iPhone Paradise in Hawaii

Well, between family illnesses and travel for fun, the late summer and autumn clean got away from me. Still, I shot lots of photos and am just now able to start going through them all. I'm working backwards from now, so the first shots are from my time at the fabulous Creative Photography For The Soul taught by the incomparable Jack Davis. (Next year is almost full already, so if you are interested, I suggest you check out his website here.)

This experiential photo seminar takes place right on my home turf here in Moloka`i, Hawai`i. It's always a delightful challenge to photograph your own back yard in a new way. Thanks to my new iPhone 5S and ever changing apps, I feel up to it. Here's a few from the week.

These agave leaves were apped in Snapseed and Dynamic Light. Color is courtesy of Color Thief, one of my new favorite apps.

 I shot this palm frond and sunset at Kapuaiwa Palm Grove, one of my favorite haunts. I used the new HDR in Snapseed and it is amazing. The palm frond was black until it was applied. This new HDR effect is a game changer. Further optimized in Snapseed and texturized in Camera Awesome!

I love the way laua`e ferns sometimes seem to grow into an embrace. Straight shot apped with Snapseed and Dramatic Black and White.

Finally, this tropical bloom with glorious leaves was apped in Snapseed and Portrait Painter.

An App A Day Keeps the Boredom Away

One of my favorite apps is called Foolproof Art Studio. As many of you know, I love painting on my photos. And Foolproof is an app that allows you control of the paintbrush. Unlike Painteresque or Artista Oil apps (both of which I like very much), Foolproof has you creating every brush stroke rather than having it done for you. So each rendition is one of a kind. Here are a few examples.

This boat floats just off the shore at the Kapuaiwa Palm Grove in Moloka`i, Hawai`i. It has been photographed by countless folks over the years (and in every kind of light by Dewitt and me.) This is a whole new look when painted in Foolproof.

I like abstract works of art and enjoyed "painting" this ocean scene. The color palette is striking - and all from the original photo.

Gal pal Theresa was photographing with me on the beach, so of course, I had to take a photo of her in her element. Then I painted her in Foolproof.

My favorite of our beach day is this minimalist scene of a celadon wave breaking on the golden sand under an azure sky. I liked the original photo and I LOVE the painted one. Foolproof Art Studio is my app of the day.

Petal Pushers Two

Artists Candy Spring and Carol Robinson share some lovely iPhone flora of their own in this guest gallery. Enjoy!

Petal Pushers

Well, the petal pushers came out after the last blog post, I'm delighted to say. I am feeling so inspired! Check out these latest flower portraits.

Katrina Pruett shares this lovely composition called Tiny Flowers. By her own admission, it's one of those "extreme app" results. She started with two photos from slightly different angles of the same tiny flowers. Blender (which made unexpected color changes). Photo Fx for one of the diffusing filters. Then Toon Camera to reverse a bit of the fuzziness. Lastly Pic Grunger for texture. This is one of iPhone Diva's favorites. I gotta try Katrina's recipe.

 

© Katrina Pruett

John Derby was awarded "Mark of Excellence" for this lovely Iris photo in the I Shot It photo competition sponsored by Leica. His wife grew the beautiful bloom named interestingly enough "Starship Enterprise". You can find more of John's work on his artist site: John Derby Photograpy

© John Derby

For this vibrant lotus shot, Katrina again used a number of apps. Here's how she did it "Snap seed. Touch retouch to remove debris in the water. Laminar pro (can't recall why I ran it through that). Then a new one to me - Jazz. That put the red streaks and red tint in the background which I kinda like."

© Katrina Pruett

I took a Fourth of July walk with gal pals Theresa and Karen. The flowers were out in full regalia. Pink Indian Paintbrush decorated this granite boulder as we tramped to Lake Winnemucca in the Mokulumne Wilderness high in the California Sierra Nevada.. Snapseed, Camera+, Camera Awesome.

Dewitt and I were returning from a trip when we pulled over abruptly for this field of sunny blossoms. I love sunflowers - they seem to have personalities, each and every one. This is a straight iPhone shot using Pro HDR. And I'm sure I will app it in the future as well.

While celebrating the Fourth by traversing a favorite trail in the HIgh Sierra, my girlfriends and I came across a wildflower meadow in full bloom. Snapseed, Tiffen Photo FX, Camera +.

This shot by Lauri Dinetz combines a dahlia blossom with her haiku. No apps, just added the text on her computer. I love words and pictures together! Thanks everyone for the contributions!

© Lauri Dinetz

Summer is Blooming

Everything seems to be in bloom so my poor little iPhone has been getting quite a workout. I have hardly had time to process any I've taken - here are a few.
Three roses worked with Snapseed, Camera+, and Camera Awesome.

The olloclip macro was used for detail of this freesia. Camera+, Snapseed, Touch Retouch.

This wild rose on the shore of Lake Tahoe was shot with ProHDR and processed using Snapseed and Camera Awesome.

The Olloclip macro lens showing just a detail of a  flower whose name I've forgotten. Processed in Snapseed and Camera +.

This photo was created using what I jokingly refer to as the freezer app. One of my iphoneography pals, Sara Howell, has frozen blossoms and then photographed them. Taking a page from her playbook, (thanks Sara), I froze these petals in a clear pyrex dish, then photographed them. Snapseed and Photoshop Touch were the "in iPad" apps. You can bet I'll be doing a lot more of these.

OK everyone, I'm looking forward to seeing some of your flower photos! Enjoy the summertime blooms.

Haunting Beauty on Kalaupapa Peninsula, Moloka`i

One of the most beautiful, heart wrenching places on Earth is Kalaupapa peninsula, Moloka`i, Hawai`i where people with Hansen's disease (leprosy) were exiled, until a cure was finally discovered. We were blessed to be hosted by dear friends for a couple of days to immerse ourselves. Here are a few iPhone memories.

Beach Leaves       Apps: Snapseed, Camera +, Camera Awesome

The visitor area where patients and family members were separated, unable to touch.
Apps:   Snapseed, Camera +, Camera Awesome

Early morning on the peninsula.   Apps: Autostitch, ProHDR, Photoforge

Cottage and Graves    Apps: Snapseed, Camera +, Pixlromatic

Abstract Expressionism iPhone Style

One of my favorite photographers has begun using her iphone in a most creative way. I love the Abstract Expressionist school of painting and Katrina Pruett's latest work reminds me of that.

For apps, here's what she used. Snapseed, Touch Retouch to eliminate scratches, ProHDR and Photogene for framing.  On photo #3, she used Glaze for texture.   Enjoy!

With this art experiment, she went all out. She used a collage app, among her usual favorites. Can you guess which one? Which collage app is your favorite?