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+.

A Ripsnortin' Good Time

While hunting through an op shop bargain bin and found this gem amongst the LP's.
There are websites devoted to similar record covers - I think this deserves a place.
The shot was cropped and desaturated using the Camera+ app.

Harvest time

Our crop of crab apples are looking ripe (well as ripe as these deceptively pretty fruit can be)... so now we've got to decide whether we need any more crab apple jelly or if there is something more interesting we can make.
This shot was enhanced with Camera+ (some warmth added to the sky colour).

Micro-surgery

A nasty fall onto a hard surface is the nightmare of all gadget-carriers. Unfortunately our son had this experience with his lovely white iPod Touch.
A hunt on the Internet soon found a replacement screen winging in from
the States... now it's time for a steady hand, some small implements and the courage to rip apart what Apple deemed to be a no-go zone.

Rolling with style

This rather gorgeous old garden roller is leaning up against a wall of Mansion House on Kawau Island.
We had a fun-filled 24 hours on the island where we were looked after very well and celebrated a friend's special birthday.
This shot was given the 'miniature' selective focus treatment and a rough border with the app Camera+.

Talented

Always best to be on the lookout for outbreaks of sarcasm.
This shot was imported into CameraBag where it was cropped to a square and tweaked.

Look up!

Kids toy meets industrial mega-machines. One of many sculptures in Wellington that embrace the wind.

Taste of Cuba

Havana Cafe & global headquarters of their coffee empire is such a cool place to hang out. It has a great cosmopolitan vibe and a classy fleet of vehicles - like this old Studebaker truck.
This image was dipped in some Tilt Shift sauce before posting.

Exposure Magic

More use of the HDR option within the iPhone's camera.
This scene at Maranui has a huge exposure range - from dimly lit cafe to seascape - but the HDR (high dynamic range) manages to grab three quick shots at different settings and combine them with software to try and show detail in the shadows and highlights. The waitress on the right shows some slight ghosting from her movement between frames.

Run in the sun

A glorious Friday afternoon at Oriental Bay sitting on my scooter watching the world go by.
This shot hasn't actually been edited by me, but I had the 'HDR' option set in the native camera app. When this is on the phone snaps 2 shots (edit: 3 shots) in quick succession and combines them to try and get the best from highlight areas and shadows - so the runner moving between the shots is ghosted in the finished image.

Reach for the sky

So, although we're technically into autumn now this little scene has a very spring feel.
I ran it through Instagram with the 'lo-fi' filter... just 'cos.

Visitor from Makara

This beauty (OK, maybe not visually beautiful) and a friend made for some delicious eating and they certainly have a unique look.
The photo was run through a new app called Camera Awesome which is chock-full of features for taking photos and has some great post-production filters to apply. The app itself is free but if you'd like extra 'filter packs' they are payable.
I love the name given to the filter used on this shot - More Cowbell (the name is based on a great comedy skit).

Fresh as, bro'

If you can't catch your own fish the next best thing is to get some from the boys selling straight off the back of their boat in Chaffers Mariner.
I used a filter called Otherworldly Glow in the app Simply HDR - giving this shot the look of a hyper-real painting.

The eyes have it

 

Yet another app to play with... Cinemagram - this app helps to make the creation of cinemagraphs an easy task. Essentially this is an animated gif where only part of the overall frame is moving. 

This was my second attempt at creating a cinemagraph and it won't be my last

City view

Wellington, like many cities I guess, can take on different personas (personii) depending on where you direct your gaze, or iPhone.
I ran this image through an app called Simply HDR (which extends the details in the different tones) and also cloned out some distracting elements with another app called Retouch.

Into the light

A late afternoon scene that tests the quality of the iPhone 4 camera. I have noticed that it can produce some odd-looking red lens flare in harsh situations similar to this - I guess it depends on the contrast range of the scene - this scene was captured with a natural look.
When this was taken I also shot an in-camera HDR frame but it had a very muddy surreal look to it - so here's the unedited image.

On the road...

Snapped out the window during a trip north (no, I wasn't driving) this scene shows some effects of the iPhone's 'rolling shutter'. The upright post on the left has been captured as leaning due to the progressive way the scene is saved during exposure.
Cropped and 'clarified' with Camera+.

Snap

Our daughter has just started photography class at high school and unlike her older sister, she will be using a digital camera. I think they may have boarded up the darkrooms...
This shot of Victoria holding her camera was taken on my camera and then photographed with the iPhone. It was then adjusted with Photogene2 - a rather clever app that I got specifically to add information into the metadata of my photos.

Bugging out

I don't know whether this VW owner was actually packed for a sporty weekend away or whether they just loaded it up with things as props, but it looked pretty good.
Tweaked in PhotoForge 2.

The party's over...

After a fun-filled week in Golden Bay, South Island, the family and I returned to Wellington on the evening ferry.
This shot, as we were about to leave Marlborough Sounds was treated with a 'spot' filter in the app RetroGram.

Get the message!

The Mussel Inn near Takaka does a good chowder, but if you yak on your phone it may get nailed to the post.
This shot was very pink from the sunlight coming through a red sunshade do I converted it to black & white using Photo fx.

Make my day

Cruising around the remote upper South Island we had a moment of excitement when spotting this classy caravan of caffeine consumption.
It's been parked up at various events and locations around Wellington for a few years so it was a complete surprise to see it at Collingwood... but wonderful to get a sublime coffee fix (of Sublime Coffee).
** also shown in the 'Frametastic' posting.

Photo safari

Using the app Frametastic I grabbed a few images from my photo-wandering today.
Although the iPhone screen tends to pick up unwanted reflections in the sun, as long as the brightness is up high enough the screen makes a surprisingly good viewfinder for general photography.

Photo with flare

I thought this hanging shell ornament in the setting sun was bound to make an interesting image.
This hasn't been edited at all, the iPhone 4 has a tendency to flare quite strongly with a light source in the frame but this time the flare has taken on a flower-like pattern.

Day trippin'

Dropped off the scooter for a service in town so hopped on the bus home.
Kinda liked the colours and composition of this, so no editing at all.

Acting cool

"Go ahead.... make my day" - this guy was taunting the poor mouse - pretending to take no notice, but pouncing as soon as it moved away.
Cropped and graduated with PhotoForge2.

Summer in the city

Trying out yet another app on the iPhone - 'Frametastic'.
There are a few options of layout, frame colour, shape & background, plus it allows you to organise a printed card to be posted (very old-school).

On the red carpet...

The local 'Christmas Trees' are shedding their decorative crimson flowers and colouring much of the landscape beneath.
I ran this image through one of my old stand-by editing apps - The Best Camera.

Boo!

Ah, holiday spirit on the streets of Wellington.
This image didn't really need any treatment, but I imported it into Snapseed and tweaked it with a couple of filters and a border.... just cos'.

The party's just begun...

So we've had Christmas and we've had New Year's Eve - time to crack into a brand new calendar/diary/notebook and take down the decorations. Exciting.
This shot was cropped and given a bit of 'fill flash' with the Camera + app.

Follow the star

The decorations will be coming down soon, but this local house with it's simple light show worked well.
Imported into Instagram & given the lomo-fi treatment.

Baubles

These Christmassy decorations are hanging from a chandelier and the image was treated with a couple of filters from an app called Pixlromatic. Awkward name for a app, but it has a pretty impressive set of options - and it was free.
Merry Christmas - keep shooting images with that iPhone.

Beachy

Early morning light has been taken to extremes with a bit of filter overload. I imported this shot into Foto fx app and applied about 4 layers of haze/tone/focus, etc. errr.... just because I could.

Monsters in the garden

I don't know where this huge dragonfly came from, but I'm sure it was a long way from home - I don't think I've even seen a normal sized dragonfly in Miramar. The thing was quite awe inspiring and could have been a piece of garden sculpture.
This shot was cropped, treated and framed in Camera+.

Overseeing the bay

This South American totem sits beside Lyall Bay and gives a fairly exotic look to this slice of Wellington.
I treated this shot with a few different filters & effects courtesy of the app Snapseed (a very comprehensive editing tool, as recommended by www.robertcatto.com).

Salads of Summer

There's just something about all those colours and textures glistening in the sun that always seems to have me reaching for a camera just before grabbing a fork.
This shot was imported into Instagram before being uploading here.

Getting close

A local of Karaka Bay, who happens to direct a film or two, has had coloured lights adorning this rather impressive pine tree for the last few years. Recently the lights seem to have been replaced with a brighter and more vibrant set (possibly LED lights). They certainly brighten up the bay.
The iPhone 4 does a fairly good job of very low-light situations and I've added a selective focus effect in Camera+.

She's a mod

Dropping off our daughter at high school made me realise that I really should get myself a cool jacket... or at least a green anorak for when I'm on the scooter.
Another 'Camera +' edited photo.

mmm...bacon!

OK, maybe the T-shirt is exaggerating slightly but this guy is obviously aroused by the thought of sizzling bacon.
The photo was put through the Holga filter in CameraBag.

Is it art...?

Well, it was at the Dowse Art Museum (as it's now called), but this was a wall outside the gallery, on a Saturday morning... so I'm guessing this was just a Friday night trophy left behind.
The photo was treated with 'Tilt Shift' app and then the 'CameraBag' app.

Ice, ice, baby

A temporary ice rink that's been set up on Wellington's waterfront has been incredibly popular. I've watched people zooming around over a couple of weekends and I've been impressed with how skilled many of the skaters are - very few tragedies.
This shot was run through CameraBag and given the Holga look.

Sound Pattern

This display at The Dowse gallery is a bit of audio-visual ingenuity. A long handled feather duster is supplied so people can run around knocking the bamboo chimes and create their own soundtrack.
I put this shot thru' Pro HDR to increase the detail in the shadows.

Technology shuffle

I've been huddled near the glow of my computer this rainy afternoon, printing some images of people dressed in gear from the 1800's, photographed on a digital camera, toned in the computer to look 'old school', sent wirelessly to an inkjet printer sitting next to an old illuminated sign from the 1950's. Of course this image was shot on a new-fangled phone/camera and manipulated within the phone to also look retro... as someone discussed recently - soon it will be hard to identify which era photographs were taken in.

From above

An interesting vase of flowers always makes for a good photographic subject. These peonies were given the classic SX-70 look with Polarize on the iPhone.

mmm... pudding...

When Stephanie couldn't find the right recipe amongst her notes and photocopies out came the iPhone. A quick Google and there was a glorious-sounding sticky date pudding recipe. Yes, an iPad would have been better, but the desert would have tasted the same.
Image cropped and given the 'Helga' treatment in CameraBag app.