AB's guide to iPhoneography

Who doesn't have at least one photography app on their smartphone right now?  Everyone I know seems to have some sort of faux-vintage app, at the very least.  Even my mom has Instagram.  And why not?  They're cheap (most even free) and fun, and while it's still nothing compared to the quality of my 7D, my iPhone's quality sure beats that of the first digital camera I owned ten years ago, so it's good enough for daily snapshots that I like to take.

Vintage/lo-fi photography is a ubiquitous trend nowadays, so Instagram is hardly alone in its class.  And it's not the only class of app out there either; there are hundreds of photography related iphone apps that allow you to shoot panoramics, send yourself postcards from the road, and yes, even Photoshop has its own app.

Below I've got a few examples of my most-used photography apps:

As I already mentioned above, the app that receives the most attention lately is Instagram (free).  Take a photo within the app (or upload one from your camera roll), crop it to square, and select a filter to apply to the photo.  Instagram also doubles as a social networking/photo sharing app, though you can turn that option off and simply save to your camera roll.

Photosynth (free) is an easy-to-use panoramic app.  Just tap the screen and start moving, and Photosynth snaps photos for you.  It takes a few seconds to stitch the photos together and when you're done, you can view the photo within Photosynth (as a moveable panoramic) or share through email and Facebook.

Camera Bag ($1.99) is another in a long list of lo-fi, vintage inspired apps.  Take any photo from your camera roll, upload it and simply begin scrolling through the filter options.  Options include poloroid, holga film, and cinema style.

If you can't get enough of shooting with toy cameras, you'll want to try Hipstamatic ($1.99).  It essentially turns your iphone into a Diana or Holga camera, even allowing you to choose from different film types.

Got a few related pictures you want to show together?  Get Diptic ($1.99).  Choose from multiple 2,3,4 or 5 photo layouts, and upload pictures for each spot in the layout.  Export to camera roll or share on Facebook.  (date label on left picture via labelbox)

Just like the real thing, actioncam (free) snaps a series of pictures which can be viewed in several layout styles (above, 4x1).  The app can be set to take photos manually (like I just did above) or timed, which works best when your subject is moving.

{picture via itunes store/popbooth}

Popbooth (free + price of print) brings the convenience of your iPhone and the fun of a photobooth into one app.  Use your phone to snap a series of photobooth pictures, apply a filter, then share via email or facebook.  Want a real photobooth strip?  Simply buy a print to mail to yourself!  Buy credits in bulk and use "party mode" for fun wedding favors.

{picture via itunes and postagram}

Ever go on vacation and snap a postcard-worthy photo that you want to share with a friend?  Sure, you could upload it to Facebook, but why not give them something to hang on their refrigerator?  Postagram (free + 99 cents for print) is the app for that: take a photo and upload to the app, decide who you want to send a postagram to, and for just 99 cents, your friend will have a postcard of your photo in 2-5 days.  Feel free to send one to yourself so you can relive your vacation once you return home!

I hope this helped make sense of the hundreds of photo apps out there.  The best thing you can do is download as many as possible (there are tons of free ones if you aren't interested in spending money), try them out, and just delete the ones you don't like.  Have fun!

fall preview

in denial

I know I've mentioned it before, I'm still in denial over summer being over.  I mean, it's not officially over, or so my calendar says.  But I know the truth.  Fall is here.  I pulled a hoodie out yesterday and have been wearing it all day today.  Last night I had to dig out my slippers because my piggies toes were freezing.  Here they are enjoying warmer days on the beach:

Admittedly this is not a good picture.  I don't like it at all except for the color of the umbrella, so I thought it was worth posting.

Anyone else having a really hard time letting go of summer?  I promise I'll stop whining about this really soon!

wordless wednesday: summer's end

Ten Years Later: Never Forget

{photo  of JFK Museum, Boston, MA}

It’s September 11th.  I don’t think a year will go by that I don’t wake up on this day and remember exactly what happened and what I was doing.  Later today I’ll be enjoying some time with my family, but I can’t help but think about all those who lost their lives that day ten years ago.

On this day in 2001, I was just waking up in my college dorm room as a freshman.  I logged onto yahoo to check my email and while it loaded, I glanced at the top news stories like I always did.  When I read that a plane crashed into one of the WTC’s in NYC, I turned on the news.  Just then, the second plane had crashed.  My roommate Amy returned home from breakfast just then and I told her what was happening.  Together we worried and speculated about what might happen next.

Classes were being canceled and students were being ushered into the theater which had the national news being played on the big screens.  I tried calling my parents repeatedly, but phones were busy.  We all cried, we all prayed.  I’m not a religious person, not in the least, but I prayed so hard that day to some higher power, somewhere.  I was in the middle of nowhere in Vermont, but at this point I don’t know that any of us truly felt safe.  Anything could have happened.

It was only the second week of school, so us freshmen were in a tough place.  We were away from our families, uncertain of the near future, and barely knew each other.  I’ll always remember sitting in the lounge of my dorm with this tall, quiet guy.  I’d never seen him before, but the two of us sat on either side of the room watching the coverage on TV in complete silence, though sometimes remarking to each other how shocking it all was.  For the next four years, every time I saw him, I thought of that day.

I can remember watching in horror as the two towers fell to the ground.  I can remember a candlelight vigil around the pond that night.  I can remember the overwhelming sense of patriotism that spread around not only our campus but the nation.  I can remember it was the birthday of someone I started to become friends with, and I wished him the most somber “happy birthday” I’ve ever wished in my life.  I can remember hearing that a boy from my hometown was working on the 89th floor of one of the World Trade Centers.  I can remember hearing that he called his mother after the first plane hit and that he was going to get out.  I can remember later finding out that he never did.

That day, an entire country made a promise to those whose lives were taken.  We promised to never forget.  And we never will.

September 11, 2001-2011.

Well it would seem that summer is over.  It's been awhile since I've felt temperatures in the 90's, which is something that surprised me when I moved to Virginia.  I had high hopes that summer weather would last well into September, but lately it's been dreary and mild.
Not that that's a bad thing.  While I was so reluctant to let go of summer, yesterday I decided (with nary an 85°+ day in sight) to embrace the upcoming fall season.  I decorated my living room and kitchen (photos to come later) and started on some fall crafts.

But since it is still technically summer, here are some summer flower macro photos I shot a few weeks ago.

 Ooohh, that creamy background.

Small, smaller, smallest.

My favorite of the bunch.

The colors are so vibrant.

Nothing says 'photographer' like laying on the wet ground at 7:00 in the morning trying to shoot dewdrops.

 A bug's eye view.

 A little sparkle.

Such a teeny, tiny depth of field.

A hydrangea puff.  What's not to love?

This flower needs to be tucked behind my ear.

It's just begging to be picked.

Sometimes the background is more interesting than the foreground.  Look at that beautiful bokeh.