29 January 2016

Iphone photography

Recently I’ve got into the habit of taking photos on the iPhone and have lazily stopped taking the “big” camera out to play.
Its both good and bad, quality is obviously not as good.
But the apps available on the iPhone do a lot of the work of post-processing for you. 

I use Snapseed as my photo editing app.  
Its very good and simply to use.

Take this original, unedited photo of an alleyway in Alnwick on a gloomy January day. 

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In Snapseed I first head to "Tune Image” and increase brightness, ambience and saturation (just a touch).

Play with HDR.

Add a grunge filter.

Then in Instagram I think I used “Amaro” filter, then added a vignette, increased structure and added a circular tilt shift.

Its sounds a lot but takes a minute or two, thats all.
And this is the result.
Compare Before : After 

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Same here, dull gloomy day in  Berwick.

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But with an increase in contrast and structure, change to a tinted B&W filter and you have a great photo.

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I love this one below, again of Alnwick on a VERY wet day.

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Two or three times a week I’m trying to walk over 2 miles and up  a hill.
You can’t see the valley here, looks like the hills go straight across but there is a steep drop down to the road and river - and home.
This morning the moon was still out, hovering about the Cheviot Hills. 

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And I always take a photo at the top of the hill and the point at which I often turn around.

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28 January 2016

Just in time....

…For January

I can only apologise for not blogging for almost a whole month :(  
How did that happen?

I’ve been so very busy both in body and mind with really important, stressful and time consuming family stuff, thats the only excuse. 

The hares are cut out and sealed with fray check.
Not yet sewn on the dress, just sort of hanging about in different positions to see how they look. 

I’m desperate to get on with a few more, but waiting on a new pair of glasses.  
That’s been a real test of patience and time too.
Boots Opticians initially gave me glasses with the wrong prescription in one eye(!), then corrected this….. and the mid-focus was completely out.  I couldn’t see the computer monitor without squinting.
And then the glasses themselves, all £500 worth started to fall apart!
Refund time. 

So back to an independent opticians, Zeiss lens ordered for the Lindberg frames I have already.
Should be here within three weeks.

Anyway here are the hares….. and tomorrow I’ll show you some photographs and discuss how you can make something really special using two simple apps on your phone.

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