walking.

Whole New World

Well, how about 'New Year, New iPhone'. Yep, am getting to grips (happily) with an iPhone 5 - loving the capability of the camera, the taller screen and the speed of the processor.
This image was made using the new panorama function to shoot a 'short' panno at Oriental Bay.

The night before

Small rooms in the Big House

On a prime piece of real estate overlooking Wellington's harbour there is an old prison that has just ceased operating. They held an open day for the public to get an insight into what it was like behind the brick wall and razor wire - it was actually so popular that they extended it for a second day.
This photo was given a filter called 'retrodrops' in the Retrogram app.

Above and beyond...

A few months back I checked out a very enjoyable New Zealand made western feature film - Good for Nothing - and pre-ordered a copy of the DVD.
I had heard that it was about to be released but was given a very pleasant surprise when the director of the film ambled up our driveway and handed over a beautifully wrapped & wax stamped copy of the DVD... such service!
A benefit of living in the hub of Wellington's movie district.
This 'pack shot' was given the rustic treatment with Camera+

Guy Fawkes Night

I was fortunate to have a superb ring-side view of Wellington's fireworks show on the harbour (not only a great view, but great food and company).
I took quite a few photos with my DSLR and then got out the iPhone to try out an app called Slow Shutter. It allows you to choose a variety of shutter speeds that aren't normally accessible with the standard camera - this was shot at 1 second and then given a boost with the 'drama' filter in Snapseed.

Ready for action

There are a couple of houses in our neighbourhood that really get into the 'spirit' of Halloween and put a lot of effort into decorating their places.
This shot was taken just on dusk and edited to give some more detail and colour into the scene with the Camera+ app.

Small but perfectly formed

This cute little fella (a Pygmy Marmoset) is only about 10cm tall and looks like wind-up toy. There are about 4 of them in a glassed off enclosure in the cafe of Wellington's Zoo - very entertaining.
I used a couple of filters in my 'go-to' photo app, Camera+, to give the shot a bit more punch and warmth.

Retro Eatery, Retro Image

Another cool place to eat & drink on Cuba Street - El Matador. This place has been given a distressed look and propped with lots of Spanish/Latino artefacts.
The photo was put through the Retrogram app, which seemed fitting.

Big News

Yep, another variation on the iPhone has landed.... and, no, I don't own one... yet.
This shot was taken with my iPhone 4 in a Telecom store and treated with the Halftone app.
The phone itself was very fast at launching apps, scrolling through pages and shooting photos. In fact the camera improvements over the '4' are almost enough reason for me to want to upgrade... I have rarely used my point-and-shoot camera since getting an iPhone, so the device has become a very important event recorder.

First blooms

I liberated this native kowhai tree seedling from a life in a cold dark gulley and planted it on a reasonably sunny slope in Miramar.
It's been looked after as badly as the rest of the trees around it, but despite that, after about 4 years it's finally flowered for the first time. Not many blooms and much later than most, but great to see these intense yellow flowers.
The shot was given a few tweaks with the app Snapseed.

Sunset landing

When I saw this dramatic sky and a plane approaching I stopped my scooter, grabbed out my iPhone and shot this frame.
The best method of actually taking the photo (I find) is to place a finger on the camera icon (shutter button) and lift it off to take the shot. This is not only steadier than tapping on the phone, but it is usually very responsive when trying to capture peak action.
This image was cropped and enhanced with Camera+.

Tasty Design

We were given a bag of coffee beans recently which almost look too good to open. Maybe we'll just put it on a shelf like a piece of artwork...?!
Straight shot from iPhone - no editing.

All dressed up

Having been along to a Canon photographic roadshow I picked up a couple of pieces of merchandise... and this transfer adds a bit of pizzaz to my laptop.
The photo was given a touch of 'clarity' and 'toy camera' in Camera+.

Low light is alright

While shooting some video of a performance I grabbed a couple of iPhone images of what I was doing. I'm still surprised by how well the 'ancient' iPhone 4 manages to handle low-light situations.
It certainly requires more care than in brighter conditions and I always place my finger on the 'shutter' icon, hold steady then release my finger, rather than tapping on the icon to take the shot (much harder to hold the phone steady that way).

Sign Time-lapse

I finally got an edited version of the time-lapse online. Although it was shot with Canon DSLR's, the final title frame was shot with my iPhone.
New Wellington Sign - July 2012 from Mike Clare on Vimeo.

Where are we?

I spent a good chunk of a day with a camera set up to record a time-lapse of a new sign being installed on a hill near Wellington's airport.
Of course I also took a few shots with the iPhone - this image was cropped and given a 'fashion' filter in Camera+.

Shades of Banksy

A local graffiti artist seems to be paying homage to the famous Banksy with this stencil piece. I didn't get a chance to see if the the QR code leads anywhere but I'll have to check it out.
Cropped, tinted & given a border with Camera+.

Must be good...

A cheeky name for some makeup - for those times when you need it!
This shot was given the Instagram treatment which seemed to work. Sometimes square pictures can be clean and simple but also have a boldness that other shaped images lack.

Wheels and water

A beautiful winters morning and a walk along the promenade at Lyall Bay. There is a fairly strong following of these classic Japanese bicycles in the Capital - a great way to get around.
Un-retouched photo, straight from the iPhone.

Kindly vandals

We've had some rather cool days lately so it's nice to know that there are some radical guerrilla handcraft vandals out there who are considerate towards the Capital's statues.
I ran this photo through a couple of filters in Camera Awesome.

Evening glow

There's usually something photogenic going on along the waterfront - particularly around dusk.
The panoramic nature of the scene lent itself very well to using the 6x17 format crop in the 645 Pro app. I later made a few adjustments to the image with the app Snapseed (one of the only apps I have that allow for localised adjustments).

Winter colour

Downtown Wellington is often pretty drab at this time of the year, but it's usually not hard to find a few splashes of colour.
Unedited shot - straight from the phone.

Room with a view

This house bus found a great place to park on Lyall Bay and view twilight over Cook Strait.
I imported the image into PhotoForge2 to crop it and increase the colour saturation.

Italian delight

Finally had the chance to sample pizza fresh from the wood-fired oven I helped install - delicious.
This late afternoon image was edited with the Camera+ app.

Seasonal Colours

Another use of Frametastic - this time to show some of the colours that are everywhere in the Wairarapa. We don't get the Autumn colours to the same extent in Wellington.

Quads-a-go-go

A weekend over at the Wairarapa coast meant that I got my first real taste of riding (driving?) a 500cc quad bike.
A lot of fun, but I can see the need to be wary of them in some situations - quite a few people have managed to crash these things.
This morning-light shot was given a bit more zing with Camera+ clarity setting.

Hospital treatment

I realised that I hadn't followed up from an earlier post regarding our son's iPod Touch that had a broken screen.
The micro-surgery went very well and everything is back to working (& looking) how it should. It was certainly a fiddly and delicate operation - one that I wouldn't like to attempt again... hopefully I won't have to.
The amazing thing is that I managed to find a replacement screen, with tools, a spare home button, a cleaning cloth and a special adhesive pad sent from China to New Zealand, all for about NZ$25.
This shot was captured with my new favourite 'Polaroid' app called ShakeItPhoto.

Real People, Real Guns

I took this quick reference shot before installing my photographic exhibit at a local gallery. These are large A2 sized prints (the images themselves weren't shot on the iPhone) and I've knocked together some rustic timber bases for them. A few nails to hold them in place and Bobs your uncle...
This shot was given some 'clarity' and a black border with Camera+.