Taking pictures on a whim.

ORIGINAL:  Just a quick snap of billowing flags taken on a whim because they looked pretty and I was having a nice day.  I took about 8 pictures, because I wanted to get both flags as unfurled and flat as possible, and also because I knew it would take several shots til I got one I liked.  The resulting picture looked nice, but nothing exciting to look at.  Flags are difficult subjects to shoot as they move constantly and you just have to take a lot of pictures til you get one good one, plus, you do not have a good angle to shoot them since you have to look up and the flags turn out so small.  One way to fix the size of the flags - crop them to enlarge them.

EDITED PICTURE:  The original needed some work to make it somewhat interesting, so I straightened the picture, cropped it so I could have the nice puffy cloud in the frame, and adjusted the ambience and saturation.  It looked much better, but since the blue looked so pretty, I decided to brighten the pic to give it a unique look - who ever sees a sky this color of blue?  The resulting picture looked nice, but lacked something - not sure what.  I know - why does everything have to be in focus?  I fixed this by putting only the flags in focus, and everything else out of focus just enough so that your eyes are drawn to the flags.  A nice finishing touch.

FINISHED MASTERPIECE:  All of the editing created enough grain in the picture to make several loaves of bread (see middle picture) so I took the picture in to Photoshop Express on my beloved iPhone.  I ran it thru Noise Reduction until I removed a lot of the noise, but not so much that it gave the picture a slick look.  So I ended up with a pretty picture I took on a whim of two flags billowing in the breeze, both unfurled at just the right point, straightened, cropped, a puffy white cloud and a beautiful color of blue.  And how was your day?  

Pictures of the Day.

Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas:  The original was under-exposed due to it being rainy at the time.  I corrected this using an HDR app, and though I over-processed it, like every pic on this page, it is a learning process.  Ideally I would have gone to the limits with the ambiance, saturation and detail, and then dialed it back a little, but I failed to do that on these pics.  Live and learn.

Downtown Austin, Texas:  A nice shot using my Olloclip wide angle lens one morning.  I have had my Olloclip for a week now, and all the shots on this page have been taken this week while I am trying to get the hang of using the lenses.  The wide angle is fun to use when taking pics of buildings and objects that will be affected by the lens wanting to curve the straight edges.

Flower Bud:  What a neat shot.  The actual bud is smaller than a pea, but with my Macro lens I was able to really zoom in on it.  The neat thing about a macro lens is that it gives you the opportunity to look in on a world you would never otherwise see.  

Little Debbie:  How can anyone disparage cute Little Debbie and her snack cakes?  What's up with that?  Another under-exposed original that got a bit over-processed, but there is a learning curve in all this stuff and I still like the shot.  SH either likes Little Debbie or hates her.  Why the hate?

Downtown Austin, Texas:  This came out a little overworked in my photo app, but it was a dark shot (I shot in to the sun) and because of that I over-processed it.  It is a nice shot though.  A good ad for Bulwark Exterminating Company.  Remember, if you have scorpions, call Bulwark.  Or drive around downtown and try to find them (the choice is yours).

Normal iPhone4S Lens vs. Wide Angle Lens

Normal Lens:  A standard shot (untouched) from my beloved iPhone4S, facing towards the sun.  The background is underexposed and the trees barely fit in to the frame.

Olloclip Wide Angle Lens:  Same exact shot as above (still untouched) standing in the same spot, however this time the wide angle lens is able to capture more light, all of the trees, plus the parking lot.  The shot above only caught two trees, but the shot below caught three, and almost five.  Notice how the trees towards the outside of the frame start to curve inward.  Also, notice how there is more depth to the image, and how everything seems more distant.

Happy Monday!

  Pretty blue skies and puffy white clouds are ideal picture taking opportunities, and I tried not to let this opportunity go to waste.  I caught this scene with my new olloclip wide angle lens.  I love how the wide angle lens distorts, but the distortion does not work for every scene, hence the need to have a variety of lenses.  What would otherwise be an uninteresting picture is made interesting by the lens distortion curving the buildings and making things appear smaller and farther away.  The beautiful blue Texas sky is accented with puffy white clouds and the sun peaking out from behind a cloud.  The colors are brought out via Snapseed and Photoshop, then tamed down just enough to where the picture is still bright and colorful, but not over the top - too much of a good thing can be bad.  The noise is brought under control just enough to where there is still grain and detail, but not so much that things look slick.  Enjoy your Monday!

Picture of the Day

Original:  An interesting and colorful picture I shot yesterday with my new Olloclip Wide Angle Lens.  This was from the first batch of pics I shot with it, so I was just trying to get used to using the lens and find interesting subject matter to shoot.  The wide angle lens curves the outside of the view, so I was looking for something that would work well with that aspect, as well as something colorful.  The subject worked well, but the resulting image is a bit blah and drab - nothing you would want to hang on your wall.  No problem - I had five minutes to spare, and Snapseed at the ready.

Final Masterpiece: Five minutes later I have managed to adjust the sharpness and detail, tweak the color and contrast, and produce an image that has some punch and pizzazz!  This is a good example of how to find a good shot - just open your eyes and shoot what you find interesting, then try to make your creation beautiful, rather than waiting for the perfect shot.  If I had waited for the perfect shot, I would have gone home with only one shot of a high-rise condo on Town Lake - whooo.

Olloclip

The nifty Olloclip is about the size of C Cell battery, or if you like food, about the size of a mini Snickers bar.  It clips on to your beloved iPhone 4S and has a Fisheye lens (the large lens facing the left above), or a Wide Angle lens (the small lens facing right).  It also comes with a Macro lens (unscrew the Wide Angle lens and it is hidden there).  It comes with a two lens caps, and a microfiber bag to carry your stuff in.

  The cool thing about having a hobby you like is that you come in to contact with others following the same interest as yourself.  With others you get to share your passion for the hobby, show them your work, see their work, get valuable feedback and grow your interest in the hobby.  Plus, you also come across stuff that you might not otherwise find out about.  The olloclip is one such thing that I would have not found out about had it not been for Instagram.
  If you are not familiar with Instagram, it is essentially Facebook for photographers of all skill levels.  Interestingly enough, Facebook bought Instagram this week, making the owners some very wealthy individual$.  Good for them. :-)
  On Instagram, you can post your photographs and share with the world your vision, talent and ability.  In return, anyone in the world can find your photograph and "like" it or comment on it.  Hopefully the comments will always be positive - so far I have not had any negative comments (knock on wood).  It is a great way to see work by other people and also come across information that you might not otherwise come across.  For example, other photographers might make comments about where they took their picture, what app they used, or contests going on.
  When you post on Instagram, you will typically include a hashtag (#) which is essentially a big collection of photographs from other photographers that used the same hashtag.  For example, you might post your picture as #instagram_underdogs, which is a group of photographers that are trying to garner fans and followers.  One such hashtag I came across a while back was #olloclip.  I had no idea what it was until I read the comments on a photograph, and the photographer was discussing how she loved her olloclip.  Well, being very curious, I googled the word and came across www.olloclip.com - a company that created the device above.  On their site they have a neat video showing the efforts they went to in manufacturing the prototype for the device, plus a store where you can order a black olloclip or a red olloclip.  It took about a week before I felt comfortable enough in parting with the approx $75 it took to buy the lens, but I finally ordered it, then sat by my mailbox over the Easter holiday waiting for the Postman to ring twice.  I hear he always rings twice, but the truth of the matter, Mr. Postman must have been nipping at the bottle, because it showed up two days late with Priority Mail.  What's up with that?
  But I digress - we were talking about the wonders of the olloclip.
  I was so excited about finally buying an olloclip, as I love photography and take tons of pics with my beloved iPhone4S.  I hate to say it, but I seldom use my beloved orange Pentax DSLR anymore.  It is a great camera and I really try to like using my Lensbaby (wow, it is really a challenge to use), but who really wants to walk around anonymously amongst the masses lugging a camera that screams "invasion of privacy"?
  So the iPhone is perfect for me and perfect for what I enjoy about photography - doing my own thing without having anyone hassling me (it is not usually a pleasant experience).  But after a while, you just wish you had those cool lenses for your iPhone.
  Welcome to 2012 and the olloclip.  The olloclip is essentially a lens for your iPhone, just like what you use on your DSLR, except it is much simpler to use - no F-Stops, focusing, or worrying about dust when you change it.  It is such a clever device, I am surprised that they are not more common-place.  Or perhaps they are - I just came across them recently.
  I have mainly used the Macro lens to date, and really like the results.  The Wide Angle lens is better than expected, and great for taking pictures of landscapes and buildings.  The Macro lens has opened up a whole new world to me, as witnessed with the pictures below - I took these the first day I used the lens and have been hooked ever since.

Original:  A flower bud with the morning sunrise smiling upon it.  But not shining enough to make a pretty picture.  No worries - I have Snapseed, Photoshop, and 5 minutes to spare.

Finished Masterpiece:  Not bad for the one of the first pictures I took with my beloved olloclip macro lens.  I used Snapseed to bring out the color, bring out the dead (not familiar with Monty Python?), sharpen the detail, and give it that Kapow! that the picture is screaming for.  I then used Photoshop to tame down the image a little so we do not get too wild, then brought it back in to Snapseed for a little fine tuning.  I love the bokeh effect created - the Lensbaby is great for this effect and I am pleasantly surprised with the olloclip creating this effect as well.  Me so happy.

Letters to the Editor.

  Okay, okay, I am not an Editor, but if I had titled this, Letters to the Blogger, it just would not have the same kind of snap to it.  
  I have received numerous letters lately, coincidentally, all written on crisp $20 bills, asking me the following questions:

$20 Bill #1:
"Jimmy, why do you keep posting a "Picture of the Week" - what gives?  Are you on a secret mission or do you have writer's block?"
  Thank you, Bill, for your excellent question!  The truth of the matter is that I have been terribly busy lately and have been unable to compose a new post that would get those neurons of yours to fire like a Fourth of July fireworks show in the park, but I have been able to post some of my most recent pictures on Instagram (I am jimmy1963).  I try to post my favorite pictures for the week, but to be honest, I kind of like them all so I really need an outside judge to make an astute determination as to which pictures are the best, then post some of them.  If you see one of my pictures you like, or one you completely hate and despise, write and let me know, and I will post it, along with your diatribe as to why you hate it, or I will post your beautiful poetic musings as to why you love it.  


$20 Bill #2:
"Jimmy, I love your work - you have such a fascinating style.  How do you create such vivid pictures, and how do you give it such a unique look?"
  Thanks, Mom, for the kind letter!  By the way, I have some more crossword puzzles and books to give you next time I come over.
  As for how I create them, well, if I tell you, then they will not be so special anymore.  But it is really pretty simple.  First, you need to start with a good picture.  By good, I mean interesting.  The quality is almost irrelevant, because the quality can be repaired and man-handled.  Does the picture have anything interesting about it?  Is the subject matter unique, cool, colorful, show motion, or show texture?  Is the subject matter something you wish you had shot a picture of?  If so, then it is probably interesting enough to proceed further.  If not, go back and shoot a more interesting picture.  
  Second, Mom, I start with a unique or interesting picture, then import it in to one of my favorite apps on my iPad.  Mom, an iPad is an electronic gizmo, about the size of a book, about as thin as an Alzheimers medication tablet, and it works magic on a photograph I take.  No, Mom, the picture is not a Polaroid.  No, Mom, there is no place to put the photograph in to the iPad.  Mom, I don't know why they call it an iPad and yes, I know it sounds like something a girl... hey, I really do not want to have this conversation with you Mom, this is getting weird and I am still traumatized from my youth when you dressed me, oh, never mind - that was a long time ago and my mental wounds have healed.  Look Mom, the best way to explain it to you is that the iPad is like a miniaturized photo laboratory with all the smelly, wet chemicals that you dip your photographic paper in to, you look at the picture with the red light on, you expose some light to it here and there, and like magic (but not real magic, because that is impossible), it creates a stunning photograph.  No Mom, the iPad does not contain any harmful chemicals and it will not leak if I carry it in your Toyota.  
  Nevermind.

Original:  This picture was so boring, drab and dark that I almost deleted it on my beloved iPhone before I took another picture.  I am not even sure what possessed me to take a picture of a motorcycle's butt, but I did.  Don't tell anyone - this is just our little secret.  

Final Masterpiece:  It is a really neat feeling to create something and be impressed with the results.  I would say that it is like when I won an Oscar for my portrayal of Jebediah in "Citizen Kane", but I was not in Citizen Kane, I have never won an Oscar, and there was no character by the name of Jebediah in Citizen Kane.  If I had won an Oscar for my portrayal of Jebediah, this is what it would have felt like.  Using my favorite iPad app, Snapseed, I created an HDR, blew out the Ambience and Saturation, then dialed it back so it was not too much.  Then I toned down the Noise with Photoshop.  The lack of noise gives it the nice smooth look, but too much noise reduction gives it too much of a smooth look - there is a fine line you have to figure out for yourself.  Notice how the HDR brought out features (in the dark shadows on the underside of the bike) that were not observable in the original - truly magic, and I stand corrected about my position on magic.  Unfortunately, Instagram crops pictures in to a square shape, so the picture did not receive justice when I posted it - I had to crop it so much that you could not tell what you looking at, and the coolness quotient was diminished.  Coolness Quotient (QC) on the Masterpiece is an obvious 11, on a scale of 1-10, however on the Instragram cropped version, the QC was just a 5 (officially rated at a 5.375).  Enjoy.

Picture of the Week

Finished Masterpiece:  Shelby Cobra meets Snapseed, then meets Photoshop Express on my beloved iPhone, then back to Snapseed for further magic.  Snapseed is my current favorite app, but like most photo apps, it doesn't do 100% of what I want it to do, so I also like to use Photoshop Express for some tweaking.  Or I should say, some much-needed tweaking.  t tried to bring out the pizzazz and kapow! possessed by the car, but not go overboard.  What I like to do is take the oomph! and kapow! up to the limit, then dial it back a little so I do not create a picture that looks amateurish - nothing looks worse than going overboard with an iPhone photo-magic app, such as taking an HDR image way past the limit.   I don't understand people that do that - surely it is obvious it is too much of something.  But that is just me.   Interesting how I was able to bring out the shimmery green at the front fender - a real nice touch I was not expecting.  I posted this on Instagram [@jimmy1963] and it was a crowd favorite.

Original:  When you see a one-of-a-kind car, try to do better than I did and take a one-of-a-kind picture.  I saw this beautiful Shelby Cobra (probably a replica) and had to snap a pic of it, even though it was parked in a parking spot on the main drag of Fredericksburg, Texas.  An old man was in the way, as he too likes Shelbys, so I had to artfully shoot the picture without him in it.  If you look closely you can see the trail of broken hearts this car has left behind.